The Caracal Package

A whole-house PFAS filter from Pentair — the FloPlus Protect 20BB, certified to reduce five PFAS compounds — with a catalytic carbon tank on a Clack WS1 valve ahead of it.

• A lab test has found PFAS in your water. EPA says that if PFAS have not been measured, or are below federal limits, a filter may not be useful to you.
• You want every tap treated, not only the kitchen.

• Soften the water, or remove arsenic, bacteria or nitrate. Pentair says not to use it on water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality without disinfection before or after it.
• Guarantee PFAS below EPA’s new drinking-water limits. EPA notes that today’s filter certifications do not yet show that.
• Carry its certification above 5 gpm: the certification does not cover higher flows (see Flow).

PFAS filter

Neil’s price list names a Pentair PFAS cartridge system. Pentair’s whole-house PFAS system is the FloPlus Protect 20BB (system 150736), the one this sheet describes: a 20-inch heavy-duty housing with a Fibredyne carbon-block cartridge, 1″ connections, a pressure-relief button for cartridge changes, a wrench and a mounting bracket (Pentair). The model is confirmed on your written estimate.

Carbon tank

A backwashing catalytic carbon tank on a Clack WS1 valve with a bypass, as in the Lynx. Tank size on your written estimate.

• The FloPlus Protect 20BB system is certified by IAPMO R&T to NSF/ANSI 53 for PFAS reduction, per Pentair: PFOA and PFOS combined 99.82%, PFHxS 99.39%, PFNA 98.34%, PFHpA 97.48% (Pentair’s performance data).
• The certification covers that system with its own cartridge, tested at 5 gpm, 60 psi and 68°F. It is a carbon-block filter; the catalytic carbon tank ahead of it is for chlorine.
• The carbon tank carries no PFAS certification.
• NSF/ANSI 53 tests reduction to a combined PFOA and PFOS level of 20 parts per trillion (Penn State). EPA says that is not yet proof of reaching its new limits.

• The PFAS cartridge: 40,000 gallons at 5 gpm, about 12 months (Pentair).
• The carbon tank is sized to your home’s flow; see the Lynx for sizes.

• Pentair lists a service flow of 5 gpm and certified the PFAS result at 5 gpm. When more than 5 gpm runs through it — several taps at once — the flow is outside the conditions it was certified at (our reading of Pentair’s data sheet).
• Pressure drop through a new cartridge: 3 psi at 5 gpm, 4.5 psi at 7 gpm and 7 psi at 10 gpm (Pentair).
• For scale: a shower head uses up to 2.5 gallons a minute (gpm) and a kitchen faucet up to 2.2 gpm (federal limits, EPA).

• Pentair’s limits: 30–90 psi, 40–100°F, cold water only, and not in direct sunlight.
• In Pentair’s test, the water going in carried 1,500 parts per trillion of PFOA and PFOS combined.

• Salt: none.
• Water: the carbon tank backwashes to a drain (see the Lynx).
• Electricity: an always-on outlet for the carbon tank’s valve (Charger’s filter manual). The PFAS filter needs none.

• Wall space for the 23″ × 7.5″ PFAS housing, plus room for the carbon tank. Pentair’s manual puts the top of the bracket at least 34″ off the floor, with 5″ clear below the housing for cartridge changes (its spec sheet says 2½″).
• A drain and an always-on outlet for the carbon tank (Charger’s filter manual).
• The carbon tank and its drain line never below 34°F, with the valve’s plug-in transformer in a dry spot (Charger’s filter manual). Pentair: protect the PFAS filter from freezing, which can crack it, and keep it on cold water only, out of direct sunlight.
• At least 10 feet of pipe from where treated water leaves the filter to the water heater’s cold-water inlet (Charger’s manual). If yours is closer, the extra pipe is quoted before any work.
• Septic: the carbon tank’s backwash water goes to the septic system.

• None added.

