# Best Whole House Water Filters

# Best Whole House Water Filters: Every Faucet, Every Shower, Handled

**strong** Nine of these 11 records are complete systems. The other 2 are refill sets, and they're only useful if a bracket is already up on your wall.

[Whole House Water Filters Specs](#specs)
[Best Whole House Filters Scorecard](#score)
[Whole House Water Filters by Household](#who)
[Best Whole House Filters Trade-offs](#proscons)
[Whole House Water Filters Running Cost](#cost)
[Best Whole House Filters Compared](#compare)
[Whole House Water Filters Questions](#faq)
[Whole House Water Filters Verdict](#verdict)

**strong** This article contains affiliate links. **strong** at *em*. **strong** retail prices move daily, so we quote ranges and send you to the live figure on the listing. **strong** *em* Every number on this page traces to manufacturer documentation or a certification record, held against the claims on the box. No free products, no paid placements, no manufacturer relationships. Scoring rules are public on our [methodology page](/methodology).

[](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07R8GW6BJ?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)

## Best Whole House Water Filters: What These 11 Records Print

**strong** The other 2 sell *em*, so they're only useful if a bracket is already up.

The paperwork is thinner than the plumbing. **strong** Four print a gallon figure, 1 a flow rate, and *em*.

- Systems: 9 records, single tank to 3 stage, and 5 put 3 stages in the box.

- Refills: a 10 inch pair under $35 and a 20 inch set near $115, and there's no housing in either box.

- Long life: the 2 longest published figures are both 600,000 gallons, and there's nothing else here above 100,000.

- The zeros: no listing number anywhere, and 1 flow rate here.

**strong** you're buying a bracket and a schedule, and it's the *em* that prices the cartridge. The [full index](/best-water-filters) scores every class this way.

The way I see it

**strong** The shower, the dishwasher and the water heater all drink from one decision.

What These 11 Records Print
Bars showing what the 11 records publish: 4 capacities, 4 port sizes, 3 standard names, 1 flow rate and no listing numbers.
What These 11 Records Print
Records carrying each figure

- 0 2 4 Rated capacity Port size Standard named Flow rate Listing number 4 records 4 records 3 records 1 record 0 records Counted across the record and the maker copy behind it. No record prints a listing number. Figure 1. Capacity and port size are the columns this class fills in. The flow rate is the one a plumber asks for. See the A. O. Smith System on Amazon ## Best Whole House Water Filters: 4 of 7 for the Top Pick No system here has its own page yet, so this scorecard belongs to the record with the longest published life. Seven lines, 1 point each, and there's no partial credit. The AO-WH-Filter tank leads on 2 numbers: 600,000 gallons and a 6 year interval. Its 3 zeros are the paperwork, the removal scope and the flow rate. CriterionPointsEvidence Certified removal scope0 pointsNo standard number on the record, and no listing under the percentage the copy prints Certification and test transparency0 pointsNo certificate and no listing number, the same zero the other 10 records carry Filter life and rated capacity1 point600,000 gallons over 6 years, tied for the longest figure here and 12 times the shortest Cost per gallon1 pointAbout 7 cents for every 100 gallons, against 67 cents on the shortest lived record Flow rate and pressure drop0 pointsNo rated service flow, and the class prints one flow rate on a UV chamber Install and footprint1 pointA shutoff valve and a hose adapter in the box, no drainage, no backflushing Maintenance burden1 pointOne cartridge on a 6 year interval, against the 6 to 12 month rhythm here The 3 zeros are the certificate, the contaminant list and the pressure. The longest lasting tank here prints the least about what it takes out. See the Aquasana Rhino on Amazon ## Which Whole House Water Filters Fit Which House This class fits a building with 1 to 3 bathrooms, its own shutoff and a wall for a bracket. That sizing line comes from the PRO+AQUA record, and if you rent the decision belongs at the under sink roundup, because you can't take the install with you. Water decides the stage count: city water with a chlorine note asks for sediment and carbon, and a well with iron asks for a stage that names iron. #### This Is Not Your House If You rent. A system on the main line takes a shutoff and a wall, and the next tenant keeps both.

- You want softer water. None of the 11 records here is a softener, and an anti scale housing only holds scale down.

- A single tap is the whole problem. The faucet mount roundup and the pitcher roundup solve that with no plumbing at all.

- You need a number for a landlord or an inspector. There's nothing here to hand over.

Put another way

**strong** It's the tire and not the car, and 2 of these 11 records sell exactly that to a household that already owns the bracket.

[See the PRO+AQUA 3 Stage on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081297NP1?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)

## Best Whole House Filters: The Trade-offs to Know

**strong** Both beat the countertop pages *em*, because the water is treated once at the meter.

**strong** A plumber asks for a flow rate and a listing number, and this class prints 1 of the first, which isn't the one that matters.

#### What You Get

- Under 1 cent per 10 gallons on all 4 records that publish a capacity.

- Intervals from 6 months to 6 years, so you'll pick your own rhythm.

- One purchase covering the shower, the dishwasher and the water heater.

- A system on a bracket for 9 records, with gauges or a wrench in the box.

#### What It Costs You

- A band from around $300 to past $1,000 before the install.

- Zero listing numbers across 11 records.

- One flow rate in the class, so pressure stays an estimate.

- It's a property improvement. Move out and the system stays.

[See the HQUA 3 Stage with Timers](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D4K1LQ14?tag=waterfilternerd-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1)

## What Whole House Water Filters Cost to Run

**strong** Bands below, because retail prices don't sit still.

- The longest lived record: about $400 once, 600,000 gallons behind it, about 7 cents per 100 gallons.

