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The HALO 5 Whole House Water Filtration and Conditioning System is a tank-based system incorporating five treatment stages.
With catalytic carbon, salt-free water conditioning, automatic self-cleaning, and virtually no maintenance required, at first glance the HALO 5 makes an intriguing choice if you’re searching for a single-tank unit that can cover all the bases. But what if you look more closely?
Let’s do an in-depth analysis of the HALO 5, and determine whether it merits consideration as your next whole house water treatment system.
GAC, Catalytic Carbon, Filter AG, Garnet, Magnetic Water Conditioning
Filter Life:
1-3 Million Gallons
Flow Rate:
High
Annual Cost:
–
Overall Rating: 4.0/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
HALO 5 Whole House Water Filtration-Conditioning System – All Specs
Model: HALO 5
Last Price: ~$1,600
Annual Maintenance Cost: $0
Filter Media/Process: GAC, Catalytic Carbon, Filter AG, Garnet, Magnetic Water Conditioning
Filter Stages: 5
Filtering Capacity: 1,000,000-3,000,000 gal
WxHxD: 10-16″x61-74″x10-16″
Weight: 93-246 lb.
Water Temperature: Up to 120 °F
Water Pressure: 40-80 psi
Fitting: 1-2“
NSF Certifications: Standard 61, Standard 372
Warranty: Limited Lifetime
HALO 5 – Key Features
The HALO 5 is a tank-based water filter and conditioning system designed to remove a wide range of contaminants as well as reduce hard water scaling in a single system. It’s designed to provide a wide range of functionality including preventing scale buildup in your plumbing, dissolving existing scale, inhibiting corrosion, and improving the overall quality of your home’s water.
The system features 5 treatment stages:
Stage 1 – Granular Activated Carbon: Basic carbon filtration to remove pesticides, odors, VOCs, certain heavy metals, chlorine, and organic contamination in general.
Stage 2 – Centaur High Activity Carbon: Catalytic carbon stage designed to remove chlorine/chloramine, as well as remove foul tastes/odors and impart a ‘polish’ to the water.
Stage 3 – Filter AG Plus: Highly efficient at removing turbidity. Will remove suspended particles down to 5 microns.
Stage 4 – High Density Garnet Filter Media: This stage features a high hardness, high-density granular filtration media that further removes fine particles. It also serves to keep the media bed structured during backwashing.
Stage 5 – ION Water Conditioner: Magnetic water conditioner designed to alter the chemical structure of hard minerals like calcium and magnesium. This keeps the minerals suspended in water rather than forming limescale buildup in your plumbing.
Additionally, a 10-minute regeneration cycle will automatically run every week to remove accumulated dirt and debris from the filter media.
The system is offered in four different sizes:
H5-100 – 1,000,000 gallon lifespan
H5-125 – 1,500,000 gallon lifespan
H5-150 – 2,000,000 gallon lifespan
H5-200 – 3,000,000 gallon lifespan
The manufacturer offers the system with a limited lifetime warranty, which is nice to have in a system at this price point (around $1,600).
HALO 5 Water System Pros
The HALO 5 water system offers several distinct advantages when compared with typical whole house water filter and softener combos.
Firstly, as it’s a single tank, it’s space-saving. Plus, it makes installation a lot easier.
Next, virtually no maintenance is required. The system will automatically clean itself weekly, extending its lifespan. As the water conditioner is salt-free, you don’t even need to refill salt or clean the brine tank.
The system uses a salt-free water conditioning process. This means the water will be free of the slimy feeling associated with salt-based water softeners. Besides, it will dissolve existing scale buildup in your plumbing and appliances, extending their lifespan.
We also like the combination of activated and catalytic carbon for targeting a wider range of contaminations.
What Contaminants Are Being Removed?
The HALO 5 will remove bad tastes and odors, chlorine, chloramine, DBPs, dissolved gases, dyes, some heavy metals, pesticides, TTHM, VOCs, fuels, and sediment down to 5 microns.
Additionally, it will alter hardness minerals so they stay suspended harmlessly in water and cannot cause scale buildup.
