How Do I Choose the Best Water Purification Filters?

Quality water purification filters can remove much of the contaminants that can leak into the water supply. Choosing the best entails finding one that suits your needs, whether for portable or home use, and one that filters out the most contaminants but leaves in the beneficial minerals that may be present in your water. If you are purchasing a replacement filter, you need to also ensure that it fits the existing system.

A variety of water purification filters are available, including portable filters, filters that fit on your water faucet and those that can filter water in an entire house. There are also a variety of ways to filter the water, although the most common are distillation, deionization, activated carbon and reverse osmosis. Each type of filter has its advantages, both in the way it fits into your water system and how it filters. For example, deionization filters remove dissolved inorganic materials effectively but don’t effectively remove bacteria.

If you want to use a filter just for drinking water, a small pitcher that uses activated carbon water purification filters would be effective. They are relatively inexpensive and filter out water effectively. Filters that attach to the faucet can provide you with filtered water for cooking and drinking, and they can take up less space than a pitcher or carafe filter. Under-the-sink filters can provide similar functionality, often with more effective filtering methods. Water purification filters that purify all the water in a house are actually fairly inexpensive, but often don’t remove as much contaminants as other varieties.

To choose the best water purification filter method, it’s a good idea to compare what each can eliminate from the drinking water and what contaminants are a problem in your area. Many government agencies publish reports that list what contaminants or minerals are most prevalent in the water supply. Most filters list on the label what they can eliminate and what they leave in the water. If not, many third party reviews, both online and off, offer detailed reports of what each filter does. Many of the review sites, particularly those that don’t sell filters, offer unbiased opinions regarding the effectiveness of each.

After deciding on what type of filter you want, check with various water supply stores, hardware stores and online outlets for the best prices. Many of the smaller water purification filters are less expensive online. One thing to keep in mind is you might need to have a plumber install it, depending on what type you buy.