water filter system

If your shopping for a water filter or thinking about doing so, there are so many different types available, it may seem like a daunting task. There are many products available that will improve the quality of your water. With a little bit of research, you will find the perfect water filter for you.

Hopefully, this article will make the process easier for you. Before we get started, I want to point out that if you currently have a water filtration system in place, then be sure to purchase a replacement from the original manufacturer.

Types Of Water Filters

· Faucet-Mount Water Filters

These filters attach to your kitchen or bathroom faucet. They reduce chlorine, dirt, rust and sediment that may be picked up by the water as it moves through old pipes on it's way to your home. Your water will also taste and smell better once installation has been done. If you're wondering if the installation process is quick and easy, the answer is yes.

· Refrigerator Filters

Almost all refrigerators that have an in the door water dispenser are equipped with a water filtration system. Some of these type of refrigerators filter only the water but some actually filter the ice in the ice maker.

· Shower Filters

Standard shower filters are another option that has been shown to reduce chlorine. Other benefits include softer skin and hair and a more balanced pH. They are also simple to install.

· Water Softeners

Water softeners remove harmful minerals in the water that can leave a residue on everything and eventually lead to wear and tear. A water softener can benefit your home by not only reducing build up in plumbing and heating appliances, but will also save you money on energy costs, cleaning supplies and clothing.

· Whole House water Filtration System

A filter system for your entire home is a great option if the idea of having filters on all your water faucets and shower appeal to you. You will also notice softer water when it comes to your laundry appliances and dishwasher.

There are so many reasons why filtered water is simple a better option that tap water. High quality filters provide a healthy alternative that is affordable, safe for the environment and improves not only the quality of your health but also enhances your quality of living.

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If you have decided to buy and install a water filtering system in your house and have been in a specialized shop, you must have noticed that there are several types of such systems. But what is the most appropriate for you and your family?

In order to establish what water filtering system you should buy, you should know some facts about the most common water filtering systems on the market.

Pitcher filters have several advantages over other such systems because they are very easy to use. They actually are a huge recipient in which you pour the water that passes through a series of filters to go to the main canister. It has the advantage of speed, as pitcher water filters take only several minutes to filter all the water. However, because they cannot filter large quantities at a time, pitcher filters are only recommended if you need filtered water occasionally.

If you require a water filtering system that works around the clock to protect you and your family, you should choose a faucet mounted filter. They are installed under your faucet to filter all the water that reaches your home. They have the advantage of being permanently installed in your house, so all the cold water gets filtered for safe use.

However, faucet mounted filters are somewhat more expensive and they take a bit longer to install compared to a pitcher water filter. You may also need to replace the filter from under your faucet when it has lived its life. The water filter's lifespan depends on the materials they are made of and how much cold water you use.

At the same time, there are several types of faucet mounted filters (there are simpler filters, with only one filtering system and there are more advanced models, that have several such filters).

If you live in an area where the cold water is not appropriate for human consumption, you should buy a water filtering system right away. They work by passing the water through different materials and layers of filtering materials, absorbing all the debris found in the water and also killing all existing bacteria. You can avoid many medical problems by only consuming water that has passed through a water filtering system.

Water filtering systems are very affordable nowadays and they are not considered a luxury item anymore, but a vital part of your family's safety.

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In this article, we will look at reverse osmosis, distillation and multi-media block filter systems. You will discover drinking water filter vary widely in effectiveness, required maintenance, speed of filtering, and cost per gallon of filtered water produced. You will also acquire the information you need to choose the best drinking water filter system for your family.

In my opinion, you can pick any of the drinking water filters, outside of your own body, and it is a good one. But some are much better than others.

First, let's look at the reverse osmosis (RO) system.

This system works by forcing water, under pressure, against a semi-permeable membrane which will remove any particles larger than a water molecule. At this stage the RO filter is really just an inefficient, costly pre-filter because:

1. RO systems won't remove chlorine, pesticides or many other toxic synthetic organic chemicals, whose molecular size is smaller than water's so they must be use in conjunction with carbon filters.
2. Even under the required water pressure, two-thirds or more of the water molecules cannot be forced through the membrane and go down the drain as wasted water.
3. RO systems are slow, yielding less than one gallon per hour of filtered water and, consequently, they require a storage tank to give an adequate supply of water.
4. The membrane in the filter will remove metals such as lead, but it also removes minerals our bodies need such as calcium, potassium and magnesium making the water acidic which some health officials consider "unhealthy" water.

