Questions on whole house water filtration systems for well water

[Raineyrocks]

Hi! 

Our faucet water/refridgerator water has been tasting really strange, (according to the kids), because I use a Big Berkey and they don't.   Does anyone have any suggestions on a good, economical, and low maintenance house water filtration system?   

I have no idea if we have radon in the water but is that harmful if we do?  Would one of these filtration systems take the radon out too?  I think you need to remove radon from the point of entry, right?

[MaineShark]

Our faucet water/refridgerator water has been tasting really strange, (according to the kids), because I use a Big Berkey and they don't.   Does anyone have any suggestions on a good, economical, and low maintenance house water filtration system?

Generally, the lower the cost, the more the maintenance.  Much of what you pay for with fancier systems is the automation that reduces maintenance.

Short of an actual water softener, which costs real money, you can get a simple filter housing and install that, then use charcoal filters (which are basically a regular filter, with a charcoal section added) which will remove some of the odor and taste.

Only filter the water that needs to be filtered, and that will extend the life of the filter, reducing the overall costs and the amount of maintenance (filter changes) that is needed.

If you go to your local Home Depot, they should have free water test kits available.  You'll get a sales call along with the results if you use them, but that's obviously why they're free.  What you want to do is write down the results, so you can see if they're really in the realm that a filter will handle, or if it would take a full water softening system to do anything.

I have no idea if we have radon in the water but is that harmful if we do?  Would one of these filtration systems take the radon out too?  I think you need to remove radon from the point of entry, right?

Radon removal requires special radon filtration equipment.  It's not cheap.

Joe

[Raineyrocks]

Thanks Joe! 

Is radon harmful if it's in the well water? 

[MaineShark]

Thanks Joe! 

Is radon harmful if it's in the well water?

It all depends upon the amount.  Only way to know would be to have a radon test run on your water.  Those aren't free.

Joe

[leetninja]

I ended up going a little overboard with my home but it was for a good reason.  I had a high level of manganese and while that wouldn't kill me by any means it did make my whites not so white and my water taste weird and I just didn't like the idea of "dirty well water" at all.  There is a place in Salem NH Called Policy Well they will do free water testing for you.  They even give you a printout of the findings etc.  Of course they want to get you into a system through them but I didn't have any pressure from them to do so. 

I ended up with a whole softener system and it wasn't all that bad to have a family friend install it.  Parts and labor ran me about $1500.  Before I got the softener I went ahead and got a really great reverse osmosis (RO) system for my drinking water specifically.  Best investment EVER. 

I did some searching for you and came up with this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Reverse-Osmosis-System-100-Clear-Housing-Drink-Water-/160486708862

I can even offer some assistance installing it.  I installed mine in about 45 minutes.  Very very worth it.

[Sovereign Curtis]

Before I got the softener I went ahead and got a really great reverse osmosis (RO) system for my drinking water specifically.  Best investment EVER. 

I did some searching for you and came up with this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Reverse-Osmosis-System-100-Clear-Housing-Drink-Water-/160486708862

I can even offer some assistance installing it.  I installed mine in about 45 minutes.  Very very worth it.

THIS

[MaineShark]

There are also self-cleaning sediment filters.  Even with a full-on water softening system, putting one of those first to catch any large bits is a good investment; it will protect the equipment.  Put it as close to the water inlet as possible, to keep the largest portion of the piping system clean of sediment.

Removing anything that can be physically filtered out, first, greatly extends the life of the chemical (softening or RO) filtration system, as it only has to deal with the dissolved contaminants, not the sediment.

Joe

[littlehawk]

  I have very nice well water.