Filtering well water is an eco-friendly way to avoid buying bottled water for your family to drink. There are many residential water filtration options, so it's crucial to understand all of your choices before shopping.

To help you select the best option, here is a brief overview of each type of residential drinking water system available.

Point-of-Entry Whole House Drinking Water Systems

A whole-house drinking water system is the best option if you have very hard or otherwise contaminated well water.

Often called point-of-entry water filtration systems, whole-house water treatment systems are installed on the main water supply line into your home, so they filter all the water entering your property. 

Whole-house filters are the most expensive option and often require professional installation and maintenance. These systems are explicitly designed to remove mineral contamination and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) via sediment and reverse-osmosis filters.

Filtering all the household water means filtered water is used for showering, laundry, and all other uses.

Point-of-Use Under-the-Sink Filtration Systems

If you do not need to filter all the water entering your home and want cleaner water for drinking and cooking, then an under-the-sink drinking water system is a great option.

Under-the-sink filter systems, also referred to as point-of-use drinking water systems, are installed under your kitchen sink. This type of filtration system will have a special faucet installed for you to access clean water.

The most common under-the-sink filters are reverse-osmosis systems and require a professional plumber to install them. 

One significant advantage of a point-of-use filter is it only filters the water that needs to be filtered. This saves on replacement filter costs.

Activated Charcoal Single Use Filters

In addition to sink-mounted and whole-house drinking water systems, there are also some simple filters that use activated charcoal to filter our chlorine and sulfur compounds that negatively affect water's taste or smell. The most popular single-use type filters include:

• refrigerator water filters
• on-the-counter filters
• faucet-mounted filters
• water pitcher filters

Refrigerator water filters clean the water used by the ice maker and through-the-door water access. 

On-the-counter filters filter water using gravity. You pour water into the top, and it works its way down through activated carbon filters to filter it.

Faucet-mounted filters are mounted on the end of a faucet and can be turned on and off to bypass the filter when it isn't needed. This helps extend the life of the filter.

The last option is a water pitcher filter. You simply add water and the filter cleans your drinking water when you pour it out. For more information on drinking water systems, contact a professional near you.