Villages water..do i really need this expensive filter?

[boxcarwilly]

Is the lead reducing filter really needed for Village water ?

[thelegges]

If you personally don’t mind the smell or the taste of your water, then no you don’t need one.

[Tmarkwald]

Is the lead reducing filter really needed for Village water ?

I don't have one - never even heard you needed one either? No smell or taste issues in Belvedere

[villagetinker]

The need for a water filter or water softener is strictly a personal decision. The water meets or exceeds all federal requirements, however due to the higher temperatures you will find a higher level of chlorine in the water and the water can be on the harder side depending on location. We did not like the chlorine taste and my wife did not like the hardness, so we have a water softener and whole house filter. The result is our water tastes just like the 'bottled' water we no longer buy.
IMHO, what you do not need are the really expensive system that people try to sell here. Ours cost under $600 (without installation), we had 2 or 3 people come by with offers for systems costing 5 to 10 times as much.

[Bill14564]

No filter for us, the water in Hillsborough is better than the water where we lived in MD.

[Tmarkwald]

The need for a water filter or water softener is strictly a personal decision. The water meets or exceeds all federal requirements, however due to the higher temperatures you will find a higher level of chlorine in the water and the water can be on the harder side depending on location. We did not like the chlorine taste and my wife did not like the hardness, so we have a water softener and whole house filter. The result is our water tastes just like the 'bottled' water we no longer buy.
IMHO, what you do not need are the really expensive system that people try to sell here. Ours cost under $600 (without installation), we had 2 or 3 people come by with offers for systems costing 5 to 10 times as much.

yeah, you nailed it - much easier to install one yourself at the source in the garage. I don't have any issue with taste - but more with hardness. I think a lot has to do with what you are used to. I have well water 'up north' so TV water seems very similar.

[Packer Fan]

The filter on the refrigerator works just fine as far as I am concerned. Even water from the tap is not that bad.

[SKIMAN]

add some scotch to it taste just fine....:boxing2::boxing2:

[Indiana Randy]

Buy a Brita

[Kahuna32162]

Don't EVER listen to the door knockers who tell you that you need to but a filtration system that costs thousands $$$. The most popular water filtration system in The Villages is NOVA, period. purchased and installed for $700!

[tophcfa]

If we were full time we would get a NOVA whole house filtration system, but since we are part time it is much more cost effective to drink bottled water (by the gallon from Publix) rather than spend about $100 per year to replace the three filters. We are very spoiled by our crystal clear well water up north, with no additives. The taste of the tap water in the Villages does not cut the mustard for us. Hopefully someday we will be at the Villages long enough to justify the expense.

[laboutj]

We have well water up north and needed a whole house reverse osmosis system that basically turned the water silky soft and smell free. We purchased a home in the Villages in October (Charlotte) and noticed the smell and taste of the water right away. We added a Nova water filter which helped greatly. We still have sediment in the water however and have to use CLR occasionally in the shower, sinks and dishwasher. My wife also notices it with the texture of her hair. I am, however, going to hold off for as long as I can before purchasing another softener and lugging bags of salt.

[jdulej]

We were getting white deposits around our sinks in kitchen and baths. Since we have almost black stone countertops it was very obvious. We installed a water softener which solved the problem for us.

[PugMom]

what do you guys think of the kind that can be attached directly to the faucets- has anyone here have experience using those?

[Malsua]

Is the lead reducing filter really needed for Village water ?

If you are average age demographic in TV, by the time the miniscule amounts of lead could accumulate in you, you're going to be somewhat north of 150YO. If you make it to 150, I suspect lead will be the least of your problems.

On the other hand if you don't like the taste of the chlorinated water, a filter is necessary. We use one simply for taste. Not the one you listed, just one attached to the supply under the sink that goes to the faucet and a similar different one that goes the fridge.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

what do you guys think of the kind that can be attached directly to the faucets- has anyone here have experience using those?

We had a Pur faucet filter, and hated it. We tossed it after giving it a chance until it was time to change the cartridge. 1. It means your faucet is around 3 inches closer to the bowl of the sink as it was previously. So you won't be using it in the bathroom, if you have a normal bathroom sink and faucet setup. 2. It means you'll keep bumping dishes into the filter when you're washing the fine china or crystal by hand (since you wouldn't put that in the dish washer), and that means broken glass, until you get used to it being where it is (which is to say - in the way. Always).

It means your water pressure will positively suck for doing anything other than watching water trickle out of a faucet.

