{"product_id":"whole-house-water-filter-city-water-2-5-cu-ft","title":"Whole House Water Filter for City Water","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhole house water filter for city water: 2.5 cubic feet of Calgon Centaur catalytic carbon in a Vortech 13x54 tank with a Clack C1190 non-electric head. Removes chlorine and chloramine taste and smell at every tap, with no drain, no electricity and no backwash. Sized for 4 to 7 people and 3 to 4 bathrooms.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhole House Water Filter for City Water: Clack C1190 Non-Backwashing | 2.5 cu ft Centaur Catalytic Carbon | 13x54 Vortech Tank\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWater enters the bottom of the tank, rises through 2.5 cubic feet of Centaur 12x40 catalytic carbon, and leaves at the top for every faucet, shower and appliance in the house. There is nothing to plug in, no drain line, no backwash and no programming. Price: $1,995, shipped free to the lower 48 states.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhich size\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the size most of Aidan's city water customers choose, and his rule of thumb is that it handles \"two people in the house, up to 10 people\". Sized strictly to Calgon's chloramine guideline it fully treats four to seven people with two or three showers at once; on chlorine-only water it covers more. A two to four person home with one or two bathrooms can also use the 1.5; the 2.5 costs $500 more and buys longer carbon life (6 to 7 years for two people instead of 4 to 5) and room for two showers at once on chloramine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe line: 1.0 cu ft (1 to 2 people, $1,295), 1.5 cu ft (2 to 4 people, $1,495), 2.0 cu ft (3 to 5 people, $1,795), 3.5 cu ft (7 or more people, $2,395).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFlow: treatment flow and peak flow\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA flow rating on a carbon tank can mean two things. Peak flow is how much water can pass through the tank. Treatment flow is how fast water can move through and still spend enough time in the carbon to be treated. Calgon Carbon, which makes Centaur, sizes chloramine at 1 cubic foot of Centaur per 2.5 GPM, about 3 minutes of contact. Chlorine reacts faster, in about 2 minutes. So this tank, with 2.5 cubic feet of Centaur, fully treats chloramine up to 6.2 GPM and chlorine up to 9.4 GPM. A modern shower head is rated 2.5 GPM or less, and a home rarely holds its peak for long. Above the treatment flow the water keeps flowing; for those minutes a little more chloramine gets through. The 2.5 passes about 17 GPM at full open (Aidan's figure), so two showers and a washer do not starve each other for pressure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat it removes\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt reduces chlorine and chloramine, with the taste and smell they leave; disinfection byproducts (THMs and HAAs, which form when chlorine meets organic matter); VOCs (volatile organic chemicals such as solvents and fuel components), herbicides and pesticides; and general taste and odor. Activated carbon also reduces some PFAS. This tank is not certified for PFAS removal and we do not publish a removal percentage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat it does not remove\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCarbon does not remove hardness (calcium and magnesium), so scale and spots need a water softener; if spots are your main complaint, text Aidan your hardness number and he will size the pair. It does not remove fluoride, lead, nitrate, sodium or dissolved solids (Aidan uses other filtration for lead and fluoride), and it does not disinfect. It does not need a drain, so it cannot backwash out heavy sediment: if your toilet tanks collect grit or you get brown water after main breaks, add a 20 inch Big Blue 5 micron sediment filter ahead of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat ships\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe empty Vortech 13x54 tank, the Clack head with bypass valve, a fill funnel, and 2.5 cubic feet of Centaur in two 1 cubic foot bags and one 1\/2 cubic foot bag, poured into the tank at install. Plumbing fittings are not included. No drain line or outlet is needed. There are no instructions in the box; use our install guide and videos, or text Aidan.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eInstallation\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe recommend having a plumber install it. There is no drain line and no electricity, just an inlet and an outlet, so it is about an hour or two of a plumber's time. Aidan supports your plumber by phone at 800-460-5810. If you have done some plumbing and would rather do it yourself, text Aidan at 443-277-2204 with any questions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMaintenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNothing between refills. Refill the carbon on schedule (4 to 5 years for a family of four or five, 6 to 7 years for two people, Aidan's estimate). A refill is 2.5 cubic feet of Centaur: 2 x 1 cu ft bag and 1 x 1\/2 cu ft bag. The 1 cubic foot bag is $295 today, so 2 x $295 = $590 plus the 1\/2 bag, which Aidan prices by text.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow it compares\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs of Nov 3, 2026, the closest SpringWell size, the SpringWell CF+ (13x54), lists at $2,520 ($2,142 on sale), is rated 20 GPM with no carbon volume or contact time published, and charges extra for the bypass and connector. SpringWell offers a lifetime warranty, a 6-month return window on unused, uninstalled systems and media that comes in the tank. This filter names its carbon, publishes its carbon volume and its treatment flow for chloramine and chlorine, includes the bypass valve, and comes with a 10-year tank and 5-year valve warranty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eTalk to Aidan before you order\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree sizing help before you buy: call 800-460-5810, 7 days a week, 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern, or text 443-277-2204. Send your water utility's report and Aidan will tell you which size fits, whether you also need a softener, or whether a cartridge would honestly do the job. Mid Atlantic Water is an online-only, family-run business that ships to all 50 states.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn a private well? The same tank is set up for well water as the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/carbon-filter-non-backwashing-clack-2-5-cubic-foot-13-54-vortech\"\u003ewhole house carbon filter for well water\u003c\/a\u003e; on a well it goes last, after the sediment filter, iron filter and softener.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"midatlanticwater.net","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54826074964252,"sku":"MA-13 (BLACK VORTECH TANK, NO DH) | CENTAUR-100-BOX (x2) | CENTAUR-50-BOX | F250","price":1995.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/9523\/4605\/files\/whole-house-carbon-filter-non-backwashing-clack-2-5-cubic-foot.jpg?v=1781010692","url":"https:\/\/midatlanticwater.net\/products\/whole-house-water-filter-city-water-2-5-cu-ft","provider":"Mid Atlantic Water","version":"1.0","type":"link"}