Whole house filtration cost, and why media choice dominates it.
The gap between a filtration system that works on DFW water and one that does not is media and contact time. Both are cost variables, and both are why cheap systems disappoint.
Media is the price, and the performance.
Most of Dallas-Fort Worth is disinfected with chloramine, chlorine bound to ammonia, chosen because it survives longer in the distribution network. It also survives ordinary granular carbon at household flow rates, which is why so many homeowners install a filter, notice no change, and conclude filtration does not work.
Catalytic carbon costs more than standard granular carbon and is the specification that actually addresses chloramine. That single line item is the difference between a system that solves the complaint and one that does not.
Why does whole house filtration cost vary so much?
Mostly media and bed volume. Catalytic carbon rated for chloramine costs more than standard granular carbon, and the bed has to be sized to your peak flow rate to give the chemistry enough contact time. A backwash control valve adds cost and prevents the bed channelling after the first year.
What you are paying for
Answered before you ask.
Is a cheaper cartridge filter a reasonable alternative?
For sediment, sometimes. For chloramine, generally not, cartridge systems rarely provide the contact time the reaction needs at household flow rates, which is why the complaint usually persists after installing one.
How often does the media need replacing?
Sediment pre-filters are a routine change on a schedule. A properly sized catalytic bed typically runs several years before replacement. Both go on your service schedule so nothing quietly stops working.
Does filtration soften the water too?
No. Filtration does not remove calcium or magnesium, so scale keeps forming regardless. In the harder cities the common install is a softener and filtration together, because they address different problems.
Get a chlorine reading first.
Tell us what you are smelling or tasting and we will quote the filtration that handles it.
