Pentair Pentek EP-20BB Big Blue Carbon Water Filter, 20-Inch, Whole House Carbon Block Replacement Cartridge with Bonded Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) Filter, 20" x 4.5", 5 Micron, Pack of 4

good job at trapping sediment

Easy to use

I get municipal drinking water with 1-2ppm of of chlorine (as much as a public pool) and 22 grains of hardness (more than 2x what's considered "extremely hard"). When I had a water softener installed in my house, I also had a  Pentek 20" Big Blue Housing  installed before softener. I wanted the carbon filter for a few reasons: 1) Keep chlorine out of the shower and bath, out of my family's lungs and off of our skin 2) Keep chlorine out of the washing machine where it bleaches our clothing 3) Protect the resin in the water softener, which should double it's life 4) Protect the plumbing (PEX pipes, rubber in fixtures, etc...) from chlorine 5) Remove the small amount of sediment that is in the city water which collects in valves and fixturesI previously used the  Pentek RFC20-BB Radial-Flow Granular Activated Carbon Cartridge . In comparison, this filter is less expensive, has a finer sediment filter (5 micron vs. 25 micron) and it's rated for up to 180F. Also, carbon block filters don't have the same channeling issues as GAC filters, which become less effective at higher flow rates.However, compared to the RFC20-BB this filter can't handle as much water (only 40,000 Gal. vs. 70,000 Gal.) and has a bigger pressure drop (5.5 psi @ 5 gpm vs. 0.9 psi @ 4 gpm). Neither of those were a big concern for me. We use less than 1,000 gal/week so the capacity easily exceeds the 6 month replacement cycle. As for water pressure, I get a solid 60+ psi coming into my house and even a 10 psi drop is not noticeable. If you already have pressure issues, get RFC20 instead.

We have used this filter in the past, and it is very good quality. However, the durability leaves something to be desired as far as being shipped by UPS. It does not survive being thrown around in a UPS truck. The seller of the product is very good about replacing a broken filter however they do expect you to return the damaged one. (Which, in our case, is soaking wet and broken! I don’t understand why the company would want it returned, but whatever! )

Used this product in a Culligan HF-150A whole house housing - but used it undersink. The whole house filter cartridges are cheaper and filter much faster than the "under sink" marketed products. This filter worked great, fit in the housing, and makes the water taste almost as good as our rainwater system with a 4 stage + UV filtration system at a different house but for a lot less. We don't do a separate sediment step, just this one. I'll update review if filter doesn't do well in the future.Update 1/10/2013 - still have it installed under our sink, hasn't leaked since the day we installed it, and the water has tasted perfectly filtered since then. We have it hooked to the cold side of the kitchen sink so ALL cold water passes through the filter. You can imagine how many gallons have been filtered through it by now and it still is like new. No way an undersink one would've lasted this long. Also, the undersink ones can't pass water very quickly. Since this is a whole-house filter, it easily keeps up with the pressure. You can't even tell a difference from before and after it was installed, and if someone didn't tell you it was there you wouldn't even know.I will probably watch and buy several of these as replacements when they drop in price.

THESE ARE GOOD FILTERS AT A GOOD PRICE. I BOUGHT MINE AT AMAZON.COM FOR ABOUT $20.00 EACH. MY WATER IS CLEAR AND ODOR FREE. WHEN THEY SAY CARBON BLOCK THEY MEAN CARBON BLOCK - THE FILTER IS ONE SOLID PIECE OF CARBON. ONE BORKE IN SHIPMENT. I STILL USED IT. I PUT THE 2 PIECES BACK TOGHETER. WHEN THE FILTER HOUSING SCREWS ON IT TIGHTENED UP ON THE 2 PIECES AND HELD THEN IN PLACE QUITE WELL. [ABOUT 3." BROKE OFF ONE END.] THERE IS A FINE MESH ARROUND THE OUTSIDE WHICH TAKES OUT THE PARTICALE AND MAKES THE CARBON LAST LONGER. THE CARBON TAKES OUT THE TASTE AND ODORS. I HAVE WELL WATER WHICH IS PRETTY CLEAN TO START WITH BUT I WANTED THE ADDED INSURANCE OF THE CARBON FILTER. I HAVE IT IN A WHOLE HOUSE FILTER HOUSING IN THE BASEMENT. I PLAN ON CHANGING IT ONCE A YEAR OR WHEN THE PRESSURE DROP ACROSS THE FILTER INCREASES ABOUT 6 TO 8 PSI. I HAVE A PRESSURE GAGE BEFORE AND AFTER THE FILTER SO I CAN SEE WHEN THE PRESSURE DROP STARTS TO INCREASE. I CHECK THE PRESURE WITH ONE FAUCET [THE KITCHEN FAUCET] WIDE OPEN.

This an outstanding water filter for my water system. My water is pine needle slug, and this filter clears it up.I have to replce every 4-5 months as my water is slug.

This filter did exactly what I was hoping it would do. It got rid of our rotten egg smell when we would take a shower, no more smells…yay!

Very good quality and performance with my water filters. I will order more for sure

tel que commande tres bonne qualite

it's actually good to see a product that has technical data available. would buy again . looking for a wholesaler as price is on the high side.

This is a good quality 5 micron carbon block filter that I've used many times before with good results putting it after a 5 micron pleated pre-filter. Note that it's listed as 4-5/8" diameter, which in the past has been a problem in some 4-1/2" housings, but it's now been slightly redesigned with thinner end cap plastic material and now comes in at 4-9/16" exactly so fits mine properly. Unfortunately the one I received was very poory packed in an oversized carton and arrived with a broken end cap, but should still be useable, so not worth the hassle to return for a refund -still disappointing

So far so good.