Whole house h2o filter... Worth the $?

I know people react to the fluoride and chemical things in the water to keep it safe. I'm wondering, why just the shower. Why not the stuff you drink which comes out of the tap too. We've been filtering our home drinking water through a jug system for years.

Its not woooo, when you have chemical reactions, these chemicals are more for our systems to remove. The number of people who have allergies and intolerances are increasing.

I've seen some whole house systems which seem not to need replacement cartridges and things, not sure about that.

I have very hard water. Everything I wash dries in the drainboard with a thin film of mineral dust. My toilets get a mineral ring that is difficult to remove around the water line. My shower heads constantly clog from the build up. For that reason it might make sense for me to a whole house filter, but for health reasons my understanding is that the water is perfectly healthy for bathing/drinking. Some people will actually pay for "mineral water" and I get mine for free XD

Tried30UserNames wrote: »

I filter my drinking and cooking water with a Berkey, in part because my water tastes and smells horrible (Los Angeles yummy water), and in part because I prefer to avoid fluoride and chloramines as much as possible.

I use a chlorine filter on my shower.

I'd consider a whole house filter if I knew I had a house I was going to stay in for years, but I'd be wary of reverse osmosis filters. I'd want one that left some of the natural minerals in the water while still filtering out fluoride and other poisons. I'm not sure such a thing exists, so I filter the kitchen sink and shower separately, and take my chances with the bathroom sink which doesn't have a filter. I don't take baths, just showers, but I'd want a filter for my bathtub if I planned to soak in the water.

heck, you live in Los Angeles, at least you can see the air that you're breathing; that alone should be a comfort.

Wish I had a whole water filter system for the house -
BECAUSE
Our water is heavily mineralized and I'm tired of descaling sinks, toilets, faucets - and
because our water tastes nasty.
Its not a "medical" thing, its a convenience/taste thing.

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Be careful installing any kind of water treatment; no matter what they tell you, all systems take some kind of maintenance and you need to be prepared to keep up with the maintenance schedule. If regular maintenance is not performed, you could end up growing microorganisms in filters or losing integrity in a membrane system. Also, any kind of ion exchange treatment process (GAC, softening, etc.) should have the media or cartridges replaced regularly, otherwise the vessel becomes a wide spot in your pipe, which can provide a pretty decent oportunity for microorganisms to colonize (not unlike your water heater - be careful with those, too). Even simple things, like water taps on your refrigerator door, likely have a filter that you should be replacing multiple times each year.
Most water quality issues in the USA are related to hardness and taste/odor and don't require something as intensive as RO treatment, although there have been recent cases of old piping, in combination with aggressive water, causing metals issues. If you live in other countries the issues may be more severe. It is true that if your water contains or potentially contains microorganisms harmful to human health, shower water is a concern and should be treated as stringently as drinking water. Inhaling aerosolized microorganisms is sometimes more dangerous than consuming them. I would be wary of any whole house treatment system that doesn't include some kind of disinfection step (UV, chlorine tablets, etc.), in the event that the system becomes contaminated.
If you have skin sensitivity, a shower head mounted filter is a pretty decent option, just remember to follow the manufacturer's recommendations with regard to changing the filter cartridge. On-tap and pitcher based filtering for drinking/cooking water is also a pretty easy solution for the water you consume, just make sure to do your research and find a filter that actually removes whatever it is with which you have an issue. If you are really concerned, small, under sink RO systems are available, but make sure to get one that includes a re-mineralization step because water treated using RO is quite aggressive and drinking water without minerals can be hazardous to your health and do serious damage to piping and fixtures.
I know I have said it a couple of times now, but the key to in-home water treatment systems is staying on top of maintenance, if you don't the systems either do nothing for your or become a health hazard.