We have an under-sink system from Filtrete. it was $60 to buy the whole setup including the first cartridge, it took an hour to install. Replacement cartridges are around $25, you change them out every 6 months, and it takes around 2 minutes to do the switch.

It filters out blah blah blah and 20% of blah blah blah and I really don't care what it's doing, all I know is I can actually tolerate the taste of the water out of the faucet, and our ice cubes are clear and not yellow.

[UpNorth]

Water here is fine for everything but drinking. Loads of dissolved solids in the tap water. We use a Zero Water pitcher for our drinking water. Tap water reads well over 200ppm. The carbon filter used in the refrigerator or in a Brita pitcher brings it down to around 150ppm. The Zero Water filter pitcher brings it down to 000ppm. You can really taste the difference. The downside is that Zero Water filters are a bit expensive (around $10 each) and they don't last so long down here, since they have to filter out so much dissolved stuff. But it is a good alternative to buying a whole house filtering system.

[Garywt]

We put a Nova system in as soon as we bought. Was it needed, not sure but we love our water up north and generally only drink tap water at home, everywhere else it is bottled water. With the Nova system I drink water in Florida. We opted not to get a softener as we don’t like the feel of soft water.

[DAVES]

Like most things it is a matter of choice. Our Villages water is pretty good, I checked before buying. Pretty good means there is worse. Beer requires quality water. Brewed in New York, Milwaukee etc. Florida-not without expensive treating.

We use the filtered water from our refrigerator for drinking and cooking. Our hard water does make your clothes washing not as good as it should be. Solution is to add borax to
the wash. Water softeners, you are adding salt calcium chloride or sodium chloride and the device dumps into your plant bed.

Aside-interesting to me. American revolution, the tea tax. They did not know about germs.
They did know that water in the cities would make you ill. People did not drink water.
Tea, to make it you boil the water and it kills the germs. People also drank liquor, the alcohol kills germs. American history. I think they were drunk most of the time.

Not a suggestion but beer is also good for your plants.

[Topspinmo]

add some scotch to it taste just fine....:boxing2::boxing2:

I prefer fire ball whiskey 🥃. Goes down so smooth :a040:

[Aloha1]

Put a NOVA whole house filter system in 5 years ago and change the the three filters once a year. Best investment ever. When you see the look of the filters after one year, you'll be very glad you put them in. I notice the change in the taste of the water as we get near the one year mark on the filters.

With the whole house filter, you no longer need a filter in your fridge which can cost anywhere from $40 to $50 dollars every six months so the net cost to replace the NOVA filters each year is around $30.

[valuemkt]

no need for it

[Tmarkwald]

Like most things it is a matter of choice. Our Villages water is pretty good, I checked before buying. Pretty good means there is worse. Beer requires quality water. Brewed in New York, Milwaukee etc. Florida-not without expensive treating.

We use the filtered water from our refrigerator for drinking and cooking. Our hard water does make your clothes washing not as good as it should be. Solution is to add borax to
the wash. Water softeners, you are adding salt calcium chloride or sodium chloride and the device dumps into your plant bed.

Aside-interesting to me. American revolution, the tea tax. They did not know about germs.
They did know that water in the cities would make you ill. People did not drink water.
Tea, to make it you boil the water and it kills the germs. People also drank liquor, the alcohol kills germs. American history. I think they were drunk most of the time.

Not a suggestion but beer is also good for your plants.

I like the way you think

[Northerner52]

Water filters take out minerals.
Andy Rooney - Bottled Water - YouTube (https://youtu.be/S7LqsAnhrR4)

[Travelhunter123]

The need for a water filter or water softener is strictly a personal decision. The water meets or exceeds all federal requirements, however due to the higher temperatures you will find a higher level of chlorine in the water and the water can be on the harder side depending on location. We did not like the chlorine taste and my wife did not like the hardness, so we have a water softener and whole house filter. The result is our water tastes just like the 'bottled' water we no longer buy.
IMHO, what you do not need are the really expensive system that people try to sell here. Ours cost under $600 (without installation), we had 2 or 3 people come by with offers for systems costing 5 to 10 times as much.
Assume you have the nova system

[riamd1954]

Definitely I have Pegasus total house water filter system! It’s great wouldn’t live here without one ! Florida is in the top ten worst water in the country!!

