ServicesWhole-Home Filtration
Whole-Home Water Filtration in West University Place
We install filters at the main water line so every tap, shower and appliance in your home gets cleaner-tasting water. If you already have a system, we check it first. Often a new cartridge or valve fixes it.
What a whole-home filter does
A whole-home filter sits on the main supply line, at the point where water enters the house and ahead of every branch. That means the kitchen, the bathrooms, the washer and the ice maker all draw from filtered water. Most of the systems we install rely on activated carbon to strip out the chlorine taste and odor that city treatment leaves behind. Ahead of the carbon, a sediment stage traps grit so it never reaches the media.
It makes sense when the trouble is everywhere, not just at one sink. Showers carry a pool smell. Ice comes out tasting wrong. Faucet screens keep filling with grit. If drinking and cooking water is all you care about, a reverse osmosis unit under the kitchen sink may be cheaper and do a better job for that single tap. We will say so when you call.
If you already have a system that is not keeping up, we check it first, ahead of any talk of a new one. A used-up cartridge, a cracked O-ring or a bypass valve that sticks is a small repair. If the carbon is exhausted, the tank is going bad or the unit is undersized for your home, we explain why and walk you through what a replacement takes.
What the work includes
Sediment prefilter
Catches sand, rust flakes and grit. It protects the carbon behind it and keeps aerators and shower heads from clogging.
Carbon tank sized to your home
We size the tank by bathrooms and peak use, not by guesswork. A tank that is too small drops pressure when two showers run at once. One that fits does not.
Bypass and shutoff valves
A bypass lets water keep flowing while the filter is serviced. Shutoffs on both sides make cartridge changes quick and clean.
Placement that holds up
Most units go near the main line, in the garage or along an outside wall. Outdoor installs get a cover to keep the summer sun off the housings, which helps them last.
Installation and service after the sale
Our offers include free installation and full services after the sale. When it is time for a cartridge change or a checkup, you call the same people who put the system in.
Signs your home could use a whole-home filter
Chlorine smell in the shower
Hot water pushes chlorine into the steam you breathe. A pool smell in the bathroom is a clear sign, and carbon on the main line takes it out upstream of the shower head.
Off taste at every tap
When the bathroom sink tastes as bad as the kitchen, a filter on one faucet only solves part of it.
Grit in screens and shower heads
Small particles build up in aerators and appliance inlets. A sediment stage stops them at the door.
Spots and film on glass
This can be minerals rather than chlorine. A carbon filter will not fix hardness, so we suggest water testing so nobody sells you a softener you may not need.
Your current filter has quit
Pressure dropped or the taste came back. That is usually a clogged prefilter or spent cartridge, not a dead system, and it is the first thing we check.
How a job goes
- 1
A phone call about your water
You describe what you are noticing and at which taps. We ask about your home, any equipment you have now and how many people use the water. When the cause is not clear, we suggest a water test before anything else.
- 2
A look at what you have
If a filter is already in place, we inspect the housings, valves and media. You get a straight answer on whether a repair will do or a replacement makes more sense, and the reason behind it.
- 3
Install day
Drop cloths go down first. We let you know before we shut off the main, since the house will be without water for a stretch while we cut the system into the line with bypass valves. Once it is in, we flush the carbon bed so your first glass comes out clear.
- 4
Walkthrough and cleanup
We show you where the bypass is, how the prefilter works and what changing a cartridge involves. We haul off the boxes and any old parts, then sweep and wipe down the spot where we worked.
What moves the cost
There is no single price for whole-home filtration because homes differ. The size of the system and the work to connect it drive most of it. We go over each piece by phone so you know what you are paying for before we start.
- Size of your home and water use
- More bathrooms and more people mean a larger tank. A larger tank costs more but keeps your pressure steady.
- Where the main line is
- An open line in the garage is simple. A line behind finished walls or under slab needs more plumbing to reach.
- Repair or replace
- Fixing a working tank with new cartridges or valves costs far less than a new system. We only recommend replacement when the tank or media is done.
- Type of media
- Standard carbon handles chlorine. If your water is treated with chloramine, catalytic carbon does a better job and costs a bit more.
Whole-home filtration questions
Something not covered here? (713) 528-8226
Does a filter on the main line hurt my water pressure?
A properly sized one should not. We pick the tank based on your bathrooms and how much water your home uses at its busiest. Pressure usually drops later only when the prefilter clogs, so we show you how to check it and swap it out.
How much upkeep does it need?
The sediment prefilter usually gets swapped a few times a year, and more often when your water runs gritty. The carbon media lasts years in a typical home. We can take care of both as part of our service after the sale.
Will it remove lead?
No, a whole-home carbon filter is the wrong tool for that. Lead usually gets into water from older pipes and fixtures inside the house, past the point where the filter sits. A reverse osmosis unit at the kitchen sink treats drinking water right where you fill your glass.
Can you fix the filter I already have?
Often, yes. Worn O-rings, cracked housings, sticky valves and used-up cartridges are common problems and cheap to fix. If the tank itself is failing or too small for your home, we say so plainly and leave the choice to you.
Do I need a water softener too?
Only if a hardness test shows you do. Carbon has no effect on hardness, and lots of homes get along fine without a softener. We test first, then recommend.
Find out what your water needs
Tell us what you taste, smell or see, and whether you already have a filter. We will tell you if a repair will do or a new system makes more sense.