Water Filtration

When it comes to under sink water filters, we are talking “good news” and “bad news.” The bad news is, there are a lot of really hyped-up, really expensive products out there that just don’t do what they are supposed to– give you healthy water to drink. The good news is, it’s not that hard to find very reasonably priced undersink water filters that’ll do a great job of purifying your tap water. But you have to ask the right questions.

There is absolutely no point in throwing money on a filter, no matter how cute looking and slickly promoted, if it doesn’t get rid of all the harmful contaminants in your water.  You’d be surprised at how many of the really costly under sink water filters are actually glorified Brita water pitchers. Simply put, they just don’t use the best technology for the job. So why do they cost so much? That one I haven’t figured out yet.

It goes without saying that your first step when shopping for any water filter should be to make sure you are getting something that’s UL (Underwriters’ Laboratories), NSF, or California Department of Health certified, ensuring quality and safety compliance. 

Your next– and most important step– is to look at the technology the product uses. The most effective under sink water filters incorporate carbon filtration, ion filtration, and sub-micron filtration. This is because multi-filtration is the most effective way to completely get rid of everything you don’t need in your water, from heavy metals to VOCs to chlorine and cholrine-resistant parasites, while leaving in the trace minerals essential for your health. 

Each water purifier comes with a Performance Data Sheet, which explains which contaminants and how much of them get blocked from your drinking water. Check it out before you buy anything.

You’ll also need to figure out how easy is it to install the unit. And take it from the one who’s been there– I’ve seen perfectly decent professions struggle with some of these things. Yes, you can always pay a plumber to do it, but you really shouldn’t have to.  There are under sink water filters out there that are pretty much a no-brainer to install– instant gratification at no additional cost.

It wouldn’t hurt to consider the cost and ease of obtaining replacement cartridges, either. Cartridges will need to be replaced periodically– how often and how much will it cost? Does the company have an autoship program, so that you don’t have to worry about remembering to order one yourself? How much do they charge for shipping you the cartridges? No, I’m not nit-picking here– all these costs add up over time, in money, time, and annoyance.

To sum it all  up: the cheap under sink water filters can easily outperform the high priced water filters. So maybe it’s all good news after all.

An Ezine article

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