Home Master 3-Stage Water Filter Review

Home Master make great reverse osmosis systems, but does their knowledge transfer to the whole house system?

Home Master HMF3SDGFEC

Cost: $$

Filtration Stages: 3

Warranty: 2 years

Filter Lifespan: Stage 1 = 6-12 months, Stage 2 = Depends on iron concentration of water supply, Stage 3 = 12 months (or 100,000 gallons),

Water Flow Rate: Up to 15 gallons per minute. Pressure drop of <1 psi

Waste Water: None

Dimensions: 24 x 9 x 25 inches

Introduction

The Home Master HMF3SDGFEC is a mid-price whole house water filter that focuses on the removal of iron, manganese, and sulfur from water. It features three stages of filtration that each perform specific task, and require a specialist filter.

These filters are relatively long life with the pre-filter having the shortest life span of 6-12 months (depends on incoming water quality). Home Master have designed this system with comfort and convenience in mind. The filters are larger than normal, which gives important benefits.

Firstly, they last longer. This means you buy less filters, and have to change them less frequently. Secondly, the water flow rate isn’t impeded as much as some other whole house water filter systems. Whole house systems have a habit of reducing water pressure for the whole household, so for Home Master to produce a system that reduces water pressure by less than 1 psi, makes this a great piece of design.

Performance

This system provides three stage of water filtration. Let’s talk a bit about each filter and the protection it provides.

Stage 1 Filter: This is a sediment filter that will remove the larger particles (dirt, sand, salt, rust etc.) from your water supply. It has multiple layers and will filter down to 1 micron. It will last anywhere from 6-12 months, depending on the level of usage, and amount of contamination of your water.

Stage 2 Filter: This filter specializes in the reduction of iron, sulfur, and manganese from the water (up to 95% removal). This helps preserve the life of household appliances that use water, and also pipes, and the water heater. The life of this filter really depends on the amount of heavy metals (like iron) in your water. You can test your water to find out exactly what contaminants you should be worried about. You can do so using a simple kit. We discuss how to do this in this post.

Stage 3 Filter: This filter is concerned with the removal of chlorine and other chemicals. It is said to remove up to 90% of chlorine. Its other function is to improve taste and eliminate odors. This filter lasts for 1 year or 100,00 gallons.

Now, this doesn’t mean that the Home Master system is an inferior system. Your water filter system should cater specifically to your water composition. If you have a problem with pesticide contamination for example, then reverse osmosis is the best solution (pesticide particles can be as small as 0.001 microns). But, if heavy metals are ruining your appliances, or your bathing water stinks, then a system like Home Master’s is a great solution. One micron is actually a really good figure for a whole house system and offers adequate protection against most water contaminants.

These filters are longer lasting than most too. Compare the pre-filter lifespan of up to 12 months with the 3 months of the Aquasana range, and you get the picture. However, they are priced accordingly, and are relatively expensive. The real bonus with these filters is that they allow the water flow rate to remain high. Home Master state that the water flowing through the system should not drop in pressure by more than 1 psi. Now this is important, should you want your showers to remain as enjoyable.

There’s also an awesome 2-stage version. This version is perfect for city water supplies as it it will reduce chlorine and improve the water taste and odor. It’s also cheaper to buy and cheaper to run.

Installation and Maintenance

The unit is relatively easily installed. You will require a bit of muscle and have to do some pipe cutting. The installation and instruction manual is available here, for the curious. The installation shouldn’t be a problem though, and can be done by most in just an hour or two. This system is not as large as some others, but will require a space of 24 x 9x 25 inches in a dry area, usually a garage.

Pros and Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 3 stages of water purification?

Three-stage filters are some of the most reliable on the market because they can usually screen out a larger number of contaminants. The first stage of filtration usually consists of a simple sediment filter that allows water to circulate faster through the pipes. Stage two consists of a filtration mechanism that removes chlorine, sulfur, manganese, heavy metals, VOCs, and even bacteria and viruses on some three-stage filters. Finally, stage three is the post-filtration part of the process that removes what remains of chlorine, bad odor and taste, as well as other remaining VOCs and inorganic pollutants.

Is reverse osmosis better than filtration?

This depends on what contaminants you have to deal with in your area. To give you a general idea, most filters will remove the following pollutants:

• Chlorine
• Unpleasant taste and odor
• Dirt
• Sediment
• Rust
• Parasites such as giardia & cryptosporidium
• Heavy metals
• Arsenic
• VOCs

A reverse osmosis filtration system will remove the following contaminants:

• Copper
• Fluoride
• Arsenic
• Barium
• Selenium
• Total Dissolved Solids
• Cadmium
• Lead
• Chromium
• Turbidity
• Chlorine

Write this information down or save it somewhere handy and check what pollutants are the most common in your area. Then you can decide which system is right for you.

Is RO water banned in Europe?

Fairly recently, a few malicious people gave out messages on Whatsapp, Facebook, and other popular platforms pretending to be on behalf of the World Health Organization. These malicious Social Media messages go on to falsely claim that RO water is banned in Europe and a few countries from other continents. The truth is that a recent report from WHO claimed that you shouldn’t drink RO water if it hasn’t been remineralized. However, all recently made reverse osmosis filters have that functionality, so it’s completely safe in this day and age.

Bottom Line

This whole house unit is one of the best available. It’s durable enough to tackle well water, and will reduce heavy metals like lead and iron. It will also improve the taste and odor of the water by reducing chlorine.

The filters are of a really high quality, but they are priced accordingly. They also give a really high water flow rate of up to 15 gallons per minute. This is among the best you’ll find in a whole house system.

The filter lifespan is another great feature about this water filter. Though the filters are a bit pricier than other manufacturer’s, they last longer.

Find how this Home Master water filter compares to its rivals in our ultimate guide to whole house systems. You can read all about them here.

Check back soon as we have more water filter reviews and articles about the environment coming over the next few weeks.

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