GE Smartwater undercounter - filter questions

[jgmclean]

I have 2 questions for the experts:

1. I have had the 2-stage GE undercounter system for drinking water for some time. There are two types of replacement cartridges. They are nearly identical in specs beyond the following.

FQSLF- (yellow stripe) - Lead/Cysts, coverage for Toxaphene and 2,4-D, 96% mercury reduction
FQSVF - (green stripe) - Lead/Cysts/VOC, no listed coverage for Toxaphene or 2,4-D, 90% mercury reduction

I've always wondered what these differences mean to me. I am on a community well system, we use the filter for all drinking water as well as coffee/tea, on the order of 1-2 gallons per day. The immediate area has both agriculture and golf courses, so fertilizer residue is a concern; I *think* this means VOC coverage is key but am I giving something up with the green stripe cartridges?

For a while I put one of each filter in for "full" coverage but I'm not sure this is the right thing to do.

(Also do you sell these filters and if so can you provide a link.)

2. I also got into the habit of replacing one filter at a time (moving the second-in-line filter to the front and putting the new one in the second spot), figuring that the first filter does most of the work and so the second one has plenty of life left in it. Is this acceptable/advisable?

Thanks for any help.

[jgmclean]

bump -