This is the complete guide to the best whole house water filters right now. So if you want to remove contaminants from municipal or well water and you need a constant supply and on-demand, you will love the recommendations in this guide.
Look:
Faucet water filter and softeners are great. But they can only supply water in limited quantity and from specific outlets in your home.
So if you need clean water for bathing, drinking, cooking, and doing laundry, you need to look beyond the inexpensive faucet filters and invest in whole house water filters.
The best whole house water filter removes chlorine, fluoride, iron, and magnesium from water and makes it suitable for consumption.
With up to 3 filtration stages, these systems remove up to 95% of contaminants from water while enhancing its pH level and improving the taste.
To be clear:
It doesn’t matter whether you’re on a budget or you’re ready to invest in the most expensive water filtration system for your home. That’s because there’s a model for every price range, all of which remove contaminants from water and make it safe to consume.
In a hurry? Below is a list of the best whole house water filters that you might want to consider getting for your home’s plumbing system right now:
Top rated whole house water filters
How to Choose the Best Whole House Water Filter
It’s important to know what to look for in a whole house water filter before buying one. By understanding the most important features and benefits of the water system, it becomes easy to pick the right model and get your money’s worth.
With that said, here’s what you need to consider before you spend your hard-earned money on a water filtration system for your house.
1. Types of Water Filter
When we talk about the types of water filters, we primarily refer to the number of filtration stages that the unit has. There are five types of water filter systems, mostly based on the stages of filtration. These are as follows:
a) Cartridge water filter:
features easy to replace cartridge that removes contaminants as small as 0.04 microns from water. They often have sediment, chemical, and heavy metal filters, which can last up to one year before the need for replacement.
b) 1 Stage:
These filters come with one sediment filter cartridge housed in a single filtration tank. One-stage filters are basic in design and the most affordable models you can find in the market.
They can’t soften hard water, so you will have to use them in conjunction with a water softener.
c) 2 Stage:
Comes with two filtration tanks. Note that the type of contaminants it can remove depends on the filters included. They are effective in removing chlorine, rust, dirt, sand, and silt from water.
d) 3 Stage:
Feature three filtration tanks equipped with different filters to remove the most contaminants from water. Good for removing odor, heavy metals, iron, sand, lead, dirt, and so much more.
e) Reverse Osmosis System:
They’re the most advanced water filters. They tend to be the most effective models that can remove contaminants as small as 0.0001 microns from water.
Best reverse osmosis system for well water
2. Water Filter’s Flow Rate
Usually measured in gallons per minute, flow rate refers to how much water can pass through the filter from the source in a given time.
Keep in mind that flow rates vary from filter to filter, with the common range being between 5 and 25 GPM.
For the best results, choose a water filter that has a flow rate of at least 10 GPM. Such a flow rate is high enough to supply your appliances with a constant flow of water throughout the day.
3. Types of Contaminants
When it comes to choosing a whole house water filter, consider a model that can remove the most common types of contaminants from well water and city water.
Go for a 3-stage filtration system because it removes the most contaminants from water and ensures it’s safe to use.
Expect a 3-stage water filter to remove contaminants such as chlorine, fluoride, uranium, chloramine, sediment, disease-causing bacteria, iron, nitrate, copper, lead, and chromium from water.
Your water should also be completely free from pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides.
Most effective faucet water filter
Best whole house water filter for well water with iron reviews
1. The iSpring WGB32BM 3-Stage Whole House Water Filtration System
If you live in an area where the quality of municipal city water is questionable or the water just doesn’t taste good, you need a whole house water filter.
The iSpring WGB32BM is one of the best models in the market, one that features a three-stage filtration mechanism to get your household clean water to drink, cook, bathe, and do laundry.
Built for performance, and to ensure that your family gets a clean supply of water throughout the year, the iSpring WGB32BM includes a robust filtration system that gets rid of all contaminants from water.
In fact, it’s effective in removing chemicals such as chlorine that add a bad taste to water.
You will love iSpring WGB32BM because it includes a sediment filter that can remove water contaminants as small as five microns. Moreover, it has two carbon filters made from carbon shells, and they help to remove chemical contaminants such as chlorine from water.
