Best Water Filter Features for Home Renovation Projects

Planning a home renovation project?

There’s one element many homeowners don’t consider until it’s too late – water quality.

Your dream kitchen or bathroom remodel will fall flat if you’re plagued by hard water stains, sediment, and contaminated drinking water.

Here’s the real deal:

Renovating is the perfect time to upgrade your water filtration system. After all, you’ve already got contractors on-site, exposed plumbing, and your walls open. Better to get water quality right before move-in day, than rip it all out after and start over.

And the fact that the water purifier market is expected to grow from $35 billion in 2024 to $63 billion by 2032 tells you more homeowners know this than you might think.

Without the right water filters in place, your renovation investment is at risk. Here’s what you need to know.

What to Expect:

1. Water Filter Types for Renovations
2. Must-Consider Installation Factors
3. Flow Rate & Capacity Must-Haves
4. Maintenance Realities
5. Smart Features Worth The Cost

Water Filters During Renovations: Why They Matter

During renovations, your home’s plumbing system is exposed. In many ways, it’s an open target for the construction activity and debris. Dust, sediment buildup, and even damage to the pipes from remodeling work can compromise your water quality, putting your family’s health at risk.

This is the time to be thinking about professional water filter services. During renovations, you have the unusual opportunity to install robust water filtration systems without the cost and hassle of tearing into finished walls or other plumbing projects. Smart homeowners plan to upgrade their entire water quality infrastructure with a renovation project.

The best part?

Installing water filters at this stage means you can blend them seamlessly into your new design. No ugly external units or compromised kitchen or bathroom aesthetics.

Which Filter Type & Technology Work

Let’s cut through the marketing hype.

There’s a reason the residential water filter market is dominated by a few major categories. They’re just better tested and more practical.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) systems make up the biggest market share at 39%. These filter out up to 99% of water contaminants including lead, bacteria, and dissolved solids. They’re great for specific points of use like under your kitchen sink.

Carbon filters are a close second. They’re an affordable and very effective means of reducing chlorine, odors, and many organic chemicals from your water. They work well for whole house filtration.

UV filters are the fastest-growing technology in the space. They use ultraviolet light to kill bacteria and viruses without any chemical additives. Perfect if you’re on well water or just concerned about biological contamination.

Points to ponder:

• Point-of-use systems – Target specific taps (kitchen sink, bathroom)
• Point-of-entry systems – Filter all the water entering the home
• Hybrid systems – Combine technologies for a more thorough approach

Must-Knows for Installing Water Filters During Renovations

During a renovation, you have a unique set of installation opportunities that won’t come up again.

One of the first issues is space.

Whole-house systems need to be near your main water line. RO systems under sinks require a place to store the storage tank. If this is a kitchen project, figure this out early in the process.

Water pressure is another critical but under-appreciated factor. Some filters noticeably reduce water pressure. This can be jarring if you’re upgrading to luxury fixtures like a rainfall showerhead.

Professional installation during renovation involves:

• Correct sizing based on household demand
• Integration with existing plumbing codes
• Strategic placement for future maintenance access
• Accurate pressure and flow calculations

Don’t try to DIY any of this. Cost of mistakes easily outweighs installation fees.

Getting Flow Rate & Capacity Right: The Numbers

Want to know a secret?

The majority of homeowners pick the wrong size filter capacity for their needs.

Either they over-size (throwing money away) or under-size (setting themselves up for frustration).

Flow rate is measured in gallons per minute (GPM). Typical household requirements:

• Kitchen sink: 2-3 GPM
• Bathroom sink: 1-2 GPM
• Shower: 2-5 GPM
• Whole house: 10-20 GPM

Capacity is how many gallons the filter can process before it needs changing. A family of 4 uses 300-400 gallons of water per day. You want a filter that can comfortably handle this demand without constant maintenance.

Reality check:

You can put different filters for different applications during a renovation. RO under kitchen sink for drinking water. Carbon shower filter for better skin/hair. Whole-house sediment filter to protect appliances.

Maintenance: The Hard Truths Nobody Tells You

Let’s face it.

No water filter is maintenance-free. All types need some level of upkeep. Knowing what you’re signing up for in terms of required maintenance is important during a renovation because it’s how you’re going to be living with these systems long term.

Frequency of replacement:

• Sediment filters: every 3-6 months
• Carbon filters: every 6-12 months
• RO membranes: every 2-3 years
• UV bulbs: every 12 months

Smart renovation planning means installing your water filters with easy access panels. Don’t bury them behind permanent fixtures or inside crawl spaces you never want to see again.

With 830,000 annual deaths from unsafe water sources around the globe, filter maintenance isn’t just a nicety for your family. It’s critical for their health.

Self-cleaning systems can be a good choice if maintenance drives you nuts. They cost more upfront but save time and frustration later.

Smart Features That Are Worth The Premium

Water filtration technology is squarely in the smart home era.

Features that were once science fiction a few years ago are now your standard options:

• Real-time water quality monitoring
• Automatic filter change alerts
• Leak detection to protect your new renovation
• Usage tracking to identify issues

Smart water filters plug into your home automation system and send alerts to your phone.

But what matters during a renovation:

You have to build power and connectivity into your renovation design. Smart filters need power and usually WiFi. Plan this early.

Bringing It All Together: The Must-Haves for Home Renovations

Installing water filtration during home renovations is not just smart. It’s the most cost-effective time to do so. You have access to plumbing that would otherwise require destruction to reach.

The key is knowing what features matter and what are simply marketing spin.

• Choose proven filtration technology for your water quality needs
• Plan installation spots for future convenience and maintenance access
• Size correctly for your family’s flow rate and capacity
• Factor in maintenance and service you’ll realistically do
• Smart features make sense if they provide actual value for your home

With the home water filtration systems market valued at $10.95 billion in 2024 and growing at 11.5% CAGR, it’s clear that clean water is a priority. Make your home renovation count.