The Best Water Filtration

Most people are amazed to discover that the water they are drinking… whether from a water treatment plant, or a well, or bottled water, or filters they have purchased… is probably not safe. There are so many different contaminants in today’s water that most treatment and filtration technologies simply cannot keep up with them. So, it is really up to each individual and family to ensure that they have safe water to drink, cook with, and bathe in.

No water treatment technology fits all

The first thing to understand is that getting the right water treatment system involves doing some homework. No two water sources are alike. The simple fact is that there isn’t an off the shelf solution from a home repair store that will work for everyone. So, get accustomed to the idea that you will need to find out what your water is like and then find a water treatment system that actually gives you safe water at the best possible price.

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Point of entry (POE) vs. Point of use (POU) systems

Personal water treatment systems can be classified into two basic types — POE systems and POU systems. POE systems treat the water where it enters the home. They are also know as “whole house” water filtration systems. As you would expect, the amount of water flowing through a POE system is much greater than the amount flowing at a single faucet in you home. That means that the systems is larger and must be located somewhere like a basement or utility room. Ideally, they are located where the water enters the house from the point of supply (water line or well). POE systems are also more complex than POU systems, and the require a plumber that is familiar with local building codes to install them. Because of their size, complexity, and requirements for a plumber, they are more expensive than POU systems.

5 Stage Counter Top POU System

On the other hand, POU systems are installed at the faucet where the water is actually being used… at the kitchen sink, on the ice maker, etc. POU systems range from fairly elaborate, multi-cartridge systems that fit under the sink to filters that attach to showers to water pitcher type systems. Recent entries include “straw” type filters for use while camping and portable filtration units for travel. No doubt you have seen some of these systems on TV. Some of these systems can be purchase off the shelf, but have restricted effectiveness. Under the counter and counter top multi-stage systems can be highly effective through the proper selection of the individual cartridge elements for the specific characteristics of the water being filtered.

The obvious difference between POE and POU systems is that POE systems filter every single drop of water entering the home and POU systems only filter the faucets that they are attached to. This is an important consideration. It’s easy to understand why it’s important to have safe water to drink and cook with. It’s less obvious that dangerous contaminants can enter your body through the skin when you bathe or even when you breathe while you shower. It’s also important to understand that POE systems may be necessary for water problems like excessive hardness, iron, manganese, unpleasant odors, excessive turbidity, microbiologically contaminants, high alkalinity, arsenic, methane gas, or other things that only POE systems can effectively remove… and one of the biggest considerations is that if you live in an area whose water treatment plant uses chloramines as a disinfectant a POE system may be the only option.

Your specific water condition is what determines the type of filter that will be effective for you… and in some cases you may need different types of filters in different locations throughout your home or business. If a POE system seems like the best solution, then it’s critical to have a system custom engineered for you so that it can solve your water problems at the lowest possible cost.

Testing your water

Pur Test Kit For In Home Testing Of Municipal Water Supplies

The first step in getting safe water is finding what your water is really like. There are many different water quality test kits on the market, and, like filters, they come in a variety of price ranges and abilities. If you use municipal water then you are a step ahead because you can call your water treatment plant and ask for their water quality report. This report will tell you what is used to disinfect the water (chlorine and/or chloramine) and will tell you the quality of the water when it leaves the water treatment plant. However, the water that leaves the plant is not necessarily the water that comes out of your tap. Contaminants can be introduced in the pipes delivering water to your home or in the pipes and fixtures in your home itself. So, you will still need to use a test kit, but you can probably get by with one of the less expensive kits. A simple $19.95 test will check for bacteria, lead, pesticides, nitrates, nitrites, chlorine, pH, and hardness. Simple test kits range up to around $50. As you would expect, the more you spend, the more things are being tested for. The nice feature of these kits is that you get results right away.

Watercheck Test Kit For Wells

If you have a well, then you should get a more comprehensive test kit. These test kits cost about $170 and will test for a wide variety of possible contaminants. Unlike the simple home test kits, the more expensive test kits really are just a specific way for you to collect water to sent to a professional lab for analysis. This requires overnight shipment, so figure another $30 into your total testing cost.