It’s important to note that the filters of this water system don’t have such a long lifespan. You can use the carbon block filter for up to 12 months, but then it becomes completely ineffective thereafter.
On average, the sediment filter will last for about 6 months, although you may have to replace them often if the sediments are high in your current water system.
The iSpring WGB32BM water filter isn’t effective in removing lead from water. Still, you can make it do so by replacing one of the two carbon filters with a lead and iron removal filter. Make sure to check how long the filter can last before you actually buy one.
Best water filter pitcher for hard water
Note that iSpring WGB32BM isn’t effective in removing contaminants from well water. So unless you’re getting your water from the municipal city supply, this model isn’t for you.
Pros
- Can remove contaminants as small as 5 microns from the water
- Includes a pressure relief button
- Effective for removing iron and lead from water
- Features a 20-inch cartridge housing that fits well
- Easy to install even with little plumbing experience
- No effect on water pressure
Cons
- More expensive than the two-stage water filter
- Doesn’t feature a softener, so it can’t remove hardness from water
- The filters of this water filtration system don’t have a longer lifespan
- This water filter system can’t remove lead from water
2. Express Water Heavy Metal Whole House Water Filter
Express Water brings you a filtration system that works exactly as advertised. It’s a three-stage water filtration system, a first-of-its-kind developed to give your entire family clean water to drink, cook, bathe, and do laundry.
And although it’s a little on the higher end compared to a model such as iSpring WGB21B, the higher level of performance speaks volumes.
Express Water Filter uses a number of filters to remove contaminants and odor from water, making it taste better than it does from the actual source.
The first stage of filtration is a multi-layer polypropylene filter, which is effective in removing up to 5 microns of contaminants from water. It’s in this stage that the unit removes sand, silt, dust, dirt, and sediment from water.
The second stage features a well-built carbon filter, which is responsible for capturing chemical contaminants such as industrial solvents, chlorine, and pesticides.
In the third stage, the unit uses a carbon block that further removes traces of remaining chemicals and contaminants. It’s in this stage that this whole house water filter removes bad taste and odor, making your water not only tasty but also safe to drink.
It’s not just the filtration system that makes this unit stand out from the many models out there. Even its capacity is better when compared to water filters in the same price range.
You do get up to 100,000 gallons of clean water from the system, which is enough to last a family of about 5 people for about a year.
Express Water Filter doesn’t reduce water hardness. The best thing about it, though, is its ability to retain the healthy minerals in the water while at the same time improving its taste.
Pros
- Includes NSF-certified filters, which guarantee quality performance
- Has a decent flow rate of 15 gallons per minute
- Include a pressure gauge that helps you to know when to replace the cartridge
- The plastic used to house the cartridge is completely BPA-free and therefore safe for humans
- The filters are easy to change
- Removes up to 95% of contaminants from water, making it completely safe to drink
Cons
- It can be difficult to install if you don’t have plumbing experience
- We wish the filters had a longer lifespan
- Won’t reduce hardness in water
- While it can filter well water, it isn’t effective in removing bacteria that cause diseases
Softpro water softener reviews
3. The iSpring WGB21B 2-Stage Water Filter
Home water contamination is a common problem that you can solve with the iSpring WGB21B, a 2-stage water filtration system that works well for the whole house.
Competing head to head with the likes of Aquasana EQ-600, the iSpring WGB21B uses multiple filters to remove impurities from water, leaving you with only what’s clean and safe for consumption.
The 2-stage filtration is this brand’s strongest selling point. In the first stage is a 5-micron polypropylene sediment filter that removes all the contaminants that are at least five microns large.
These include dirt, sediments, sand, silt, scale particle, and dust. The water that gets to the second filtration stage has less contaminants than it initially was.
It’s in the second stage that iSpring WGB21B achieves maximum filtration. This stage features a carbon block filter made from coconut shells.
Combined with the compact fabrication technology, the unit removes tiny contaminants and cloudiness from water, making it safe for human consumption.
From a performance standpoint, iSpring WGB21B makes water completely safe to consume. Throughout the filtration system, the unit works seamlessly to remove finer sediments, rusts, pesticides, and chlorine.