- The shortest lived record: about $336 once and 50,000 gallons, or 67 cents per 100 gallons.

- The filter set: about $115 for 100,000 gallons if the bracket's on your wall already.

- The cartridge pair: under $35 for two 10 inch filters, and the 30,000 gallon figure in seller copy isn't a document.

*em* A whole house filter is priced like an appliance and quoted like a plumbing job, and the second number *em*. **strong**

Rated Capacity on the 4 Records That Print It
Bars showing the 4 published capacity figures: 2 records at 600,000 gallons, 1 at 100,000 and 1 at 50,000.
Rated Capacity on the 4 Records That Print It
Gallons, in thousands

- 0 300k 600k A. O. Smith tank Aquasana Rhino iSpring filter set iSpring 2 stage 600,000 gal 600,000 gal 100,000 gal 50,000 gal The shortest figure here costs about 10 times per gallon what the longest does. Figure 2. Two records publish the same 600,000 gallon figure, and the shortest life costs about 10 times as much per gallon. See the 20 Inch Filter Set Price About $115 for 100,000 gallons, if the bracket is up already. ## Best Whole House Water Filters: Systems Against Refills Every row comes from our records: the standard a brand names, the life it publishes and the band the listing sits in. Eight rows read not scored because that system's own page doesn't exist yet. SystemStagesCertifiedRated lifeUpfront bandPoints A. O. Smith AO-WH-Filter (B07R8GW6BJ)Single tanknot named600,000 gal$350 to $4504/7 Aquasana Rhino WH-1000 (B0FYHBLSK3)Carbon tankcertifier named600,000 gal$1,000 and upnot scored iSpring WGB32BM with UV (B09BJSMZGL)3 stage + UVno standardno figure$750 to $800not scored SpringWell CHW-1 (B0CGJFSF6P)Carbon + KDFnone namedblank$600 to $650not scored PRO+AQUA Elite PRO-100-E (B081297NP1)3 stagenothing namedno figure$450 to $500not scored Express Water V-WH300SCPS (B01LFNGVVM)3 stagenone namedblank$450 to $500not scored HQUA WF3-01 (B0D4K1LQ14)3 stageno standardnot published$300 to $400not scored BLACK+DECKER Whole House Filter (B0F636GCCM)3 stage42blanknot statednot scored iSpring WGB21B-DS (B0CH1LWKX4)2 stagenot named50,000 gal$300 to $400not scored The longest life sits on the cheapest row, and the one record naming a standard number is a name brand. That's not a coincidence. The Rhino's title claims 1M gallons and our record carries 600,000, so the row reads the figure we can hold. The under sink roundup covers the class a step smaller, and the cartridge roundup prices these refills per gallon. The short version Same water, 2 bills. A system on the main line treats the shower and the dishwasher for under a cent a gallon, and a faucet mount treats 2 glasses for about 14 cents. See the 2 Stage iSpring on Amazon 50,000 gallons over a year for a family of four, and the shortest published life here. ## Whole House Water Filters FAQ Do whole house water filters remove lead Only where the record names a standard that covers it, and 3 of these 11 records name any standard at all. Lead removal belongs to a stage that prints it rather than to a sediment and carbon pair. How much do whole house water filters cost to run About 7 cents for every 100 gallons on the longest lived record, and 67 cents on the shortest. The cartridge is the cheap half, and the install is the half a listing doesn't mention. How often do whole house cartridges need changing The published intervals run from 6 months to 6 years. The 6 year figure belongs to one sealed tank, and the 3 stage systems ask for a change every 6 to 12 months. Can a whole house filter be installed without a plumber Several of these records ship with a shutoff valve, a wrench or a bracket and call the job a DIY one. The 1 inch connections on 4 of them decide how long that afternoon runs. Do whole house water filters lower TDS No, and 4 of these records say so in their own copy. TDS is a dissolved solids reading, so a sediment and carbon system keeps the minerals and drops the taste. ## Best Whole House Water Filters: Where the Class Lands The pick is the A. O. Smith tank: 600,000 gallons, a 6 year interval and about 7 cents for every 100 gallons. Its 3 zeros are paperwork and pressure rather than water quality. For a well with iron, the iSpring WGB32BM adds the manganese stage and the only UV chamber here, at about twice the money. For a bracket on the wall already, the 20 inch set's the cheapest 100,000 gallons, and the faucet mount roundup starts smaller for anyone who can't drill. Four records print the gallon figure that decides the bill, and 2 of them print the same 600,000. Check the Price on the A. O. Smith Tank ### The Cheapest Gallon Here Comes Out of the Meter A whole house system treats every fixture at once for a fraction of a cent a gallon. The bracket is the expensive part, and it's the only part you buy once. See the 10 Inch Cartridge Pair on Amazon ## Every Standard Whole House Water Filters Name NSF/ANSI 42 The aesthetic effects standard: chlorine, taste, odor and particulate class. One record here names it. NSF/ANSI 53 The health effects standard, certified per listing, covering lead and named compounds. Not one of the 11 records here names it. NSF/ANSI 401 Emerging compounds, a separate listing again. Nothing in this class names it. Micron rating The size a filter catches. Five micron is the sediment figure most of this class prints, and it's what decides how fast a cartridge loads up. Rated capacity The gallons one cartridge is documented to treat. Four of these 11 publish one, and it's what turns a price into a running cost. ## Keep Reading: More Whole House Water Filters Best Water Filters: the hub above this page.

- Best Under Sink Water Filters: the same cartridge logic one room smaller.

- Best Replacement Filter Cartridges: what these refills cost per gallon.

- The Nerd Stamp Methodology: what each of the 7 lines asks for.