Home Mortgage Alliance Corporation (HMAC)

Water in your home: Like water under the bridge or a cut above?

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Published Date 4/2/2024

When poet Samuel Coleridge was speaking of water being everywhere without a drop to drink, it’s obvious he wasn’t referring to it in his house. So what about the water in your own home? After all, your life is both literally and figuratively immersed in it daily.

Drinking water-wise, were you an early adopter of Brita pitcher, the German brand that introduced water filters to the U.S. market back in 1988? Or did you add a cistern to your kitchen countertop that had you grumbling whenever you had to haul an over-large plastic bottle inside to fill it up? When it comes to cleaner, better-tasting drinking water, those are still affordable and effective options—but are they potent enough to remove bacteria, viruses, agricultural chemicals, and other toxins? And how about the water you bathe in?

Realtor.com’s Christina Montoya Fiedler covers whole-home water filtration systems after conferring with experts to weigh the pros and the cons. Pro: Whole-home water filtration systems filter water at the point of entry.

“Whole home water filtration systems filter all the water in your home,” she says. “Since it’s attached directly to the main water line, it goes beyond just your drinking water. That means the water you use for showers, baths, laundry, cooking, and more is filtered. It also means that you’re less likely to have build-up and corrosion in your pipes.”

“An under-sink water filtration system will cost around $100, not including installation fees,” says water purveyor Jimmy Hiller, who adds that installing an under-sink system is a pretty simple task that most homeowners can handle within an hour or two. While he estimates that whole-home water filtrations can cost between $1,200 and $4,600— he definitely suggests hiring a pro to get the job done. He points out that you’ll likely save money on bottled water—not to mention keep single-use plastic out of landfills.

Experts report that whole-home water filtration systems can remove more than 90 percent of the chlorine in tap water. They also remove dirt, rust, sand, odors, and chemicals such as fluoride. Whole-home systems can mitigate hard water as well. The reason? “Many whole-home systems use multiple filtration methods, such as mechanical, ultraviolet, ion exchange, and activated carbon,” says Fiedler.

Reverse osmosis filters are extremely effective as well, but they also use a lot of water—up to four times more than other methods—and the process is slow, which can also cause your water pressure to drop. For this reason, you typically won’t find whole-home systems that use reverse osmosis.

Thinking revamping your water delivery system will add to your home’s value? Fiedler reports that while a whole-home system is a nice upgrade, it’s usually not on a buyer’s ‘must-have” shopping list. In other words, “it’s a perk but not a necessity,” says one LA based Realtor Fiedler interviewed. “Whole home water filtration systems are not super common, but they are a great extra for the homeowner.”

In areas known for abnormally high levels of minerals in the ground that could be harmful, however, it can be a bonus and puts the buyer’s mind at ease that the water they are drinking is safe.

In the end, it all depends on your water. “If you have well water, you may be concerned about bacteria, sediments, and other harmful materials—in which case you may decide you need something more than a kitchen sink filter,” says Fiedler. “Municipal water typically gets cleaned and filtered before it gets to your home, but it’s still worth checking to see what kind of contaminants are in your water. That will help you decide not only whether you need a whole-home system, but also what type of filter to get.”

Realtor,TBWS

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