15 Best Whole House Water Filters in 2022: Comparison & Buyer's Guide

This guide will tell you about 14 types of home water filtration systems that will remove odors, bacteria, chlorine, sediments, and other water-borne contaminants. Some filters should be connected directly to the water line or screwed onto the lip of the faucet while others are designed as stand-alone water filters. They also differ in the way they filter water — by employing carbon filtration or using the principle of osmosis across a membrane to separate fluid from its particulates.

Besides, there are water softeners designed to remove minerals with the use of ion exchange. Or you may try a UV water purifier that completely neutralizes harmful microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.

Best Whole House Water Filters

Whole house filters are effective at remove the water-borne contaminants through a fine-grained filter connected directly to the water line. All the water used in your faucets, toilets, and appliances must first pass through the filter before ever reaching you.

Most modern whole house filter systems employ carbon filtration, which effectively removes odors, chlorine, VOCs, and may even target harmful microorganisms. Whole house filtering improves your use of water in every way by providing risk-free showers, clean tap water, extended appliance life, and even softer clothing.

We recommend opting for a heavy-duty filtration system that allows for high-capacity flow. The Express filter is made from food-grade plastics and is easy to install.

Best Under-Sink Water Filters

Under-sink filters, also known as point-of-use filters, are installed directly where the user needs to achieve fresh water. All under-sink filters connect directly to the water line, which could be directly at the faucet itself.

Many families install under-sink filters in addition to whole home filtration solutions. With this filter, you can finally drink tap water without lingering odors, foul tastes, or any trace of sediments.

While they're definitely pricier than Brita filters, under-sink filters are considerably more long lasting. Some even argue there's no beating the taste of under-sink filtered water.

The standard 3M Aqua-Pure filter can reduce all sources of particulate matter, chlorine, protozoan cysts, and sediments.

Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filters

Reverse Osmosis (RO) water filters use perforated, thick membranes to remove all unwanted contaminants from drinking water. In contrast with standard filtration methods, reverse osmosis uses the principle of osmosis across a membrane to separate fluid from its particulates.

RO systems can laser-target a wide variety of contaminants, including heavy metals, calcium, asbestos, cysts, and most microorganisms. However, some RO filters are unable to target volatile organic chemicals like negative ions, chlorine, and radon.

So, why are RO filters preferred? Not only do they improve the taste and appearance of water, they naturally flush away pollutants instead of allowing them to build up in the filter. Compared to other systems, RO lowers the cost of water production and are much easier to clean.

Many users prefer the iSpring RCC7AK RO filter, which employs a patented six-stage layered system to restore natural alkalinity to the water. It's certified to remove up to 99 percent of over 1,000 unique contaminants.

Best Water Softeners

Depending on your municipal water source, the water you drink everyday can either be classified as hard or soft. Hard water contains minerals dissolved in groundwater, like limestone, heavy metals, and other remnants. Over time, these minerals can build up on your dishes, pipes, and in your own body.

Water softeners help to remove minerals, which helps to reduce long term costs associated with hard water use. Softeners use a process known as ion exchange, which replaces positively-charged minerals with weakly charged sodium ions. Water softeners decrease dishwashing and laundering costs, in addition to preventing the transmission water-borne diseases and medical issues.

Many users have turned to the Whirlpool WHES40E, which is ideal for medium-sized households. Unlike other softeners, the Whirlpool calculates the concentration of sodium and water required to produce healthy water, resulting in significantly more efficient daily use.

10 Best Whole House Water Filters | Comparison Table

Best Shower Water Filters

Shower water filters help to reduce the presence of skin and hair-damaging particulate matter. Ranging from chlorine to chloramine, an effective shower filter make decrease the presence of thousands of different contaminants affecting your water quality.

Most shower filters attach directly to the shower head and can handle between 10,000 to 12,000 gallons of water (or six months of normal use). These filters use a fine-grained, carbon-activated filter that can target heavy minerals, rust, bacteria, and even viruses.

Over time, many users with shower filters report softer skin and silkier hair. If you suffer from persistently red, irritated skin, part of the issue may be due to contaminant-laden shower water. Pure water helps to balance out the natural pH of your skin, eyes, hair, and nails.

Users recommend the AquaBliss high-output shower filter, which is meant to target the primary causes of eczema, dandruff, dry hair, and brittle nails. The energy efficient filter costs only .09 cents per day for several average length showers while saving you only fancy shampoos.

Best UV Water Purifier & Sterilizers

UV water purifiers are super effective sterilizers that completely neutralize living microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, cysts, and protozoa. Through exposing germs to ultraviolet light, microorganisms as small as 0.1 microns lose their ability to reproduce and harm your water quality.

Users should be aware that UV purification systems aren't enough on their own; they're unable to target organic contaminants, heavy metals, and chlorine. Rather, UV systems provide an important step in protecting you and your family against water-borne disease.

Unlike other bacteria-destroying systems, UV water treatment is completely safe when installed properly. After all, it doesn't use harmful chemicals to alter the composition of your water.

Additionally, UV systems don't require any changes to your water system's pressure. Some systems, such as RO filtration, need higher water velocity in order to effectively filter out microorganisms.

UV water purifiers can either be installed inside a faucet systems or may even be free-standing lights that fit in standard water bottles. The Bluonic filter uses a four-stage filtration process that targets E. Coli, viruses, and fungi with UV treatment.

Best Inline Water Filters

Inline water filters are connected directly to the water pipe connection running underneath the sink. As water naturally passes through the pipe, it is filtered by either a blend of ceramic spheres or carbon-activated filter.

