Nova water filtration system
 

I bought a Nova filtration system for my new home three years ago. The filters need to be changed every year. They arrived today to change the filters but informed me that the bottom of the canisters are soft and cracked, and most likely will start leaking if not changed for new canisters. To put new canisters on with filters, the cost is almost 400.00. He told me it was from water pressure surges. I informed him that the pressure was always at 80, 10 less than the maximum permitted pressure, and I don't believe surges would cause this issue. The warranty was only for a year. I feel their equipment is of poor quality. I called another company that is installing a filtration and softening water system at this moment, and it has a lifetime warranty. Wish I knew this issue that I have been told is a well-known issue with Nova systems three years ago.

Lots of threads on TOTV about Nova. Never heard this before.

You can replace the system with an Express Water system.

Call Chuck 440-823-4273 he can do this for you.

But that said, I find it hard to believe what they told you. The only time I've ever seen a problem with the canisters is when someone tries to change the filters themselves and because they are very heavy when filled with water, the homeowner tends to drop them which damages the bottom. Another thing that doesn't make sense is you can buy these Big Blue canisters on Amazon for about $50 each but they are not the exact fit for the Nova system so not sure why they quoted you $400.

Which system comes with the lifetime warranty?

The filter canisters shouldn't need replacement after 3 years. They should last the lifetime of the filter. These canisters are rated for 125 psi so there should be no reason for them to fail since I've never seen water pressures here in the Villages near that pressure. If you did I would think other water appliances in your home would be failing as well. In addition, there are thousands of Nova filters installed in the Villages for over 20 years so if they were failing we would know about it.

Please clarify this comment. If they don't fit Nova, what good are they? Or are you simply providing a cost comparison? I would think you could buy similar cannisters somewhere for less.

Agree with others that there is no reason these cannisters should fail unless they are dropped. They're pretty sturdy. Changing the filters is DIY, no need to pay for labor. But good advice to put a cushion of some sort below as you remove them.

I think you mean the lifetime of the SYSTEM. The filters only last about a year for full timers.

There were some negative threads as well, including some who said PM me and I'll tell you stuff about Nova.


All I know is we have fantastic tasting water, no water spots, and a Nova system still going strong after 7 years.
And I don't work for Nova. (He did have the same Beneteau 35S5 sailboat we did, though...)

I’ve had them for 10+ years without any issues and still think it was worth the investment.

I’ve had Nova filter system installed for about 12 years and never had a problem with them. They change my filters every year. They are prompt and professional. Very satisfied customer.

I have the Nova (and I’m a fan) but I did have a leak in one of the canisters. The Technician that came out said it was due to the pressures in TV and that they were evaluating a pressure regulator to recommend to their customers. I think I had all three canisters replaced but can’t remember the cost.

In my opinion Nova is a bit of a scam. You do not need to replace filters yearly.

It depends on how many gallons run through your system, my filters were filthy after two years.

Filters should be changed at 26000 gallons or yearly. At about 9-10 months, the wife said the water tasted funny. I changed the filters and she was happy. since, I had a meter added to the system to measure the quantity going thru the filters… sprinklers do not go thru the filters.

Most houses in The Villages have a separate meter for the potable water. So, your water bill will show you how much potable water you are using.

Neighbor had 2 blown Nova canisters in just a few years. Pin hole leaks but water streaming out pretty good. Unacceptable. We'll see how long my system holds up.

Nova Chinese Junk
 

Nova filters and the softer are junk. You get what you pay for. Ask them for the book sometime on your softener…they will come back with,”it’s a little complicated let me just walk you through on the phone or we can come out.” We had a system put in by them only to be extremely disappointed. The installation leaked after a couple of years and they charged us about a hundred dollars to fix their poor quality installation. Skip over them at all costs!

I was simply providing a cost comparison. The Nova filter canister has a different seal at the top than the "regular" big blue canisters you can purchase on Amazon. Not better or worse, just different. I'm not sure if there is a replacement you can buy on Amazon but again I haven't done a lot of research on the topic. Maybe someone can find one.

