DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Whole House Water Filtration Units

I have a question for those who might have one of these units in their home.

I see these whole house water filtration units available at Lowes and such, that are really inexpensive, yet highly rated. I just wound up having to replace a nice, expensive, Moen faucet because of all of the calcium and scale that built up in it, and eventually cracked a very small area of the underside; creating a leak. This faucet is full of build up, and every time I clean out my sink faucet filters will sometimes jam up with deposits. I also have to take my flush boxes apart at least 2-3 times/year and clean out the calcium build up in there.

Anyway, I started thinking about whole house filters, and they are really inexpensive, I can by a nicely rated unit for around $75, and filters for around $20. These aren't the filters that stop everything, but they can filter out mineral deposits, chlorine, and such. That is really all I care about.

They look fairly easy to install, just cut the water line, install the compression fittings, put it all together, hook it up, and turn the water on.

It almost seems too easy.

So, my question is this. Does anyone have one of these units installed, and if so, how does it work for you, and does it effectively filter out deposits and scale? If you installed it yourself, how hard was it to do?

The kind of filtration you are talking about works best as point of use and not for whole house .They seem cheap but you are getting what you pay for .For calcium and lime deposits save yourself some time and aggrevation and get a water softener . Do not however get it at a box store as they are generally not the best equipment . What I would suggest to you are the brand names Fleck or Autotrol as both are very good brands . Are you on a municipal water supply or private well ? If it is a well do you have iron or a smell ? As far as price there can be some variables like how many people you have in the house , what your water tests out at, on demand units etc... Look to spend anywhere from $600 to $1500 for a top of the line softener with a Reverse Osmosis drinking water system included. Anything over that and you are paying waaay too much .

I put one in last year.

Don't recall the model, but I can look tonight when I get home. I think I payed around 200-250 for it, and the replacement filters are in the 100-120 range. But I'd have to double check, I looked at so many.

The filter is good for 100,000 gallons, and if I recall is a 100 micron. Installation for me was easy because when we built the house I had them install a water softener loop in the garage, so I had exposed loop plumbing to tap into.

It seems to have helped some, we still see some calcium on the shower glass and such, but it definitely is better than before.

I am considering putting in a softener too.

During my research Rhino seemed to get the best reviews but it was a little pricey for me.

Florida, the Rhino is for taste and odor and will not remove the calcium and lime buildup . Also they are a nonrebuildable or non refilling system meaning that in time , 4 to 5 years , you may have to replace the whole unit . I think they use KDF which is a substitute for the industry standard of carbon. They are supposedly good at what they do but again if you are looking to rid yourself of scale then thay won't do the trick .

I'll have to look at mine when I get home to tell you exactly the type/brand, but it is a standard carbon filter (I think it is an Aqua Pure). The replaceable filters cost like $10 each.
They filter our sediment, scale and particulate matter down to a size of like 10 microns or something like that.


I used to get loads of scale buildup on things like my shower head.. .now I get nearly none.

The thing I want is simply to get the large sediment out of the water coming into my house so that I don't have to worry about constantly taking apart my sinks, showers, washer, toilets, etc., to clean the gunk out.

The traps in my sinks get buildup in them almost immediately after cleaning them. My toilets get a scaly buildup in the flush boxes that is almost impossible to clean out unless I use a scraper and a wet vac. It makes th toilets run on, costs me water pressure, and the sediment even gets caught in the shut off valves, etc.

I'm not looking for super fine filtering for super pure drinking water .... (I buy bottled water for drinking anyway) . I just want to get the buildup out of the water and save myself a lot of work and/or expense from the effects of the horrible Youngstown water on my fixtures/appliance traps.

You need a conditioner. If you're on a well, a sediment filter too.

The conditioner will remove the hardness (Scale, lime, calcium - whatever you want to call it) from the point of entry. If you want to filter for chemicals use a reverse osmosis system for drinking water. Both are easy to install. PM me and I can talk you through it.

Youngstown City water ... which might just be worse. lol

I was hoping that I could get into a cheap and easy way to handle this. Unfortunately, it seems like that's never really an option. I don't want to have to try and handle salt bags and such with my back and my hernia. Probably not a good idea right now.

Well a sediment filter won't stop scale.

Google "Magnetic Water Softeners"

I've heard they're decent at preventing scale, cheap ($50-$100) and easy to install.

I have some similar issues here in Aurora. Not that our water is nearly as bad as I suspect yours must be.