And although it’s not as effective as a three-stage water filter system, it’s one of the best in the category for the price, one good enough to remove up to 95% of contaminants from water.
We’re confident that you’ll love iSpring WGB21B because in addition to removing up to 90% of chlorine from water, the unit also removes bad tastes and odors from water as well as industrial solvents, pesticides, and herbicides from water.
The iSpring WGB21B has a good flow rate. With an inch input and output ports, this can deliver as much as 15 gallons per minute, which is a lot of water for a family that needs clean water on demand.
Twin tank water softener reviews
Moreover, it maintains the pressure of water, so there won’t be any significant drop once you have it installed.
While this whole house water filter is effective in making water safe to consume, it doesn’t have a filtration mechanism that allows it to remove hardness from water.
That means you can expect salt build-ups and stains not only in your internal pipes but also in your utensils. So if you must use this system to filter water, install a water softener first to get the best results.
Pros
- Effective in removing up to 90% of chlorine from water
- Removes bad tastes and odor from water so it tastes great
- Cheaper, good to consider if you’re on a tight budget
- Easy to install
- This complies with the NFS standards
Cons
- This won’t soften hard water
4. Aquasana EQ-600 Whole House Water Filter System
The water you get from the well and receive from the municipal supply isn’t fit for direct consumption. It’s not only full of chlorine, magnesium, iron, and fluoride, it also has additional foreign contaminants that make it hard to use.
That explains why you need Aquasana EQ-600, which is the best whole-house water filter to remove fluoride and chlorine.
Aquasana EQ-600 system can filter up to 97% of chlorine from water and provide up to 600,000 gallons of purified water before you have to replace the filter.
Since this NSF-certified water filter system doesn’t require salt, electricity, or backflushing, you’ll find it quite economical not to mention easy to use.
From a design standpoint, Aquasana EQ-600 is such a compact model that can fit in the smallest space. It weighs 52.9 pounds, and whether or not it’s heavy is something subject to debate.
It can support a maximum pressure of 100 SPI and it has a decent flow rate of 7 gallons per minute, which is quite the standard for many water filtration systems.
This unit features three filtration stages, each dedicated to a specific filtration task. In the first stage, the system uses a 5-micron pre-filter to remove dirt, rust, as well as microscopic particles.
There’s a tank with copper-zinc media and crushed mineral stone in stage two that filters out chlorine while balancing the pH level of the water. In stage 3, there’s a tank that has activated carbon that further reduces chlorine, fluoride, and other contaminants.
Apart from effective filtration, this system features a small dual-tank design with an up-flow mechanism that ensures a quick contact with media that grabs contaminants.
That’s why it hardly ever clogs a plumbing system. There’s even a UV filter, which kills up to 99.9% of viruses and bacteria in water.
See also: How do you measure the depth of well water?
Pros
- Budget option. Consider this if you’re on a tight budget
- Removes up to 97% of chlorine, making water safe to consume
- Can remove odor from water
- Helps to enhance the lifespan of your plumbing system as it controls scale build-up
- Can filter up to 600,000 gallons of water, enough to last up to 6 years
- Includes everything you need for the setup
Cons
- Doesn’t soften hard water
- Water spots likely to remain on some dishes even with careful rinsing
- Pre-unit filter doesn’t have a long lifespan. Requires replacement twice a year
5. Tire1 Echo Series Whole House Water Filter and Softener
If you’re in the market for a water treatment system that can soften and filter water at the same time, get the Tire1 Echo Series. It’s somewhat more affordable than the Aquasure Signature, and therefore a good option to consider if you’re on a budget.
We recommend this unit because, in addition to removing hardness from water, it also leaves your water tasking great.
Tire1 Echo Series water softener and filter scores a decent rating for maintaining the alkalinity of water.
In particular, the model ensures that the pH level of water remains between 6.5 and 8.5, meaning the water you get from any tap or faucet around your house is more flavorful than the water you get directly from a well or city supply.
With Tire1 Echo Series fixed in your plumbing system, you never have to worry about chlorine that makes water hard and tastes bad.
Its ability to reduce copper, iron, and magnesium means you don’t have to worry about scale build-up in your piping system, not to mention the system will ensure you drink and bathe with clean water all the time.
