11 Benefits of Whole House Water Filter Systems

Keen to learn why whole house water filters are worth the investment?

We’re sharing the top 11 benefits of installing a whole home water filtration system in this guide.

💧 Benefit 1: Clean Water Throughout Your Home

Whole home water filtration systems, as the name suggests, provide clean water to your entire home.

That means you don’t only get access to clean drinking water – you’ll also be able to shower and bathe in filtered water, wash your clothes and dishes in filtered water, and enjoy filtered water from every faucet in your home.

You won’t get this benefit with a point of use filter, like a pitcher filter or an under-sink filter. If you want to be completely protected against contaminants in your water supply, the only way to do that is to install a whole home water filtration system.

Related Post: Whole Home vs Under Sink Filtration Systems: Which is Better?

🚰 Benefit 2: Significantly Improves Water Quality

There are a whole host of whole home water filter systems to choose from; some for homes with a well water supply, and some for homes with municipal water supply.

If you choose one of the best whole house filters on the market, the filter should significantly improve your water quality by removing the problem contaminants in your water.

The taste, smell, and appearance of your water should noticeably improve. You’ll enjoy drinking your water once more.

📥 Benefit 3: Makes Water Safe to Use

Have you ever worried about using your water supply to drink, cook with, or shower in? If so, a whole home water filtration system should ease your concerns.

Whole house filtration systems remove impurities that are harmful to health. Depending on the system you buy, it could remove lead, chlorine, bacteria, arsenic, and more. The Water Quality Association recommends “the utilization of certified water filtration products as a cost-effective solution to reducing lead contamination in homes immediately.”

You won’t need to buy bottled water or install a shower filter once you’ve set up a whole house water filter. You can confidently drink your water, knowing that you’re not putting anything dangerous into your body, and you can shower in the knowledge that your skin and hair won’t be damaged by common irritants.

💰 Benefit 4: Saves Money

The initial cost of a whole house water filtration system is pretty steep. But if you buy a top product from a trusted manufacturer, the initial investment is worth it for the money you’ll save over the years of owning the filter.

If you currently only drink bottled water, a whole house filtration system will eliminate this extra expense. Whole home filters produce filtered, clean water that comes straight from your faucet, so you won’t need to buy bottled water for the taste or health benefits.

Whole house water filter systems can also protect your appliances from harmful contaminants in your water supply, helping to extend their lifespan and improve their efficiency.

With access to clean water, your appliances will perform better, and won’t be damaged or stained by problem impurities.

✅ Benefit 5: Preserves the Environment

We all know that buying bottled water is bad for the environment. But if you don’t trust your drinking water supply, it’s understandable if you currently only drink filtered water from a brand you can trust.

Installing a whole home water filtration system eliminates your need to buy bottled water because you’ll get the same quality of drinking water in your home. Putting a stop to your bottled water buying habit will save a significant amount of plastic every year, helping you to do your bit for the environment.

Plus, a whole house water filter helps your appliances to perform more efficiently, so you can use less energy in your home – another way to support the environment.

🔧 Benefit 6: Prevents Plumbing Issues

Certain contaminants can cause major problems in your plumbing system. Heavy metals and chemicals can corrode your pipes; minerals leave difficult-to-clean deposits; and iron stains everything red.

When you install a whole home water filtration system that tackles these contaminants, you’ll no longer have to deal with the potential plumbing issues that they cause. Your pipes, water heaters, and household appliances should last longer because there’s nothing in your water source to cause damage.

With no damage to your plumbing, you won’t have to pay any unexpected plumbing repair bills, so you’ll have more money to spend on the things you love.

🛅 Benefit 7: Prepares you For Disasters

Certain types of whole home water filters are designed to remove dangerous impurities like bacteria and viruses.

This means that, if your water is ever contaminated, or a disaster strikes in your local area, you’ll be able to safely clean and drink your polluted water source.

We can’t survive without water, and having an entire house water filtration system installed should reassure you that you’re protected if the unthinkable happens.

🧰 Benefit 8: Low-Maintenance Options

Tank-based whole house filters, such as carbon filters and air injection filters, are some of the most popular units available on today’s markets. While this is partly because of the effectiveness of these systems, it’s also because they require virtually no maintenance.

The problem with some drinking water systems is that their filters need changing every few weeks to every few months. This is a lot of hassle that not everyone wants to deal with.

Most tank-based whole home filter systems have at least a 5 year lifespan, so once they’re installed, there’s no other maintenance for you to remember.

💪 Benefit 9: Reduces Your Risk of Getting Sick

We put a lot of trust in our local water suppliers to provide us with clean, safe drinking water. Sometimes, this trust can be broken, and water becomes contaminated against our knowledge.

If you have a whole house water filter system that targets microorganisms, you’re covered in any incident of contamination. You’ll be able to remove microbiological contaminants and avoid getting sick from your drinking water.

👕 Benefit 10: Protects your Clothing

Chemicals, metals, and minerals in your water can affect the quality of your laundry after just one wash.

If your water contains any of these problem contaminants, you may notice that your clothes are scratchy, dry, and faded. Whites may turn a dull gray color, and colors may lose their brightness almost instantly. You may even experience skin issues, like rashes, from wearing clothes that have been washed in contaminated water.