At my condo, I had a system made by Kinetico. Wonderful system.. Put in the salt about once a month and the water is soft, tastes better, cleans dishes and clothes way way better.

The system was expensive at the time (1998) I think it was around 750 bucks installed.

I sold that house in 2005 and the place we are in now (also in Aurora) had similar issues. So instead of spending the big bucks on a system (since I'm renting) I decided to call Culligan ( of hey culligan man fame) for aboiut 35 bucks a month, I rented a system. Each month they stop by and add salt to the tank for me so I don't even have to think about it. If I'm not home, they leave a couple of bags by the garage door and I dump them in the salt tank myself.

THey charge you 35 a month plus salt usage. If you wanna save a few bucks, buy your own salt and put it in yourself.

I added a reverse osmosis system for drinking water for about 250 installed. Changing the filters once a year costs about 15 bucks. (this was a much more detailed install process and unless you got skills, I'd leave it to the pros)

I can highly recommend either system.. I haven't looked at what Home Depot or Lowes sells.. Perhaps there is a cheaper way to do it. Now sure but I do know these two systems work very well.

Installing them: I've not done it myself but I watched it being done in both homes.. Didn't look hard. Pretty straight forward to be honest. define the location near the point where water from the street enters your home (generall the basement), turn the water off, cut the incoming water supply pipe, install a connector for the unit, tighten things up using proper plumbing techniques, add salt, turn the water on and then let it run a cycle and BOOM,, clean water. (if you want hot cleaned hot water, obviously you want to install this in a location before the Hot Water Tank)

Sounds easy,, but I personally wouldn't attempt it.. I'm no plumber and I do like things to work right.. So if you got those skills,, it shouldn't be too difficult for you.

I've had this culligan system now for about 6 years and I've not had any issues with it at all.

The ONLY thing a magnetic water softener could do is pull ferrous metals out of the water..... and it'd have to pull those particles out while the water is flying past the magnets under pressure.
Totally a myth, hehe.



I forgot, again, to look at my filter unit when I got home last night. I'll try to remember tonight. I'm pretty sure that it is either an AquaPure or GE unit.

It was inexpensive, the filters are cheap and it WILL remove all sediment from your water. The city flushed lines on the street last year and I didn't notice at all until I had to change the filter because it caught every bit of crap they flushed loose... I didn't see one drop of discolored water at my taps.

I think that my total cost to install it was just around $130 and that included all of the 3/4" copper fittings and everything... and I chose to skip the compression fittings and sweated fittings on, which probably added $12-$15.

Thanks.

Does yours cut down at all on the scaling inside the flush box and such?

My main concern is all of the large solids that wind up in my traps and such, but something that helps eliminate the scale would be nice too. That being said though ..... I have read (in my travels on this subject) that putting a little vinegar in the flush box overnight from time to time can eliminate a lot of the scale, so I am going to try that with the basement and first floor toilets tonight and see for myself.

Vinegar is like a miracle liquid, it has so many uses.

Every 3-4 months we throw a couple cups of white vinegar in the dishwasher and run it, and it cleans up the soap and mineral build up.

Is that where the phrase "Pizz and vinegar" comes from?

I am with you. Go with Culligan or some other outfit and let them fool with it.

It costs a little more but they take care of everything, and if something goes wrong, they fix it.

I'm cheap though. lol

Seriously, I don't want to spend $45-50 every month if I don't have to. My income has already been pretty severely depleted ..... and I'd rather not finish it off with little stuff like this. I dropped my cable and cell phone (for a cheaper Net10 deal) to save a little cash each month. I can cover all of my bills and still save a few dollars every month. I don't want to do anything that risks my bills or my savings. An additional $50/month bill would definitely cut into my savings.

If I can get away with a 1 time, minimal investment, I might do it. If I am going to get locked into a long term, monthly payment .... that I'm not gonna do. Different strokes for different folks, (and circumstances) I guess.

We are on a well and had a bad reading a couple years ago. There are farms around and animal waste leached into the water table. The well is 100 feet deep.
I started with a 4 inch 5 micron filter that sits in a cartridge. All your well water flows through this filter. You change this filter every 6 months. They cost about $20.00.
They built a house next door and drilled a well. That stirred things up and the water really got bad. I called in a water expert. They deal with Ketico and we had a black light and a reverse osmosis system put in. That cost around $2500 3 years ago.
We passed on having a water softner put in. We had one in Wisconsin. We bought our drinking and cooking water. Wife nad I both have high blood pressure and the salt made it really jump up. They can meter it down, but not enough for us.
I figure the salt in the softner would probably kill the bacteria in our mound system. That is where the water winds up after the septic tank.
The black light kills everything in the water. The bulb needs replacing about once a year. The bulb costs $90.00. You can not handle it with your bare fingers. The oil on your hands will cause problems. Besides if you break it, you have to buy another one. I have a guy come in from the company where we got the system and change the black light and the reverse osmosis cartridges. If some thing goes wrong they stand the loss.

