What is the Best Home Water Filtration System?
One of the perks of our modern way of life is installing a home water filtration system. It removes contaminants like, chemicals, sediments and other organic matter from your home’s water source, purifying it for optimal taste and consumption. Of course, your city or town does treat water before it reaches your home, but it is the 21st century. You’re allowed to be picky about the taste and contents of your water if you want to be. So, what is the best home water filtration system? Let’s find out.
1. Best Overall Whole-House Water Filtration System
Brand: Pentair Pelican Water Systems
Model: Pelican PC600 Pelican Premium 10 GPM Whole House Carbon Water Filtration System
Price: $1,027
The Pentair Pelican is a whole-house water filtration system that will have you drinking and bathing in purified water. It has a high-capacity tank that filters chlorine, bringing premium-quality water to every faucet in your house. The system calls for easy installation, requiring filter changes every six to nine months, and is entirely energy efficient.
The Pentair Pelican is reasonably priced for a system that transforms all water sources in your house. Coupled with its energy efficiency, minimal filter and tank changes, you will save more here than on most other competing systems.
2. Best Water Filtration Faucet Attachment
Brand: Brita
Model: Brita SAF-100
Price: $31
Maybe you do not need a whole-house filtration system. What about focusing on your most-used faucet instead? That’s where the Brita SAF-100 truly shines. The brand has made a name for itself as the most popular — and trusted — water filtration attachment. At the very cheap cost of $31, you can purify your tap.
This is a no-frills water filter attachment. Install it easily on the faucet that makes the most sense for you (which is probably your kitchen faucet) and enjoy purified water. Of course, you will need to replace the filter occasionally, but overall, consider this system both low maintenance and low cost.
3. Best Budget Whole-House Water Filtration System
Brand: GE
Model: GE Household Water Filtration Unit
Price: $20
Yes, that is right, the GE Household Water Filtration Unit will only cost you $20. So, what is the catch? You are not removing all of the nitty-gritty with this model, just the larger sediment and particles. The GE unit is what is referred to as a single-stage water filter, which aims to rid the water of larger contaminants. But at $20, you can say goodbye to those visible particles some call “floaties" in your water and hello to purified drinking water and reduced chlorine and sediment in affected appliances.
You’ll have to replace the filters more regularly with this GE model, but the good news is that filter replacements are not going to break your bank. Not a bad deal for cleaner water in your entire house.
4. Best Under-Sink Filter System
Brand: iSpring
Model: iSpring RCC7
Price: $189.99
If you are not looking to clunk up the aesthetics of your kitchen sink with a faucet attachment, consider a filtration system that sits neatly below. The iSpring is the best around for under-sink filters, costing a little under $200. This is a five-stage water filter, so you will get the best bang for your buck when it comes to purified water — all with the anatomy tucked away.
Factors to Consider When Buying a Filtration System
There are a wide variety of water filtration systems, ranging dramatically in price, features, upkeep, installation and overall purpose. Here are a few guidelines that can help you narrow down which filtration system is best for you.
Purpose and Function
Do you want to filter out common contaminants, like larger sediment, have your filtration system dual as a water softener, or remove both chlorine and chloramines? Are you after just a water filter or a whole-house filter? Nailing this part of your search down will make the rest easy.
Pricing
How much do you want to spend on a filtration system? Budget and overall cost is arguably the most important aspect for big, home improvement purchases. Filtration systems are all over the board in pricing. You could drop $5,000 on one or as little as $20 on another.
Upkeep
Filtration systems utilize filters to purge the water of contaminants. Depending on which system you land on, you will be required to change out the filters. This could be every three months to never having to do it at all.
Situation
Do you have well water and want to transform the taste? Or are you a city dweller who wants purified water? Are you trying to combat old and rusty pipes with a reliable filtration system? All of these questions can help direct you to the ideal model.
The Bottom Line
Here’s the deal: go for the deal. No, really. You do not need to shell out serious cash for a good water filtration system. The best whole-house systems around are a couple of hundred bucks (at most, you will spend about $1,000 on the top-rated Pentair Pelican model). The best smaller, one-faucet models are $20 to $200, depending on which features and installation you are after. All in all, a good filtration system will be low-maintenance and not deplete your bank account. Refrain from being needy when it comes to a filter refresh and initial install.