The 5 Best Whole House Water Filters – [2020 Reviews]

Things like sand, rust, and dirt will be held in the filter while the rest of the water passes through. One of the cool things about this sediment filter is that it is made from 5 different layers.

The first layer holds back the largest of these particles while the final layer of the filter stops the smallest of these particles as small as 5 microns in size. To give you an idea of how small that actually is, the thinnest of human hairs would be around 50 microns in diameter.

So even by itself, this first filter is making a huge difference in water quality. It doesn’t stop there, though. The second filter is a granulated activated carbon filter. This is where a lot of the chemicals will be removed from your water.

Chlorine, herbicides, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), insecticides, industrial solvents, and various other chemicals are going to be removed from the water during this second stage of filtration. A lot of undesirable tastes and odors that can be found in tap water are taken out with this filter.

Finally, the third filter is a carbon block filter. This is going to take care of the remaining chemicals, tastes, and odors. It will finish removing any leftover chlorine. It will also get rid of pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and total organic compound or TOC.

The connections on this whole house water filter are the standard 1-inch connections. It comes with a really cool mounting bracket because most water purification systems come with a mounting bracket that is JUST a mounting bracket. This one actually doubles as a frame that is free-standing.

So, depending on your exact set-up, you could choose to not mount this system at all and just have it sitting free-standing. The filter housings are all nice and large as well.

This helps to extend the life of your filters while also working to avoid a reduction in water pressure due to the filters. This filtration system can output 0.25 gallons per second! The filters won’t need to be replaced too often, either.

They can last up to a year for an average family of four. Of course, there are a lot of factors that go into how often your filters will need to be replaced.

The good news is that Express Water considered this as well and decided to make it easy for you with a clear filter housing for the first filter – the sediment filter.

This allows you to see inside clearly for easy monitoring. You also have a pressure gauge on each of the filters for additional ease in monitoring your system. When you do have to change the filters, it is super easy.

You just press the pressure release buttons, twist off the housings, switch the filters, and then twist the housings back onto the stainless steel frame.

Of course, this is the most expensive option you’ll see here in our recommendations. It is pretty pricey but definitely worth the cost.

It is our pick for the best water filter system for home and really does provide incredibly clean and crisp water all throughout your home!

So, it basically skips the second stage of filtration that you get with the Express Water and then goes straight to the third. There is no granular activated carbon filter in this system.

Basically, this means that the carbon block filter is fully responsible for removing chemicals, tastes, and odors from the water. The sediment filter will first remove the larger particles, dirt, rust, sand, silt, and so on.

Then, as the water goes through the carbon block filter, the chemicals, heavy metals, and other contaminants will be taken out.

This may be slightly less effective but won’t necessarily have a major impact on the water quality compared to the 3-stage Express Water system.

One thing that might happen is that the carbon block filter will become clogged faster than it would with the granular carbon filter prefacing it. Even so, these filters are designed to last up to a full year for a family of 4 just like the Express Water filter.

These do come with a mounting bracket but keep in mind that it must be mounted, unlike the free-standing option you get with Express Water.

These are relatively large filters with 20-inch housings. The size helps to extend filter life and also helps to make sure that water pressure is not reduced in your home. The housings are easy to remove by simply twisting them.

They also come with a special wrench that fits over the housing to allow you to get them snugly tightened and easily loosened when you are doing maintenance.

Just like the Express Water system, this option features convenient 1-inch connections. With the more affordable pricing and ability to still provide very high-quality and clean water, this is certainly a valuable option as a water filter system for home use.

There are a few things you are going to want to consider if you are wanting to choose one of these 2-stage iSpring filter systems. The biggest consideration with the difference in size is how long the filters last.

While the 20-inch option can last for up to a year without needing the filters replaced, this option will last you about half of that. It is rated to last up to 6 months before needing the filters replaced for the average family of 4.

One of the cool things about this smaller set-up, though, is that it actually comes mostly pre-assembled. Instead of having to put the system together and onto the mounting bracket before installation, you simply have to install it.

Everything is already put together, attached to the bracket, and ready to go with this 10-inch iSpring system! Of course, it is the price that will really have you considering the smaller option.

This system is half the size and close to half the price as the first 20-inch iSpring pick! Other than that, all of the other features are the same.

The connections are 1 inch, it has a sediment filter, it has a carbon block filter, it comes with a housing wrench, and it has an output of up to 0.25 gallons per second.

It does an excellent job overall, it just takes a bit more maintenance throughout the year.

These filters work the same as our previous picks. The sediment filter removes the particle contaminants from the water like sand, dirt, rust, and so on. Then, the carbon block filter will take care of the chemicals, odors, and tastes including chlorine removal.

There are definitely some things that are different about this filter system that you’ll need to consider, though. The biggest disadvantage of this system is the size of the filters and filter housings.

They are the shorter 10-inch length like the second iSpring option and they are also almost half the width of even the smaller iSpring option.

Rather than the 4.5-inch width of most of our picks, these filters are only 2.5 inches wide each. The biggest problem with the smaller size is that the filters don’t last nearly as long.

You’ll probably need to change the filters on this system every 3 months or so. The system does help to make up for that drawback by including 3 extra sets of filters for a total of 4 sets.

This means that even though you’ll have to change the filters relatively often, you do still get about a year’s worth of filters with your purchase.

Of course, the small size also means that it has a lower water output rate of up to 0.17 gallons per second. This system has ¾-inch connections rather than the 1-inch connections that most of our picks include.

It does also come with a filter housing wrench like the iSpring systems for a little more added convenience.

It gets your water very clean, but it won’t purify the water the same way that multi-stage filters do. It isn’t going to remove chemicals and some of the things that can cause bad odors and tastes.

So, it is excellent for helping to extend the life of your appliances and ensure things like your clothes get truly clean. It just isn’t ideal for drinking water. It is great to be used in addition to a point-of-use drinking water filter at your kitchen sink or perhaps in your fridge.

This filter and filter housing is the same size as the filters in the smaller iSpring system above. It is 10 inches long and 4.5 inches wide. This leads the filter to last 3-6 months in most cases.

However, there are a couple of cool features about this filter that helps you know exactly when you need to change out the filter to guarantee the best possible results without changing so often that you’re wasting your filters.

First, there is the simple fact that the filter housing is actually clear in color. This allows you to visually monitor your filter for signs that it needs to be changed.

Even more helpful, though, is the built-in filter monitor. This monitor is battery-powered and will actually alert you when your filter needs to be changed.

This adds a ton of convenience to the system! It has the ¾-inch connections on both ends and it does include a mounting bracket as well. The best part is definitely the price!

It is super affordable, which makes it much more reasonable to purchase alongside an additional filter specifically for your drinking water.