Future-proof a whole house filtration system OR running with empty housing


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Old 10-13-19, 05:50 PM
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Future-proof a whole house filtration system OR running with empty housing

I am a new homeowner on a well for the first time. I have sporadic issues with sedimentt that i would like to address ASAP. I have at one point in time seen evidence of ferrous iron in the water (forgotten pot of boiling water on the stove turned brown) but that hasn't happened in a year. I also don't know how big my sediment particles are and whether i would want a 2 stage filter just for sediment.

I can buy a single sediment filter, pay to have it plumbed and hope that my issues are solved. But my fear is that i'll learn through trial and error that i need a 2 stage sediment filter (say 20 micron then 5 micron). Or maybe down the line i realize i need a filter to deal with the iron and will need a 2 stage filter. I don't want to pay to plumb the whole thing twice and am trying to plan ahead.

So my question is, can i install a 2 stage filter housing and only put 1 filter in and leave one housing empty? Is this a good way to think about planning for the future?

I know the "right" way to do thing si to get a good lab water test and then install exactly what i need but at this point i don't have $200 to pay for a test and several hundred more to install the system. I just need to deal with the sediment ASAP but want to install something flexible that can accomodate if i need more filtration down the line.

Thoughts?
 
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Old 10-14-19, 04:23 AM
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You might check with your state/county for water testing but even a moderate fee can be eaten up buying one piece of wrong equipment.

Most well systems need more than just a simple whole house filter. I've installed my own equipment in the past couple of homes and currently have chlorine injection, carbon filter, softener, and RO system.

It probably saved me several thousands of dollars doing it myself, it just takes a little homework.

And yes, any filter housing could run without a filter!
 
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Old 10-14-19, 06:41 AM
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I would suggest that you carefully research sediment filter systems and the cost of replacement cartridges.
There are many proprietary systems out there that work well but the replacement cartridges are quite costly.
I am not sure what is available in your area but I pretty much exclusively use housings that hardware and box stores carry cartridges for.

Rainfresh is one brand I can get in my area and they use a 12" standard sediment or carbon cartridge for single point use or a larger one for whole house installation.
Another product of theirs that surprisingly is not that well known and I'm sure simiar is available in your area is a ceramic drinking water filter.
It is a 12" filter cartridge that has a carbon core surrounded by a porous ceramic element.
It is not as fine as a reverse osmosis membrane but is .3 micron which is fine enough to remove many harmful contaminants.
The big plus is that there is no waste water of any kind going down the drain.

Another bonus with this type of water filtration is they are promoted for DIY selection and installation so you are not at the mercy of what can be part of sketchy sale tactics.

Unfortunately no simple filter cartridge will remove dissolved iron and you would need a specialty filter unit for that.
 
 

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