Pentair EF-1500 Series

The baby of the Everpure EF series, this wee tiny itty bitty teensy weensy thing filters 1500 gallons before it starts bawling for a change.

That said, it also filters down to 0.5 microns, which is half the size of your typical bacteria. Which is why the NSF certified it under standard 53 to “reduce cysts such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia by mechanical means”.

Oh, and also standard 42 for taste/smell/other aesthetic impurities. Oh, and it’s also a full flow filter, so you don’t need a separate faucet or anything.

It may be small, but this baby packs a punch.

What about changing the filter? How often should I do that?

We could spend hours talking about gallons and average family usage, and all kinds of variables. But, the simplest way to look at it is this: Replace it when the water pressure starts to slow down OR when it’s been more than a year.

You can push it past a year, if you really want to, but once you start getting into the year and a half to two year range, I’d start to get a little skittish about safety.

As far as actually changing it, it’s about as easy as changing a light bulb.

First, flip the handle up to shut off the water. Then, twist the cartridge (lefty loosey) and pull it out.

Then, take your replacement, push it back into the head and twist (righty tighty). Flip the handle down to turn the water back on.

Then, run the tap for a few minutes to flush out any dust or little bits. And there we go!