[Villagesgal]

The Villages water comes from the same aquifer as the bottled water you buy in the stores, Zephyr Hills, as an example. Our water is some of the best in the country. The white spots some talk about is from minerals which occur naturally in the water. If you have a chlorine taste simply fill a pitcher and let it sit for a few hours and the chlorine will dissipate naturally, the feds require drinking water to cities and towns to be chlorinated.
I was a licensed water operator up north and here for 10 years. Water here is great, up to you if you want to waste your money on a filtration system.

[merrymini]

Water in this country is safe to drink, with one notable exception that comes to mind. Most people install a filter because of the taste, not the safety of it. Do not buy bottled water, too much plastic waste. Use your own container and take it from the tap. Save the planet.

[jimbo2012]

Water here is fine for everything but drinking. Loads of dissolved solids in the tap water. We use a Zero Water pitcher for our drinking water. Tap water reads well over 200ppm. The carbon filter used in the refrigerator or in a Brita pitcher brings it down to around 150ppm. The Zero Water filter pitcher brings it down to 000ppm. You can really taste the difference. The downside is that Zero Water filters are a bit expensive (around $10 each) and they don't last so long down here, since they have to filter out so much dissolved stuff. But it is a good alternative to buying a whole house filtering system.

Dissolved solids are not the issue.
when total dissolved solids are measured, a test counts the sum of the anions and cations present — anions have a negative charge, and cations have a positive charge.
The water could be filled with essential minerals, TDS (total desolved solids)measures the solids in your water but doesn’t give any indication whether those solids are beneficial or harmful.

These are beneficial

Calcium
Chloride
Magnesium
Potassium
Salt
Zinc

Generally the TDS in this area is about 185 which isn't very high.

The thing to mindful about these fridge filters or Zero water etc is they don't filter water in your shower your skin absorbs chlorine and other contaminates.
The fridge filter is a very course filter about 25-30 microns and lowgrade carbon to boot.

A whole house filter removes not only contaminates but sediment and these a lot of here see the filters covered in it after using 26,000 gallons of water (typically 9 months of use) see the pic

Softeners alone do not filter contaminants or sediment

https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-aabq2uqurc/product_images/uploaded_images/dirty-filter.jpg

More info click (https://novafilters.com/whole-house-water-filters/)

see NovaFilters.com


.

[PoolBrews]

Is the water safe? Yes. Is it drinkable? That depends on your taste. Personally, my wife and I thought the water had a number of off tastes to it (there should be NO taste to water). We installed a whole home filter, and have never looked back. The water is as good as or better than bottled water, and when I brew beer I know I'm starting out with good water in the process.

I purchased a whole home filter from Express Water. $399 and it took a half day to install. The filters provided have a lower micron rating than the popular one sold here in The Villages for $600, and I replace them once a year for $100.

To the poster that said the water we get comes from the same aquifer as bottled water - while that may be true, the water delivered to your home is not filtered to the level the bottled water is and the bottled water does not have to travel through miles of pipe to get to your glass, so there will be distinct differences.

[Larchap49]

Is the lead reducing filter really needed for Village water ?

You can pro ably do without it, but I installed a three element system and we nolonger ha e to buy bottled water. 5th e toilets stay cleaner also. Cost was under 500.00 for the filter. I installed it myself for about $50.00 in materials. I also purchased have a 35000 grain water softener from Discount Water Softners on line and installed it my self also. Beware the softener companys. One tried to sell me a softener for $11999.00 when I declined the price dropped to $6999.00 when I declined the manager stepped in and dropped the price to $3999.00 with a free reverse osmosis system and no tax. I told him he lost all credibility with first $5000.00 discount offer. Buyer beware. A water filter/softener will add years of life to your water heater and other appliances that come in contact with the water as well as your clothes. Money well spent.

[Tmarkwald]

You can pro ably do without it, but I installed a three element system and we nolonger ha e to buy bottled water. 5th e toilets stay cleaner also. Cost was under 500.00 for the filter. I installed it myself for about $50.00 in materials. I also purchased have a 35000 grain water softener from Discount Water Softners on line and installed it my self also. Beware the softener companys. One tried to sell me a softener for $11999.00 when I declined the price dropped to $6999.00 when I declined the manager stepped in and dropped the price to $3999.00 with a free reverse osmosis system and no tax. I told him he lost all credibility with first $5000.00 discount offer. Buyer beware. A water filter/softener will add years of life to your water heater and other appliances that come in contact with the water as well as your clothes. Money well spent.

If you have a moment, can you post a picture of your setup?

