I called a local water maintenance company and this is what they said:

Iron 0.4
Manganese 0
PH 7.5
Sulfur None
Hardness 14
etc

He said my water is very hard so I need a softener. But I told him that my main concern was more about bacteria, then he said he can install UV system too. All together over $2,200 for devices and installation services and it will take a few days he says.

After some own research, I realized that water softener is different from a filter and I eventually need a water filter too for drinking water!

Anyway, I was quite surprised from what the water guy said because my neighbor just installed a whole house filter system for less than $1,000 and he says his water is just great (he does test every year). So he tells me to go buy a good water filter and have a local plumber install the system for one day.

I am really confused now….should I go with a water softener, UV disinfection system, and also drinking water filter (extra)? All together it will be easily over $2500.

Or can I just get away with a good water filter system like Aquasana or Whirlpool or Culligan which will be much less $, simple, and fast?

If you know about water, please let me know what would be the best!!

Thank you so much.

With the hardness of the water I would ask about a potassium water softener this will do 2 things it will soften the water via the brine tank and will also add potassium chloride to the water making it very healthy for you to drink.

You could go with a whole house filter but this does little for the hard water and often requires more filter changes due to sediment, Iron. Don’t fall for the sodium chloride softener , it will work but lacks the health benefit. I installed these for years in florida and the potassium is great for the bones.

I forgot to say this system typically takes me 2 hours to install. This of course depends on access to the water lines feeding the house. Also this system will save your water heater and anything else that suffers from water deposits.

Read this it will help.
http://www.uwsp.edu/cnr/gndwater/privatewells/An%20Alternative%20to%20Softening%20with%20Sodium.htm

Solid carbon block technology is considered the most effective method
for reducing contaminants of health concern. In addition to the
removal of cysts, a solid carbon block filter also reduces:
· chemicals; MTBE, TCE
· pesticides;
· herbicides;
· disinfections byproducts;
· heavy metals;
· cysts; Crypto bug
· asbestos
· particulates
· chlorine.
. Arsenic

This is Chris Anderson,
I have been educating consumers & others in the drinking water field
for over 10 years.
How do you choose a water filter? What does the filter actually reduce
or remove? And finally what does it cost? These answers are found by
doing a little research or home work will call it. Doing such will
save you a lot of money and provide you with pure "healthy" drinking
water. The bottom line is you must get a Data Performance Sheet by the
NSF national sanitation foundation to compare filters. These "proof of
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gallons. If you can’t get one from the manufacturer or from who ever
is trying to sell you one, simply say no thanks!

Please visit my Water Filter Facts site and bookmark it for future use.

www.solidcarbonblock.NET

The direct link to view products, prices and gather more information is here.

www.multipureusa.com/canderson

NSF International, The Public Health and Safety Company™, a
not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, is the world leader in
standards development, product certification, education, and
risk-management for public health and safety. For more than 59 years,
NSF has been committed to public health, safety, and protection of the
environment. While focusing on food, water, indoor air, and the
environment, NSF develops national standards, provides learning
opportunities through its Center for Public Health Education, and
provides third-party conformity assessment services while representing
the interests of all stakeholders. The primary stakeholder groups
include industry, the regulatory community, and the public at large.

Do your home work! Make a good choice for your drinking water needs.
Visit NSF below:
http://www.nsf.org/consumer/drinking_water/dw_treatment.asp?program=WaterTre

The Importance of Certification
In the last decade, interest in home water treatment products has
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Reverse osmosis systems
Water softeners
Distillation systems
Ultraviolet disinfections products.
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Note: NSF has tested & certified over 4000 different filters. It’s
important to understand we have 400 plus manufacturers of water
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water filter that is NOT tested & certified by NSF. It all comes down
to this: Talk is cheap and facts are hard to find in the drinking
water filtration industry! NSF is were you will get the facts.

Ultimately it comes down to this: What does the filter do & how much
does it cost?

NSF Data performance sheets is were to find "what it does".
Price: For a $1.00 a week you can have pure healthy drinking water. If
you are spending "more" it’s costing you too much.

Ps. Should you have any questions in the drinking water field, please write.
waterfilters@gmail.com
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Chris Anderson Independent Distributor of Multipure Drinking Water
Systems #223193

I’m thinking we should get some kind of whole house water filtration system that at least removes the big sediments and such, and then we can get something like reverse osmosis just for drinking water. I heard they have an alternative to the water softener. Anyone know about that??

Basically, whatever we get… we don’t want to be replacing filters every 10 days, or throwing bags and bags of salt into it.

i don’t know for sure but an activated charcoal filter should help out a lot. they may lots of different filters and the normal one is a rope wound type and that will take lots of minerals out but i’m not sure about hard water. they make water softeners that will remove some hard water and once i had to use what is called an iron out filter that used a chemical called potassium permanganate and you had to recharge it about once a month. took a few hours to do and if yo got the chemical on you it took days to get the dark blue/purple off your skin. these are the only filters i know that may work for you. or check with a company that does water treatments like culligan. good luck.

QUESTION: what counter-top water filter system is best for removing serious contaminates like pcbs and asbestos, lead, etc. Those pitcher-filters as I understand it only improve taste and 2-3 other contaminates, which is not enough for my needs.
On doing research there are 9383838 counter-top filter systems for sale but I am kind of lost trying to find out which one is BEST at REMOVING CONTAMINATES.
thanks.
cost isnt really an issue. i need water every day etc.
oh ya i rent i cant modify my kitchen or do giant setups

If you rent I say Hey Culligan Man they do have rental units that fit under the counters. Reverse Osmosis type and yes they are not cheap but you get what you pay for.
When we lived in the city before we moved out here I had a complete reverse osmosis unit with a softener and the water was 99.9995 pure I work at a pharmaceutical company and I had one of our engineers test it twice a year this is their results.
Where we live now I do have a culligan water treatment and softener as well, we have extremely hard water and tons of chlorine in it. Our pool needs little to no chlorine added if we run the water with out it that tells you it is bad.
I take this water to work and have them test it twice a year as well it is 99.575 pure with a rental of Culligan products.
They do work well and you have to change the filters as recommended per their use.

Hope this helps you cn buy these too but they are not cheap you do get what you pay for.

Good Luck

http://frigidaire.stores.yahoo.net/waterfilters.html

Hope this helps!

Knowledgeable answers only please. Thanks.

Drinking water without minerals is NOT bad for the body. It will make the water taste different but it will not harm you. Water is absorbed in the body by a natural process called osmosis. Osmosis moves water (not minerals) from a lower concentration (drinking water) to a higher concentration (cells). The minerals do not move only the water moves.

In order to determine what filter is best for you then you have to define what you THINK are the negative elements in tap water.

Minerals: RO removes them most efficiently.
Chlorine: Carbon filter
Virus: RO, or Distillation
Giardia: Ultra-filtration
Cryptosporidia: Ultra-filtration

The removal of minerals is a good thing, regardless of what psuedoscientists tell you.
The removal of chlorine can be a bad thing; as chlorine prevents bacteria growth in the water.

If you are talking about unhealthy minerals such as radioactive materials then an RO IS the best solution.

I would recommend an ultra-filter if you want to leave the minerals and take out the potential harmful stuff.

I don’t know if these guys are any good but they have an interesting system…"Watersafety Systems"