How often do you need to change different water filters?

Most filters last between 3 to 12 months, depending on your water quality and usage. Sediment filters: 3–6 months. Carbon filters: 6–12 months. UV bulbs: Every 12 months, even if they still glow.

What is the difference between a whole house and under-sink filter?

Whole house (Point of Entry): Filters all the water entering your home, protecting your plumbing and appliances. Under sink (Point of Use): Focuses only on one faucet, typically in the kitchen, to provide high-quality water for drinking and cooking.

How do water filter pitchers and faucet-mounted filters compare?

Pitchers: These are the most affordable and require no installation, but they filter water slowly using gravity. Faucet filters: These provide on-demand filtered water instantly and typically have a longer filter life than most pitchers.

Reverse osmosis vs. UV filter system for a house on a well?

UV systems focus on killing germs and bacteria throughout the whole house. Reverse Osmosis (RO) is better for removing dissolved minerals, salts, and chemicals (TDS) at a single tap. Often, well owners use both for complete protection.

Water Filtration Systems for Your Home

Choosing a water filtration system in Canada involves a bit of research and deciding which contaminants you want to remove since local water quality varies by province. Many Canadian municipalities are updating their standards for lead and "forever chemicals" (PFAS), making your choice more important than ever.

Whole-home systems connect to your main water line to reduce sediment and rust, protecting appliances from mineral buildup. These are often paired with water softeners to manage hard water.
Point-of-use (POU) options include under-sink units, faucet-mounted filters, and pitchers. Reverse osmosis (RO) is highly effective, removing up to 99% of impurities, while UV filters destroy 99.99% of harmful bacteria and virus, common in well water.
For safety, look for NSF-53 certification to ensure the reduction of lead and other health-related contaminants. Chlorine taste or odour are typically addressed by NSF-42 certified carbon filters.

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Water Filters for Contaminants & Lead

To safely reduce the amount of contaminants, including lead, in your drinking water, look for filters certified by the National Sanitation Foundation with NSF-53.

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Choosing the Best Water Filtration System for Your Home

Home Depot carries seven types of water filtration systems: whole house water filters, UV water filters, reverse osmosis water filters, fridge/icemaker water filters, faucet-mounted water filters and water filtration pitchers that use carbon.

Treatment	Type	Capacity	Contaminants Removed
Carbon	POU, POE	Variable	VOCs, pesticides, radon, some metals (lead, mercury), chlorine
Reverse Osmosis	POU	3 - 10 gallon/day	Microorganisms, asbestos, fibres, metals, nitrate, some organics
UV Radiation	POE	Variable	Microorganisms

POU - Point of use (installed on tap, undersink, refrigerator water line or pitcher)
POE - Point of entry (installed on main water line)

Whole House Water Filters

Filters water at the main water supply
Reduces: sediment, sand and rust
Provides added protection for water-use appliances
It is recommended that the household filtration system be installed on the main water line before your heater and softener.

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UV Water Filters

Ideal for rural customers whose water supply is derived from a well
Eliminates 99.99% of bacteria and viruses including chlorine-resistant cysts such as cryptosporidium and giardia
Water is purified by passing through a watertight chamber containing an ultraviolet lamp
Designed to be used with a household carbon filter (sold separately)

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Reverse Osmosis Water Filters

Reduces: pentavalent arsenic, sulfate, tannis, chromium, cysts, cadmium, copper, lead, sodium, magnesium, chlorine (taste and odour), sediment and rust
Water passes through two high-volume carbon filters and a semi-permeable membrane using the reverse flow of its natural pressure; this process separates the water from its dissolved impurities
Reduces up to 99% of many common contaminants

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Under Sink Water Filters

Reduces: lead, mercury, atrazine, lindane, cysts, asbestos, turbidity, chlorine (taste and odour), sediment and rust — some filters are specifically designed to filter chlorine (taste and odour), sediment and rust only
Single-stage is designed for families of three or less and dual-stage is designed for families of four or more
Single-stage and dual-stage filtration systems are designed to be installed under your kitchen sink
Filters should be replaced every six months

