How Often Should You Change Your Whole House Water Filter?

Your whole-house water filter is designed to keep dangerous contaminants and unwanted minerals out of your home’s water supply. They perform this task via several attached water filters. But how often should you change a whole-house water filter? Let’s first look at the five components to whole-house residential water filters and then we’ll dive into the answer.

What does a whole-house water filter do exactly?

When you walk up to your sink or turn on the faucet, you want the supply of water to be as clean as possible. The best way to accomplish this goal is with a whole-house water filter. It can help to remove both obnoxious odors (such as those from excess sulfur) and disgusting tastes (such as that pool-like chlorine flavor no one enjoys).

In addition, a whole-house filter can help to eliminate other impurities such as zinc and copper. Plus, everyone is well aware of the dangers of mercury poisoning. A whole-house filter can effectively eliminate mercury from your water supply.

When your Atlantic Coast Water Clinic representative visits your home, they’ll first analyze your current water supply. This will give them both a baseline and an idea of what kind of contaminants they’ll be filtering from your water supply.

The five components to whole-house water filters

So now that you know what they do, let’s look closer at the five components of a whole-house water filter. Those are:

• The pre-filter, which first traps dirt and larger debris;
• Then the post filter, which removes smaller sediment and other particles;
• Filtration tanks, designed to reduce chlorine and other heavy metals;
• A UV lamp, which works to kill bacteria and other pathogens, and;
• Salt-free water softener, an optional feature but one that can prolong the life of your fixtures and appliances.

Together, these five components make up what we think of as a whole-house water filter. It’s a multi-stage process, one that is designed to provide your home with the safest and cleanest water possible.

How often to change a whole-house water filter

So how often should you change a whole-house water filter? Do you swap all of the components at the same time, or does each have its own respective shelf-life?

The answer is more along the lines of the latter, with each component within the filtration system needing to be replaced at different times. Specifically,

• You should change the pre-filter every three to six months, though some can last as many as nine months;
• Next, your post-filter will need to be replaced every six months to a year;
• Your filtration tanks have the longest life, lasting upwards of ten years;
• Your UV lamp has an expected lifespan of one year;
• And finally, your softener tank should last around six years.

Serving the Treasure Coast since 1976

With all that the typical homeowner has going on, it can be confusing to keep each of these timelines straight. One of the best ways to ensure that the components of your whole-house water filter are changed on schedule is to work with our team.

Contact the trained professionals at Atlantic Coast Water Clinic by calling us at 772-283-4767 or request a quote for our services online!