Water Filtration Systems?

[Whalen]

We are renting a ranch house in the Village of duval.
We have noticed that some of our neighbors have whole house water filter
systerm in their homes.
Questions:
Are they necessary,
How bad is FL water (will we glow in the dark after few months)
and how costly are they to install and maintain?

Thanks for your input.

[banjo5]

We are renting a ranch house in the Village of duval.
We have noticed that some of our neighbors have whole house water filter
systerm in their homes.
Questions:
Are they necessary,
How bad is FL water (will we glow in the dark after few months)
and how costly are they to install and maintain?

Thanks for your input.
I'm not sure what the price would be in TV but I paid around $200 to have one installed in New York last year.
If you're handy, you can do it yourself, not too much to it, if you can sweat a joint you can install it.
I had mine installed because the way my present home is set up, the basement where the water comes into the house is all finished so the filter had to be inside a wall. I didn't trust my plumbing abilities on something that would be hidden so I paid a plumber to do it. I did, however, make a hinged door to give me access to the filter assembly so I can replace the filter.
Not a great expense either way you do it. Filter assemblies are available from Home Depot and other home stores as well. I got mine from the plumber. I don't know if it's any better than you could buy yourself. Filters are cheap, a few bucks and they last for several months, depending on how bad your water is.
As for the water quality, I'll leave that to TV residents to answer. We've noticed a funny taste and smell to the water but that might just be because we were visitors and not used to the water, or it could be a local or temporary thing. Certainly the TV residents can answer that.

[spk7951]

When we moved here last year as soon as we had a working phone we were swamped with calls from the water filtration companies. Folks we had met during our two Lifestyle visits had told us that putting in a water filtration system should be a priority. We did not find the water to be too bad as compared to what we were used to but when the filtration sales folks did their tests of our water it convinced us to go with a complete house filtration system. Watching these tests was interesting because our new refrigerator had a filter in it and it tested as the clearest even against bottled water.
From what I can remember the prices ranged from $1,999 to around $4,000. We opted to go with a company that had not bothered us with phone calls and paid around $3,200. Computerized system tells us when the salt level is low and also lets us know our water usage. Simply a personal preference on our part and the units in the lower range may also do the trick but the idea of some of these folks including soaps and shampoos with their product, to keep you buying them, we just did not care for that approach.

[JohnN]

water is hard, but you don't really need a filter

[Taj44]

water is hard, but you don't really need a filter


We live in Mallory, and we've noticed no problems with the water. We have the filtration unit on the refrigerator which we use for drinking water, and it works for us. For our situation, the wholehouse thing would be overkill.

[MMC24]

We put in a whole house water softener system in our home the second month we moved in. It was about $750 including installation. That has eliminated the hard water problem. As for water filtering, I put a filtering system under the sink to filter all water used in the kitchen. We also purchase bottled water for drinking and coffee making.

[downeaster]

There is water treatment (expensive) and water filtration (inexpensive).

The only problem with the water here is some of us (me) find the taste not to our liking. Putting a treatment system in is overkill. I simply bought two in-line cartridge filters at Home Depot, or maybe Lowes, (it was nearly 8 years ago). Installed one on the refrigerator water line and one under the kitchen sink on a dedicated drinking water line. The original cartridges have been replaced.

Our previous home in North Florida had hard water and I installed a treatment system (Home Depot) there for less than $600.00. We do not feel the water here is hard enough to warrant that.

The local water supplier for The Villages sends each homeowner a full report each year to certify the water is fit for human consumption.

[OpusX1]

You can buy a water softener and filtration system from the people that call you for $3,000-$5,000. You do not need it. The water is a bit hard but not bad tasting. I think it has a lot of lime stone in it. We bought a softener from Home Depot and a whole house charcoal filter. If you are handy and ambitious you can install them yourself. I would rather play golf and pickleball so I hired a plumber. As I recall, this was last March after all, The softener, filter and installation was pretty close to $725.00. We like the soft water and have had a water softener for about 35 years in 4 different homes.

[borjo]

There's always a Brita filter water pitcher. $5.00/cartridge x 3/year. Works for me!

[graciegirl]

We live in Mallory, and we've noticed no problems with the water. We have the filtration unit on the refrigerator which we use for drinking water, and it works for us. For our situation, the wholehouse thing would be overkill.

I agree.

[BarbinNH]

The one thing I've noticed in Florida water (whether at Disney World or The Villages) is a chlorine taste. Maybe it's because we've been "off the grid" as far as water is concerned for the last 11 years with a well. Our well water tastes great; course, it's very, very hard...

Does anybody else notice a chlorine taste? Or is the taste normal for "city water?"