When it comes to test kits, remember that you are doing something that directly impacts the health of you and your family. In addition, testing your water is not something you will do every day… every month… or even every year. Don’t be cheap.

Water Quality Factors

Listed below are the most important things to look for in water saftey. The most critical are listed first. Any water filtration system you use should result in water that meets these minimum requirements.

The water should be at least 99.9999% free of all bacteria. Actually, the more bacteria that is removed the better. You won’t find a system that removes 100%, but some get very close.

The water should be at least 99.95% free of all cysts. One cyst can make you very ill. Again, the more reduction, the better.

The water should be free of lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, cyanide, and aluminum. Older water mains and plumbing are often culprits in introducing these contaminants. They are all serious health threats and should be reduced to as near zero as possible.

Arsneic should be reduced to less than 1 part per billion. Arsenic is widespread in both municipal supplies and wells. The danger is that the EPA limit is 10 parts per billion for economic considerations. That means if there is arsenic in your local water it is too much for health considerations.

The water should be free of chlorine and chlorine disinfection by-products like trihalomethanes. Chlorine is bad for you in two ways. First, ingesting chlorine is a bad thing. Would you consider drinking bleach? Second, when chlorine does disinfect, it leaves by-products that are dangerous and carcenogenic. It’s important that all this be reduced to near zero levels.

The water should be free of chloramines and ammonia. Chloramines are being used in many municipalities as an alternative to chlorine. Unfortunately, that was undertaken prior to any significant short term or long term research studies. Chloramines are also extremely harmful to the body and also cause disinfection by-products. The bad news is that most water filtration technologies are completely ineffective at removing chloramines.

The water should be free of pesticides, herbicides, fuel additives, pharmaceutical residues, personal care product residues. Really, not much more needs to be said. These things are all obviously bad to ingest.

The water should taste and smell good.

The water should be free of fluoride. Despite years of propaganda about how important fluoride is in preventing tooth decay, the fact is that fluoride is an extremely dangerous toxin. This is very bad stuff that increases lead uptake, creates permeable gut syndrome, interferes with normal thyroid function, contributes to arthritis, and harms the pituitary and the production of melatonin.

The water should have less that 10 parts per million of nitrates. Nitrates impair the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. This is very important to test for if you have a well.

The water should have calcium and magnesium. Look for 171 milligrams of these minerals per liter of water.

The water should NOT be able to support the growth of microorganisms. This is important if you dispense water into pitchers or bottles.

The water should not have a “rotten-egg” odor. This is a problem related to sulfates in the water. It’s main negative impact is on the value of the home.

The water should not have excessive levels of iron and manganese. These elements product stains on fixtures and appliances and can stain laundry. At higher levels, they can even damage plumbing parts and water treatment appliances like water softeners.

The water should not be corrosive. Corrosive water damage plumbing and can release high levels of copper into your water resulting in pancreatitis and other digestive difficulties.

The water should not be hard. Water containing over 3 grains per gallon of hardness-causing minerals creates limescale deposits on windows, shower enclosures, tubs, and fixtures. The hardness also costs you money because you will need to use more soap to get a cleaning job done.

Water filter and water filtration system factors

The following factors are important for you to consider in purchasing a water filtration or water treament system whether a POE or POU system

• The system should not require electricity to operate.
• The system must not deliver unsafe water if a component fails.
• The system should be designed around standard size plumbing components.
• The system should produce as much water as you need to use.
• The system should be durable.
• The system should not waste large amounts of water.
• The system should be easy to install.
• The system should be easy to maintain with components that can be found and easily replaced.
• The system should be effective but reasonably inexpensive.
• The system should be reasonably inexpensive to maintain and operate.

A Comparison of POU Technologies

The follow chart is useful for comparing different Point of Use technologies on the factors discussed above. 

A little examination of this chart shows that different technologies produce different results. Some are very effective for most water conditions, others are effective for only a few water conditions, ans still others actually can make the water more dangerous.

Remember that you must take personal responsibility to ensure that your water is safe. Use this set of guidelines as a starting point and remember that your filtration strategy must be design to meet your specific water conditions. 

For more information please link to our Best Water Filtration Step By Step Water Filtration Buyers Guide