Installation
Installing the HALO 5 water filtration system is not particularly complex and should take less than a few hours according to the manufacturer. As the system is self-cleaning, a drain line connection is required for waste water disposal.
You can complete the installation yourself if you’re comfortable with basic DIY and plumbing, or hire a plumber or contractor if not. Good news: There is a bypass valve included which makes the process a lot easier.
Please consider these instructions as a general guideline. Always make sure to check and follow your user manual before getting started.
Tools and materials needed for installation:
Pipe cutter or hacksaw
Torch
Hose bib
¾” or 1” Tee
Piping
Plumber’s tape
Adjustable wrench
Metal file
Bucket and towels
Unions, valves, bushings, and nipples as needed
Before installation, make sure the installation location is protected, dry, level, and in a non-freezing area. You will also need access to a standard 2-prong 120V grounded outlet. The control valve comes with a 15-foot power cord, but you can use an extension cord if necessary.
Installation process:
Determine the installation location. Ensure the directional arrows on the control valve are facing the proper direction.
Shut off the main water valve and open a faucet to drain the remaining water from your plumbing.
Cut and remove a section of the main water line entering the home where the system will be installed. If there is a pressure regulator, install the system downstream of the regulator.
Install the ball valve and hose bib on the outlet side of the unit.
Solder the adapters in place on the inlet and outlet piping.
Now the system is installed, it’s time to charge the system to prep it for use.
Keep the bypass valve in the “bypass” position and make sure the main water line is turned on.
Close the new ball valve and open the intake side of the bypass valve to allow the tank to fill. This will take about 5 minutes.
Gradually open the outlet side of the bypass valve halfway and check for leaks. If there are no leaks, gradually open the outlet side of the bypass valve.
Open the hose bib and allow the water to run for 10 minutes until it runs completely clear.
Now close the hose bib. Force a regeneration cycle by pressing the up and down arrows simultaneously. After the regeneration cycle runs (about 10 minutes) complete steps 10 and 11 a second time.
Video
The Package (Parts)
HALO 5-Stage
Maintenance
As the system is tank-based and self-cleaning, no maintenance is necessary. All that’s needed is programming the number of days in between regeneration cycles, which will depend on the number of people in your home.
The system is tested and certified according to NSF/ANSI Standard 61 for products in contact with drinking water in the United States. This standard evaluates the level of contaminants that leach from system components into drinking water.
It’s also tested and certified according to NSF/ANSI Standard 372 for lead-free content in plumbing and potable water systems. This standard ensures that products contain less than 0.25% lead, as required by the Safe Water Drinking Act.
Earlier Product Versions
The HALO 5 has no earlier product versions as far as we can tell.
HALO 5 Water Filtration System Cons
The HALO 5 is a single-tank system. As such, sediment removal occurs inside the tank rather than as a pre-filtration stage. This can be seen as a positive in that you don’t need to worry about replacing clogged pre-filers, but it also means that when the internal sediment filter media loses efficiency, you’ll need to replace the entire system.
Another drawback has to do with the all-in-one system design. Having the carbon, sediment, and water conditioning take place in a single tank likely means that you won’t be getting the same level of effectiveness as having multiple filter stages.
Furthermore, we don’t really like magnetic water conditioning. To our knowledge, it’s nowhere near as effective as method like TAC (template assisted crystallization) used to prevent hard water scaling. So if you have water that classifies as medium to high hardness, the question is if the HALO 5 can handle it.
And finally, you cannot simply buy the HALO 5 through the official HALO website. You need to get in contact with a contractor.
HALO 5 Review: Our Verdict + Best for
Overall, the HALO 5 could make a solid choice for whole house carbon and sediment filtration that includes water conditioning. However, the system is sort of a jack-of-all-trades, so it won’t offer the same level of performance as having a standalone filter + a standalone hard water conditioner.
Thus, we wouldn’t recommend it for waters that are more severely contaminated and with higher hardness levels. If all you want is improve aesthetics and your water isn’t overly hard, the HALO 5 Whole House Water Filtration and Conditioning System could be what you are looking for.
