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Home » Water Filtration Systems » Pelican PC600 Review

Pelican PC600 Review

By: Craig Smith
Last Updated:
Pelican PC600 Review

If you have decided that you would like to treat 100% of the city water that comes into your small to medium-size home, then looking at a Pentair whole house filter is something that’s worth taking the time to do.

This is especially true if your incoming water has been treated with chlorine before it reaches your residence.

One of the better models that Pelican Water makes is what they call their Pelican PC600.

It’s a highly rated filter that has made many ‘best whole house filter’ lists including ours.

It will treat 100% of your home’s incoming water and give you some good peace of mind that your home’s water is purer and tastes much better when you go to drink it.

This whole house filter is definitely worth taking a closer look at if you are shopping for one and that is exactly what I am about to do here in this article.

Pelican PC600 Whole House Filter Features

pelican-pc600

Here is what I like the most about the Pelican PC600 Whole House Filter (These filters are also called media, whole home, and point of entry water filters):

Uses proven GAC and KDF-55 filter media

GAC-andKDF-55-filter-media

Pentair truly put their many years of water filtration experience to use when they chose the types of filter media that they wanted to place in this whole home filtration system.

It combines two effective water filtration methods. The water that enters into it has to pass through its main filter media types which are granular activated carbon (GAC) and KDF-55 filter media.

GAC is very impactful when it comes to improving the aesthetic aspects of chlorinated water (taste, smell, looks) and removing or reducing several other harmful water contaminants that are often found in municipal water supplies such as VOCs, pesticides, herbicides, and industrial solvents.  

Adding KDF-55 copper and zinc oxidation media not only aids in the removal of chlorine from tap water, it also helps to extend the useful life of the granular activated carbon filter media.

These two media types combine to remove up to 97% of the chlorine that passes through the system.

Durable/Good-Looking Stainless-Steel Tank

It’s no secret that water filtration systems such as this one are often installed in garages and basements where foot traffic and other activity can be high at times.

That’s why it’s preferred to have a whole home water filter that’s made out of very durable material such as the stainless-steel tank that the Pelican PC600 has.

Its stainless-steel tank also looks good no matter where you place it around your home.

Suitable for Small to Medium Size Home Use

As you have probably noticed in your search for the perfect whole home filter for you, these single tank media filters can be very pricey. That’s why you don’t want to pay all of that extra money for a POE water filter that is overkill for your small to medium size home.

Pentair has definitely got you covered in tat aspect with the Pelican PC600 because it’s designed for use in small to medium sized homes that have up to 3 bathrooms.  

Although it is made for use in small to medium sized homes, it still has an adequate 8-gallon per minute flow rate.

Included 5-Micron Pre Filter

included-5-micron-pre-filter

It’s no secret for those like me that have many years of water filtration experience that large size particles going into carbon-based filters tend to clog them faster and, in turn, negatively impact the system’s efficiency.

Pentair is a company that recognized that same fact long ago. That’s why they have seen fit to include a decent 5-micron sediment pre-filter along with the PC600’s main filter media tank.

It will keep such large particle sized contaminants such as silt, dust, dirt, and rust from ever reaching the system’s KDF-55 and GAC filter media. That will extend the main filter media’s useful life and help keep this whole house filter working efficiently.

Treats Some 650,000 Gallons of Water

It takes much work to keep a canister style whole home water filter working well into the future as you will be changing its various filter elements once or twice a year. That is not the case at all with this media style POE water filter.

Some 650,000 gallons of water will have to pass through it before you will ever have to worry about replacing the media in its main filter tank. That’s 8 to 10 years of use in most small to medium sized homes.

Check Out The Pelican PC600


Pros/Cons

These are the main advantages and drawbacks of using a Pelican PC600 system:

Pros:

  • Combines proven GAC and KDF-55 filter media
  • Effectively removes chlorine taste, odor, and appearance
  • Small home compatible (1 to 3 bathrooms)
  • Manufacturer has over 50-years’ experience in the industry
  • Durable and good-looking stainless-steel tank
  • Single-tank media style filter (very low maintenance)
  • Comes with a 5-micron sediment prefilter
  • Generous 8 GPM flow rate
  • Treats over 650,000 gallons of water
  • 5-year warranty
  • Free Shipping
  • Money-Back Guarantee
  • DIY installation is possible

Cons:

  • Not recommended for use with poor quality well water
  • Initial installation costs can be high
  • No programmable controls
  • Not intended for use in homes with more than 3 bathrooms

Installation

If you are a DIY installation type of person, then you are going to like the Pelican PC600. That’s because it will only take some basic plumbing knowledge to install it.

Any attempt to self-install this model point of entry filter is greatly added by the package contents that Pentair had the foresight to include; which are:

  • Prefilter
  • Mounting Bracket
mounting-bracket
  • Bypass Valve/Fittings
bypass-valve
  • Carbon Series Filter System
  • Owner’s Manual/Installation Guide

Basically, everything that you need to install this water filtration system is included in the package except a small amount of PVC or copper pipe and a few fittings for that type of pipe.

Maintenance

When it comes to overall maintenance, few whole home water filters are simpler to maintain than the Pelican PC600.

That is one of the reasons why so many homeowners that want a POE water filter are willing to pay the extra price for a non-backwashing media style filtration system such as this one.

Unless you have a problem with system such as having a leak or major malfunction, there are only two maintenance steps that you ever have to perform on it.

That is, you will have to change the filter element in the sediment prefilter every 6 to 9-months and the media in the main chank only needs changing about once every 5-years or so.

This is as close to an install it and then forget it point of entry filter system as you can get.

How Does It Stack Up Against Competitors?

No, the Pelican PC600 is not the best whole house filter on the market for smaller sized homes? But pound for pound with all of the features that it has, it certainly had no problem finding a home on our list of the best whole house filters.    

A list where it can be found in the #5 position and that means this model whole house water filter compares very favorably to the many similar types of water filtration systems that are found in the marketplace.

My Final Opinion on the Pelican PC600

If you have a home with 1 to 3 bathrooms and you have chlorinated water coming into your home, then the Pelican PC600 can never be considered to be a bad choice for you.

It will also remove or reduce some other harmful impurities that are very commonly found in municipal water supplies even after that water has been treated.

While the initial price of purchasing it may shock you a little, if you consider its long useful life, then it actually is a very economical choice in whole home water filtration.

Add in the fact that it’s easy to install and virtually maintenance-free, then you can see why this is a popular POE filtration solution for so many homeowners. 

Check Out The Pelican PC600

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AUTHOR
Craig Smith
Craig got his start in water working in the swimming pool and spa industry. Water treatment would grow into his main career but he ended up working in the pool industry for over 26 years where much of his time was spent balancing the water in customer's swimming pools and installing water filtration equipment. Craig offers an abundance of water treatment knowledge after helping homeowners get pure water for 26 years.

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