Review: SpringWell CF Whole House Water Filter System

Full Analysis of the SpringWell CF

Filtration: 4.75/5.00

1. Lab Results: 5.00/5.00

Lab Results Chart

*100% means reduction to below the minimum detection level. To learn more about our testing procedures check our editorial guidelines.

Link to Filtered Water Report
Link to Unfiltered Water Report

Usability: 5.00/5.00

Costs: 3.75/5.00

Please note: This page is still a work in progress. Additional content and details will be added shortly – stay tuned!

Paraphrased Video Script

Sara:
Many call the SpringWell CF the best whole house water filter, so we thought we’d test another unit — this time on a completely different water supply and using a different lab. Because more data equals better answers! So… can the SpringWell whole house water filter still hold up? Let’s find out!

Hi and welcome to BOS Water. I’m Sara and in today’s video we’re reviewing the SpringWell CF, a whole house water filter designed to improve the overall quality, taste, and odor of the city water you use in your home every day – for drinking, cooking, showering, bathing, laundry, and more.

As usual, our review includes professional and independent lab testing that we conducted to learn more about the system’s real-life contaminant reduction capabilities.

Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve tested the SpringWell CF, but since it’s such a popular system we wanted to do a second round of testing. Unfortunately, we didn’t have access to our original unit anymore, but we retested the exact same model — installed on a completely different water supply in a different state — and submitted our samples to a different lab.

Why? Because water quality varies between utilities, and switching labs and locations gives us a broader, more reliable view of how a filter performs.

What’s more, we’ve refined our testing method since our original SpringWell CF video. Everything is much more standardized now, which makes it easier to directly compare different whole house water filters — and that’s our ultimate goal really: to test a dozen or so systems under the same conditions, so we can do a full side-by-side comparison in the end.

So far, we’ve tested both the Bodyguard Plus and the Bodyguard Fluoride Removal Filter from US Water Systems using our updated method. I’ll link the video here and in the description, and you can also find our full analysis of both systems including lab reports in this Google Sheet which now also contains all the details about the SpringWell CF, so everything is fully transparent. And, we can already make a quick comparison – but later in the video. The Google Sheet also contains our product links and discount codes (for example, we have a 5% code for the SpringWell). So you can use these in case you want to make a purchase and save a few bucks while supporting our work. The links and codes will also be included in the description box. And, of course, another way to support us is by liking this video and subscribing to our channel. This would be highly appreciated!

Two Quick Notes

1. Once again, I’ve teamed up with Adam on this video, and so he’ll walk you through his experience setting up the SpringWell CF, and he’ll also share his thoughts on everyday use and maintenance.
2. SpringWell has provided us with their CF system for free. But of course we paid for all the lab testing ourselves which is 100% independent. Still, this is why there was a “sponsored” tag in the beginning.

Product Overview

The SpringWell CF uses a large tank containing granular filter media followed by a sediment filter. The media tank comes in 3 different sizes. Which one to choose depends on the size of your home:

• 9 gpm version — recommended for up to 3 bathrooms (this is the size we tested)
• 12 gpm version — recommended for up to 6 baths
• 20 gpm version — recommended for 7 or more baths

The actual media inside the tank is a mixture of KDF, catalytic carbon, and what SpringWell calls a “Flex Bed” which is comprised of small beads that, according to the company, produce more contact time between water and carbon media, and also prevent channeling for more effective filtration results.

Filtration Capabilities

What results can you expect? While KDF can target water-soluble heavy metals among a few other things, in this case it’s likely included primarily to remove chlorine and help prevent bacterial and algae growth. Both helps extend the performance of the catalytic carbon.

Catalytic carbon makes city water smell and taste a lot better, and it can make the water healthier to drink and use in other ways by removing some of the undesirable impurities and potentially harmful contaminants commonly found in city water:

• Disinfectants (chlorine and chloramine)
• Disinfection byproducts
• Organic compounds (pesticides, industrial solvents, pharmaceuticals, forever chemicals)
• Certain metals (such as lead)

Without even looking at our lab results we can already confirm that the SpringWell CF greatly improved our water quality in terms of aesthetics. It’s now completely odor-free and although not 100% perfect in our opinion, taste was enhanced a whole lot! Even guests of the home where the SpringWell unit is currently installed noticed a major improvement.

And this not only applies to the water used for drinking and cooking. Chlorine and other chemicals can also be harsh on hair and skin — especially if you’re sensitive. Some chemicals including disinfection byproducts are even skin-permeable, which is why removing them from your shower and bath water can significantly reduce your overall exposure. And again this is something we can kind of confirm ourselves: The water feels noticeably cleaner when showering. Plus, by removing chlorine and other volatile chemicals from your home’s water, you can also improve indoor air quality.

Upflow Design

The SpringWell CF media tank uses a simple upflow design, meaning the water travels from the bottom of the tank upward through the filtration media before exiting at the top.