Comparison to Other Whole House Water Filter-Conditioner Combos
Let’s see how the HALO 5 system stacks up against 2 popular whole house water filters and conditioners offered by the competition.
SpringWell CSF
Price:
$$$
Filter Process:
5-Micron Sediment, KDF, Catalytic Carbon, TAC
Filter Life:
1 Million Gallons
Flow Rate:
9-20 gpm
Annual Cost:
~$40
Overall Rating: 5.0/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
Overall Rating: 5.0/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
GAC, Catalytic Carbon, Filter AG, Garnet, Magnetic Water Conditioning
Filter Life:
1-3 Million Gallons
Flow Rate:
High
Annual Cost:
–
Overall Rating: 4.0/5.0 ⓘRating based on filtration performance, filter life, price and yearly cost, NSF testing/certification, customer support, product warranty, our testing/experience, user feedback, and other factors.
First off, the SpringWell CSF is a tank-based system featuring a sediment pre-filter to remove sand, silt, and sediment, KDF media to remove chlorine and heavy metals, and catalytic carbon to remove chlorine, chloramine, VOCs, herbicides, pesticides, trihalomethanes, and more. The water conditioner comes in a separate tank and uses TAC media to reduce the scaling effects of hard water by up to 99.6% – it works for up to 81 gpg hardness.
The system only requires pre-filter changes, so annual costs come to just $40 or so. It offers a 1,000,000-gallon lifespan, which is the same as the smallest HALO 5 model. You also get a 6-month satisfaction guarantee and a limited lifetime warranty.
Next up, the Kind E-3000 is a two-stage cartridge-based whole house water filter/softener with a 5-micron sediment pre-filter to remove large particles and a catalytic carbon filter to remove chlorine, chloramine, pesticides, solvents, VOCs, PFAS, HAAs, and more. Stage 3 features TAC media just like the SpringWell system.
This system requires annual cartridge changes which goes fast and cost about $145 per year. Also: Made in USA, 120-day money-back guarantee, limited lifetime warranty.
Comparing the HALO 5 to the above two systems reveals that while the HALO uses a combination of granular activated and catalytic carbon filter media, the Kind and SpringWell use only catalytic carbon. Catalytic carbon is significantly more effective, especially when it comes to removing chloramine – a commonly used disinfectant in municipal water treatment. Additionally, both the SpringWell and the Kind feature separate sediment pre-filters, which allows you to simply replace them when they get clogged. Lastly, TAC water conditioning is much more reliable than magnetic.
Overall, we consider both the SpringWell and the Kind to make much better whole house water treatment systems for the majority of users.
This completes our review of the HALO 5 water filter. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
About the Author Gene Fitzgerald
Gene Fitzgerald is one of the founders of BOS and currently head of content creation. She has 8+ years of experience as a water treatment specialist under her belt making her our senior scientist. Outside of BOS, Gene loves reading books on philosophy & social issues, making music, and hiking.
Learn more about Gene and the rest of the BOS Team.
Information provided on BOS is for educational purposes only. The products and services we review may not be right for your individual circumstances.
We adhere to strict editorial guidelines. Rest assured, the opinions expressed have not been provided, reviewed, or otherwise endorsed by our partners – they are unbiased, independent, and the author’s alone. Our licensed experts fact-check all content for accuracy. It is accurate as of the date posted and to the best of our knowledge.
Leave a Comment:
Stephanie says
October 23, 2023
Thank you for the information and the review. I am considering a Halo home filtration system. However, the links to the “Check Current Price” do not offer a current price, just a relocation to the Halo website. I am finding prices from $1600$4500 (Halo 5). Not sure if this includes an install or not.
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, you are right, the button text is a bit confusing (it’s our standard button text). You need to get in contact with a contractor if you want to have the HALO 5 installed. $1600 is probably just the system. $4500 is including installation, but it seems rather expensive depending on your setup. Maybe consider going with one of the alternatives and do the installation yourself if possible.
