A great deal of the municipal and well water supplied to home in the U.S. contains moderate to high levels of contamination for environmental and industrial pollution. These contaminants could be naturally occurring minerals and/or man made chemicals and chemical byproducts. One of the best ways to improve the quality of your water is to install a whole house water filter system. Let’s take a closer look at the scale of the problem and the two most popular types of whole house water systems. 
The Sources of Water Pollution:
Water that’s sourced from a lake or river can be exposed to pollution, such as storm water runoff, pesticide runoff, acid rain and industrial waste. Ground water sources also have pollution problems from sources, such as leachate from septic systems and landfill sites, agricultural chemicals and byproducts, viruses and pathogens. The levels of contamination, are usually not high enough to cause immediate illness, but they could cause chronic health issues over time.
Whole House Water Filters:
A whole house water filter system can solve many water quality issues and remove contaminants, using a filter that’s connected to the main water line. All the water entering the house is filtered, but the types of contaminants that need to be removed will vary depending on the source of the water. Generally, city water users will need a whole house carbon filtration system to remove, chlorine and chloramines. Those with specific contaminant issues, such as sediment, iron, fluoride and bacterial, would need a whole house filtration system that caters to those needs. A whole house water softener may also be required, if hard water is a problem and a softener can be combined with a whole house water filtration system.
The Two Main Whole House System Types:
The first whole house system is a heavy duty filtration system. As the name would suggest, this is the highest performing type of contaminant removal system. This is achieved by using large amounts of filter media to maximize filtration performance. The filter media is contained in a 50” tall tank and designed to provide specific contaminant protection for approximately 5-10 years. After this time, the media will need to be replaced.
The second system is a more common standard capacity water cartridge filter system. A water filter cartridge is located in a durable filter housing and used to treat contaminated water for the home. The filter is usually 4.5” in diameter and 10” or 20” tall, depending on the model. These capacity filter systems are more affordable, but they have to be replaced annually to remain effective.
If you are concerned about the quality of your water supply, contact a local water treatment professional for advice. There are water treatment solutions for all kinds of water quality issues, so there’s no need to suffer in silence. Always ensure, that you chose a water professional who is fully WQA certified, then you can be sure that they will meet and possibly even exceed water industry standards.
With more than 25 years experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Terry is a WQA (Water Quality Association) certified water specialist, LEVEL 3, as well as a WQA certified sales representative. Terry currently sits on EcoWater Systems (a Berkshire Hathaway Company) national Peers committee, as a water treatment expert advising other water professionals with less experience on best trade and technology practices. EcoWater Systems of Nebraska is one of the biggest water treatment and water delivery businesses in the state.