Don't buy just any tap water filter that you see on a shelf in a department store. You want a "real" tap water purifier and some of the most popular brands do not really purify. Here's how to tell the difference.
First of all, a company should provide product performance data. They should make it available "before" you buy, so that you know what you are getting. The problem is that most companies do not make the information readily available.
To find out what contaminants were removed by the "Clean & Pure" "maintenance-free" tap water filter, I had to call the company. After being transferred numerous times and spending what seemed like hours on hold, I was informed that the product is NOT a tap water purifier. It only reduces chlorine and odor.
Companies like this, along with PUR and Brita, use a single stage granular activated carbon step to reduce chlorine and some of the other common chemical contaminants. While chlorine removal is important, since it damages the digestive system, there are other more hazardous chemicals in publicly treated supplies.
Some of the worst are trihalomethanes or THMs. They are byproducts of chemical disinfection. They are present in every publicly treated supply. Sometimes the levels are high. Sometimes they're low. But, without a doubt, they are always there.
A tap water purifier must include a multi-media adsorptive block to adequately remove THMs. The cheap brands mentioned above do not include this step. But, you don't have to spend a fortune on reverse osmosis, either.
Reverse osmosis was the tap water filter of choice for many years. But, technology has moved on and this step is simply unnecessary for a publicly treated water supply. At one time they were recommended for cyst removal. In case you don't know, cysts are tiny parasites that are resistant to public disinfection methods. An infection can be fatal.
They can only be removed by a reverse osmosis tap water purifier or a submicron particle filter. Submicron particle filters cost a lot less and are just as effective. The best systems take that adsorptive block that I mentioned above and create a submicron sized channel, which ensures that ALL of the water passing through is cleaned of chemical contaminants, and it guarantees the removal of giardia and cryptosporidium cysts.
To remove lead and other metallic traces, a tap water filter should include an ion exchange step. This step improves the mineral content and the taste, as well as the pH level of water passing by it. All together, an effective tap water purifier should include four steps; granular carbon, a carbon and multi-media block, a submicron filter and an ion exchange step.
That might sound like a lot and you might think it would be expensive, but surprisingly, the best systems cost about a hundred dollars, if you buy them direct from the manufacturer.
Look for these steps and for certifications by Underwriter's Laboratory and the California Department of Health. That way, you'll be sure that you are buying an effective tap water filter and not just wasting your money.
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