Once you have come to the conclusion that whole house water filters are essential to ensure your family is protected from contaminants which may be in your drinking water, you need to know what should be on your checklist.

The first thing is to realise that there are literally dozens of different types and manufacturers on the market. Picking the wrong one could at best cost you a lot of money and at worst leave you and your family unprotected from health risks in your drinking water.

But before you even get to choosing the actual manufacturer or type there are certain fundamentals which need to be ticked off.

Your exisitng supply will probably be split into 2 lines – one to inside the house and one to the outside. You must make sure the filter you choose will work with your layout. You should also be certain that the filter system you choose has a flow capacity which exceeds the requirements of all appliances within your house. You can usually find the water demands of any appliances by checking the specifications in the literature.

The minimum ability of your water filter should be at least ten gallons per minute.

One factor which is important in the choice of whole house water filters is the length of time your filter will last without need for replacement. Using a carbon filter with carbon beds rather than a cartridge should have an ability to backwash the system.

One thing some people do not understand is that there are different kinds of filters for different types of contaminants, so it’s essential to know what you are trying to protect yourself against and choose the filter accordingly.

An example – live near an industrial landfill site? you should be looking for a filter which can handle heavy metals and have a fine micron filter.

Most State Authorities will have their own requirements for water filters, make sure your proposed filter will pass these standards.

All this may seem obvious, but you would be surprised at the number of people who don’t make these initial checks before moving onto the next stage, and end up with the wrong filter, or one which won’t work within their home. There is more to know about whole house water filters but this a good starting point.