After thinking about this more, the canister shouldn't fail unless it was dropped or mishandled. Water pressure at 125psi or greater is pretty dangerous. I understand why Nova may think its water pressure related but it also could be from faulty canisters from the manufacturer. I'm sure they are doing their best to investigate.

To clarify, there is no way for either Nova or the OP to know what pressure the canisters experienced, unless the water pressure was constantly being monitored. Sometimes there are pressure spikes that can exceed 125 psi, but it is impossible to determine if this ever happened. It is pure speculation.

When getting my filters changed last month tech advised one canister was cracked, suggested replacing all three. Told me new ones came with 3 yr warranty. Scheduled replacements, canisters were $90 each installed, or $270. That did not include the filters. Mine were six years old.

Agreed! And that's the problem with this whole topic. But don't you agree if there were these pressure spikes that the homeowner may see other indications in their water appliances?

I am not the company the Op is using, but Jadon’s Water Ststems has a lifetime warranty on our dual certified whole house softening:filtration units.

Made in China Garbage
 

Made in China garbage. Culligan is the way to go IMO

7 years with NOVA and counting. No such problems.

No problems!!
 

We have had Nova filters for 12 years and had no problems with them or Nova.
Great system, great price and NO I do not have any relationship with Nova

I checked with other whole house filter companies and all warrenty for 1 year. I'm sure there are exceptions but everyone uses a similar filter canister so maybe the companies that warrenty longer are more expensive to cover the longer warranty? I would think the guy warranting for life isn't having any failures. And BTW all these components are made in China.

But at the end of the day, if these filter canisters were failing I would think we would see complaints all over the internet which there are none and a ton of complaints from the thousands of installs here in the Villages where there are not many.

It's possible, but not guaranteed. The water heater has a pressure relief valve that will trip if the water pressure exceeds 150 psi. I once owned a water heater where the relief valve was tripping as evidenced by water in the overflow pan, but nothing else in the house seemed to be affected. I installed an expansion tank, and it solved the problem.

I don't think it is proper for Nova to blame high water pressure for a damaged canister, when they really don't know if that is what caused the damage. Even though the canisters are rated at 125 psi, I would expect the canisters to withstand a few pressure spikes that exceed 125 psi.

I have had Nova system in my garage for at least3-4 years and have had no such problem?????

i change mine every 2-3 years. between the 5 of us, it only took 6 hours. very easy..

Huh?
What do you mean "between the 5 of us"?
And why would it take more than half an hour to change the filters?

alcohol, etc

:beer3: LOL

Well, for future reference:
one person, no booze, 30 minutes

But your way sound way more fun.

Water spots
 

No water spots! do you have the water softener too?

Softener busted
 

Our Nova softener busted at about the two year mark. Resin spewed out onto our driveway and landscaping. Nova came out and charged us $50 to rebuild the part inside the tank that busted. We cannot control the softener ourselves which is disappointing. We have lots of spots despite having the Nova whole house filters as well. We are looking at other softeners and Pegasus is looking good.

Pegasus is on our radar too. Nova broke right around the 3 year mark for us.

Nova - thumbs up!

So don’t replace them.

Nova Water Filter System Canisters
 

I have a had the same issue with the canisters. My system is approximately 5 years old and I have had to replace all 3 canisters at different times in the last year.
Like you they want to blame it on water pressure. I monitor my system practically every day and the pressure hardly ever exceeds 60 psi. In each case I have asked if it was possible that my canisters were a bad batch and they explain it was due to water pressure. I think the system it was a waste of money. My neighbor across the street tested his water before buying a system and it was in acceptable limits.

For the Villagers who are having cannister issues with their Nova filter, have you checked to make sure, if you have a tank hot water heater that the expansion tank is not defective? These only last about 5 years then need to be replaced. If your expansion tank is defective, that could also cause excessive pressure in your water system and potentially cause the Nova Filter or any filter cannister for that matter to fail.

All you need to do is tap on the top and bottom of the expansion tank with a metal screwdriver and if the sound is the same thud then the tank needs replacing.

Replacement Filters
 

What size is a replacement filter for Nova? Should I buy the tool that loosens the blue filter holder?