Buying the right water filter for your home

As we grow increasingly conscious of our environment, it has become clear that when possible we should skip bottled water and invest in a water-filtering system. Your filtering needs should be determined by the quality of the tap water in your home and what chemicals and other contaminants may be common to your location. Installing a filter means that you control the quality of your water.

How clean is your tap water?

What’s in your water? You can find out from your local utility water-quality report or consumer confidence report. If you think that your utility company won’t give you this information, you’re wrong: it’s actually required by law. All you have to do is ask. Sometimes they will send the report by mail, or you can check the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) website where some reports are posted. Upon receiving the report: Read it, even if it’s boring and it says off the top that your water is safe. Keep in mind that most reports will have some sort of violation, but hopefully nothing dangerously unhealthy. Keep in mind that contamination levels change with the seasons and look out for spikes; you’ll want to be able to adjust your filter for them.

What to look for in a water filter

Before you decide on a filter, you might want to estimate how much water you use daily. If you have an infant in the house or someone with immune system deficiencies, be extra careful and purchase the filtering system that will eliminate the most particles and contaminants. You’ll also want to think about your lifestyle in relation to filter maintenance: how often should the filter cartridges be replaced and at what cost, how quickly will the filter deliver clean water, and do you need external assistance to install and service your filter?

Carafe filters

A carafe is a water-filtering jug that you can keep in your fridge for cold drinking water. It filters smaller quantities of water and no installation is necessary.

Water filtering carafes

Brita made this kind of water filtering widely known and accessible. However, the water usually trickles slowly from the filter, and the filter cartridges need to be changed fairly often. Filtration carafes can cost from $15 to $60, and replacement cartridges cost about $8 – 10 each.

Faucet-mounted filters

Faucet-mounted filters are also an easy do-it-yourself project. You can choose to have your water filtered or unfiltered by turning the mechanism on and off. The flow of water changes considerably on these and they can’t be used on just any faucet.

Faucet-mount water pitcher

Make sure the filter will fit your tap before you buy. These systems are inexpensive at $20 – 60, popularized by Pur.

Countertop filters

Again, you don’t need a plumber for a countertop filter and you can probably install it yourself. It filters larger amounts of water for cooking or drinking and you can still switch between filtered and unfiltered water. The drawback is the same as with the faucet-mounted filter: the flow of the water is slowed, and it can’t be installed on just any tap. It also takes up room on your counter and it’ll likely clash with your toaster. These systems cost $50 – 300.

Countertop water filters

Undersink filters

Undersink systems filter oodles of water without taking up any counter space. Also, you won’t have anything hanging off of your faucet. The obvious drawback is that you’ll need a plumber for the modifications and it will take up a lot of space in your cabinet. Plus, you’ll need a hole drilled in your countertop or sink for it. Undersink filtration systems cost $55 – 350.

Undersink water filters

Reverse-osmosis (hyperfiltration)

Great for removing contamination, a reverse-osmosis water filter can clear out dissolved items as well as arsenic, a highly deadly poisonous chemical. In terms of maintenance, you’ll need a plumber for installation, and you will have to sanitize it every once in a while with bleach. Now that’s not so bad, but in today’s environmentally conscious world, the three to five gallons worth of waste water per one gallon is extremely wasteful. In addition, reverse osmosis is the most expensive of the bunch at $160 – 450.

Whole-house filtering system

A whole-house system removes the basics: sediment, rust and even chlorine from the water coming into your house. The cartridges last a while so you don’t have to break the budget replacing them constantly. The drawback is that it won’t remove other contaminants, like most metals and VOCs (volatile organic chemicals), and it requires professional installation. Installation prices vary; the system itself costs $30 – 300.

Carbon filters

Carbon or charcoal filters are the most commonly used filters for removing certain impurities. They are used in the reverse-osmosis process, for example. Carbon is an element that attracts harmful substances and prevents them from passing through to your water. Carbon filters get rid of the chlorine odor and improve the taste of the water. Some even are positively charged and activated to attract the negatively charged ions in impure contaminants. Not all carbon filters can get rid of lead, but if you want to rid your water of that harmful element, you’ll need to find one that can.

Additional filter features

Your filtering system may come with additional features such as: ultraviolet light that kills viruses and bacteria, a filter change indicator in case you forget, ionized filters that separate acidic and basic elements in water to remove harmful ones, and distillers that boil water to create steam and condensed water. Distillation will get you the purest water but will remove helpful minerals in the process.

Water distillers

Carafes and faucet-mounts can be found at most home supply or department stores. Companies like Culligan offer a whole range of water filtering systems with installations. Let’s go shopping and then raise a glass of pure, clean water from your new filter!