Concerned about the quality of your drinking water? Read this to make an informed decision before you buy an expensive water treatment system:

Having concerns about contamination of your water supply can bring unwanted stress into your life. Humans can only survive for about 3 days without water. Additionally, clean and safe drinking water is essential for remaining healthy. However, many households face concerns about contaminants in their tap water, such as synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and waterborne pathogens. To ensure that drinking water is free from harmful substances, many people turn to water filters. With a wide and sometimes confusing array of water filters available on the market, selecting the best option for your situation involves understanding your specific water treatment needs, certain factors specific to your home, and the types of filters available. This essay will provide an overview of these factors to help you make an informed decision.

1. Identify the Contaminants in Your Water

The first step in selecting the best drinking water treatment alternative is understanding what contaminants are present in your water. Water quality issues may vary specifically by your geographic location, and the presence of other risk factors such as proximity to industrial discharges or agricultural runoff. You can start by reviewing your municipality’s annual water quality report, or, for well water users, conducting a professional water test (insert link to article on how to assess your water quality). Identifying the specific contaminants of concern will help you select a filter designed to target those impurities effectively.

2. Determine if Bottled Water is a Suitable Option

If the contaminants in your water are of concern only due to ingestion of drinking water, bottled water is likely the easiest and quickest alternative to eliminate your exposure to toxins in your tap water. Suppliers of bottled water are required to perform regular testing and ensure the water meets the same or similar stringent standards set for public water supplies. Therefore, at least in much of the developed world, bottled water can be considered a safe alternative. Bottled water can come in a variety of forms including individual single-serve bottles, larger jugs and even dedicated water dispensers. However, there are some things to consider when selecting bottled water.

When selecting a supplier of bottled water, you should review the company’s practices to ensure the water comes from a reliable source while minimizing environmental impact. Also, you should always understand if and how the water was treated prior to bottling. Spring water and purified water can both be considered safe to drink; however, spring water originates from natural underground sources (groundwater) while purified water is water from any source has been treated to some extent. This means that spring water typically contains natural minerals and may also be susceptible to other impurities which may or may not have regulatory monitoring requirements or standards. Typically, purified water is either distilled, filtered or treated via reverse osmosis, but other methods of treatment are available. Purified water is typically of higher purity and lacks minerals giving it a flatter taste.

3. Understand the Types of Water Filters

Water filters can generally be categorized into two groups, point of use (POU) and point of entry (POE) treatment systems. POU treatment occurs at the individual tap (e.g. kitchen sink) while POE treatment occurs on the main water supply pipe after it enters the home but prior to distribution. Therefore, a POE treatment system treats all water supplied to the home and is often also referred to as a whole house treatment system while a POU treatment system treats the water immediately prior to use. Within these two broad categories, there are several types of water filters available, each with their own capabilities. In some cases, more than one treatment type may be used to treat water. The following provides a summary of each of the various common categories of water filters:

• Mechanical Filters: Mechanical filters are some of the most basic filters and are often used as a pre-filtration step. In homes with private water supply wells a mechanical filter is often used to remove sediment that may be pumped up from the well. Mechanical filters work by using a filter media with small pore size where impurities get physically stuck within the filter due to the small size of the pores. These filters measure the pore size typically in microns and larger micron sized filters (e.g. 5 micron) can remove particles and clarify water while a 0.5 micron filter may remove certain waterborne pathogens. As the filter clogs the flow of water will diminish and the filters will need to be regularly replaced to maintain water flow.

• Activated Carbon Filters: These are among the most common and affordable water filters. Activated carbon filters work via adsorption where impurities in the water “stick” to the porous carbon material within the filter as the water flows through the filter. Therefore, the quality of the carbon used in these filters is important as is the time it takes for water to flow through the system. These filters are effective at removing chlorine, sediment, and many organic compounds. They can improve taste and odor but are less effective against heavy metals and waterborne pathogens.

  • Water Pitcher Filters: These are portable, easy-to-use filters that often use activated carbon to remove chlorine, sediment, and some VOCs. While convenient and affordable, they typically have a limited filtration capacity and may not be sufficient for households with serious contamination issues.

• Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems: Reverse osmosis (RO) systems are highly effective at removing a wide range of contaminants, including heavy metals (like lead and mercury), nitrates, fluoride, and some bacteria. These systems “push” water through a semi-permeable membrane leaving purified water on one side of the membrane and accumulating impurities on the other side. These systems are very effective at removal of many impurities from water but tend to be more expensive and require regular maintenance. Also, RO systems generate reject water containing concentrated impurities as “waste” and can use a lot of water (in some cases in order to generate one gallon of drinking water by RO 4 gallons of untreated water are used). This makes the use of RO a water intense alternative and generates significant quantities of wastewater.

• Ultraviolet (UV) Purifiers: UV water purifiers use ultraviolet light to kill bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. They are particularly useful in areas where microbial contamination is a concern. However, UV purifiers are not effective at removal of chemical contaminants or sediment, so they are often used in combination with other types of filters. These filters require energy to power the UV lamps and regular replacement of the lamps.

• Ion Exchange Systems: Ion exchange systems are effective at removal of minerals, heavy metals and radioactive isotopes. These systems work by replacing one ion in the target impurity with another more benign ion. Most often used as water softeners where minerals that cause hardness are exchanged with sodium ions (salt). The exact ion exchange resin media must be selected for the specific target impurity. These systems are not effective for removal of organic material, particulates or waterborne pathogens.

• Distillation Systems: These systems heat water to produce steam, which is then condensed back into liquid form, leaving contaminants behind. Distillation effectively removes minerals, heavy metals, and biological contaminants, but it can be slow and may require significant amounts of electricity. Distillation systems are not common in household use but are more common treatment systems used in production of bottled water.

4. Look for Certifications

To ensure the filter's effectiveness, look for products certified by reputable organizations like NSF International or the Water Quality Association (WQA). These certifications indicate that the filter has been tested and proven to remove specific contaminants as advertised.

Conclusion

Selecting the best drinking water filter for household use involves understanding the specific contaminants in your water, evaluating different types of filters, and considering factors such as cost, maintenance, and certifications. By carefully assessing your needs and the capabilities of various filtration systems, you can choose a filter that provides clean, safe drinking water for your household, ensuring the health and well-being of your family.