For many of us, municipally-owned tap water is all we know and drink. We deem it safe for consumption to nourish our bodies, restore our health, and much more. However, not all tap water is safe.
According to the Environmental Working Group’s tap water database, as of 2019, there are approximately 300-400 contaminants that lurk in our water. Some of the usual suspects include lead, microorganisms, pesticides, metals, and radioactive isotopes. Because these chemicals and toxins are invisible to the naked eye, our best defense for protecting our water and our health is to invest in an efficient and reliable water filtration option.
So, which water filtration option is right for you? It is a bit of a trick question, as there is no single correct answer. It depends on each home’s water problems and household needs. Below, we break down the most common water filtration options and explore the water problems it solves.
Pitcher Filters
Up first is the most popular water filtration option on our list. What makes water pitcher filters a staple in almost every home is their ease of use. How it works is the user simply pours the tap water into the top of the filter. It is mesmerizing to watch it filter through the activated carbon filter and into the container below. Its pros are that it is low cost, convenient, and best of all, you can store it in the refrigerator while it filters. Who wouldn’t want to have ice-cold, filtered water? This option is a winner for college students looking to elevate their drinking water or homes with water that may have an undesirable taste or smell from sulfur or metals.
Although a good short-term way to get clear and mineral-tasting water, water pitcher filters have been known to mask problems, not resolve them. Its cons include being costly to replace filters, limited capacity, and filtration efficiency issues when not replaced on time.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis is hailed as the most effective water filtration option available on a residential and commercial scale. A powerful water filtration option, reverse osmosis is a favorite because it can remove sodium, sulfur, nitrate, iron, zinc, mercury, lead, arsenic, and so much more. It is also one of the few filtration methods capable of removing the ever-controversial fluoride. Its capabilities are also what make it the ideal filter in any household. The notable cons are that it can be so powerful that it removes necessary minerals, owners need to dispose of wastewater, and water pressure may be affected in some homes.
The drinking water residential treatment systems by Puronics offer the best of both worlds. Not only does this under-the-sink filtration system serve your home with the clearest, great-tasting, and contaminant-free water you’ve ever encountered, it also uses reverse osmosis technology to filter your water. If you are interested in learning more about Puronics’ line of treatment systems for most household water problems, reach out to us at the Science of Water.
Distillation
The way water distillation works is contaminated water is boiled at a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The filtered water evaporates, and its steam is then collected and then condensed back into water. What gets left behind is the contaminants and debris that were present in the water. This water filtration option is favored because it removes heavy metals, fluoride, and bacteria, viruses, and chemicals.
If you’re interested in energy conservation, distillation may not be the option for you. Its major cons are that it requires a lot of energy to filter the water and requires regular cleaning and maintenance. This option also cannot remove chlorine or chemicals that don’t have a higher boiling point than water.
Faucet-Mounted Filters
Like water pitcher filters, faucet-mounted filters are found in many homes. Installation is straightforward because the filters attach directly to your kitchen faucet and work by diverting tap water through an activated carbon filter. This water filtration option boasts minimal costs compared to its competitor, the countertop water filter, despite having the same contaminant-removal capacity. Unfortunately, a few of its cons include frequent maintenance, susceptibility to leaks, and is limited to one room. With this small piece of technology, you can remove sand and dirt, and chlorine, among other chemicals, from your water.
Countertop Water Filters
The sister filter to a whole house water filtration system, countertop water filters offer clean water for a fraction of the price of some others on our list. Typically housed next to the kitchen sink, these filters can remove fluoride, chlorine, lead, minerals, pesticides, and other contaminants from the water, leaving it crystal clear and great tasting. Homeowners will rejoice because it requires little to no effort to install, and some models are even portable.
When it comes to the cons, its most significant disadvantage is that this water filtration option is a single-point filters only, meaning that they flow through the kitchen sink. Another con is that these filters can’t be hidden. Because they are smaller than your average multi-stage filters and only feature one filtration stage, they may not have the same contaminant removal capacity. Countertop water filters are ideal for those on a budget and have minimal water issues.
Filter Water Bottles
If you’re a person who is always on the go, chances are you’re well aware that you can’t always take your home’s filtered water with you, and water bottles with built-in filters are the next best thing. They make for a great water filtration option because you can filter water immediately on the go, and they can filter lake and stream water, too. This option is also popular because the reusable bottle cuts down on single-use plastics. Some versions can filter out contaminants like viruses, bacteria, water-borne parasites, and poisonous chemicals.
The downside, however, is that for one, its water purity might not be equal to regular bottled water or as pure as a reverse osmosis filter. Additionally, users have to drink through a straw, making for a slower drinking experience, and failure to frequently replace the filter may compromise the quality of the water you drink.
The Science of Water
There are many different water filtration options that you can use to have purified water in your home. The important thing is to figure out which water filtration option is right for you. That is where we come in. At the Science of Water, we have more than 35 years of knowledge about all things water, and as a Puronics dealer, we are more than happy to help you find the perfect whole house water filtration system for your home. The first step is to take a water test to identify and solve the water problems plaguing your household.
If you are interested in taking a free water test or learning more about our services, contact us at (352) 745-7070 or (904) 580-0000.