Many companies distribute filtering systems. When I was searching for "Instant Hot" I came across a number of filtered systems on the same pages. Yes, you can send the filtered water to the fridge and to the tap. Tee the supply plumbing line. (You could also send the filtered water to your regular faucet. ) To find out how often you will change the cartridges, find out about your local water supply. Talk to local plumbing fixture salespeople. Filter systems: If you describe your filtering needs, you will get more recommendations tailored to those needs. They are all reputable and none are disreputable. Taps: They are all good. It's just a valve and a handle. You may find out about the reduced flow that comes out of a filtering system and that may be an argument to make you buy only the expensive faucet they want to sell you. You still have tons of options even if the flow coming out of the filter is a trickle. hth

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.

I'd like to follow this, we're going to be looking at whole-house filtration. Our area is VERY high iron, as well as arsenic, and other undesirables. I recently skimmed an article about water evaporating from toilets and showers that may be leaving chemicals in the house-is that a thing?! Geezum. I buried my head in the ground and moved on! We are concerned about sprinklers leaving rust stains on the house and lawn furniture, mineral deposits in the house, and the possibility of chemicals leaching into the house.

Hello All, I have been reading as many posts as I can about whole house water filters, very helpful! Many are old enough that I wonder if new technology will make them obsolete so I am starting a new discussion. We are building a new house that gets water from a community well. Recently the well has been getting poor test results, most concerning is the amount of arsenic. The well has been flushed, cleaned and many systems upgraded but I think it would be wise if we also added an all purpose system now. I have requested the most recent well test results and may even spring to get my own location tested since the community pipes are old. The house is about 2500 sqft with 2.5 bathrooms and we have a MIL over a detached garage with 1 bathroom. In the meantime, I am researching whole house systems and am leaning towards the kind that last for 1 -2 million gallons. The two brands are AquaOx and Aquasana. (I would like one that is not made in China). I may also get an RO for the kitchen and would probably get one from the same manufacturer. Does anyone want to offer any advice or opinions about these brands or any others? I appreciate your time and attention!