$3,450 installed, flat, anywhere in Yavapai County. Arizona sales tax on the parts is already in that price (CreekWell’s invoice terms). What is not included is listed below.

Not bookable yet. This work costs more than $1,000, which puts it outside what CreekWell can take on until its Arizona contractor licenses are issued. The details here are accurate so you can plan and compare. Why not yet?

Included

• Installation on your existing loop
• Testing before Neil leaves
• CreekWell’s two-year workmanship warranty

Not included

• The PFAS lab test before and after (optional; SimpleLab’s price)
• Replacement PFAS cartridges after the first
• New loop plumbing or code updates — quoted flat and approved by you first
• A drain if none is close enough — quoted first. A new outlet is electrical work, arranged separately
• Extra pipe if there is less than 10 feet of pipe between the system and the water heater (Charger’s manual) — quoted first

Running costs

• A PFAS cartridge about once a year (price on your estimate), and a PFAS lab test ($334 at SimpleLab’s price) whenever you want to see the result.
• The carbon tank: roughly 70–160 gallons of water each time it backwashes (our arithmetic, as on the Lynx), power for its valve, and in time new carbon.
• Neil has not published prices for this package’s replacement parts yet; your written estimate lists today’s prices before you approve anything.

Paying

• A 50% deposit sets the install date; the rest is due when it is in and tested.
• The written estimate is good for 30 days. If you cancel after the three business days the FTC’s Cooling-Off Rule gives when you sign at home, what happens to the deposit (for example, parts already ordered for you) is written on the estimate before you sign.
• Zelle, cash or check: no fee. A card fee, if you pay by card, is shown as its own line on the estimate (payment terms).

• Pentair’s coverage runs from the date Pentair ships the product and does not cover shipping or labor. Charger’s terms are as on the other packages.
• The 10 years are written for “any residential Pentair mineral tank”. The tank brand is on your written estimate.
• Charger does not cover: freezing, water above 120°F or pressure above 120 psi; a vacuum on the water line; damage from improper installation or maintenance, or any change from the original design; or damage from any circumstance beyond Charger’s control.
• The tank years apply only where the tanks were first installed, and the warranty does not cover consequential damages (other losses a failed part causes, beyond the part itself).
• Charger does not pay for the labor to take the old part out and fit the new one. Who pays that, in the first two years and after, is written on your estimate.
• To claim: call Neil, the installer, or Charger directly.
• Read the full warranty before you buy — it is linked under Documents.

• Before: a certified PFAS test ($334 at SimpleLab’s price) shows whether you need this at all.
• After: a second PFAS test is the only way to see the result at your taps. Not included.

• Installs on your existing loop.
• The carbon tank’s drain line is run to code with an air gap.
• Charger’s filter manual: connect the carbon tank to a supply line downstream of the outdoor spigots — past the point where the pipes to the outdoor taps branch off.
• Pentair’s warranty excludes installations that do not meet plumbing codes.
• The City of Prescott has adopted the 2024 International Plumbing Code; the county and other towns set their own.
• If a particular job turns out to need a permit, you are told before any work starts.

From the manufacturers

• Pentair FloPlus Protect 20BB specification and performance data
• Pentair FloPlus Protect 20BB installation manual
• Pentair residential filtration limited warranty
• Charger backwashing carbon filter spec sheet
• Clack catalytic carbon data sheet (contact time, flow per square foot)
• Charger limited warranty (the version linked from chargerwater.com)
• Charger’s PFAS statement

Independent guidance and listings

• EPA: reducing PFAS in your drinking water with a home filter
• Minnesota Department of Health: PFAS and home water treatment
• Penn State Extension: home water treatment for PFAS
• CDC: choosing a home water filter
• EPA WaterSense: showerhead flow limits
• EPA WaterSense: kitchen faucets (federal limit 2.2 gpm at 60 psi)

These are the manufacturers’ and agencies’ own documents. Links go to their sites and can change without notice.