No experience, but....

I have no doubt that it will, indeed, do what it says. The concept is simple enough. This is basically a 30-micron sediment filter plus charcoal stack and diffuser. Automatically back-flushing the sediment filters will probably work fine indefinitely. However, the charcoal will have to be replaced periodically. Whirlpool says 10 years...which I don't believe for a moment. If you've got enough chlorine that you can smell it, you'll be replacing the charcoal portion MUCH sooner than that. I would at least ask about cost and ease of replacement of the charcoal component.

Benefits will be taste and smell, principally, which is what the charcoal does. This is not a softener.

I have looked closely at one of these and have a few observations:

1. the automatic valve housing is plastic and doesn't look very substantial to me, I would be very leary of a failure and the damage it'd cause.

2. I'm willing to bet the new charcoal if you can even get it will exceed the cost of a new unit.

3. It will only throughput 6 gallons a minute which is not a lot for a household - especially those with a large on demand water heater, a whirlpool tub, multi-featured shower, or other high volume water needs.

Due respect.....6 gpm is a perfectly adequate flow-rate short of commercial applications. OP said nothing about whirlpool tubs, etc., etc. so I don't know where you're coming from with all that.

The charcoal replacement issue does deserve more thorough exploration.

FWIW....I just replaced my 18-year-old Kinetico units with their latest/greatest. Two-cannister softener unit has two-unit charcoal modules.........which they've advised me would llkely need replacement in 4-5 years at a cost of several hundreds of dollars.

Whirlpool is claiming their unit with small fraction of the charcoal my units contain are good for maybe ten years. BSBSBSBS! Activated charcoal does what it does. More lasts longer. Less lasts not as long. Except for particulate filtering, this Whirlpool unit doesn't do anything other than charcoal filtration. It's a very-well-known thing. There's no magic here. Their claims for their charcoal in a chlorine environment such as been described by the OP is a pipe-dream.

It's probably a perfectly wonderful init....but the charcoal-life advertised is silly. And I have little doubt replacement will be expensive. Activated charcoal filters and/or media are never cheap.

Not saying this is a bad deal. Only saying know what you're in for.

sorry asolo -

for a lot of people around here 6 gpm is no where near adequate, and that's 6gpm TOPS, best case scenario.

Have a 100 gallon whirlpool tub and a kohler valve that fills @ 12gpm? Maybe your on demand water heater is a 9.6 gpm model or two 5 gpms in tandem? Have a shower with a thermostatic valve and 2-4 features that need 2.2 gallons a minute? That 6 gpm is going to get eaten up fast if you have just one of those cases and what if another unit starts to draw water like another shower or the DW or a high demand unit like a washer? You could be in for some performance issues.

Now, for the average 3/2 ranch and a family with 2.2 kids , 6 gpm will likely be fine.

BTW - Whirlpool does not make that water filter, it is just marketed by them.

OP mentioned none of those things. Only you did. Then you went on to say 6 gpm is probably fine for the average "ranch" etc.

Whatever. I'm done.

The Whirlpool Company is known for its reliability for many years. They manufacture many kinds of water filters like the cartridge water filter and others.There are many different kinds of water filters and filtration systems available from Whirlpool these days. You can take your pick from Reverse Osmosis or RO water filters, pitcher filters, cartridge filter and even filters for your refrigerator.Â

Here is a link that might be useful: Whirlpool water filter

sanjily - just because their name is on the packaging doesn't mean they actually manufacture the piece.

They most definitely do not make the unit the OP is asking about.

asolo - I think you missed "between the lines".

translation - most people on here asking about fancy things like self flushing water filters and computer controlled ovens don't have 2.2 kids and live in a 3/2 ranch. They have much larger lifestyles with big tubs and higher than AVERAGE demands for water, electricity and style points.

For them, 6 gallons is not adequate. For a large (average) cross section of America it is. It's my contention that this group does not hang out here enquiring about such things. If they even get a water filter and/or care about it's specifications, they just take their plumbers recommendation.

Oh, and lots of people have large tubs these days, Move up tract homes full of them these days.

With respect....I don't think you know any more about what "most people on here" are asking about than I do. That you assume/insist that somehow you do is actually pretty annoying. I reject your claim to clairvoyance.

What's the matter with just responding to the poster's question/info as presented?

This is silly. Repeating....I'm done.

I am actually happy to see this post. After doing much research on all appliance for our kitchen renovation we feel very well informed in our choices....BUT NOT THIS AREA!

We have a fairly large house 4500 sq ft w 4 full bathrooms, 4 kids all girls so I am sure our water needs are far above average....what is the best solution? Whole home? If so which one? Or filters for sinks & ice makers in kitchen?

Our tap water is actually well regarded locally but currently use a brita like filter system...would welcome some direction from ALL

Thank you

Yo, sprotsrx...

Suggest posting your questions on plumbing forum. There are some seriously smart folks over there about this specific concern.

4500 sq ft and four kids is serious demand. I suspect you're going to be talking about softeners and RO units........but, please, hop over to the other forum and say what you need.

This is a great unit! As I have followed up with several of our customers that we did installations for, all of their reviews were nothing less than stellar.

As far as flow, with larger homes come larger expenses ;)...you must install two or three units in parallel to achieve the desired GPM flow rate.
Regarding the longevity of the unit, I can't speak to that yet as they have been on the market for a relatively short period of time....so far so good!!!

does this unit require a softener?

no softener required for that unit.

you may want or need a softener depending on your water quality and desires, but that is another matter all together.

Does anyone have any updated reviews for this product I was thinking of purchasing it for my 1500 sq ft house would 1 unit be sufficient. Thanks

Some question as Vicci. Anyone with recent/updated reviews? I've done research and for the price, this unit seems to be a solid choice for my family needs. We got our water tested by two fairly popular companies in our area (Culligan and Rain Soft) and both claim our water has too much chlorine. Any advice is appreciated. Budget is around $1200 for whole home unit that can filter chlorine and other contaminants. We don't have hard water or sediment as we're using city water.

Andy,

Send you water to be tested by a lab. You can do a search on the web for certified water testing labs. Based on the lab report, you can make a determination on what needs to be filtered out of your current water. Since you are on City Water, you can compare the results with the Water report issued by you local water department (this report should be on their website).

On the plumbing forum, post a question once you have the lab results and someone will provide some guidance. You need to build a system that fit you needs. The systems are easy to put together and replacing the filters are inexpensive for most common contaminants. Culligan and Rain soft only sell products and have a vested interest in only selling you products they make rather than what works for you. For instance, you can purchase a whole house water filtration system for chlorine and sediment for under $400 in materials depending on the flow rate that you want.

Good luck!