The RO system requires considerable maintenance and produces comparatively expensive water at about 18 to 24 cents per gallon.

Next up is the distillation system (D)

Distillation is similar to nature's recycling system. In nature the sun heats the water; it evaporates and rises to the upper atmosphere, condenses in the cooler air and falls as rain.

In the D system, water is passed over a heated coil, the steam rises, goes into a cooling chamber (where the contaminants remain), and condenses back to a liquid.

This system is very effective against bacteria. Any bugs chlorine might have missed such as cysts like Cryptosporidium and Giardia (bad bugs), will be zapped by distillation.

And, yes, the D system will get the lead out, but, like the RO system, it removes the healthful trace minerals as well.

Again, like the RO system, chlorine and other toxic chemicals sneak by because they vaporize at a lower temperature than water, go up into the cooling chamber, condense and return with the water. Also, like the RO systems, D systems must be used in conjunction with a carbon filter.

Distillation, like reverse osmosis, is slow and wasteful, wasting up to 80 percent of the water used. Distillation produces filtered water at a cost of 20 to 26 cents per gallon.

Lastly, let's look at multi-media block filters.

In the earlier version of these filters, water was simply forced through a cylinder filled with granular activated charcoal (GAC), or carbon. Activated charcoal was used because it was recognized by the EPA as the best filtering media for removing chlorine, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) and synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs).

However, these first systems had a tendency to:

1. Allow some water to flow between the filter's walls and the carbon, so, not all the water was filtered and,
2. There was some concern about these filters not being capable of removing the tiny microbes such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, or the more difficult to remove chemical compounds.

Both of these issues were resolved with the introduction of multi-media block filter technology.

This technology utilized the advantages of the activated carbon by making it a part of a blended filter media with a sub-micron structure that is extruded or formed into a solid block.

This multi-media block filter system:

1. Removes VOCs and SOCs, which, by the way, make up most of our pharmaceuticals and prescription drugs, herbicides, pesticides, etc. that are increasingly appearing in our water systems, and,
2. Removes the tiny microbes and the more difficult to remove chemical compounds and,
3. The solid block construction prevents the water from channeling around the filter media.

Multi-media block filtration systems have now come to the forefront of drinking water filter technology.

These filters work simply, (no pumps or storage tanks are required). They are efficient, quick and very economical, producing a steady supply of good, safe water for less than 10 cents a gallon.

In my opinion, they are by far the best choice of the home drinking water filters.

The water filter installed in your home is supposed to help you by filtering and cleaning the water that reaches your faucet. Because today's rivers and streams (even underground water supplies) are more and more polluted and the demand for fresh water in on the rise, water purifying plants cannot always offer you pure water.

To increase the level of protection for you and your family, you should install a cold water filter. But once you have installed such a water filter, it will not function forever. Water filter manufacturers specify that you should keep your filter in a good shape by avoiding damaging it and replacing it after its lifespan has ended.

Most people forget to replace the water filter and by doing so, they expose themselves and their family to more severe perils then to not having a water filter at all.

To understand why changing your water filter is vital, you should know how water filters work. Most modern water filters are based on the carbon's property to absorb impurities from the water. The carbon filters are thicker then ordinary filters, taking the water longer to pass through all the filter's layers, ending up with more pure and cleaner water.

The carbon water filter also absorbs bacteria and chemicals (such as pesticides) from the cold water in addition to the debris, but when the filter gets clogged, its purifying and cleaning properties will decrease. These sediments that gather in your water filter contain bacteria and other dangerous substances and if you do not change it at the recommended moment, you will end up with all these substances and debris in your cold water.

Replacing the water filter is fairly easy. Water filter manufacturers provide replacement filters at affordable prices, so buying them is not an issue. Changing the filter is also straightforward, as all you have to do is take the old filter out of its socket and put the new one in its place. Simply unlock the filter canister by turning its cap about one fourth turn to the left and redo the procedure, in the reverse order, to replace the water filter.