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Fridge Water Filters

Reduces: lead, atrazine, lindane, cysts, turbidity, chlorine (taste and odour) and sediment — some filters are specifically designed to filter chlorine (taste and odour), sediment and rust only
Can be installed on any brand of side-by-side or top-freezer refrigerator
Built-in auto shut-off valve allows filter replacement without turning off water
Designed for refrigerators without a built-in water filter, these easy-to-install inline filters connect directly to your refrigerator's water lines
Filters should be replaced every 750 gallons (2,839 litres) or every six months

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Faucet Mounted Water Filter

Faucet filtration systems reduce lead, cysts, chlorine (taste and odour) and sediment
Filters should be changed every 3-4 months

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Water Filter Pitchers

Water filtration pitchers reduce lead, copper, mercury and chlorine (taste and odour) using carbon
Filters should be changed every 40 gallons (151 litres) or every two months
These convenient filtration systems hold between 5 to 10 cups of water

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Water Filtration System Features
Look for the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) logo to ensure the unit is certified. NSF is an independent testing organization that measures the effectiveness of water filtration products, especially for lead filtration. No single water purification system will filter out all microorganisms, VOCs, metals and chlorine from your home water supply. Instead, use a combination of these systems to achieve the most effective results. Also, each faucet used to provide drinking water should have its own filtration unit. Water softeners containing exchanged sodium ions may pose health risks for people with high blood pressure and heart disease.

Water Filtration System Features

Look for the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) logo to ensure the unit is certified. NSF is an independent testing organization that measures the effectiveness of water filtration products, especially for lead filtration.
No single water purification system will filter out all microorganisms, VOCs, metals and chlorine from your home water supply. Instead, use a combination of these systems to achieve the most effective results. Also, each faucet used to provide drinking water should have its own filtration unit.
Water softeners containing exchanged sodium ions may pose health risks for people with high blood pressure and heart disease.

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Frequently Asked Questions

In Canada, you can have your water tested by an accredited laboratory or your local public health unit. For private wells, Public Health Ontario provides free testing for bacteria like E. coli. Home Depot Canada also has free water tests in stores that test for hardness, chlorine, and iron.

NSF certification means a filter has been independently tested to meet strict safety and performance standards. Common standards include NSF 42 for taste and odour (like chlorine) and NSF 53 for health-related contaminants like lead or VOCs.

Most filters last between 3 to 12 months, depending on your water quality and usage.

Sediment filters: 3–6 months.
Carbon filters: 6–12 months.
UV bulbs: Every 12 months, even if they still glow.

Whole house (Point of Entry): Filters all the water entering your home, protecting your plumbing and appliances.
Under sink (Point of Use): Focuses only on one faucet, typically in the kitchen, to provide high-quality water for drinking and cooking.

Activated carbon filters (found in pitchers and under-sink systems) are the most effective for removing the taste and smell of chlorine. Reverse osmosis (RO) systems also remove 90–99% of chlorine.

Pitchers: These are the most affordable and require no installation, but they filter water slowly using gravity.
Faucet filters: These provide on-demand filtered water instantly and typically have a longer filter life than most pitchers.

UV systems use ultraviolet light to kill or "inactivate" 99.9% of harmful bacteria and viruses like E. coli without adding chemicals. This is essential for ensuring well water is safe from biological contamination.

UV systems focus on killing germs and bacteria throughout the whole house.
Reverse Osmosis (RO) is better for removing dissolved minerals, salts, and chemicals (TDS) at a single tap. Often, well owners use both for complete protection.

Systems certified to NSF/ANSI 53 or 58 are the best for lead removal. Top-rated options often include reverse osmosis systems like AquaTru, and specialized pitchers like Brita and ZeroWater.

Water Filtration Systems: Which is Best for Your Home?

Water Filters for Contaminants & Lead

Choosing the Best Water Filtration System for Your Home

Whole House Water Filters

UV Water Filters

Reverse Osmosis Water Filters

Under Sink Water Filters

Fridge Water Filters

Faucet Mounted Water Filter

Water Filter Pitchers

Water Filtration System Features

FREE Water Test with your Water Treatment Consultation

Related Resources

Frequently Asked Questions