How to Choose a Home Water Filter: 5 Easy Steps

How to Select a Home Water Filter System

Figuring out which water filtration system you need can be a daunting task. By thinking through and answering the following five questions, we can help you determine which system is right for your household.

1. Whole House vs. Under Sink Drinking Water Filter?

There are basically two different types of water filter systems installed in homes:

Point of Use” (POU) system, like a reverse osmosis system installed under your kitchen sink.

“Point of Entry” (POE) system treats contaminants in water as it enters the home, such as UV water filter system

You’ll need to decide if you want to treat just the drinking water at your kitchen tap or if you’d like to treat ALL the water coming into the home? Often, the best solution is a combination of both whole house water filtration (water softener for water hardness and UV Water filtration to remove viruses and bacteria), and a reverse osmosis filter system under the kitchen sink for drinking and cooking water. Learn more about these options.

2. Private Well vs. City Water When Selecting a Water Filter

While our public water supply is relatively safe, there are hundreds of contaminants that are not  regulated by the EPA. There’s also the frequency and inconvenience of boil water notices. Approximately 658 boil water alerts issued every day by cities and water districts in the U.S. due to contamination or ruptured pipes. 

Those on private wells have their own set of concerns. Studies commonly find that 40% of  private wells contain E. coli and/or coliform bacteria at any

How Unsafe is Your Well Water?

given time. UV water purification systems can provide whole home protection from harmful microorganisms. Depending on the contaminants and contaminant levels found in your water, a variety of treatment of other options are available including sediment filtration, water softening and more.

3. How many bathrooms are in your home?

Some water treatment systems are sized based on the maximum water flow rate though your home. For example, in the morning you may have a shower going, a toilet flushing, the dishwasher running, and the washing machine on…all at the same time. How much water will flow through your home during these peak usage times? Knowing the number of bathrooms in a home is often a quick and simple way to determine the size needed of specific water treatment systems.

4. How many people are in your household?

Some water filtration systems are sized based on the average total water used by your household on a given day. In a typical 24-hour period, how much water is used in your home? 

In general terms, knowing the number of people living in a household can often give clues about household water usage, and therefore what size water filtration system would be best suited for your home.

5. What’s in your water?

Knowing what’s in your water will play a big part in evaluating your water treatment needs. For example, if you have lead in your water, an ESP water specialists can direct you to a system that can remove lead. 

how to select drinking water system

The EPA requires all community water systems to prepare and deliver an annual water quality report, sometimes called a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) for their customers. To find your local Consumer Confidence Report, visit this EPA website. Also, for further analysis or well water, we highly recommend a more thorough water test. Here’s a list of certified water testing labs by state.

Contact us for more information.

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