Installing a water filtration system should help to eliminate these common laundry issues, preventing your clothing fibers from breaking down as quickly and keeping your laundry looking good for longer.

🍽️ Benefit 11: Cleaner Dishes

When you wash your dishes in contaminated water, some of the impurities in the water will stick to your dishes and linger until you use them for serving food. You’ll probably notice that your glassware loses its usual sparkle once you’ve washed it in your water.

A whole home water filtration system goes a long way towards improving the appearance of your dishes. You’ll enjoy cleaner kitchenware and gleaming glassware thanks to your clean water supply.

👎 Potential Setbacks of A Whole House Water Filter System

You’ve come here for the benefits of a whole house filtration system, but if you want to make an informed purchase, you need to know the potential setbacks, too.

Some of the less impressive features of whole house water filtration systems are:

• Can be difficult to install: The whole house water filter installation process is challenging, involving cutting into the main water line in your plumbing system. If something goes wrong, the damage will be expensive to fix, and you may end up with no water in your entire home until the problem can be resolved.
• Can be expensive to install: If you choose to hire a plumber to save the potential repercussions of installing a whole home water filtration yourself, prepare to pay an extra $200 or so for the privilege.
• May affect water pressure: Whole home water filtration systems shouldn’t have a huge impact on your water pressure or flow, but you may notice a slight drop in the volume of water that flows from your shower and faucets after installing a whole home filter.
• Some systems are wasteful: Whole house reverse osmosis systems are an increasingly popular choice nowadays, but these systems waste water during filtration, which isn’t ideal if your purpose for installing a whole house filter is to save money.
• Costlier than point of use systems: You’ll spend up to ten times the amount of money on a whole house system versus a point of use system. While the whole home benefits are worth the cost for most people, you should probably think carefully about what’s best for you if you just want to filter your tap water.
• Not a solution for rentals: People who live in rented properties will likely be unable to install a whole home water filtration system due to their rental terms. Most landlords don’t allow major changes to be made to rental properties, so if you’re currently renting, check before you buy.

🧠 Whole Home Water Filtration System FAQs

Still keen to learn more about whole home water filtration systems? Here, we’ve answered a few of the most common questions about whole house systems.

Does a whole home water filtration system treat hard water?

No whole home water filters do not remove calcium or hard water. If your tap water has high water hardness (i.e. calcium and magnesium, which leave limescale deposits), you need a water softener. Filters remove dangerous contaminants from potentially unsafe drinking water and produce better-tasting water, while water softeners remove ions that are responsible for forming mineral deposits.

We’ve written a whole guide on water filters vs water softeners, so you know where to go if you have more questions about which system is right for you.

What are the best whole home water filter brands?

For city water, some of our favorite water filter brands are SpringWell, US Water Systems, SoftPro, and Aquasana. For well water, we’ve had a really good experience with SpringWell, US Water Systems, and Home Master.

There are new brands entering the market all the time, and we update our best whole house water filter guide several times a year to reflect this.

Do I really need a whole home water filter system?

It depends. If you use private well water, which isn’t treated by a local water treatment plant, a whole home water filter system may be essential for ensuring you have access to clean, safe water.

If you have city water, on the other hand, you don’t need a filtration system. But you might still want one for the following reasons:

• You worry about just how clean your water is
• You want to protect yourself against potential water contamination
• You’re trying to cut back on your use of plastic bottles
• You’ve tested your water and discovered a specific problem (e.g. harmful chemicals or heavy metals)
• You prefer the taste of pure water, or you hate the taste of chlorinated water
• You want to protect your water heater, washing machine, and other water-using appliances

What does a whole home water filtration system remove?

It depends on the type of system. Activated carbon filtration systems remove common contaminants from municipal water systems, like chlorine and heavy metals. A whole house system designed for well water will offer a completely different water filtration process, removing common well contaminants, like iron and manganese.

Are full house water filters worth it?

For most people, a whole home filtration system is worth the investment. When deciding whether this type of system is worth it for you, ask yourself the following questions:

• How much money do I currently spend on bottled drinking water?
• Do I have the budget to buy and maintain a whole home filter?
• What’s wrong with my water right now, and how can a household water filter improve it?
• What type of filter am I considering? Do I want an activated carbon filter, or something more specialized?
• What major health concerns am I trying to avoid?
• Do I just want to improve the quality of my tap water, or do I want to remove water contaminants throughout my entire home?
• Do I live in my own property, or does my landlord allow whole home filters?

How do you install a whole home water filter?

Installing a whole home filter usually involves cutting into your water line, connecting the system on either side to your pipe, and installing a bypass valve to divert water away from the system when needed.

The best whole house filter manufacturers offer clear installation instructions, both in written and video form, for people who want to attempt the process themselves. But if your plumbing or DIY knowledge is slim, you’ll be better off hiring a professional to install the system for you.

What are the disadvantages of filtered water?

Some of the disadvantages of filtered water are:

• You have to pay for the privilege. Water filter systems cost around $1,000 for whole home use.
• You can’t pick and choose which contaminants are removed. If you prefer to drink healthy minerals in your water, you may have to add these back in yourself.
• Storing water that’s been filtered is more challenging. Once chlorine is removed from the water, it’s prone to recontamination, so you’ll need to use it straight away.
• Not all filters offer the same performance, so not all filtered drinking water tastes the same. Some filters produce much better-quality drinking water than others.