whole house water filtration? questions from a layperson...

[lollirazor]

hello, everyone. my name is jena. i will admit that i don't really know what i'm talking about, so i'm sorry if i sound dumb.

anyway... do they make water filtration systems for whole houses? (i'm assuming they do, because i think i saw a post about it, but i'm asking to be sure.) if yes, is there an industry term for this type of item, to make my research simpler and more productive? do any of you have any recommendations for a specific make & model of that product type? bear in mind that the person who would be using this product is very into evidence-based natural living, is part of the rationalist community, etc.

what are some of the pros & cons? are they very costly? what about the price of filter replacements, frequency of filter replacements, difficulty of filter use?

i suppose most importantly: what's the cost/benefit analysis like? I don't know what is really best to make sure to filter out of water, or when it's too much and you need to add stuff back in. would an under-sink filtration system be better? I believe that she is open to an under-sink system, but figured that since her home is rather small, it *might* make more sense to just install one for the whole house. but, that doesn't take under-sink systems off the table by any stretch, if a whole house system is suboptimal.

in the interest of full disclosure... this is for my boss. i am a virtual assistant. she despises research, and i love research. so, research is one of the things i take off of her plate. i promise i'm not just trying to get you guys to do my job for me ... i have a google doc with dozens of links to read up - but it's a bit overwhelming, and there are so many professionals here, that i figured it was worth a shot. forum comments are a bit more digestible than multi-page articles. i'd be very deeply appreciative of any help you can offer. this is my first job in a long time due to some disabilities i have (i have two dozen screws and two 16" metal rods in my skeleton), and i'm eager to demonstrate value and become indispensable. it would mean a lot to me if you would be willing to help me out with this.
thanks very much in advance - for reading this, and for any advice you can offer me. whoever is reading this, i hope you have a good day.

 

[havasu]

What are you trying to achieve with water filtration?

Bad water?
Bad taste?
Contaminated source?
Lead pipes?
Sterile water?

Next, is this municipal water, or personal well water?

 

[Zanne]

It all depends on the reason for the filtration system & what the goal is, as havasu mentioned.

The water type does affect it-- does it have iron sediment? Is it just nasty tasting city water? calcium?

 

[RS]

We have whole house filters at all of our homes, I just use string-wound sediment filters, they work fine for us. The last one I installed cost about $50 for the filter and all the fittings to install it.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

What are you trying to achieve with water filtration?

Bad water?
Bad taste?
Contaminated source?
Lead pipes?
Sterile water?

Next, is this municipal water, or personal well water?

@lollirazor, Havasu has pointed you in the right direction. I will take this one step further. First a comprehensive water analysis must be done on the unfiltered and untreated water that your boss is receiving now at their home. Then you need to look at that analysis, and decide what exactly you want to filter out. Armed with that information you can then design a filtration system to achieve that… maybe with the assistance of somebody who will actually do the work. It may be a solution with several components. For example, you might have a whole house sediment filter, and an under sink reverse osmosis filter for kitchen (drinking) water.

As for a cost benefit well… some people believe it’s essential to remove chlorine from municipal water. But that is an essential component on why the water is probably safe to drink in most places. Other people think that fluoride added to water is some evil conspiracy. Dentists will tell you otherwise… and so a lot of this is personal opinion. Have your boss read the water analysis and make their decision on what they want to remove from the water. Don’t ask why.

My father will be 101 years old next week. He’s still very active, he drives, he cooks, he goes to yoga, is active in the DAV, hangs with his friends at the senior center… and has consumed municipal water, unfiltered and untreated in the home for his entire life. If he buys or eats anything labeled organic, it’s probably accidental.

 

[havasu]

Folks, this is a one time poster, who has yet to read our responses. My spidey senses are telling me it is a potential spammer who will eventually edit their words to include hyperlinks and redirects to their own web sites.

Original poster, please prove me wrong.

 

[Mitchell-DIY-Guy]

Folks, this is a one time poster, who has yet to read our responses. My spidey senses are telling me it is a potential spammer who will eventually edit their words to include hyperlinks and redirects to their own web sites.

Original poster, please prove me wrong.

Interesting. I’m a member of an international car club, and we have long time paying members ($30/year) who sometimes come, make a post, or ask a question and they never come back. You don’t know if the problem is solved or got worse.

 

[Zanne]

Maybe the vampire hunters got them. Ala Strongbad e-mails. Trevoooor ! NOOOO.