First, go find out what is in your own water

Before anything else, I would ask you to do your own research and find out what is actually in your water. It is important, and it is not hard. You can pull your local water quality report, and we keep notes on Pittsburgh water in our knowledge base too. I am not here to scare you into buying something. I want you to understand what you are drinking so the decision is yours.

What I am actually treating for in Pittsburgh

When I think about Pittsburgh water, here is the short list of what we are trying to get out of there.

• Chloramine. This is the disinfectant the water authority uses, and it is a combination of chlorine and ammonia. It does its job in the pipes, but you do not need to be drinking and bathing in it, so we want to filter it out at the home.
• Total dissolved solids. Here is the honest part: we do not always know exactly what those solids are. Some are anti-corrosives added on purpose. Some are pieces of deteriorating old pipe breaking down over time. We really do not know the full makeup, and that uncertainty is reason enough to filter.
• Bacteria and viruses. Typically, with our level of disinfectant, this is not a problem. The concern is the exception, like a boil-water advisory, when you want a backup in place.
• Heavy metals like lead or arsenic. I want these out of the water, full stop. Older homes can still have lead in their plumbing, which is why drinking water protection matters. We cover that in detail in our piece on lead service lines in Pittsburgh.
• Hardness minerals. These are the minerals that scale up your plumbing, your appliances, and your fixtures over time. Not a health danger, but hard on the house.

What is hype?

The hype, in my view, is treating for things our water does not actually have a problem with, or paying for a gimmick that does not address the real list above. With our disinfectant levels, you do not generally have a live bacteria and virus problem at the tap, so a system sold purely on that fear is overselling, with the boil-water-advisory exception. The smart money goes toward filtering the chloramine, the dissolved solids, the possible heavy metals, and conditioning the hardness. That is where the real value is.

The exact setup I run in my own home

People always ask what I do at my own house, so here it is, the whole package.

1. A UV light

I have a UV light to kill any bacteria or viruses, mainly as insurance in case of a boil-water advisory. It is the safety net for the rare day something gets through. You can read more about how it works on our UV sterilization page.

2. A Halo 5 five-stage whole-home filtration system

I run a Halo 5, which is a five-stage whole-home filtration system. It cleans up the water for the entire house, not just one tap, so every shower, every faucet, and every appliance gets treated water. It also conditions the water without salt. More on that on our Halo 5 page.

3. A Halo RO Plus reverse osmosis system for drinking water

For drinking water, I have the Halo RO Plus reverse osmosis system. This is my first line of defense for what my family actually drinks. It gives me super-filtered water with healthy alkaline minerals added back in, so it is clean but not stripped and flat. Reverse osmosis is the layer I would not skip. Here is more on reverse osmosis drinking water.

Is this overkill?

I do not think so, and I would not run it in my own home if I did. I think a UV light, whole-home filtration, and reverse osmosis for drinking is a fantastic package for most homeowners. You make sure you do not have bacteria, viruses, or any of the other junk in your water, you condition it so it is easier on the house, and you get genuinely clean drinking water with the good minerals put back. That is the setup I trust for my own family, and it is what I would build for yours.