Water Filter Overload And How To Make Sense Of Your Choices

2009-09-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

Overloaded with the vast number of water filtration products available? I hope to shed a little light on how to get started and make informed and intelligent decisions about your filtering needs.

When shopping for a water filter it is incredibly easy to become weighed down, even discouraged, with the hype, marketing and sheer number of choices. The NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) states that there are over 500 brands of water filters on the market. No wonder it seems so confusing.

However with a little research you can quickly start navigating your way through the marketing jungle and find the water filtration system that best meets your needs. I hope to provide some assistance based upon my personal research and understanding of what to look for.

The best way to start is to decide what it is you want your water treatment system to accomplish. Are you just frustrated with the off taste of your municipal water supply? Perhaps the mineral buildup on your bath and kitchen faucets is frustrating you. Is there a specific contaminant that has been identified in your water supply that you want to remove? Or, most commonly, you have realized that the chemicals used to purify our water are a health threat and you want to take control of the quality of the water you drink.

Starting with a water testing kit, or even better using a water testing lab, will give you a breakdown of just what contaminants, if any, are in your water. This will give you an idea of what level of filtration you will need in order to accomplish your water quality goal. There are many water testing products available but none will be as accurate as lab testing. In addition, if you could buy a test for every contaminant that a lab tests for (you can't) it would cost you two or three times more than if you had just let the lab do it for you.

Once you have your test results you are able to make an informed decision about what to filter from your water. If it is just the taste and a reduction of the chlorine used for purifying water at the public treatment plant then a simple carbon filter, aka. charcoal water filter, will do. These are what the water filter pitchers use along with the filters on faucets. Another style is the countertop water filter. Carbon is also used in larger systems which make use of a combination of technologies to create a more effective filtration system.

For removing lime and scale buildup common to hard water you will need a water softener. Water softeners work through a chemical reaction, when the water comes in contact with a medium (salt) the mineral ions are replaced with sodium ions. Since the sodium ions do not stick to anything like the minerals, the water is considered soft. Distillation or reverse osmosis can filter out the minerals but that would be a much more expensive method of accomplishing the task.

When it is a specific contaminant that you are wanting to remove it is a little more tricky. There is no way around a little research to learn which filtration method will git rid of the contaminant you have. I suggest looking to a few different resources and comparing the information.

Those who are looking to include the purest drinking water possible as part of their holistic health regimen are going to want to consider reverse osmosis water filtration. Reverse osmosis (RO) is the most effective method of removing the majority of the contaminants found in our water supplies. However RO filters need to be paired with a solid carbon block pre and post filter for maximum protection. RO systems typically are installed in under sink environments but do come in countertop and whole house models. An under sink reverse osmosis filter system will start at about $200 and can be as much as $700.

To summarize, know what you want to accomplish through water filtration and then learn to see if there is additional need via a water test. Once you have your test results re-evaluate if necessary and then research which filtration media and methods will provide the quality of water you are looking for. Armed with this information you will be able to make informed buying decisions about brands and models to meet your water filtration needs.

Water Filter Confusion?

Water Filter Overload And How To Make Sense Of Your Choices