A Buying Guide For
House Water Filters

I would suggest that you never buy house water filters from a department store or a dealer.  Most of those salesmen can't even answer your kids when they ask, "How do water filters work, anyway?"  You're paying their commission and the store mark-up and you're not getting reliable information.

In order to help you save money and time, but still get the right system for your home, I've put together a brief review of the most popular house water filters on the market.  These are the kitchen countertop models, but the information is correct for the company's other models, too.

How Do Water Filtration Systems Work: Brita & PUR

Brita is a subsidiary of the Clorox bleach company, so I guess they know a little bit about how to reduce chlorine.  Their pitchers and their faucet filter contain granular activated carbon or GAC.

GAC works to reduce chlorine by trapping the chemical on its surface.  If the granules are not tightly packed, the water can channel through the gaps without being cleaned.  That's why the pitchers only reduce the chlorine content by about 75%.  PUR uses the same design and has the same drawbacks.

The Brita faucet filter removes more chemicals than the PUR system.  But, neither brand includes a step to remove chlorine byproducts (THMs) or harmful VOCs.  You need an adsorptive block to remove those contaminants.

How Do Home Water Filters Work: Adsorption

House water filters that include adsorption include a carbon and multi-media block, with a micron sized porous structure.  There is no way for the water to channel around the block, so you can be assured that everything is cleaned.

Purifiers that use this kind of technology also trap contaminants on the surface and act like a sieve to remove sediments and parasitic cysts.  They are similar to the older reverse osmosis technology, except that RO would not remove chemicals.  They also cost less than RO and are just as effective at removing cysts.

The only contaminants that would not be removed by this design are heavy metals like lead.  You need ion exchange to do that.

How Do Water Filters Work: Ion Exchange

House water filters that include an ion exchange step are truly "state of the art".  Tiny microscopic sized particles of lead carry either a positive or a negative electrical charge.  The systems work with a kind of static electricity that attracts the metallic particles and replaces them with potassium or sodium, minerals that are good for your health and improve the taste.

How do water filters work that include ion exchange and an adsorptive block with a submicron porous structure made of carbon and other filtering media?  The answer is; they work excellently.  Your water's current pressure causes it to "squeeze" together and pass through all of these stages removing chlorine, THMs, VOCs, lead, cysts and many other chemical contaminants.

You can buy house water filters on-line, direct from the manufacturer and save money, as well as time.  Skip the sales pitches and enjoy good tasting healthy water.  That's my advice.

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