Whole House Water Filters - Remove Chlorine

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Romer

Romer

fatherofdaughterofromer
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The Mrs wants a whole house filter to get rid of the chlorine in our water. I see a bunch online. All I could find in a search was water softners which is not my issue.

I know nothing about these so appreciate some tips. I can sweat copper so not sure if there is more to installing than that.

Also trying to cut through the marketing crap and get the best value for our needs.

Appreciate it:beer:
 
I am going through this process on a new house build, but I intend to add a softener as well.

To simply remove chlorine, a charcoal based filter is the best option that I know of. Any plumbing supply house should be able to fix you up with a cartridge style filter. Cuno is a 3M brand that is stocked by many suppliers, there are probably thousands of other brands as your search has turned up.

Most have 3/4" to 1 1/2" threaded housings, I've not seen any with a copper housing or sweat connections but you will probably need to re-route your existing plumbing so there may be a need to sweat some of those fittings.

There is also the pressure drop associated with the various degrees of filtration. There are also many different cartridges that will probably fit another brands' housing.

Good luck
 
For chlorine all you need is a carbon filter. Carbon/ charcoal has a great affinity for chlorine and will remove it from the water stream. Water softeners remove disolved solids/ minerals and will keep your taps and tub from getting hard water stains. Softeners also make your hot water tank/washer/ dishwasher work better longer and use less soap. Softeners will remove some chlorine. If you have a lot of iron in the water you can get iron filters that look and function similar to softeners - but that is usually a rural issue.

I am on city water with a TDS (total dissolved solids) less than 500 ppm. I use a softener for hot and cold and a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system for drinking water on a separate tap. I can't smell chlorine in the shower. The RO has a 10 micron and charcoal prefilter and a charcoal post filter. Don't soften outside water taps. It's a waste of salt and not good for grass.

The chlorine is added at the water plant mainly to kill bacteria and keep the water delivery system bug free. If water stands still too long without treatment (even in the pipes) bacteria will grow. If your on a private well you can get systems that add chlorine to kill bacteria - usually chlorine pellets dropped in the well. I'll assume your on city/town water. If you just want to get rid of chlorine get a simple filter housing from Home Depot or your choice like this
GXWH35F_3.webp
and put in a carbon filter element. Better yet get two and they'll last longer between filter changes. Put a valve before and after the filter to isolate for filter change outs. As long as your using water (i.e. living in the house, flushing, showering, running taps) on a daily basis, bacteria won't be an issue.

Another option is to go to a softener distributer in your area. They may have 20" tall filter housings and or larger diameter ones that will last longer. The one pictured above is a 10" unit and takes a 3" diameter filter. They can tell you how big a filter you need and how long it should last. They should be able to test your water if you bring a sample just for curiosity. They will try to sell you a softener though, and that can get expensive.:cheers:
GXWH35F_3.webp
 
I have an inline filter similar to the one in Awl_TEQ's picture on the main supply line to the house. The problem is we sometimes get alot of silt in the water - enough that the water would look yellow and it would settle out in the toilet bowl. That jammed up the charcoal filter very quickly and left me with very little pressure. So now I run a coarser filter in that unit just for the silt and I put an under-sink filter with a charcoal cartridge for drinking water.

The chlorine typically doesn't bother me in the shower, brushing teeth etc. - but it's nice to have it out of the drinking water.
 
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john_eckels said:
I have this IH8MUD Banner Advertising on my refrigerator for drinking water. It's cheap, easy to install and the cartridges are simple to replace. edit how did it get that title?

Also, Costco sells a few different reverse osmosis water systems for a reasonable price

Costco - search results for "osmosis"

My goal was just to remove it for drinking purposes. I don't mind the chlorine for showers, washing the care or flushing the toilet.
Click to expand...

I dont have a problem with the drinking water. the :princess::princess::princess: don't like the drinking water and hate what the chlorine does to their hair:rolleyes: So a whole house filter was requested by the Mrs for one of her presents this year.
 
Romer said:
I dont have a problem with the drinking water. the :princess::princess::princess: don't like the drinking water and hate what the chlorine does to their hair:rolleyes: So a whole house filter was requested by the Mrs for one of her presents this year.
Click to expand...


I get it now, I was just trying to save you some $$$ so you can buy more tools cruiser mods etc. :)
 
Your simplest/most economical solution is two 9" filter housings in series on the main entering the house. Run a 5 or 10 micron poly filter on the first for sediment and then a charcoal filter on the second. 9 1/4" filters are cheap and will last quite a while in residential applications. 20" is overkill in non commercial/industrial use IMO. Generally you step up to longer filter sizes to increase water flow. I run a 1 micron 9" poly filter on my house main and still get over 6gpm flow with no noticeable drop in pressure.
 