You can find the best prices for a replacement water filter either at online shops or in local hardware and plumbing stores. Just make sure you buy the exact filter suitable for your own type of cold water filter.

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To some "Water, Water, Everywhere!" is a comic story but to others in other parts of the world, it's not amusing. Despite its abundance on earth, water has been one of the scarcest commodities both in quantity and in quality. In spite of advances in technology, drought and water borne diseases are common place globally. Drinking water supplies are exposed to all sorts of contamination sources and therefore causing confusion among consumers about their water quality. On one hand we are lead to believe that drinking water is well treated and safe to drink, on the other hand we can see news reports about few inefficient water treatment plants, or operators who try to manipulate water testing results. Water advisories are common-advising consumers to flush their water before they drink when certain contamination is discovered.

One sort of relief is that EPA indicated in "Water on Tap" report that the "actual events of drinking water contamination are rare, and typically do not occur at levels likely to pose health concerns." But the report says further that "there are growing numbers of activities that can contaminate our drinking water." Drinking water supply (surface and groundwater) can be exposed to such contaminants from combined sewer overflows, sanitary overflows, stormwater runoffs, concentrated animal feeding operations, failed septic tank discharges, and a host of others. These contaminants range from fertilizer, pesticides, pharmaceutical drugs, toxic wastes, oil, adionuclides, and metals. (USEPA, 2003)

Contamination from the source

Drinking water supply is sometimes exposed to harmful contaminants right from the source. Disease-causing bacteria can get into municipal drinking water, well water, or contaminated ice. According to the 2002 CDC report, from 1985 to 2000, 251 outbreaks and 462,169 cases of waterborne illness related to contaminated drinking water were reported. Some of these cases were linked to surface water supply sources that have been contaminated by sewage. Some drinking water contaminations have been linked to Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSO) and raw sewage discharges into water distribution lines. Forty two percent of water water-borne disease outbreak was linked to Giardia.

EPA identified 59 CSO outfalls in seven states having outfalls within one mile of drinking water intake. Although the Report to Congress did not find any relationship between a CSO discharges from these outfalls and the transport of contaminants to the vicinity of drinking water intake, it says a more complex modeling is needed to do a better study. (USEPA, 2004)

Contaminants from home plumbing systems:

Water can be contaminated by lead in home plumbing systems. Lead contamination can lead to a variety of health problems. According to EPA, "in babies and children, exposure to lead in drinking water above the action level of 0.015 mg/l can result in delays in physical and mental development." While it is rare that lead can contaminate water from the supply, lead can leach to drinking water from corroded pipes in homes that have lead pipes, joints, and solder.

How to obtain fresh tasting and healthy water - The good news is that advancement in water treatment technology has made it possible to remove these water contaminants from our drinking water. Although, technology has not caught up with the pharmaceutical water contamination, most water treatment devices can remove drugs that contain volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). According to the NSF International, although many of the NSF certified water treatment devices are specifically designed to remove pharmaceuticals right now "many of these products can help provide additional protection against wide array of other contaminants." Consumers have a wide selection of water treatment devices to choose from and you don't have to buy bottled water-which can cost you lots of money annually, to obtain healthy water. In fact, studies have shown that some bottled water contains some level of bacteria. This is because tap water and bottled water are not regulated by the same standards and the same agencies.

An NRDC study showed that one third of 103 brands of bottled water tested contained some levels of contamination which includes traces of arsenic and E. coli. (NRDC, 999). Also, home filtration systems can improve the taste or appearance of tap water at a minimal cost. According to an FDA Consumer magazine article "water purified with these products typically costs less than buying bottled water. According to Brita, its high-end faucet filter system provides water for 18 cents a gallon, a considerable saving from $1 or more typically charged for an 8- to 12-ounce bottle of water." (FDA, 2002)

Before you buy a water treatment device Experts recommend that you should find out what types of contaminants are in your water before you decide on which water treatment device to buy. Home water testing kits cost between $9.00 for single parameter to about $99, or more, if you want to test for multiple parameters. The bottom line is the cost of testing your water is less because you don't want to buy or be pressured to buy a certain water filter just because a salesman says it's good.