This upflow movement keeps the media in motion and, along with the Flex Bed, helps minimize the risk of channeling — which is why backwashing, typically needed in downflow systems to reclassify the media bed, isn’t really necessary here. This is great because it means:

• No wastewater (which can be more than a hundred gallons per backwashing cycle)
• No drain connection or electricity required
• Easier system installation
• No smart valve needed (lower cost)

That said, downflow combined with backwashing definitely has its place, one more reason being that backwashing flushes out sediment and other materials that have accumulated in the tank extending the lifespan and maintaining the efficiency of the carbon media.

Sediment Filter

After the media tank comes a 5-micron sediment post-filter which is different to what most companies do as they’re using a sediment pre-filter.

A sediment pre-filter protects the media tank from dirt, sand, rust, and so on with the goal to make the media last longer. A sediment post-filter won’t do that. What it does, however, is catch particles such as carbon fines that might escape the media tank.

SpringWell told us that based on their experience sediment is usually not an issue with their city water system but that adding a sediment pre-filter can make sense depending on the application. In our opinion, sediment filters are so cheap that adding one before the SpringWell CF would be ideal.

Lab Testing

We took a sample of our unfiltered tap water and another sample after it had passed through the system. For taking filtered samples, we let the water run through the filters at a controlled flow rate of 2.2 gpm in order to mimic typical household use and ensure consistency across all tests.

Based on our lab reports the SpringWell CF removed:

• 100% of chlorine
• 100% of 3 disinfection byproducts
• 100% of iron, manganese, lithium, uranium
• 78% of barium
• 72% of strontium

We saw no reduction in boron and no significant reduction in fluoride. What matters is that chlorine and the organic compounds detected in our water were removed to 100%.

The lab also detected aluminum in the filtered water whereas the unfiltered water showed none. We’re confident this is just coincidence and not an issue with leaching, because we’ve found significant amounts of aluminum in this public water supply before.

Comparison to US Water Systems

Comparing the SpringWell CF to the Bodyguard Plus (carbon-based, downflow design), results were nearly identical for chlorine and disinfection byproducts. The only difference was 99 vs 100% chloroform reduction, but the Bodyguard Plus had to deal with a much higher feed water concentration. Both systems did a great job.

Important note: The SpringWell CF won’t soften your water. Hardness levels barely changed.

Installation (Adam)

Adam:
I installed the SpringWell CF1 according to the instructions. This time not in my own home but in a neighborhood basement nearby.

Steps:

1. Installed the tank head onto the pre-filled media tank.
2. Inserted bypass valve and 2 MNPT fittings.
3. Soaked the carbon filter media for 48 hours using the hose bib assembly.
4. Flushed the tank twice until the water ran clear.
5. Zipped the neoprene jacket onto the tank.
6. Assembled and mounted the sediment filter.
7. Hooked up the large media tank and sediment filter to each other and to the water line.
8. Started up the system, flushed for 5–10 minutes, checked for leaks.

Adam’s take: Setting up the SpringWell CF was straightforward and makes a great DIY project with the manual. Everyday use has been smooth (no pressure drops, leaks, or issues).

Maintenance:

• Replace the sediment post-filter every 6–9 months.
• Replace the media in the large tank every 6–10 years (about 1,000,000 gallons).

Customer Feedback

Most feedback is positive. The two most common complaints in negative reviews:

• Underwhelming after-sales support
• Chlorine taste/odor still present in some cases

Cost & Warranty

Depending on size, the SpringWell CF (with bypass valve and tank jacket) costs $1,164.98–$1,829.99. Special discounts available for military and first responders.

Warranty and guarantees:

• Limited 6-year or 1,000,000-gallon warranty (system only, not media)
• 6-month satisfaction guarantee (25% restocking fee)
• Performance guarantee for chlorine/chloramine reduction to below detection levels for 6 years or 1,000,000 gallons

Long-term costs:

• $25–40/year for sediment filters (replace every 6–9 months)
• 10% savings with subscription
• Rebedding media every 6–10 years: $335 (includes tank head)

Summary

The SpringWell CF whole house water filter:

• Improves city water quality by targeting disinfectants, byproducts, organics, certain metals, and sediments
• Confirmed filtration effectiveness in lab testing
• Noticeable improvements in odor, taste, and water feel when showering
• Comes in 3 sizes to match home size
• Upflow design = easy install, no wastewater, no drain or power needed
• Straightforward maintenance with low long-term cost
• Upfront cost slightly above average, but backed by warranty and guarantees

Remember to check our Google Sheet which lists everything we’ve just discussed and more. Also check the sheet and the video description for our links and discount codes in case you want to make a purchase. And as always, please don’t hesitate to ask questions in the comments below, remember to like and subscribe if you want more content like this, and let us know which water filters you would like us to review next! Thanks so much for watching — and we’ll see you in the next one!