Unlike traditional downflow water systems, water in Tire1 Echo flows upward, so there’s a need for less salt and water during softening and filtration, not to mention that there’s no need for electricity.
For better filtration, this unit depends on a coconut shell-based carbon filter, which makes water tasty and pure for drinking by enhancing its pH level.
It’s with this carbon filter that the system is able to trap and remove harmful elements from water, so your entire household has clean water for consumption.
Tire1 Echo series whole house water filter and softener also include activated carbon and KDF-55 media.
Together, these components remove contaminants and odor from the water. At the same time, they help to extend the life of your water system by at least 6 years.
Pros
- Tire1 Echo water filter and softener is a salt-free system that’s easy to install
- Removes up to 99% of chlorine from water
- Effective in improving the pH level of water, so what you get tastes great
Cons
- Maybe a little too expensive for someone on a tight budget
- While it’s easy to install, you’ll most likely spend a lot of time on the job
- Filters don’t have a longer lifespan
6. Aquasure Signature Series Complete Whole House Water Treatment System
With Aquasure, you can filter and soften the water before it gets to the output source. With its true salt-based conditioning system, this water filter and softener combo make an ideal solution to consider if you need pure water in large quantity and on-demand.
The design features a premium, fully customizable digital head with a backlit display. It’s made of high-quality materials and it features built-in safety systems that ensure the water in your home is safe to consume even in the event of downtime.
Given its size and its ability to generate thousands of gallons of water, this water filter, and softener combo can serve up to 7 family members in a 4 to 6 bathrooms house.
Rated 64,000 grains, the Aquasure Signature Series system can easily remove contaminants from water and make it safe for use. In particular, it removes iron and magnesium, the chemicals that not only damage plumbing systems but are also known to cause skin irritation.
The working concept of this combo unit isn’t different from many models out there. To say the least, its activated carbon filter is made of coconut shell. And it’s quite effective in reducing chemicals such as pesticides, chlorine, and herbicides from water.
Moreover, there’s a KDF filter, which uses copper and zinc granules to remove odors and heavy metals while barring the growth of algae and bacterial growth in water.
The result is a clean water supply that uses less detergent for cleaning, that’s healthy for the skin, and that’s flavorful enough to drink.
The 20-inch pleated sediment filter in the first stage removes larger particles, such as dirt and sand, from water, thereby protecting your plumbing system and improving the quality of water.
The GAC filter in stage 2 removes toxic chemicals such as chloramine and VOCs. And the KDF55 filter further removes toxins while making sure bacteria and algae don’t grow.
The 64,000-grain system in stage 3 reduces water hardness, and bar spot build-up, and removes scale from water. And apart from protecting your pipes from corrosions and clogs, it makes the water safe for the skin by removing iron and magnesium.
The fourth stage features a reverse osmosis system, which removes up to 99% contaminants from water, thus making it safe and tasty for drinking, cooking, and bathing.
Pros
- Removes all contaminants from water, leaving you with clean, safe water to use
- Lower maintenance cost
- Can remove chlorine, lead, iron, and magnesium from water
- Doesn’t alter the content of calcium in the water
- Good at filtering and softening hard water
Cons
- The power cable is rather too short
- It may appear bulky and cumbersome to setup
7. 3M Aqua-Pure AP904 Whole House Water Filter System for Well Water
If you’re in the market for a water filtration system for well water, the 3M Aqua-Pure AP904 is a good model to buy. With its scale inhibitor system, this unit can protect your plumbing system from clogging.
And thanks to the carbon filter that can capture contaminants as small as 5 microns, the 3M Aqua-Pure AP904 filtration system can give your household clean water to use.
What’s more? The device can reduce the amount of chlorine in water, so much so that the taste of water that you drink from the tap tends to be more flavorful compared to the water fetched directly from the well.
This water filtration system can deliver up to 100,000 gallons of pure water. While that’s merely a tenth of what Aquasana EQ-1000-AST gives you, it’s still a lot to last you at least a year before you can start thinking about replacing the filters.
Instead of using salt to soften hard water, 3M Aqua-Pure AP904 uses a polyphosphate scale inhibitor to keep minerals from attaching to the pipes. The inhibitor doesn’t remove or reduce the amount of healthy calcium from the water.
