Home Water Filter Types
Fresh water is vital to human life. A healthy person can drink about three
gallons of water every day. The daily recommended intake of water is eight cups
per day. The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water
daily. The largest use of water in the home occurs in the bathroom, which
includes the toilet, bath and shower. Out of all the water on earth, we can only
use about three tenths of one percent of this water. Our usable water is stored
in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.
Almost all drinking water contains small amounts of some contaminants. As long
as the amounts remain below certain levels, they pose no health risk to healthy
people. But people with weakened immune systems may be at risk even if their
drinking water is deemed to be safe. Every year, Americans spend billions of
dollars on home water treatment. Almost half of Americans use a home water
filter. Home water filter types range from simple, inexpensive pitchers to
sophisticated reverse osmosis systems.
Different types of home water filters remove different contaminants from your
drinking water. More sophisticated home water filters may use a combination of
filtration methods. Home water filters can be free-standing, attached to a water
tap, permanently installed in the faucet's plumbing, connected to a refrigerator
or ice maker, or centrally attached in a way that filters the entire home's
water supply.
Home water filters that only treat the water you consume are usually called
point-of-use filters. The most common point-of-use home water filter is the
water filtration pitcher, like the well-known Brita pitcher. Most water
filtration pitchers use activated carbon filters to remove contaminants. Pitcher
type home water filters are effective at improving taste and odor, and may also
reduce lead and other contaminants. They do not, however, remove disease-causing
organisms.
The activated carbon filters used by filtration pitchers require regular
replacement after a specified amount of water has been filtered. Check the
directions that came with the filtration pitcher for more information.
Another common example of home water filter types are filters that attach to
your faucet. Alternatively, these are sometimes installed under your sink and
deliver filtered water through a separate sink-top faucet. Faucet-attached or
undercounter home water filters usually are based on the same filtration
technology as water pitchers. A block of activated carbon or similar material
physically filters out contaminants. These point-of-use filters also improve
water taste and odor, while also filtering contaminants like lead. Filters have
a limited life and must be replaced regularly.
Distillers are home water filters that heat water to the boiling point, the
collect the condensing water vapor. Distillation kills disease-causing organisms
and removes most chemical contaminants, but may leave behind other impurities
like radon. Many people complain that the taste of distilled water is "flat."
This is because the distillation process removes dissolved oxygen and natural
minerals.
Reverse-osmosis home water filters work by using pressure to force water through
a semi-permeable membrane. Reverse-osmosis home water filters use about three
times as much water as they treat, but are the most effective of all home water
filter types. They effectively eliminate all disease-causing microbes and remove
most chemicals.
Devices that filter the water for your whole house are usually called
point-of-entry filters. Point-of-entry filters can reduce the dangers from
water-borne chemicals that turn into gases inside your home. Point-of-entry home
water filters also reduce problems related to water quality like scaling,
staining, and odor.
Aquasana Water Filters
Voted Best Buy by Consumers Digest 4 years running!
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