A typical water filter device is designed to treat one or more contaminants. Most water treatment devices are certified by National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) International. NSF (not to be confused with National Science Foundation) is an independent third party organization that has tested and certified thousands of water treatment devices such as home water filter, softeners, and purifiers to confirm treatment claims. Once you have confirmed what's in your water and have researched two or three water filters, you should confirm claims of treatment by these water filter manufacturers, then, make selection for the best water filter or purifier. If the treatment device you find is not certified, call the manufacturer to find out why. Beware that a treatment device may be tested but not necessarily certified by NSF.

What choices do you have?

Again, your choice of a filter device will depend on what your test confirms. For most, using a water filter may not be an issue but for those with compromised immune systems, it may be a necessity. Different options are commercially available. You may purchase a point-of-entry (POE) water treatment device if you want to treat all the water coming to your house. A POE or a whole house water filter is installed at the water main where water enters the house which will require an experience plumber to install. A point-of-use (POU) device is installed at the points where water will be dispensed around the house. These types of devices come as undersink or under counter, countertop, carafe, showerhead, and refrigerator water filters.

A POE (whole house water filter) can be fitted with activated carbon and reverse osmosis filters in that order. Some come as multiple-stage units fitted with more than one series of activated carbon filter to protect the reverse osmosis filter. Multi-Pure ($629), Apec ($385-$469), Aquasana ($799) are some of the few POE filters that are NSF-certified.

Water softeners are ideal for homes with hard water. You may want to check with your local government is water softeners are allowed due to elevated chlorides discharge from softeners. Most wastewater treatment facilities are not designed to remove excess chlorides resulting in excessive violations of their permits. As a result, water softeners are being banned by some local governments. Prices vary for all types of water softeners.

For POU water treatment devices, countertop or tabletop water filter are available in various shapes and models. A tabletop water filter is ideal for home owners who do not want to tamper with plumbing, and for a tenant whose lease does not allow him/her to modify the plumbing system.

Undersink water filters require some plumbing work. This is ideal for water treatment at a single location in the house. Prices will depend on the models and type of filters in the device.

In conclusion, before you choose an appropriate water treatment device, review your CCR report or have your water tested. Consider the long term cost and health benefits and most important of all is to read the fine print. Research NSF-certified water treatment devices.

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The tap water that comes out of your faucet is perfect. Get a filter or be a filter. Which of these two sentences are more true? Both are partially true.

In many places, tap water does not taste good. In other places, tap water has tiny amounts of substances you would not want to drink - and over a lifetime might have an affect on you.

There are many kinds of potential problems in tap water. Even if your city provides good water, it has to travel a long way through old pipes on the way to your house.

I use a whole-house ten micron sediment filter to filter all water going into my house. I change the filters every five months, and they are filthy and red-colored, because of the rust and dirt in the water. When you use a whole-house filter, shower heads and faucet screens don't clog. Whole-house filters are separate from drinking water filters.

All reverse osmosis water systems require both sediment and carbon pre-filters. All filters need to be changed. Plan on changing sediment and carbon filters every six months or sooner, and reverse osmosis membranes every 2-3 years.

It's best to buy a dissolved solids meter, and test your water every month to make sure the system is working right. Pure water will measure zero parts per million of dissolved solids. Tap water will usually measure at least 200 parts per million.

Don't get a liquid chemical test set, get a $25-$50 portable battery-operated tester with a LCD readout. These cheap meters only show the total dissolved solids in water - they do not tell you what is in the water.

Water filter systems and replacement filters are available on Ebay and Amazon, and many other places - even retail stores.

The hardest parts of installing water filters are connecting to the supply side of the water into your house, connecting to a drain line for the waste water, and installing a clean water faucet onto your sink. The rest of a water filter installation is easy.

You may need a plumber, or to buy a system where they will install it for you. The best systems have clear plastic casings, so you can see how dirty the filters get. The best systems also use standard-sized replacement filters, so you don't have to buy tiny, expensive, and proprietary filters.

Reverse osmosis water filters require both a sediment and a carbon filter in front of them, to screen out the dirt and most of the junk, before the water enters the reverse osmosis filter.

