Filtrete Large Capacity Whole House Quick-Change Replacement Water Filter Cartridge 4WH-QCTO-F01, 1 Pack, for use with 4WH-QCTO-S01 System

This has been a good filtering system for us. Unfortunately, the price increases have been insane. These filters are a proprietary format. There aren't many alternative refills other than Filtrete that fit this system. It's now at the point where you can buy a complete housing AND filters in a much more standard 10" x 4.5" format at a lower price than buying just this replacement filter alone.People have asked about the construction of these, so I cut open a used one and have posted pictures of the inside. Upon cutting the sealed unit open, you can see the outer fiber filter. Tearing back the thick folded fibers, you can see the solid inner filter, molded of some sort of porous composite. The product information on this site says the material is "Sand", but it appears instead to be a solid carbon block filter.As you can see, it does a great job filtering, but it's very pricey.

I originally bought this set-up 6 years ago. Initially, the entire kit was reasonably priced at less than $100 (about $85) and the filters were around $40 to $50. I didn't notice a huge improvement with it. I'm not very happy that the cost of the replacement filters have more than doubled are now more then I paid for the entire unit.There are better options out there that have a longer life, more filtration capabilities and are cheaper to maintain as far as filter costs/changes. Do yourself a favor and look at alternative filtration options.

I was really excited to get this whole house filter installed at my country home in NC. We have a well and the water coming through was rusty in color and low in pressure. I knew that, with my water, the filter wouldn't last 12 months, but I bought it hoping for the best. The filter did a great job of cleaning up my water, but the pressure didn't change much. After about 4 months, my water pressure dropped even lower, to the point that I couldn't run a water hose or more than one sink at a time. I discovered several bad fittings under my house and near the well pump. After replacing all of them, I was devastated to discover that the pressure hadn't been fixed. The pump was reading 65-70 psi and I knew that the only thing left it could be was the filter. I took off the input pipe and turned the water back on. The water shot out all the way across my yard and then some (a good 50 yards). I was relieved to finally know the problem, but disheartened to know my filter only lasted 4 months instead of 12. I replaced the filter a month ago and at just about the 30 day mark I noticed my water pressure has started to drop again. Maybe it doesn't last 4 months after all...

Works well. Easy to install and easy to replace cartridges (some water spills during cartridge changes but nothing major) -- they even include the gasket grease. No leaks after 9 months so it seems like it's well madeOn the downside, it's supposed to last a year in a 3 or 4 person household. After about 8 months, we noticed that the water pressure dropped, especially when multiple faucets, showers, etc. were active. I installed mine with a bypass valve before it, and bypassing the filter immediately restored the water to full pressure under the same circumstances, so I know that the filter had reached it's lifespan after 8 months instead of the 12 months it's advertised to deliver. We are a 3-person (two adults and one child) household so I would have hoped it would have lasted a bit closer to one year, hence the 4-star rating instead of 5.Update: As for effectiveness, I did remove the filter for a few weeks and subsequently noticed a significant chlorine smell coming in my water. Replacing the filter removed the chlorine smell from the water, so it really does work.Another minor issue I might add would be the packaging. These filters appear to come from the manufacturer in a cardboard box with the filter inside a plastic bag in the box. However, the bag never seems to be sealed, just twisted at the top with no tie or other fastener. I would feel a bit more at ease if these were in a sealed bag at the manufacturer so tampering afterwards could be more easily detected. It is going to be used on the home's drinking water after all...Final update: Like others, I was forced to replace this with a standard big blue filter due to the cost of the replacement cartridges. It's a shame because I really liked the quick change format and the water quality of these filters.

Our well water is off of a community well that is shared with 60 units. For years we have had weak water pressure, sediment and manganese that is visible. We had an old G type cartridge filter on the house which had closed off over the years on the inlet and exit like someones arteries slowly closing off. We were unable to use two sources of water at once. We replaced some pipes and reversed the flow to flush the lines of this excess sediment. Now that the lines were clean it was time to stop introducing sediment into the system.For this we replaced the type G filter and replaced it with a new one. This was a $40 set-up and $8 for a two pack of filters that we replace monthly. Next in the line of flow we added this expensive Filtrete filter. We placed it second in line so we do not have to replace this so often. The inexpensive filter is changed monthly and catches most of the sediment. This does an amazing job of stopping sediment from your lines. You will know when it is time to change the filter. Flow gets severely restricted when it is time. I prefer this over all my house lines clogging or having what our middle child calls a "chocolate bath". Now our water is crystal clear. The last line of defense is a water softener. Our water has never been so good.The retail price of this filter is expensive; at our local store it is $115. I buy these through Amazon Prime when the price is between $32-$40. I always keep an extra on hand because of the price. When it is time for a change; every 2.5-4 months with our sediment filled water. I like to have a cheaper option on hand rather than running to the local store for $80 more.It only requires a 1/4 twist to get the filter on and off and takes less than 5 minutes to complete the process.