Differences Between POU & POE Water Filters - Wisler Plumbing & Air

You might have heard of POU and POE water filters, but what’s the difference between the two? POU stands for point of use, and POE stands for point of entry. Point of use filters only treat the water for one fixture/faucet. They could be used for drinking water, an ice maker, or other items with a very small volume of water. A couple of common point of use filters are reverse osmosis and carbon filters. Reverse osmosis gives very high quality drinking water, and it’s very common these days for refrigerators to have a carbon water filter.

Point of entry filters are located where the main water line goes into the home. They treat the entire water supply that runs throughout the house. A point of entry filter isn’t a fine tuning type filtration system, so it’s just going to create laundry grade water (not drinking or cooking grade water). Some common point of entry filters are water softeners, sediment filters, and neutralizers for pH. They are much more efficient because they can treat a large quantity of water to a relatively good standard. We always try to put in a point of entry system where possible and design it properly so that there isn’t a high amount of contaminants once the water reaches a point of use system. (That’s because point of use systems are designed for fine tuning small volumes of water.)

We always like to find out what grade of water homeowners want. Utility grade water is for washing cars, pressure washing, washing the dog, etc. and might not require a filter. The step above that is laundry grade water, which is suitable for brushing teeth, taking showers, doing laundry, etc. and will likely require a point of entry filter. The next step past that is drinking and cooking water, which will likely require a point of use filter. Depending on the level you choose, it might make more sense to use only a point of entry filter or to use a combination of both the point of entry filter and the point of use filter.

Water treatment systems are one of the fastest returns on investment you can put in your home. Point of entry filters protect your appliances, piping system, faucets, and fixtures, allowing them to last longer. They also prevent chlorine and hardness from causing buildup or stains on fixtures. If you have any questions about getting one of these systems put in your home, contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.