MOfj40 said:
Your simplest/most economical solution is two 9" filter housings in series on the main entering the house. Run a 5 or 10 micron poly filter on the first for sediment and then a charcoal filter on the second. 9 1/4" filters are cheap and will last quite a while in residential applications. 20" is overkill in non commercial/industrial use IMO. Generally you step up to longer filter sizes to increase water flow. I run a 1 micron 9" poly filter on my house main and still get over 6gpm flow with no noticeable drop in pressure.
Click to expand...

Thanks, so the same type of system in the link, just the 10" model instead
 
yep, except the unit in the link is WAY overpriced. 10" filter housing (takes standard 9 1/4" filters) is $30 at Lowes/Home Depot. Buy 2 with a 3/4x6" pipe nipple in between, and put a ball valve upstream and downstream of the filters to isolate them when changing cartridges. Most of the Lowes units have shutoffs integrated into the filter housing, but they tend to leak if you have good water pressure. I pay $3 each for my 1 micron filters, and a charcoal filter should run around $10. So for less than $100 you've got a two stage whole house filter installed.

My sediment filters last 1 month to 6 weeks, and I've got really bad city water (old part of town, 60 year old galvanized main, rust/sediment). I bought one with the clear housing and change it when it starts to get really dirty looking.
 
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MOfj40 is correct about 10" over 20". I was thinking more about how often you would change filters rather than flow rate. One for sediment and one for carbon would be good - or both carbon if you have no sediment to speak of. You may be able to get combo filters (ie a 10 micron/carbon filter in one) I think we used to sell them at my old job. No sure though. :cheers:
 
Awl is right - you can buy combo filters, but they are a compromise. The external dimensions of the filter (9 1/4" x 2 1/2") can't change, so your combo filters have less activated carbon media to make room for the poly filter material. You don't get near the lifespan of a combo filter- you're just saving a little upfront cost. The only other advantage would be the space savings.

By using dual filter housings your dedicated carbon filter is protected from clogging by the sediment prefilter. You only need to change the carbon filter when you start to taste chlorine again, indicated that the carbon media is saturated. The carbon filter should last several months. The sediment prefilter is sacrificial since those filters are much cheaper.

:beer:
 
Romer said:
Thanks for the input, based on what you guys said something like this would be appropriate WH2-HF whole house High-Flow 5 micron carbon block water filter

20" filter two stage, one for sediment control

Not necessarilly looking at that one, just narrowing in on the specs I want so I can search

Thanks again
Click to expand...

i have this exact set up in my house. it works great. 20"cannisters last about 6 months...unless youre watering your lawn alot. no chlorine smell. in addition, under our kitchen sink, for cooking and drinking, i have a 0.5 micron filter on an extra tap.
 
Johnnymiz said:
i have this exact set up in my house. it works great. 20"cannisters last about 6 months...unless youre watering your lawn alot. no chlorine smell. in addition, under our kitchen sink, for cooking and drinking, i have a 0.5 micron filter on an extra tap.
Click to expand...

Since you have the 20", what do you see the pros and cons over the 10". I was planning on installing it after the T to the sprinkler system. Filtering water one way or another for the lawn shouldnt make a difference, should it?
 
It won't make a difference except for filter life. More water through filter = filter becomes saturated faster.
 
MOfj40 said:
It won't make a difference except for filter life. More water through filter = filter becomes saturated faster.
Click to expand...

exactly. i had it before the lawn for a while and it would go thru filters twice as fast in the summer.

as for 20 vs 10 inch, i would imagine there is bigger media, so they would clog less frequently. changing them isnt hard, but it is a little messy (the cannisters are full of water). you can definitely tell when it's time to change them...pressure goes down
 
Johnnymiz said:
as for 20 vs 10 inch, i would imagine there is bigger media, so they would clog less frequently.
Click to expand...

Not bigger media - just more of it so they last longer between changes. You can get 10,20,30 etc. micron filters in 10" and 20" for sediment. For chlorine a 20" would give roughly twice the media (carbon derived mainly from burning coconut shells) and therefore roughly twice the chlorine absorption as 10". 20" also have higher flow rates because of more surface area in the filter element - and therefore less pressure drop. 10" is sufficient for household use........but 20" is bigger:grinpimp:
 
Thanks guys, this has been a big help
 
Awl_TEQ said:
Not bigger media - just more of it so they last longer between changes. You can get 10,20,30 etc. micron filters in 10" and 20" for sediment. For chlorine a 20" would give roughly twice the media (carbon derived mainly from burning coconut shells) and therefore roughly twice the chlorine absorption as 10". 20" also have higher flow rates because of more surface area in the filter element - and therefore less pressure drop. 10" is sufficient for household use........but 20" is bigger:grinpimp:
Click to expand...

uh..that's what i meant. just didnt say it very well, did i? sorry.
with the 20", i get very little pressure drop (i have a guage on the inlet and outlet) , less than 5psi at full flow, until the sediment filter starts to clog up.
 
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