The cartridge of this water filter system has a fairly decent lifespan. Under normal circumstances, you will need to replace it after treating 100,000 gallons of water, which should last a family of four people about 365 days.
However, if there’s a higher level of sediment in the water, you’ll have to replace the cartridge sooner.
As good as the 3M Aqua-Pure AP904 is, it fails to remove chemical contaminants and heavy metals from water. Looking at the price, though, it becomes clear that you don’t expect to get much from such an economical water filter, although we want to believe that there are cheap models that can remove these contaminants.
See also: How do I know if my water filter is clogged?
Pros
- Simple design yet a powerful system that removes up to 95% of chlorine from water
- Has a higher flow of 10 gallons per minute
- Built of high-quality materials for strength and durability
- The filters are easy to change and you won’t need an additional tool to do that
- Filters 100,000 gallons of water before you need to replace the cartridge
- Good for small, medium, as well large families
Cons
- Only one-year warranty, which is quite short
- The filtration system of this model isn’t as robust
How to turn rainwater into drinking water at home
8. Aquasana EQ-1000-AST Whole House Water Filter
Aquasana EQ-1000-AST whole house water filtration earns a top rating for its durable design and a higher level of performance. And it’s one such great option to consider if you want to treat well water.
The 1,000,000-gallon capacity easily filters out unhealthy contaminants from city water to deliver pure water to any outlet in your home’s plumbing system.
Because Aquasana EQ-1000-AST filters water directly from the source, the water you get from the sinks, showers, and faucets is completely safe for drinking, doing laundry, cooking, and mopping.
With Aquasana EQ-1000-AST, you no longer have to think about buying and installing filters at each spot in your home.
When searching for the best whole house water filter, the concern is often less on the design and more on the performance of the system. If the design of Aquasana EQ-1000-AST were up to the standard but with a poor performance rating, the model wouldn’t be suitable for our list.
The performance power of Aquasana EQ-1000-AST is in the filtration mechanism. It operates on a four-stage filtration system to remove contaminants from water and then serve it to the outlets in your house in the purest form.
In the first filtration stage, Aquasana EQ-1000-AST uses a sediment pre-filter to remove rust, silt, and sediment from the water.
In stage two, the copper-zinc and mineral stones reduce scale build-up, chlorine, and heavy metals while inhibiting the growth of algae and bacteria.
The third stage of water filtration engages the power of an activated carbon filter to remove pesticides, herbicides, and chemical compounds that easily passed the first two stages.
The last stage is a post-filter whose work is to remove all the remaining contaminants, including organic particles, microscopic cysts, and sediments.
The filters don’t seem to last longer. You will have to replace them at least once a year to get the full benefit of this system.
Pros
- Delivers 1,000,000 gallons of pure water, enough to last your family about 10 years
- A decent flow rate of 7 gallons per minute
- Certified by NSF for its ability to remove up to 97% of chlorine and other contaminants from water
- The model doesn’t need drainage or back flushing lines
Cons
- Shorter lifespan for the filters
- While you have the option to add a UV filter to remove bacteria, you have to buy the filter separately
- This whole house water filter is expensive
Brita filter vs reverse osmosis
FAQs on Whole House Water Filter for Well Water with Iron
Are whole house carbon filters worth it?
A water filter is necessary because it’s the only means through which you can get pure water.
Optimized to remove dirt, rust, parasites, lead, iron, chlorine, and any other contaminant you can name, different water filters can go a long way to purify the water you get from the city and the one coming from a well.
Can a whole house water filter remove 100% of the contaminants?
Whole house water filters don’t guarantee removing 100% of the contaminants from water.
However, they can remove up to 95% of different types of water toxins and make the water safe to drink.
When should I replace the filter in a whole house water system?
Your water filter will serve you for anywhere between 3 and 12 months before you need a new cartridge.
During this time, the unit can generate up to 600,000 gallons of pure water depending on the model that you choose.
We hope this guide helped you to find the best whole house water filter for well water with iron that you can use to make the city and well water safe for consumption at home.
You can be sure that it’s such a great investment that will serve you for years to come.
