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This page is a complete buyer's guide and shop for whole house water filters for both city water and private well water, across the full price range. A whole house water filter installs at the point of entry on the cold main and treats every tap. On city water the right filter is usually a carbon system for chlorine, taste, and odor (catalytic carbon if your city uses chloramine), plus a water softener or salt-free conditioner if the water is hard. On well water the filter depends on a water test: iron, manganese, rotten-egg sulfur, low pH, hardness, sediment, and bacteria each need a different stage, and most wells need two to four stages in the correct order. It covers: budget Big Blue cartridge filters ($145 to $329); full-sized whole-house carbon tanks ($1,095 to $1,695); water softeners and salt-free conditioners; complete multi-stage well water systems; single-problem filters for iron, sulfur, low pH, sediment, bacteria (UV), PFAS, arsenic, nitrate, and lead; and under-sink reverse osmosis for the cleanest drinking water (PFAS, lead, nitrate, fluoride, TDS) at one tap. Sediment is a well need, not a normal city need. PFAS is removed by ion exchange or reverse osmosis, not plain carbon. A softener removes hardness; a carbon filter removes chlorine; they do different jobs. Systems ship free to all 50 US states with all media included and are DIY-installable, with free phone sizing and support. Mid Atlantic Water has specialized in residential water treatment since 1997.
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The right whole house filter depends entirely on what is in your water, so the cheapest mistake to avoid is buying a system on symptoms alone. A certified mail-in lab test tells you exactly what to treat, so you do not over-buy or under-treat. On a private well a test is essential: well water is untreated and varies house to house, even on the same road. On city water you can pull your utility's annual report free, and a city kit adds the lead, copper, and other in-home contaminants the municipal report does not cover. Your sample is analyzed by an independent, accredited lab (ISO 17025, state-certified), not by us. Already have recent results? Skip ahead, or text them to Aidan and he will size your system free.
The lowest-cost way to filter your whole house. A standard Big Blue housing holds an inexpensive, replaceable cartridge: carbon for chlorine taste and odor, a sediment cartridge for sand and grit, or a radial cartridge for light iron. On city water a carbon cartridge is genuinely the right cheap answer (a 5 micron carbon block dechlorinates and screens sediment in one), with a swap every 6 to 12 months. They handle mild water only: not heavy iron, hardness, or anything a well test flags as elevated. For those, step up to the sized tank systems below. Not sure a cartridge is enough? Text Aidan and he will tell you straight.
On municipal water the two jobs are chlorine or chloramine taste and odor, and hard-water scale. A full-sized carbon tank removes chlorine, taste, odor, and VOCs with no cartridges to change for years; if your city uses chloramine, choose the catalytic carbon, which plain carbon cannot fully handle. For scale, a softener removes hardness, or a salt-free conditioner prevents scale with no salt, no drain, and no electricity. Carbon plus softener together is the complete city build. Sediment is not a normal city concern (municipal water leaves the plant clarified), so do not buy a sediment stage unless you have old corroding mains. PFAS, lead, nitrate, or fluoride at the tap? Add the under-sink RO below.
Have one dominant problem rather than a whole panel? Treat it directly. Each system below targets a single contaminant for the whole house: iron and rust, low pH (blue-green stains, pinhole leaks), rotten-egg sulfur, sand and sediment, bacteria (UV), PFAS forever chemicals, arsenic, nitrate, or lead. These are well and private-supply problems far more often than city ones. Start with the stage your water test flags. Each card links to that problem's full collection where you can size it exactly, and a sediment pre-filter protects whatever you install.
Private well water is untreated, so whatever is in the ground reaches every tap, and most wells have more than one problem at once: iron, low pH, hardness, sulfur, sediment, and sometimes bacteria. These complete multi-stage systems combine the right stages in the correct order and cost less than buying each separately. They are the heart of our well-water catalog; this hub shows a representative set. For the full well sizing experience, the symptom finder, and every package, visit our dedicated well water filtration hub. Always start with a certified well water test.
