Many water filters are available today so that you and your family can enjoy clean drinking water and filtered water in the shower and bath. Domestic water filtration is good. There are many brands and types of water filters. We will talk about some of them here. Next, you’ll learn a bit about Aquasana, Watts, and Crystal Quest water filters.
There are many variations on home water filtration systems. Some, like the whole house water filter, can be used to filter water that comes from the main water system. All your faucets and showers will receive filtered water. These water systems can be expensive but also adjustable depending on the impurities you want to remove.
Reverse osmosis is another form of home water filter system that literally rids the water of all contaminants and minerals. It is not commonly found attached to the entire house, but just under a particular sink. It is for drinking water mainly.
A very common household water filter is the one you see mounted under the sink. These canister water filters will normally be connected to your cold water line. They are mainly used to filter drinking water, but some are on all the time. The common replacement time for these filters is approximately 6 months. They also have different ratings as to how many gallons they can successfully serve before needing replacement.
There are also countertop and faucet water filters. These are placed near the sink with a line running to the spout. Usually you flip the switch and you get filtered water. The faucet water filter is actually attached to the spout and sits on top or to the side. Again, hit the switch for filtered water.
The most commonly seen home water purification systems are the cooler jug type. These are a pitcher or container containing a small filter. The filter is usually in two sections, one of which is activated carbon and the other section contains KDF filter media to remove chemicals that the carbon does not. Many owners and reviewers report great success with these as far as better flavor. Replacement times for these types of filters are about every 2 months, so you should stock up on replacement cartridges.
The shower filter is a designated filter for the shower head. They are super easy to put on. Simply remove the old head and screw in the new cartridge. Of course, if you had a whole house water filter, you wouldn’t need one of these. But for living in an apartment or renting, they are perfect.
The largest, all-inclusive water filtration system is the whole house filter. They can often have four sections or stages. Sometimes even more than that. The unit in the first position has a 5 micron filter. This stage filters the sediment and will not clog the filter or reduce flow. Stage two is made of copper and zinc where the granules are fused by spraying with water. By separating the atoms of the contaminants, they are easy to remove. You can change the molecular structure of chlorine and turn it into zinc chloride, which is harmless. Stage three of this home water filter is filled with activated carbon. This is a larger grain and helps to remove pesticides, chlorine and improve flavor. It is commonly considered one of the most useful media available for filtering water. The fourth stage contains coconut shell activated carbon that offers high absorption capabilities. Carbon has a large surface area because of all the holes in it. Therefore, you can remove more contaminants this way. However, charcoal does not filter chemicals as well as chlorine does. You need another type of media for many chemicals.
It is common practice for water filter companies to offer different levels of replacement water filter cartridges. So you can customize your system if you use one of these types of filters. Not only can you get all-in-one cartridges, but many companies like Crystal Quest have separate cartridges for each stage.
The two-stage filtration system used by Aquasana helps remove contaminants with sub-micron filtration, carbon and ion exchange. Removes chlorine, synthetic chemicals, VOC’s or volatile organic chemicals, lead, THMs or Trichlorethanes, solvents, herbicides, pesticides, cysts or parasites resistant to chlorine and turbidity.
Home water filters generally do a great job of removing contamination. The most common filters, like Aquasana’s AQ-4000, require a cartridge replacement every 500 gallons or approximately 6 months. While Aquasana’s Whole House Filter can handle 300,000 gallons of water before a filter change is needed, most filters, like shower filters, will need to be replaced after 6 months to remain effective. (Update: There are exceptions to this 6 month rule. Whole house water filters that are custom designed like the small business Pure Elements designs can last up to around 10 years without any maintenance at all. That’s amazing and almost maintenance free).
Crystal Quest makes a completely disposable water filter. This filter comes in a sealed container. It fits under your sink and will stop allowing water to flow through it when you need to change it. So you just replace everything. The time frame for this is usually 1-3 years depending on how much you use the filter. Crystal Quest also makes a shower filter that only requires a water filter replacement once a year. That’s better than the normal 6 months.
The Watts Premier UF 3-Stage Filtration System is economical. The filter uses carbon and sediment to achieve quality filtration. This little system removes much of the sand and sediment found in some homes. It also eliminates lead, chlorine and bad tastes. But the biggest selling point of this filter is the ease of cartridge replacement. It is simply done by pressing a button that releases the filter. Nothing to screw under the sink in tight spaces. Just press the button, release the old filter and put in a new one.
The more filter replacements you need to make affects the total cost of keeping your home water filtration working properly. So some cheap filters can cost more over time due to all the replacement filters required to keep them working optimally. Just something to think about.
