I was recently roped into taking a "water survey" at Home Depot for the chance to "win" a $20 gift certificate to Home Depot. I soon received a phone call to schedule a "water test" at my house in exchange for $20 Home Depot gift card. I should have known; it was a bait and switch high-pressure sales pitch for a Rainsoft whole house filtration system. Looking online, I am not alone.

After 3 hours of magic tricks involving uncalibrated equipment, inflated qualitative results, a book of statistics manipulated to look scary, a questionable economics worksheet, and offers for free soap, I declined their $8000 machine (and free soap). Now, my water has never tasted great, and although I agree it can be better, there's no evidence of real health risk. Although my $20 gift card to Home Depot is on it's way, my wife will now only drink bottled water, so the $20 on that card was paid for by empty plastic water bottles now cluttering our recycling bin. Now I see why they insist that your wife be present at the "test". But I digress...

After this ordeal, I began to look online and have discovered the following things:

1. There is nothing special about the hardware required to make a bulk media style whole house water filter. You need tanks, valves, and pipes. If you want, you can make the valves electronic and add a controller.
2. Other than the requirements that the EPA governs, there is no solid evidence on "safe" levels of contaminants.
3. There is no information (that I have quickly found) that summarizes the common types of water contamination and the associated methods to filter it.
4. Tons of people have made DIY systems, but most are just using off the shelf cartridge filters, or want you to pay for their plans. Free plans are usually for gravity or "emergency" off-grid systems.
5. Commercial systems are stupid expensive.

Also, all of the parlor tricks involve only two components of water filtration:

1. Chlorine - easily filtered with carbon filters - usually touted as the "scariest" health risk, and is easy to smell/taste.
2. "Hardness" - No health risk, but removal or softening allows a better "feel" of the water.

I have a terrible personal track record of finishing projects, so I welcome any help from anyone who wants to contribute. I have started this project here so that my efforts to build my own personal system and understand how filtration works can be beneficial to others. I don't have a timeline, except to build a filter before my wife fills the house with empty water bottles. Having said that, don't be afraid to poke me with a comment if there's no movement in a while.