Water filter
 

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?

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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?

Ditto.

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.

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

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.

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.