Whole House Water Filter?

Be careful now! I've been there and done that and have 15 years of experience with a whole household rainwater harvesting and filtration system. Along the way I've made about every mistake imaginable but I made a point of learning something each time. I suppose this is a way of saying that I'm something of an expert, having learned my lessons the hard (expensive) way.

From your post it sounds to me like you plan to use tap water as your source  instead of rainwater and you just want to remove the parts that you find objectionable. Tap water contains chlorine, which is highly poisonous in large concentrations, but highly useful in smaller concentrations. The water utilities can be trusted to get that right. You don't hear many stories of people getting chlorine poison from drinking tap water. And by the way, chlorine dissipates fairly quickly.

Before you spend vast sums on a household water treatment system, why not consider alternatives? Do you mind showering with tap water? How about using it in your washing machine & dishwasher? Do you have a problem with rinsing your toothbrush with tap water? If your answer to these questions is no, then you might want to look into small scale water filtration systems for your drinking water, for cooking and your ice maker.

A lot of people around the country do just that. I will throw out one brand for your consideration with the understanding that there are others equally good. You should investigate before you make a decision. In my emergency supplies I have a Big Berkey filtration system. It is stone-simple, consisting of an upper chamber into which you pour raw water. It uses either two or four (your choice) ceramic filters -- they look like candles that are rounded on top. The water passes through the filters into the lower chamber by gravity flow. No electricity is required. There is a spigot on the side of the lower chamber to drain the treated water. A little patience is required while the water flows through the filters into the lower chamber.

Filtration systems like this are safe. You won't get sick from drinking the water. People who are forced to rely on rather nasty water can opt to replace the ceramic filter elements with more expensive carbon filters. A carbon filter, by the way, will remove chlorine. Do some on-line reseach and you'll learn what elements the various filters will remove from your water.

Again, I'm not offering testimonials here for the Big Berkey, but it is a well-known brand and the firm has lots of satisfied customers. The filter elements are good for several thousand gallons of water before you have to replace them. Another possibility is a reverse-osmosis filtration system that fits neatly under your kitchen sink. I suggest that you hold off making a decision until you do some research. This will save you money. You can use the bucks you saved to purchase other needed emergency supplies.

Basically, instead of having to spend thousands of dollars, you can get the job done with an investment of a few hundred dollars. By the way, one merchant that advertises on the Martenson website and sells water purification systems is St. Paul Mercantile. You might check out what that firm has to offer in water purification systems.

I noticed that you have only made a couple of posts, so welcome to what you are likely to find is one of the more civilized discussion boards. Ask straightforward questions and you'll likely find that someone here has the answers you are looking for. Also, there is a convenient search feature on this site that allows you quickly to find what others have posted on topics of general interest. If you have follow up questions you can send me a private message and I will respond. Again, please take the time to research this thoroughly before you pull the trigger.