A whole house water filter (also called a point-of-entry system) treats all the water coming into your home. Every tap, shower, toilet, appliance, and irrigation line gets filtered water. That’s the upside. The downside is that these systems cost real money, quality options run $400 to $2,000 or more, and professional installation adds to that.

Before you spend a dollar on any system, test your water. This is not optional advice. The right filter depends entirely on what you’re treating for. A carbon filter that excels at chlorine and chloramines does almost nothing for iron or bacteria. A UV system kills bacteria but doesn’t touch chemical contaminants. Buy the wrong one and you’ve spent $800 on something that doesn’t solve your problem.

Two groups of people typically buy whole house filters. City water users are mostly dealing with disinfectants and their byproducts: chlorine, chloramines, trihalomethanes (THMs), and haloacetic acids. Well water owners face a different list: iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, sediment, hardness, and potentially bacteria, arsenic, or nitrates depending on their location and geology.

The products below are split by those two audiences. We evaluated them on published specifications, NSF/ANSI certification data, independent testing results, and verified customer feedback. This is editorial research, not hands-on lab testing.

City Water vs. Well Water: Why the Filter Media Matters

City water is already disinfected when it reaches your home. The filtration goal is removing what the disinfection process adds or leaves behind. Chlorine is relatively easy to remove with standard activated carbon. Chloramines, which many utilities now use instead of chlorine, are not. Chloramines require catalytic carbon, a specially processed form that breaks the chloramine bond. If your utility uses chloramines and you buy a standard carbon filter, you’ll get minimal chloramine reduction.

Well water skips municipal treatment entirely. That means no disinfection, no chemical additives, and no regulatory oversight of what’s in it. Private wells can carry iron that stains fixtures red or orange, manganese that stains black, hydrogen sulfide that smells like rotten eggs, and potentially coliform bacteria or E. coli. Treating these problems requires oxidation (to precipitate iron and manganese out of solution) and UV disinfection (to kill biological contaminants). Carbon plays a supporting role, but it’s not the lead technology for well water.

If you’re not sure what’s in your water, a certified mail-in lab test is the right first step. See our guide to best mail-in water tests.

What to Look For When Buying

NSF certification. The NSF/ANSI standards aren’t interchangeable. NSF 42 covers aesthetic contaminants like chlorine taste and odor. NSF 53 covers health-related contaminants including lead, VOCs, and certain pesticides. NSF 55 covers UV disinfection systems. NSF 58 covers reverse osmosis. A system marketed as “NSF certified” might only hold NSF 42, which says nothing about lead or bacteria. Check which specific standard applies.

Flow rate. Whole house filters are rated in gallons per minute (GPM). A 1-3 bathroom home typically needs at least 10 GPM. A larger home with multiple simultaneous users needs 15-20 GPM. If your system’s GPM rating is too low, you’ll notice pressure drops when multiple fixtures run at once.

Filter replacement cost and frequency. The upfront price isn’t the full cost. Pre-filter cartridges often need replacement every 3-6 months. UV lamps need annual replacement. Tank-based media lasts years but eventually needs replacement or recharging. Factor this in before buying.

Installation complexity. These are not plug-and-play appliances. Whole house systems install on your main water supply line before it splits to the rest of the house. That means cutting pipe. Most homeowners with plumbing confidence can handle it. If you’re not comfortable with that, budget for a plumber.

For City Water: Top Picks

Best for Chloramine Removal: SpringWell CF Whole House Filter System

The SpringWell CF is a 4-stage system built around catalytic carbon, which is what separates it from most city water filters on the market. Standard activated carbon removes chlorine reasonably well. Catalytic carbon removes chloramines, which is what most large municipal water systems use as their primary disinfectant.

The system addresses chlorine, chloramines, THMs, haloacetic acids, sediment, and heavy metals. It comes in multiple sizes based on household water usage and pipe diameter, and SpringWell offers a lifetime warranty on the tanks. Filter media is NSF-certified.

What it removes: Chlorine, chloramines, THMs, haloacetic acids, sediment, heavy metals (per NSF-certified media specs)

Pros:

• Catalytic carbon is the right technology for chloramine-heavy municipal water
• Multiple size options to match your home’s flow rate needs
• Lifetime tank warranty
• NSF-certified media and components

Considerations:

• Upfront cost is higher than basic carbon systems
• Installation requires cutting your main water line, plan for a plumber or a confident DIY approach
• Sediment pre-filter cartridge needs periodic replacement

Best for: City water households where the utility uses chloramines. Check your utility’s annual water quality report, it will say which disinfectant they use.

Check current pricing at SpringWell (affiliate link, see disclosure above)

Best for Older Homes with Lead Concerns: Aquasana EQ-1000 Whole House Filter

The Aquasana EQ-1000 is rated for 10 years or 1,000,000 gallons, whichever comes first. That long filter life is the headline feature, fewer cartridge changes, lower annual maintenance cost, and one less thing to forget.

It uses a multi-stage approach: sediment pre-filter, copper-zinc and mineral stone media, then activated carbon post-filter. Aquasana specifically tested and certified removal of chlorine, chloramines, lead, mercury, VOCs, and pesticides. The lead and mercury coverage makes it a strong option for homes with older plumbing, where lead solder or lead service lines might be a concern.