I understand man.


Start with the unit you feel is right and then go from there. If it works as you hope, great. If not, you already have the break in the line and just move up to the next better system.


It seems these things have different levels and price points.

You want basic protection....for that and not knowing how hard your water is, it will probably be a process of trial and error.

Not exactly what you are asking, but I wanted to respond. We have well and septic. Great water for the twenty-five years since house was built. We got some scale and lime, and some iron taste which the water conditioner helped. But then we came up with sulphur smell and the rust got worse. We bit the bullet and had a pre-filter put into the system. It cost a bunch, but it really has worked. Backwashes on a cycle. Using almost no salt, all odor and gunk is gone, wash is good. Hated to spend the money at the moment, but couldn't be more happy at this point!

PS Wife stopped complaining about it-- Priceless

I may wind having to go with a water softener. I just have to see what my bills from the hernia surgery will be ..... plus I have one more fairly expensive project being done on my house besides ..... so ...

Oh well, in today's economy, at least if I'm broke I won't be lonely.

Looked at mine it's the #m Aqua Pure like this one LINK

Smart move... Hang on to your cash man..

Without going back up to read the entire thread again. is the primary problem drinking water?

I mean if it's that, the Brita filter is pretty good for what it costs.

I think if you check with Culligan, they have smaller units than I got.. Mine is the top of the line unit.. I'd have to think that a lesser unit would cost less. this is mine.

http://www.culligan.com/en/products/water-softeners/platinum-series/

I'm not 100% sure, but my guess is they have units to fit most budgets. It's really worth a call, you may be surprised. but for certain, you will get an education about these systems

I don't have another alternative for you man,, Sorry.

Well, as an update, I am going with a water softener.

One of the members of the board used to sell these things, and gave me a great deal on a very slightly used unit that I just couldn't pass up.

I got the wiring done for the softener, and now I just have to pick up the softener tomorrow, and get my brother over to help install it.

I think that is a good move.

I am sure a filter would be ok, but there is a reason softeners are the top method of treating home water supply.

Even if the unit is more than slightly used, no big deal as they typically can last 15 or so years before needing replacement.

I think that it will work out well.

OldColdDawg used to sell these things, and had a really good unit sitting around that he offered to me at a really good price ...... so I went ahead and bought it from him. He sent along everything imaginable for me to get this all set up. Now all I have to do is get my brother over here to hook everything up.

Isn't it nice to see that a Democrat and Conservative can get along once in a while? lol

I'm an Independent. But I can see how you made that mistake since I refused the GOP koolaid.

My brother came over to install this and it was a dream. OCD had this all set up so nicely that it all went together in about 20 minutes. Ran the cycle, and now I have nice soft water. My water tastes so much better.

I just have to go buy more salt tomorrow. I picked up 80# today, and I think that I am going to buy another 200 or so to fill this sucker up. lol

Now I just have to take my valves apart and clean out the gunk in them.

OCD - Never realized that....

Anyway, you don't have to take your valves apart. Over time the soft water will remove the majority of that build up.

Cool. That's good to know.

If you notice a rotten egg smell coming from your hot water then remove the anode rod soon. Softeners have a way of deteriorating the rod and leaving an unpleasant odor . fyi

Thanks for the advice.

This is why I love this place. Good advice on top of good advice and more help (not to mention better help) than you could find anywhere else.

I looked at some videos online about this, and I suspect that my tank will wear out before the anode rod will. My anode rod is probably caked with buildup, and thus, probably hasn't been able to do its job. Now that soft water is flowing in, it should start dissolving that buildup, but the damage may already be done inside the tank itself.

I am probably going to have to invest in a water heater sometime in the next year or 2. I would love the instant on hot water with a distributor/pressure equalizer manifold ..... but I am probably not going to be able to get into that much expense.

I do have a bunch of insulation here at the house, so I am going to insulate my basement ceiling, and put up a vapor barrier. I figure that should slightly warm my hardwood floors, (maybe by 3-4 degrees) and help soundproof when I do laundry and such.