[GypsyRN]

When we moved into our CYV in 2015, the previous owner had installed a Pegasus whole house filter. We chose to not use the system as we "non-plussed" with all the scare tactics that the various "water filter salespersons" were hyping at that time. We have never had a problem with the taste and/or mineral content of the area water, BUT several years ago we purchased a stand alone Berkey water filter strictly because it filters out most all of the solids/minerals that the tap water contains. Since we are huge water drinkers during the day, the quality of the water is now exceptionally noticeable. We wouldn't go back to drinking tap water, or the filtered water from the refrigerator, but for every use other than that, the area water has been fine. Each to their own.

[villagetinker]

If you have a moment, can you post a picture of your setup?

The system I have is a sears water softener and a sears whole house filter. Picture would not be useful as you cannot get these units any more. There are several combo units from Sears, Lowes and Home Depot, but I do not have any experience with these. I had previously used Sears for over 40 years with about 10 years or more between replacements and no or very minor repairs on the previous 3 or 4 units. Not sure what I will install when these units fail, but Nova seems to be in the lead as it would be a much more compact installation.

[dtennent]

Since the OP asked about lead in particular, here is some additional info. The lead in drinking water came primarily from the solder used with copper pipes. This was outlawed in 1986 Safe Water Drinking Act. Here is a link:

Copper & the Environment: Drinking Water Plumbing Systems (https://www.copper.org/environment/water/e_p_lead.html)

While you didn't say where your home is located, it is a pretty safe bet that it doesn't have copper pipes with lead solder. In fact you probably don't have any copper pipes. BTW, when you hear about lead problems in drinking water, it is almost always in older communities and most of the lead in home drinking water comes from pipes within the house.

Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water | Ground Water and Drinking Water | US EPA (https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/basic-information-about-lead-drinking-water#getinto)

In my opinion, you shouldn't worry about the lead in your drinking water unless your home was built before 1986. In that case, use a Brita water filter for all water that you consume - an all house water filter won't take care of the problem.

[Tmarkwald]

The system I have is a sears water softener and a sears whole house filter. Picture would not be useful as you cannot get these units any more. There are several combo units from Sears, Lowes and Home Depot, but I do not have any experience with these. I had previously used Sears for over 40 years with about 10 years or more between replacements and no or very minor repairs on the previous 3 or 4 units. Not sure what I will install when these units fail, but Nova seems to be in the lead as it would be a much more compact installation.

Thanks! That's actually enough info for me to consider. I personally don't have an issue, and I have no problem installing the equipment. And yeah - the space utilized by the equipment is the issue.

[Fisherman]

Definitely I have Pegasus total house water filter system! It’s great wouldn’t live here without one ! Florida is in the top ten worst water in the country!!

I am very disappointed with Pegasus. I have scale buildup from minerals that produces a horrible ring around the toilets at the waterline. Technician came out. What a joke, his solution was to hang one of those blue things inside the toilets, not the tank. Went to Ace and showed the salesman a picture. He sold me a Pumice Stone made to remove scale without damaging the porcelain. 15 minutes of scrubbing and it was gone. Pegasus guy can not explain why this is happening. I thought that was one of the things that a Pegasus Water Filtration system was suppose to prevent. Curious, do you have this problem?

[coffeebean]

The filter on the refrigerator works just fine as far as I am concerned. Even water from the tap is not that bad.

Ditto.

[nn0wheremann]

Might depend upon where you live. Our house in in Marion County. The previous owner of our house had a system like the one you show installed, but he quit using it three or four years before we bought the house. The water is a little harder than Chicago lake water, and has a bit of limestone taste to it (like we experienced in Kansas City). For drinking, we have a GE refrigerator with a filter on the water & ice dispenser, that works fine. I buy them on Amazon three at a time, for about $35, and they last about a year or 14 months. Laundry, dishwasher, cooking, all other water uses, no issues.

[jimbo2012]

The filters provided have a lower micron rating than the popular one sold here in The Villages for $600, and I replace them once a year for $100.



That is factually incorrect about the micron rating, moreover there are many types of carbon at different levels of purity.

[deano_hoosier]

It all depends....the Villages uses different sources and treatment facilities for potable water. Some, like ours in Rio Pondersosa, taste just fine and is very much softer than the water we get at our house in Indiana. Other locations here the water is very different. You can sample the various offerings by visiting the Rec Centers and trying out their water fountains. It really is quite amazing all the variety you can find in this community.

[Spsmith444]

We’re not fans of our water in Tamarind Grove so we use a Brita stream pitcher for drinking, coffee, tea and the dogs water. Price for replacement filters are not much. Works well for us.