What it removes: Chlorine, chloramines, lead, mercury, VOCs, pesticides (per NSF certification)

Pros:

• Long filter life reduces maintenance frequency significantly
• NSF certified for lead and mercury removal, useful for pre-1986 homes
• Copper-zinc media adds a different removal mechanism than carbon alone
• Good documentation and customer support

Considerations:

• Higher upfront cost than shorter-life systems
• Still needs periodic pre-filter cartridge changes
• Flow rate options, verify your home’s GPM needs before selecting a model size

Best for: City water homes with older plumbing, or households that want the lowest annual maintenance burden.

Check current pricing at Aquasana (affiliate link)

For Well Water: Top Picks

If you’re on a private well, read our well water testing guide before buying anything. The products below cover the most common well water problem combinations, but your specific results might point to a different solution, arsenic and nitrates, for example, often call for a different treatment approach than iron and bacteria.

Best for Iron, Manganese, and Bacteria: SpringWell WS + UV Bundle

The SpringWell WS pairs an air injection oxidizing filter with a UV disinfection add-on. That combination addresses the two main categories of well water problems: chemical/aesthetic (iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide) and biological (bacteria, viruses).

Air injection oxidation works by introducing oxygen into the water, which causes dissolved iron and manganese to precipitate into solid particles that the filter can catch. It handles iron, manganese, and H2S without chemicals. The UV add-on runs the filtered water through ultraviolet light before it enters the home, killing bacteria and viruses that made it through the oxidation stage.

If your well test shows iron, manganese, and any bacterial presence, which is a common combination, this bundle addresses all three in one purchase.

What it removes: Iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide (via oxidation filter), bacteria, viruses (via UV)

Pros:

• Addresses the most common well water problem combination in one system
• Air injection oxidation requires no chemicals, no salt, no potassium, no backwash chemicals
• UV disinfection is NSF 55 rated
• NSF-certified components throughout

Considerations:

• Iron filters work best when pH is in range, a water test will tell you if that’s an issue
• UV is only effective on clear water; must be installed after filtration, not before
• More complex installation than a single-unit city water filter
• Check iron concentration levels: very high iron may need additional pre-treatment

Best for: Well owners with iron, manganese, and bacterial concerns, the most common well water profile. Also see our guide to best iron filters for well water.

Check current pricing at SpringWell (affiliate link)

Best Comprehensive Well Water Package: Aquasana Rhino Well Water + UV

The Aquasana Rhino Well Water + UV is a purpose-built well water system that handles bacteria and viruses (UV), sediment, iron, manganese, chloramines, and VOCs in one package. Aquasana designed it specifically for private well owners who want a single-vendor solution rather than piecing together components.

NSF-certified components cover multiple contaminant categories. The UV stage runs last in the process, which is the correct order, filtration first removes the turbidity that would otherwise block UV penetration.

What it removes: Bacteria, viruses (UV, NSF 55), sediment, iron, manganese, chloramines, VOCs

Pros:

• Purpose-designed for well water, not a city water system retrofitted for wells
• Correct filter sequencing (sediment and iron first, UV last)
• Single vendor for the full system simplifies support and replacement parts
• NSF-certified components

Considerations:

• Higher-end price point compared to component-based approaches
• Still needs UV lamp replacement annually
• Very high iron concentrations may require additional treatment upstream

Best for: Well owners who want a complete, vetted package and prefer not to pair components from multiple brands. Also see our guide to best UV water purifiers.

Check current pricing at Aquasana (affiliate link)

Quick Comparison

Verify current flow rate specifications with each manufacturer before buying. Flow rate options change when product lines are updated.

Whole House vs. Point-of-Use: An Important Distinction

Whole house filtration makes sense when the contaminant affects you through multiple routes: skin contact in the shower, ingestion from any tap, appliance wear from sediment or hardness. Chloramines, sediment, and iron all fall into this category.

But some contaminants are primarily a drinking water concern. Arsenic and nitrates, for example, pose health risks when ingested but minimal risk through skin contact. For those, treating every gallon entering your home, including what flushes your toilets, is expensive and unnecessary. An NSF 58-certified under-sink reverse osmosis system at your kitchen and bathroom drinking taps is a more practical answer. See our best under-sink RO systems guide for options.

PFAS falls into a similar category. Activated carbon in a whole house system may reduce some PFAS compounds, but a point-of-use RO system certified to NSF 58 gives you more documented, reliable removal at your drinking tap. If PFAS is your primary driver, that’s the route to take.

Our Recommendations

For city water: the SpringWell CF is the right call if your utility uses chloramines (check your annual water quality report). If your home has older plumbing and lead is a concern, the Aquasana EQ-1000’s NSF-certified lead removal coverage is the better fit.

For well water: get a water test first. If results show iron, manganese, and any bacterial presence, the SpringWell WS + UV bundle or the Aquasana Rhino Well Water + UV are the most complete single-purchase options. Both address the same core problems, the right choice between them comes down to your specific iron levels and installation preferences.

Neither category should be a blind purchase. The systems above are solid, but the right system is the one matched to your actual water test results.