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.
Installing a whole house water filter system is a great way to ensure that you have a better quality of water for every task in your home. Whether you’re drinking the water, cooking with it, doing laundry, or even bathing, water filtration will make a big difference. In order to ensure that your whole house system is working as intended, it’s important to use an appropriate filter. Just like the filter media in a car or an AC unit, a whole house water filter has a finite lifespan, but how long should the filter last? 
What Happens if You Don’t Change Your Water Filter?
Many whole house water filters actually have a number of different methods to remove contaminants from your water. The very first filter in the chain is usually the sediment pre filter, and this is where we will focus our attention. This filter removes particulates such as sediment, rust, and silt from your water line. If the filter isn’t changed, these particulates will make their way through the water pipes in your home to your faucets, appliances, and showerheads. Obviously, this is not desirable from a health perspective, but these kinds of particles can also increase the wear and tear on your appliances. Drinking water containing these particulates can taste strange, have an unpleasant odor and increase the turbidity, all of which make the water unpalatable.
How Many Replaceable Filters are there in a Whole House System?
It’s difficult to know how many filters are replaceable in your whole house water filtration system, as there are many optional extras that can be included according to your needs. Obviously, there is the standard initial pre sediment filter, but you can also have other filters such as a sub micron post filter, an activated carbon filter, a copper-zinc and mineral stone filter, a UV filter and a salt-free water softener/water conditioner. This may seem like a long list, but usually, only the pre sediment and optional sub micron post filter are replaceable.
How Often Should the Filters Be Changed?
A sediment pre filter should be changed every three to six months, and if fitted, a sub micron post filter should be replaced every nine to 12 months. The filter tank should also be replaced, and the frequency at which is should be changed is dependent on the capacity of the tank. A whole house water filter system with a rated capacity of FB300 should have its tank changed every three years, or every 300,000 gallons. A filter system with a rated capacity of FB1000 should have its tank replaced every 10 years, or every 1,000,000 gallons.
If you are concerned about the quality of your water supply, a whole house water filter system might be the solution. Talk to your local water treatment professional, and they can offer essential advice on the water in your area. There are many forms of water softeners/water conditioners and filtrations systems available to deal with a wide variety of water quality issues. Always ensure that your chosen water expert is fully WQA certified, then you can be sure that they meet and even exceed the latest water industry standards.