Whole House

FAQ for Aquaspace® Whole-House Water Filters

Aquaspace® Whole-House Water Filters offer you fresh, clean water from any tap in your house. This is in contrast to point-of-use systems, which are specific to whatever tap they’re installed on. To learn more about the difference between the two, read up on Point-of-Entry vs. Point-of-Use Systems. 

Aquaspace® brings home and property owners the best in whole-house systems through our POLARIS™ line. The POLARIS™ Whole-Home System is the best defense against Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and will protect you and your family from inhaling these waterborne chemicals. These point-of-entry systems are necessary because the PRIMARY RISK OF EXPOSURE TO VOC’s is through INHALIATION. THIS CAN ONLY BE MITIGATED BY INSTALLYNG A WHOLE HOME UNIT. Single standalone pitcher, sink or shower filter cannot correct this issue.

How Many Taps Does a Point-of-Entry System Support?

The size of a filter is determined by the required flow rate needed.

The number of taps in your home will determine the size of the point-of-entry water filtration system you need. Smaller homes may only need our POLARIS™ III whole-house filters, which are suitable for homes with 1-1½ bathrooms. Larger residences may need our POLARIS™ IV or POLARIS™ V models, which support 2 - 3½ bathrooms and 3 - 4½ bathrooms, respectively. 

How Often do You Change The Filter on a Point-of-Entry System?

If “SIZED” properly every Polaris POE unit will be good for 12-18 months of service. TIME is the biggest determinant of when a residential POE unit needs to be serviced. 

All POLARIS™ tanks come rated with a time and gallon capacity. For Aquaspace® Compound filters, the lifespan is 12-18 months or 500,000 gallons. We recommend replacing the media on a yearly basis, to ensure optimum water quality. 

It’s also important to realize that the POLARIS™ IV Fluoride & Heavy Metals Whole House Filter does not share the same life (capacity) as our Aquaspace® Compound filter. This filter has a rating of 150,000 gallons or 6-9 months, whichever occurs first. 

Replacement media kits are available and determined by the size of the tank. See refill kit prices for all size tanks here.

Can I Install a Point-of-Entry System by Myself?

It’s recommended that you call a professional plumber for installation. We highly recommend coordinating with your local plumbing company to do the installation, and to determine any additional costs for labor that may be involved in servicing the tanks.

Can I SERVICE a Point-of-Entry System by Myself?

Replacing the media does not require a professional plumber; however, we recommend having someone with general handyman skills available to do the replacement.

How do Whole-House Water Filters Improve Air Quality?

You read that right: a whole-home filtration system will give you both cleaner water and cleaner air! Many gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are actually waterborne, meaning they travel in water and evaporate into the air during use, such as when you run your taps or take a shower. Once they make it to the point-of-use, there’s virtually no way to stop these VOCs from evaporating, which means point-of-entry systems are the only way to prevent waterborne VOCs from entering your home. 

What types of VOCs can a whole-home water filter eliminate? For most homeowners, the major one is chloroform, which results from the chlorine breaking down on its way to your home from the water treatment plant. If you rely on municipally-treated water (75% of Americans do), chlorine is most likely used to disinfect your water. Studies show that exposure to waterborne VOCs (such as chloroform) is six times greater through inhalation and skin absorption than from drinking water directly. VOC’s like chloroform evaporate rapidly from your water during normal household activities. At normal shower temperatures, 50% of chloroform in water escapes into the air—before the water even reaches the shower floor! However all of your taps place chloroform into your home.

Eliminating VOCs at the point-of-entry prevents them from making it into your home, thereby eliminating the hazard from your everyday reliance on taps. As a result, whole-house water filtration systems improve both your water and air quality. 

What are the Benefits of Point-of-Entry Systems?

In addition to eliminating risks associated with inhaling the VOC’s, A point-of-entry system ensures your home’s complete water supply is filtered, so it doesn’t matter which tap you use—the water will be pristine every time. You don't need to worry about always walking to the kitchen to get a clean drink of water—any tap will give you the same filtered, chemical-free water! This includes showering and bathing, as well. Whole-house filtration means you don’t need to think twice about where or how you get your water—it’ll be clean regardless. 

Whole-house water filters are also the most efficient form of water filtration—and, when compared to the cost-per-gallon of clean water, the most economical. For example, the POLARIS™ IV provides 500,000 gallons of clean water at $0.005 per gallon. That's ½ of one cent! 

Finally, a whole-house water filter adds value to your home. People pay for upgrades and amenities when they buy a home, and a whole-house filtration system is a serious luxury that many people are more than willing to factor into their offer. You can enjoy the everyday benefits of a whole-house filter when you live in your home, then reap the luxury appeal of one when you sell your home later on!