A sediment filter blocks particles larger than five or ten microns. That's an improvement over tap water, but it does not help the taste, or filter out tiny or dissolved nasty stuff in the water. The next step is a carbon block filter.

Almost all carbon block filters are activated. Activation is a process where high pressure steam is passed through coal to purify it so that it becomes almost pure carbon. Carbon is the fourth most common element in the universe, and is needed for life. Carbon makes an excellent filter, especially when extruded into a solid block.

Activated carbon block filters strain water to trap much more particles than a sediment filter can. Activated carbon filters have a positive charge to attract chemicals and impurities. As the water passes through the positively-charged carbon, the negatively-charged contaminants are attracted and bound to the carbon.

Activated carbon block filters strain out sediment, dirt, bacteria, algae, chlorine, some pesticides, asbestos, and much more. They filter sub-micron size particles, making quality water that tastes good.

The water passing through activated carbon blocks still has some particles, chlorine, nitrates, fluoride, and other dissolved junk. The next step for the best quality water is a reverse osmosis filter.

Reverse osmosis filters force water through 0.0001 micron-wide holes, through semi-permeable membranes. Long sheets of membranes are sandwiched together and rolled up around a hollow central tube in a spiral.

The reverse osmosis filter removes 99% of the remaining junk in the water. It takes almost everything out, even the calcium and magnesium in the water. Most often a small carbon filter is used after the reverse osmosis filter, to improve the taste and catch a bit more of that 1% of junk the reverse osmosis filter lets go though.

Even after sediment, carbon block, and reverse osmosis filters, water is still not perfect. Chloramines and metal ions, while reduced, may still be in the water. For this reason, some systems include a final deionizing (DI) filter.

DI filters are usually cartridges filled with plastic-like resin crystals that grab the remaining ions in the water. After the DI filter, the water is very pure.

Reverse osmosis water filter generate waste water, and they produce only a few drops of clean water per minute. For this reason, most reverse osmosis systems have a storage tank to accumulate water. All reverse osmosis systems have a drain line for waste water, that is "wasted". The waste water can be used for plants, dumped down the drain, etc.

Ultra-pure water can grow algae very easily. When you take chlorine and other nasty stuff out of water, tiny microbes and sunlight can combine to make a perfect environment to grow harmless algae.

The quality of water filtered this way is cleaner than even distilled water. Some people think pure water tastes flat. Some people add a tiny amount of sea salt to pure water. For me, no salt is needed, pure water tastes like water should.

The Internet has baseless scare stories about how ultra pure water is dangerous. Hogwash. If you inject pure water, it may hurt you. Drinking pure water does not hurt anyone unless they are fasting.

The instant that pure water hits your mouth it's no longer pure. Nothing is better for making coffee, cooking, and ice cubes, than using pure water.

My observations over 20 years show that pets, plants, and people really like it. When growing sprouts - with pure water, I found they grew twice as fast as with tap water.

The truth is that ultra-pure water is missing minerals. If you get calcium and magnesium in your diet, you are more than ok. Ultra pure water has no lead, copper, barium, or other garbage.

For me the trade-off is clear. What I want from water is water. As long as you get calcium and other minerals from food or supplements you should be fine. Also, too much copper is not good for you, so why get it in your water?

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Water filters are available in a huge and sometimes confusing range of types and prices. The technical terms used are sometimes confusing and before making a major purchase you should satisfy yourself that the water filter has a large enough capacity to handle all your drinking water needs.

Home Water Filters vary from simple jug or bottle filters with a basic charcoal filter up to serious water processing filters that will produce crystal clear water of far higher quality than municipal tap water.

Cost is a major factor of course but there are some outstanding bargains in home water filters.

Remembering your budget, think about how much you spend every week on bottled water. Bottled water comes in either 2 litre or 5 litre plastic bottles and according to which plastic the bottler uses can have a strong taste from the plastic material. Many brands of bottled water are just bottled tap water. Municipal tap water normally contains various chemicals and possibly micro-organisms

The average family drinks from 30 to 40 litres of water every week and that works out at over $1500 a year! That is for basic supermarket bottled water â€" Fancy imported water would double or treble that cost. That would buy a pretty fancy tapwater filter.

