Whole-House Carbon Filter Installation
By Chad Baxter, Licensed Plumber · Water Softeners Plus LLC · Serving Southeast Idaho
$1,099 fully installed. A whole-house carbon cartridge filter that removes chlorine, taste, and odor before it reaches your water softener — engineered for hard Rocky Mountain water. NSF certified. No drain or power required. Cartridge lasts 18 to 24 months.
If you're on city water in Idaho Falls, Ammon, Rexburg, Pocatello, or anywhere in Southeast Idaho, this is the filter we recommend before your softener. Here's what it does and why it's worth it.
licensed plumber
per cartridge
cartridge swaps
warranty
Why City Water Customers Need a Carbon Filter
The water that arrives at your house from the city is treated with a small amount of chlorine. That's a good thing — it keeps the water safe between the treatment plant and your tap. But chlorine doesn't stop being chlorine once it's inside your home.
Two problems show up over time. The first one is your water softener. The resin beads inside a softener are a kind of plastic, and chlorine slowly oxidizes them. Without a carbon filter ahead of the softener, you can lose years of life off the resin. The second problem is everything else — chlorine dries out your skin and hair, leaves a faint pool-water smell on your clothes after the wash, and shows up in the taste of your drinking water and ice cubes.
A whole-house carbon filter solves both problems by sitting ahead of the softener and removing the chlorine at the point of entry. From that point on, every tap in the house is running dechlorinated water.
What's Included in the $1,099 Install
Equipment
- ✓Cartridge tank housing (12" wide × 50" tall, glass-filled composite)
- ✓CTO carbon block cartridge (first cartridge included)
- ✓In/out service head with bypass valve
- ✓Vertical bypass adapter kit
- ✓1" MPT threaded plumbing tail kit
- ✓3/4" PEX ball valve drain-down assembly for cartridge swaps
- ✓Service wrench for future cartridge changes
Labor
- ✓Plumbing tie-in to your main water line ahead of the softener
- ✓System leak-test and pressure check
- ✓Walkthrough on cartridge swap procedure
How the Cartridge Replacement Works
The cartridge is the only wear item in the whole system. Most homes in Southeast Idaho run 1 ppm chlorine or less, which puts the cartridge in the 24-month range — over 225,000 gallons of treated water. When the chlorine taste comes back, it's time for a new cartridge.
Cartridge replacement service is $249. We come out, drain the housing, swap the cartridge, pressure-test the system, and inspect the rest of your water treatment setup while we're there. If you'd rather do the swap yourself, we sell the cartridge alone for $199 — the system was designed to make this an easy job with the included service wrench.
Most city-water customers install the carbon filter and a NuGen Fusion XT water softener together. Our City Water Package bundles both for $2,699 installed — saving $199 versus the a la carte price. Add reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink and the Complete Home Package is $3,299, saving $298.
Specs and Certifications
| System part number | FS-CARTRIDGE TANK KIT-CTO |
|---|---|
| Replacement cartridge | F-C-CLACK CT CARBON BLOCK 25/20 |
| Dimensions | 12" wide × 50" tall |
| Free chlorine reduction | 90%+ at flow rates up to 7 GPM |
| Cartridge life — 1 ppm chlorine | 225,000+ gallons (typical Idaho Falls) |
| Cartridge life — 2 ppm chlorine | 150,000+ gallons |
| Tank certifications | NSF/ANSI 42, NSF/ANSI 61, NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 |
| Cartridge certifications | NSF/ANSI 42, NSF/ANSI/CAN 372 |
| Power required | None |
| Drain line required | None |
| Tank warranty | 5 years against manufacturer defects |
| Made in | Lindon, Utah, USA (NuGen Pure Water Systems) |
The CTO carbon block targets free chlorine, taste, and odor. It does not remove or kill bacteria, and is not designed for water of unknown microbiological quality. It does not soften water, and it does not remove fluoride or other dissolved solids. If you have well water with bacteria risk, ask about UV. For drinking water purification, ask about reverse osmosis.
When the Premium Backwashing Carbon Filter Is the Better Fit
For most Southeast Idaho city water customers, the cartridge system is the right tool. There are a few situations where we'll recommend a premium backwashing carbon filter instead — usually homes with chloramines (rather than free chlorine), free chlorine consistently above 2 ppm, heavy metals concerns, or homes that want a 5-year set-and-forget media life. The backwashing system is $1,599 installed and requires a drain line and electrical outlet. Bring it up during your free water test if you'd like Chad's recommendation for your specific water.
Free Water Test — No Obligation
Before recommending a carbon filter, we test your water and tell you the actual chlorine level. If you don't need a filter, we'll tell you that too. No sales pitch, no pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
City water in Southeast Idaho is treated with a small amount of chlorine to keep it safe to drink. Chlorine is great for killing bacteria, but it slowly destroys the resin inside your water softener and dries out skin and hair. A carbon filter sits ahead of your softener and removes the chlorine before it does any damage, while also improving the taste and smell of every tap in the house.
The CTO carbon block cartridge is rated for 18 to 24 months in a typical Idaho household with three to four people. At Idaho Falls' chlorine levels (around 1 ppm), most homes get the full 24-month life out of a cartridge. We recommend booking the swap service when you notice the chlorine taste returning, or on a 24-month schedule whichever comes first.
Cartridge replacement service is $249, which covers the new cartridge, the swap, and a system inspection while we're there. If you'd rather change it yourself, we sell the cartridge alone for $199.
No. The carbon filter targets chlorine, taste, and odor. It does not remove fluoride, calcium, or magnesium. For hardness, you need a water softener. For fluoride and other dissolved solids in your drinking water, a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink is the answer. Many of our customers install all three.
No. The cartridge filter is a passive system. There is no backwash cycle, no controller, and no drain line. Cold water comes in one side and filtered water leaves the other. That makes it easier to install in places where running a drain or power would be a problem.
The cartridge filter handles standard free chlorine very well. For homes with chloramines, free chlorine consistently above 2 ppm, or specific filtration needs like heavy metals, we also install a premium backwashing carbon filter for $1,599. Ask about it during your free water test.