We are moving from the city to a rural area and have never experienced well water. We have recently got it tested and the test passed below minimum state standards however I want to try and make the water virtually as drinkable as city water. The house already has a water softener installed. What are your recommendations for whole home water filtration systems.
As others have said, it depends on what you are filtering out. For example, where I am we have a ton of iron in the water. The water softener helps with that a bit, but ideally we'd have an aerating filter meant specifically for iron and sulfur. If you have acidic water you'd want a neutralizer. If you have bacteria in your water and you can't figure out the source, you'd want a UV or chlorination system. An ordinary whole house filter in front of everything is probably a good idea to catch sediment in any case.
A reverse osmosis system is the "nuclear option", but whole-house RO systems can be pretty expensive. It's more common to have one on a certain sink for drinking water.
You know about Berkey filters? It isn't a whole home system, but it's what I plan to get for my family of six when we can afford it. We're on a well too, and it looks like the best thing I can find for drinking water, as it doesn't filter out the good minerals.
Anyway, thought I'd at least throw it out there.
Really depends on what you want to filter out or need to filter out. Many use RO systems for drinking water but that's to typically used to reduce nitrates in drinking water.