[Bryan]

Although there are legitimate companies around, water treatment systems is one of the biggest (in terms of cost) scams around. TV water is a little hard and some may prefer to install filters but to install a whole water treatment system, as a cost of up to $6000 ($3500 is more a norm) is overkill.

Some of the companies use "scare" tactics to sell you a treatment system, some have "official" sounding names like "Florida Water Company", and some are just outright frauds. Best advice I can offer, especially if you think you might want "something", is to deal with a reputable company that has been around awhile, check them out with the BBB and with both Villages offices of Seniors Vs Crime (Sumter and Marion), and use all your due diliagnce before making the purchase. Also, try your water as it is delivered to your house and do nothing unless you want to do it for personal preference reasons because that is no "health" reason to do anything to it other than "peace of mind".

[Whalen]

Thanks for all your replies.
A lot of good info to help us make a decision.

[73Goat]

For my money I'd put in a reverse osmosis filter at the kitchen sink and in line filters in the showers.

[Bryant]

Do the filtration/softener systems eliminate those water stains on your faucets and in your glass coffee pot. BTW, I use filtered (PUR on the faucet) water for my coffee and the glass pot still gets awful water stains. Thanks.

[SABRMnLgs]

My son-in-law is VP of Rainsoft in Florida. The water we had in Oviedo was absolutley terrible when we lived there. He got us a used unit for around 2K and had it installed.
When we moved here 30 months ago, we brought it with us. Installation again was free and all we ever pay is about $6 every 3 months for a block of salt. $24 a year ain't bad for "soft water".

[rt]

The water in the Villages is excellent compared to that in much of Florida. As you approach either coast the water quality degrades and the smell/odor can be so bad you can't drink it or cook with it without impacting the flavor of food. Then they add tons of chlorine and it tastes even worse. That's why super markets in those areas have water filtration stations where you can fill your own jugs for $.30 or so. Here the worst offender seems to be the chlorine which you can easily remove with a charcoal filter connected to a small bar faucet on the sink. A whole house filter system is absolutely NOT NECESSARY unless you need to have water so soft you can't get the soap off your hands. Get a charcoal filter for the frig too to keep the ice palatible.

[katezbox]

You can remove the chlorine smell a lot easier - and more cheaply - simply by filling a pitcher and refrigerating it. The chlorine evaporates as the water chills.

I worked for a public water utility in the 90's. Public (sometimes called "city") water companies need to meet strict government standards - including the report to consumers mentioned previously. This is to comply with the Clean Water Act. Water may appear to have more color or odor or a different taste than what you are used to - but the water is safe.

If - other than chlorine - the taste bothers you then the tap (or fridge) filters or a Brita are a good solution. A water softener is an ongoing expense and is generally overkill.

[gmowbray]

We had a visit today from a GE representative who tested our water from the new fridge (with filter), sink and even bottled spring water. Nothing passed inspection. The sales pitch is on the extraPure whole-house filtration system which is attached at the point of entry. Supposed to improve the life of water-using appliances and pipes; lower amounts of soaps, detergents, shampoos necessary; Cost is approx. $3500.
Anyone else been contacted or have any comments?

[chuckinca]

Welcome to TOTV!

There are many prior posts regarding this issue - do a search using the "search" button in the blue toolbar line above.

Check out Nuts and Bolts of The Villages near the bottom of the "Talk of the Villages" front page.

And, look over Virginia Trace website for valuable links: http://www.virginiatrace.com/

.

[Halle]

Just my personal opinion but I think this is one of the biggest scams going. If you read the threads pertaining to this you will find many that feel the same way I do. I strongly suggest you ask your neighbors,friends and other Village residents about the water and do some research before investing in such an expensive system. If you decide you want a water filtration system there are many good ones available for a lot less money.

Welcome to TV and good luck.

[BobKat1]

In Sperlings Best Places, Water Quality in TV is rated at 80 out of a possible 100 points.

The average for the U.S. is 55. That sounds pretty good to me.

[spk7951]

We had a visit today from a GE representative who tested our water from the new fridge (with filter), sink and even bottled spring water. Nothing passed inspection. The sales pitch is on the extraPure whole-house filtration system which is attached at the point of entry. Supposed to improve the life of water-using appliances and pipes; lower amounts of soaps, detergents, shampoos necessary; Cost is approx. $3500.
Anyone else been contacted or have any comments?

We had decided prior to moving here last year that we wanted to get a whole house system, mostly a personal choice with us. Right after closing the phone calls from the various companies started. GE was the 1st to come out and test our water and provide an estimate. Since we were just starting to look we told them we would let them know. Later that day we got a phone call from that reps manager offering us a "deal" on a trade show leftover. Again we said thanks but not right now. Two subsequent calls from the same company over the next couple of days were a big turnoff. We ended up searching the yellow pages and getting a system for just over $3,000.