Unlike freestanding filters, inline filters are completely discreet and don't require any extra space under your sink. They're perfect for small homes; however, they may be tricky for amateurs to install on their own.

The best benefit of inline filters is that they allow for nearly unhindered flow rates: water passes just as it would without a filtration system installed. Better yet, inline filters remove virtually all chlorine, limescale, heavy metals, and other water contaminants found in the city supply.

The AmazonBasics inline filter uses a fine-grained, 20 micron filter to target the most major contaminants. Users rave about how the inexpensive pack of four reduces bad taste and odors.

Best Faucet Water Filters

Faucet water filters are one of the most inexpensive, simple ways to achieve healthy drinking water. Not only are they dead-simple to install, faucet filtration systems don't require any complex plumbing knowledge since they're geared towards the everyday consumer.

Faucet filters are screwed directly onto the lip of the faucet where water pours out. Consumers use these faucets to reduce harmful contaminants like lead, protozoa, sediments, and chlorine. Most faucet filters need to be replaced every two to three months or after 100 gallons of standard use.

Users should be aware that these filters are not appropriate for pull-out spray heads, meaning they may not be useful in more modern kitchens. They are have a higher turnover rate than other more permanent filtration solutions.

Consumers recommend the Pur PUR-0A1 faucet filter, which comes with an LED water quality sensor. It can reduce up to 99 percent traces of lead and make your water taste indistinguishable from bottled water.

Best Countertop Water Filters

Requiring little in the way of installation, countertop water filters install directly into your faucet's aerator through a diverting valve. Water is then diverted from the sink directly into the housing unit on the back of the filter, which then gets shunted through a fine-grained filtering unit.

Countertop filters provide high-quality, drinkable water in primarily urban areas. Unlike other solutions, these filters can handle heavy-duty, consistent use without degradation. These filters effectively target cysts, lead, heavy metals, fluoride, microorganisms, and nitrates.

Countertop filters come in two major varieties: single and double. Like the name suggests, single countertop filters only come with one housing hull, while doubles come with two to increase filtering capacity.

The APEX MR-1010 is a powerful yet compact countertop filter. It's perfect for small homes or studio apartments without much counter space to spare.

Best Water Filter Pitchers

Over the years, water filter pitchers have skyrocketed in popularity as the demand for tasteless tap water has risen. In 2016 alone, the water pitcher filter market alone accounted for $97.89 billion USD worldwide.

So, just why are these stand-alone filters so popular with consumers? Water pitcher filters use a compact, carbon-activated filter to remove all trace contaminants from your drinking water. Users simply need to pour tap water into the pitcher and drink clean water out of it.

These pitchers are not only affordable, they're perhaps the most easy to set up and use right away. Users don't need complex knowledge concerning their own plumbing systems and being able to see the filter at work provides extra peace of mind.

Water pitcher filters are best used in combination with whole-house or faucet-based filtration systems. The spacious Aquagear filter has been proven to meet NSF filtration standards in notoriously contaminated areas like Flint, Michigan.

Best Backpacking Water Filters

If you enjoy braving the outdoors, a compact backpacking water filter is basically a must. These manually operated, free-stand filters work by straining out protozoan cysts, bacteria, and biological pathogens through a vigorous pumping motion.

Portable water filters allow outdoorsmen to safely drink stream, river, and lake water with no fear of ingesting water-borne pathogens. Without a filter, it's impossible to safely drink river water, since it could be laden with livestock droppings and parasites.

There are many different types of backpacking filters. Many backpacking filters include pre-filters, which are useful for treating water from murky sources. Added water purifiers can also combat viruses, which are too small for most filters to catch.

The Sawyer filter is ideal for all forms of outdoor recreation and emergency preparedness. It can even remove viruses as small as 0.1 microns in size.

Best Filter Water Bottles

Whether you're a city slicker or backpacker, filtered water bottles are convenient for every type of water lover. Water bottle filters are compact and slide right into the included bottle, allowing you to drink clean water directly out of the filter.

Most water bottle filters employ carbon-activated filters, which can capture cysts, heavy metals, foul odors, and bad tastes. They can also target biological pathogens, making municipal water safer to drink.

On average, one filter can safely filter up to 300 standard refills. It's recommended that users replace the filter once every two to three months after standard, daily usage.

The Brita 26 oz bottle provides great tasting, virtually contaminant-free water. The sleek bottle can easily fit in car cup holders.

Best Gravity Water Filters

Gravity water filters are free-standing systems that require absolutely no connection to a pre-existing water supply. These systems are most often used in situations that require emergency preparedness: relief organizations, natural disaster areas, and remote regions use them when safe water is unavailable.

Gravity filters usually consist of two independent containers placed on top of each other. First, water is poured into the upper container while, over time, the force of gravity causes water to pull past a filter and into the lower container.

Many modern gravity filters use either stacked ceramic spheres, activated carbon, or a combination of both. Gravity filters can filter an entire day's worth of water, treating common pathogens, viruses, bacteria, heavy metals, and chlorine.

The compact, four liter Platypus Gravity Works filter is ideal for camping, emergencies, and group use.

Water Test Kit: When Do You Need It?

Water test kits are vital for your peace of mind, ensuring that you water doesn't contain a harmful amount of contaminants. With a trusty test strip, you can determine how safe your municipal water is to drink and how effective your current filtration system is.

Most test kits check for heavy metal content, solvents, VOCs, and potentially the presence of water-borne diseases. It can be used to protect children, the elderly, pregnant women, and other at-risk groups of people.

The two-pack water quality tester uses three-in-one measuring solutions to check for the presence of different contaminants.

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