Two Stage with Fine Sediment and KDF85/Catalytic Carbon

I hate monologues but here it goes. I live in Kansas and the city water is pretty bad tasting. You can actually see undissolved solids floating around in the water. My parents spent thousands of dollars on a culligan man style system, and it seemed like a total rip off so I didn't want to go there on my purchase. I first purchased an under the kitchen sink style 3 filter reverse osmosis system from Menards about three years ago and installed one of those single filter systems from the same store on the main line. The main line filter leaked at the threading (tried tightening, sealant, etc.), the reverse osmosis filter leaked at the tank (tried same things), the sink unit filters were expensive for what little clean water they produced, the system couldn't keep up with drinkable water demand...like it would produce three glasses of water and then slow to a dribble. After two years I removed the whole house filter because it was leaking from both threads and the o-ring seal, and because I didn't feel like it was really doing much to improve water quality for our non-drinkable water. A week before Christmas 2016 my wife mentioned she'd like a new water filter system that could keep up with our family of 6. I loved this idea because it also meant I could get my handyman on. So, like any man would, I got my phone out and started researching robust whole house filter solutions. I was skeptical at first of the Home Master because it sounded like a generic name, but the reviews were solid across all sites I visited. I also considered Rhino, Ispring, and Pelican, the the Home Master seemed to be the right fit for my type of water problem and cost less. So I ordered the system. Folks had said it would be big and it is. These are nice quality filters. The installation was quick (30 minutes) and easy. SAVE yourself TIME and MONEY = Get push on fittings (no soldering required!!) They are AWESOME. Turn off your main line, cut your pipe with a pipe cutter (15 bucks) after the shut off valve, push on your first fitting and install your loop, valves, bypass line with a couple sticks of PEX tubing (get a pair of PEX cutters, another 15 bucks). The increased costs of the fittings is negligible compared to the peace of mind of not worrying about how well your soldering skills are. You must mount the bracket to studs or concrete or concrete block or rock, NOT Drywall!! I don't know what the assembly weighs wet but it is heavy dry and you don't want it to fall. Anyone can do this with push on fittings, seriously. Next, make sure you LUBE those O-Rings up REALLY good, use the whole tube that is provided! Put the filters in the housing and screw the housing into the manifold bracket. Turn on. The manual says to run water for about 15 minutes, you will think you did something wrong because the water will look really awful. After 15 minutes it cleared up and was drinkable. We no longer have the reverse osmosis system under our sink. Our water tastes wonderful and is very clean. Our dishes, glasses and silverware are clean. And there are NO leaks. The filter replacements cost as much as the reverse osmosis system did, and for that we get clean water out of every faucet instead of just one and as much as we can drink. The only disadvantage I've noticed in the system is that when our kids are taking a bath, water pressure drops about 15 lbs. We don't have tremendous water pressure anyways so for us it is probably worse than it would be for others and we get along fine. I feel that the product quality was excellent on this, we're all very happy with the results and I definitely recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a solution. If you have a well, get the three filter system.

We have well water and although we’ve always used a well water filter, the water still came out a little yellowish. Also, if we left the house for a couple days, when we came back we got the rotten egg smell from the hot water.The best option was to replace the water filtration system at a cost of over $3,000.00, however there’s a project to provide this rural area with city water within a year, so I couldn’t see the point of spending that kind of money. Draining some water from the water heater and adding a little bit of bleach helped, but just until the water heater sat unused, which mean repeating the process over gain.I did some research and came across this water filter. My first option was to purchase the 3-stage Home Master filter, but opted for the 2-stage filter for two reasons: lower price and since my water is already filtered (including sediment filtration), there’s no need for another sediment filter. Instead I purchased the radial flow iron reducing filter, which is supposed to filter iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide.I figured the radial flow iron reducing filter, along with the included catalytic carbon filter would be enough to increase the quality of the water. It took me about an hour to install, though I had done all the measurements and purchased all necessary parts beforehand.I followed all the instructions, including greasing the o-rings and the threads of the filter housing. I made sure everything was installed correctly before I turned the water on and waited a few moments before I checked for leaks. Didn’t get any leaks, so I then proceeded to turn a few of the faucets on to relieve trapped air and rechecked for leaks one more time.After about five hours of normal water use I collected a full glass of water from a faucet installed next to the Home Master filter outlet. The water is crystal clear, no smells and taste great. I’m not sure how long the filter will last, only time will tell, but right now the quality of the water is just great.I noted that at least one reviewer mentioned about the sediment filter clogging too soon. From my experience, in most cases, a well water requires a 20-micron sediment filter or larger to filter large sediment particles before the water reaches the main filtration system. Even them, it may be necessary to change or cleaned the filter monthly or even sooner. I use and rotate two 20-micron pleaded filters, which run me about $9.00 each at a local store, but they can be cleaned and rinsed off. About every month, I rotate the filters by removing the dirty filter, cleaning the housing and installing the clean filter. I then clean the dirty filter, let it dry fully to kill any bacteria that may be present and store it until it’s time to rotate the filters.I know of some people who wait until the water pressure drops significantly as a sign the filter needs replaced or cleaned. The problem with this approach is that it may shorten the life of the water pump (if using well water). Well water pumps are expensive and may also fail when most needed. Maintaining the filtration system clean will not just prolong the life of the pump, but may save money in the long run as well.