Want the cleanest possible drinking and cooking water without treating the whole house to that level? An under-sink reverse osmosis system installs at one tap and removes the widest range of contaminants of anything we sell: PFAS, lead, nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, and total dissolved solids, down to bottled-water clarity. It is the right answer when your only real concern is what you drink, and it pairs with any whole-house filter above as the final polish. Compact, affordable, and simple to maintain with annual filter swaps.
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| Mid Atlantic Water | Imported box (iSpring / Express) | Local installer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sized to your water & home | Yes, by a specialist on the phone | No, one-size box | Sometimes (sales-led) |
| Filter media quality | Named, certified media (Centaur, Katalox, calcite) | Generic / unstated | Varies |
| Serviceable & supported | Yes, standard parts + Aidan after the sale | Sealed, swap whole unit | Their crew only |
| Handles city AND well water | Yes, full range | City / mild only | Yes (at a price) |
| Who installs it | You or any local plumber | You | Their crew |
| Typical cost | $259 cartridge to $2,500 sized tank system | $200 to $600 box | $4,000 to $15,000 installed |
An imported sealed-cartridge box can cost less up front but uses generic media, cannot be sized to your water, and is replaced as a whole unit. A local installer delivers a good result but at an installed-retail premium customers report at $4,000 to $15,000 for a comparable multi-stage system. We sit in between: sized, supported, and DIY-priced.
That is the disinfectant your city adds. A whole-house carbon filter removes it from every tap. If the smell is bleach-like and lingers, your city may use chloramine, which needs catalytic carbon.
Hard water (calcium and magnesium). A water softener removes it; a salt-free conditioner prevents the scale without salt. Common on both city and well supplies.
On sinks, tubs, and laundry, with a metallic taste. That is iron, usually a well problem. A whole-house iron filter removes it.
Sulfur (hydrogen sulfide) gas, usually worse on hot water, on private wells. An air-injection iron and sulfur filter handles it.
Turquoise staining and copper corrosion mean acidic, low-pH water, a well problem. An acid neutralizer raises the pH.
If your only real concern is what you drink and cook with, an under-sink reverse osmosis system at the kitchen tap removes the widest range of contaminants, including PFAS, lead, nitrate, and fluoride.
Coliform or E. coli (on wells, or after a boil-water notice) means you need disinfection. UV works only on clear, pretreated water, so iron and sediment come first.
Visible particles and clogged aerators. On a well this is real sediment; on city water it is usually old corroding mains. A sediment pre-filter protects every stage downstream.
| Big Blue Carbon (cartridge) | 1.0 cu ft Carbon Tank | 1.5 cu ft Carbon Tank |
2.5 cu ft Carbon Tank
MOST POPULAR | |
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| Household | 1-2 people | 1-2 people | 2-4 people | 3-6 people |
| Bathrooms | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 3-5 |
| Treats | City chlorine, taste & odor (cartridge) | Chlorine, taste, odor (no cartridges) | Chlorine, taste, odor, VOCs | Chlorine, taste, odor, VOCs (high capacity) |
| Max flow before pressure drop | Whole house, light | Whole house | Whole house | Whole house, high flow |
| Backwash required | No | No | No | No |
| Price | From $259 | From $1,095 | From $1,495 | From $1,695 |
| Shop now | Shop now | Shop now | Shop now |
A whole house filter goes on the main water line where it enters your home: after the meter on city water, or after the pressure tank on a well. Every tap downstream (kitchen, baths, laundry, hose bibs) is filtered from one place.
A 5 micron sediment filter catches sand, silt, and rust flakes so they cannot clog the media downstream. Mandatory first on a well; on city water it is optional, only worth it on old, corroding mains.
On city water, a carbon bed removes chlorine, taste, odor, and VOCs (catalytic carbon for chloramine). On a well, this is where iron, sulfur, and low pH are treated, in the correct order, before anything else.
If your water is hard, a softener removes the calcium and magnesium that cause scale and spotting, or a salt-free conditioner prevents scale with no salt, no drain, and no electricity. This protects your water heater and fixtures.
UV disinfection inactivates bacteria and viruses in clear water (wells, post-boil-notice). For the cleanest drinking water (PFAS, lead, nitrate, fluoride, TDS), an under-sink reverse osmosis unit polishes the single tap you drink from.
Typical install for a single whole-house tank or cartridge filter. A multi-stage well system runs closer to a day.
