My parents moved into a townhouse community a while ago, and when I've gone to visit, I've found they have a lot of water problems. Aside from the pressure being low, which is merely an inconvenience, the water tastes and smells dirty and very fishy. Cooking with it alters the taste of meals, and using one or two blocks of ice ruins a whole drink. Sometimes even the dishes and clothes have a slight odour after being washed. Occasionally I've turned on the tap to see the water coming out brown, enough that the sinks have to be scrubbed to remove residue. The townhouse community was only built about 5 years ago, and it all runs the local water supply.

I've installed water purification on the taps, but I've recently discovered that it's possible to buy whole house filtration systems. I have no idea how to go about researching these. Does anyone have experience with them? How are they, cost-wise? Are they worth the investment? Do they require a lot of construction, maintenance, etc?
Any other opinions or advice about finding out why the water is so problematic, dealing with the problems, and/or water filtration would be appreciated.

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