Here is a breakdown of the different kinds of water filter available:

Jug type water filters - commonly the Brita is the most popular and is a good choice as it comes with a good filter cartridge. It is possible to use cheaper supermarket cartridges but these often leave an after taste and do not last as long. There is a counter top model which uses the same Brita filter and has a larger reservoir for filtered water/Filters last around 2 months. Most jug type filters are designed to fit into a refrigerator door. Lids on this type of filter are sometimes fragile.
Cartridges are widely available.

Refrigerator Filters - these are plumbed into a refrigerator.This is an easy to use filter that needs to be change every 6 months. Main advantage is that cold drinking water is always available on tap

Under sink water filters. These are plumbed in to your kitchen faucet and provide clean water on tap. They have the disadvantage of not removing micro-organisms. Should be changed every 2 or 3 months, Cost around $30 for new cartridge. Some units have a charcoal and a ceramic cartridge and the charcoal cartridge needs changing regularly. The Ceramic cartridge needs cleaning and can normally be reused.

Multi stage filters. These are usually a multi part filter system which may have three different filters. These are usually pumped systems so they need an electricity supply. First is a sand or gravel filter that removes organic matter (peat etc) next is a charcoal filter which cleans larger particles and is followed by a ceramic filter that filters out many micro-organisms. A refinement to this type of filter is a UV (Ultra Violet) filter that kills microbiological creatures like Giardia and Cryptosporidium which are the two main causes of stomach upsets from the water supply. Multi stage filters are basically similar to the filters used to filter water in aquariums for tropical fish but are on a larger scale. They can also be fitted as under counter units.

A further advanced filter is called the reverse osmosis filter. Although this filter produces excellent quality water, but the process is rather slow and can take a time to process enough for a large family.

Whole House Water filters are much larger but work on the same basis as multi stage water filters. They are correspondingly more expensive and many whole house water systems are designed for different house sizes. These will filter all water coming into your house and can also be incorporated with a rainwater collection system to cut down your water costs and needs. Think about how many bathrooms, toilets and water dependent machines you own (dishwasher, washing machine etc)when making your decision.

Advances in water filtration are always being made but these are the basic categories of water filters currently available

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Water streams are good substitutes for bottled water because it is economical (bottled water can cost hundreds of dollars/person in 1 year) environmentally friendly (because of the absence of plastic bottles for throwing), and it is convenient to use.

Here are the different types of the water filters:

Faucet stream Filters - the filter is placed directly to the top; the advantage of using this filter is the use of block-carbon filter for good and fine filtration. It is convenient to use because of the flip lever for clasping the unfiltered and filtered water. But this type of filter has its own disadvantages; it is prone to leaks, it has to be light to keep from hanging to the spout. Water flow needs to be controlled; opening tap to full can cause high pressure that can cause the filter off from the spout.

Pitcher stream Filters - this is a type of water jug that has an added top section for holding the filter, water is placed into the top then the water flows through the filter and be collected under. The advantage of this type is the reliability and long lasting, there is no possible high pressure of water that may cause stress to the filter. It is also easy to use because there is no installation that to be required and it is portable and able to be placed inside the refrigerator.

However, the disadvantage of this pitcher water filter is the need of refilling manually; it has a limited capacity that has to be refilled every day or few times in a day; when the gravity drips, it will take longer before the stream is filtered.

Counter-top Filters - this type of filter is large and about a foot in height, there is a hose that is fixed from faucet spout in able to divert water into the filter. The valve will permit the water to flow and switched to the filter and out by the faucet.

There are lots of benefits from this water filter system, it is convenient like the faucet to use; it utilizes block-carbon filter to produce fine filtration; there is no weight and size limitation and more reliable than the faucet filter. The disadvantage of this water filter is the difficulty in attaching the filter to the water spout of faucet outlets that are not standard.

Under-Sink Water Filter - the advantage of this type of water filter is similar as the advantages that you can get from the top water filters, but the added advantage of this filter system is the filter that is placed under the sink and it does not occupy counter spaces.

The disadvantage of this is the possible water leakage, because the filter is placed between the faucet and the water mains. It is not possible for switching unfiltered and filtered water if not using two faucets and the most difficult of everything is the installation of the filter.

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