I'm not a plumber, but I am an engineer. I've mostly worked in dirty water since school, but I did mostly clean water then. THMs are trihalomethanes, and they are a class of chemicals called disinfection byproducts. Basically, any chemical that's added to disinfect drinking water reacts with naturally-occurring organic matter in the water (think the dissolved remnants of stuff like leaves, algae) to yield tiny tiny concentrations of these chemicals. The main thing that affects how much THMs form is the time the water sits in the pipe and storage tanks between the plant and the point of use. The last I paid attention to it, we know that THMs in massive quantities are carcinogenic in the lab. The rules your utility follows are an attempt to extrapolate from what we know to protect the public against exposure to tiny amounts over a long time. FWIW, my recollection is that the prime exposure path is actually via steam inhaled in the shower. The good news is that a carbon filter is a great way to remove the residual disinfectant (chlorine or chloramines), THMs, and other organic chemicals (VOCs- volatile organic compounds). And it takes care of the main complaint that leads to getting a filter in the first place- that the water doesn't taste good. I'm not a big RO proponent for home use. Unless you have someone who's immunocompromised or have a lot of dissolved solids (due to softening or from being in a coastal area that has saltwater intrusion), I think it's overkill. And it's expensive, has expensive consumables, and wastes a lot of water to produce a little. There are always exceptions, but that's my general feeling. Your faucet should be fine if you get a carbon filter. The problem with RO is that it makes the water more likely to dissolve metals it comes in contact with. Water that's just carbon filtered is still buffered to prevent this. I don't think there's a problem with going generic. The issue with the proprietary systems is that they lock you into their replacement cartridges and those are usually at a premium. You can get housings and filters much more cheaply. One tradeoff that comes to mind is that the proprietary setups may have an easier arrangement to replace filters. Otherwise, you have to be a bit of a plumber yourself to put together the housings, valves, fittings, etc. The simplest setup would be a single filter. This is like what’s in most fridge and point of use filters. There are combination cartridges that remove lead, cysts (tiny pathogen eggs that are very hard to kill) and have carbon for chlorine, THMs, VOCs. A step up would be a multistage system that adds a sediment filter and maybe a second stage of carbon. This is what we have in the water coolers at my office, which run on tap water instead of jugs. As for the pool, the color problem after the tornadoes is a bit of a stumper. Probably not something that’s going to happen often. And I don’t know if a simple sediment filter would take care of it. Otherwise, there’s a whole ‘nother set of chemistry going on in your pool, and frankly I wouldn’t worry about filtering what you fill the pool with unless it looks bad. Not to mention that a carbon filter that sits around unused tends to have some of the stuff it’s collected re-dissolve into the water sitting there. Last but not least, how well any of this works is dependent on how good a job of maintenance you do. Timely filter replacement is critical. Either based on a conservative time schedule or testing the filtered water for chlorine breakthrough. A buddy who does water treatment for Coke’s bottlers reminded me lately that it’s also a good idea to flush the system with unfiltered tap water when you replace filters. This puts some chlorinated water through so that you kill anything that’s grown in the housing and tube/pipes. Not something I logistically can do with my fridge filter but a very good idea. McMaster Carr (industrial supply house) has always been a good reference to get an idea of cost, but Amazon also seems to carry most everything these days too. I’d look there and look at some of the pre-built systems to decide what works best for you.

First of all you have a big sink -- nearly 3 feet long -- with 2 compartments, right? So you don't want a small scale (low, delicate looking) faucet. You need something with a reasonably substantial look. First, take a look at pull out (usually more horizontal with a head that pulls out) styles vs pull down styles (with nozzle that pulls down and becomes a sprayer). Alternately, do you want a faucet with an exposed coil sprayer? Or do you want a 2-piece set up with a faucet for one sink and a pull up sprayer for the other compartment? Or a combo large-small faucet "set" Once you figure out what you think might be a good direction print out the download for the sink. Then post it and everyone will walk you through what fits best and how to get the faucet spout lined up right. Obviously, price is a consideration. You may want to search out the thread where someone posted the various tiers of faucets though with ebay and all the prices can vary -- better feedback is on brand satisfaction.

That's the one I was ordering - I engaged in a "live chat" to ask a question about something and the CS rep told me even with that one, the largest I could go was a 30. I told her what the spec sheet said but she was adamant that to undermount that model, I'd need at least a 38 inch cab.

its obviously in extreme shock ... you are on the verge of loving it to death ... except form inserrting finger.. and watering next time the media ...ALMOST DRIES ... i suggest you ignore it for 2 months ... time will answer all your other issues ... i would not have an outdoor plant indoors... ever ... i would put it in bright shade ... with the pot completely shaded ... i have rarely got a root rot plant to recover .... usually because its much to late before i figured it out ... likes its completely dead.. lol .. you are ahead of me on that curve ... but i do know.. i have klilled more things with too much love.. than with benign neglect ... so beat me on that curve also ... and one thing for sure.. it aint hungry.. no fert on a stressed plant.. and i hope it wasnt in the media you used ... most tree... conifers.. shrubs.. like a sip of water.. and near total drainage.. and near drying in between ,,, that is the basic idea of 5-1-1 .... pre wet your mixed media ... plant it ... water it so it settles... and then do not water it again .. until its drying at the depth of you index finger first digit ... do not insert plant into dry mix ... .. and swamp it out.. trying to wet dry media ... really.. only time will tell .. and you worrying about it.. isnt going to help you.. or the plant... just remember .. you arent a real gardener.. until you have killed every plant.. 3 times ... lol ken