Plumbing connections on every tank. CPVC, copper, or PEX with SharkBite fittings all work.
Phone support included. Aidan walks you or your plumber through your specific layout.
| Filter | Best for | Source | Treats | Salt / drain / power | Maintenance | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20" Big Blue Carbon Kit | Budget city entry | City | Chlorine, taste, odor. Not hardness, iron, or heavy contaminants. | No salt, no drain, no power | Cartridge swap every 6 to 12 mo | $259 |
| Under-Sink RO (MAW-50) | Drinking water only | City or well | PFAS, lead, nitrate, fluoride, arsenic, TDS at one tap. | Drain line; no salt or power | Filters yearly; membrane 2 to 3 yr | $275 |
| 1.0 cu ft Carbon Tank | Small-home city carbon | City | Chlorine, taste, odor, VOCs. No cartridges. | No salt, no drain, no power | Media 5 to 7 yr | $1,095 |
| 2.5 cu ft Backwashing Carbon | City carbon, self-cleaning | City | Chlorine, taste, odor, VOCs. Backwashes to stay clean. | Drain + power; no salt | Media 5 to 7 yr | $1,195 |
| 2.5 cu ft Carbon Tank | High-capacity city carbon | City | Chlorine, taste, odor, VOCs (3 to 6 people). | No salt, no drain, no power | Media 5 to 7 yr | $1,695 |
| Acid Neutralizer (2.5 cu ft) | Low-pH well water | Well | Raises acidic pH to neutral; stops copper corrosion. Adds slight hardness. | No salt, no drain, no power | Calcite top-off every 18 to 36 mo | $1,495 |
| Salt-Free Conditioner (2.5 cu ft) | Scale, no salt | City or well | Prevents scale (Filtersorb SP3). Does not remove hardness or add sodium. | No salt, no drain, no power | Media 5+ yr | $2,895 |
| Water Softener (48k grain) | Hard water removal | City or well | Removes hardness 5 to 30 gpg. Tolerates up to ~1 ppm iron. | Salt + drain + power | Salt ~$8 to $10/mo; resin 12 to 15 yr | $1,995 |
| Iron & Sulfur Filter (2.5 cu ft) | Iron / rust / sulfur (well) | Well | Iron up to 30 ppm, manganese, sulfur. Sediment to 3 micron. | Drain + power; no salt | Media 8 to 10 yr | $2,495 |
| 5-Stage Complete Well System | Untested / multi-problem well | Well | Iron, low pH, hardness + bacteria. What most untested wells need. | Salt + drain + power | Salt + UV lamp yearly; sediment 6 to 12 mo | $5,995 |
Prices verified June 2026. Tank systems use NSF/ANSI certified components with a 10 year tank warranty and 5 year control-valve warranty (UV: 10 year chamber, 1 year lamp). City water generally needs only carbon (and a softener if hard); well water usually needs iron, pH, or sulfur treatment first. Size the exact tank from your water test and household flow. Not sure which row fits your water? Text Aidan your test and he will confirm the right filter for free.
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Mid Atlantic was helpful in identifying the right system for my home. The products came well packaged, the price was right, and service was fantastic. I will use them again on our next home.
As someone who has never done any plumbing, I found this pretty easy to do after guidance and a few questions to Mid Atlantic. They saved me about 7k from a local water company. Thank you!
I have well water with over 20 ppm ferrous and 7 ppm of ferric iron, along with manganese and some sulfur. Local water companies rejected me, saying they could not help with iron that high. I bought two Fleck 2.5 cu. ft. 2510AIO tanks with Katalox-Light media and air injection, and now the iron is literally zero. Aidan also advised me on adding sediment filtration, a softener, and under-sink RO for my hardness and TDS. Highly recommend, especially if you have serious water quality issues.
How to choose the right whole house filter for your water.
Read the guide →What city water carries and how to filter it for the whole home.
Read the guide →
How carbon removes chlorine, chloramine, taste, and odor.
Read the guide →
Removing hardness, scale, and spotting.
Read the guide →
What to install for well water, in what order, and what it costs.
Read the guide →
When you need UV and the pretreatment it requires.
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