It’s important to have clean, healthy water to drink to keep our bodies hydrated. However, in many cities, water is contaminated with organic and inorganic pollutants in the waterways that include chemical runoff from farms, solid waste and chemicals illegally dumped into the water, or natural pollutants such as hard metals.
Fortunately, there are many filtering systems to purify tap water so that it is healthier to drink but you need to know which to get for your needs. This information can help you select the best water filter for your home.
Test Your Water
Before you can choose which is the best water filter for your home’s needs, you need to know what is in your tap water. You can purchase testing strips to find out if there are chemicals, lead, bacteria, or other pollutants in your water. Along with what it contains, home test kits can also determine if you have hard water and its acidity.
Types of Water Filters
Once you know what is in the water, you can find a filter to address the issues and help decontaminate it.
Activated Carbon Filters: This type of filter helps eliminate high levels of chlorine; reduce the presence of heavy metals such as mercury, copper, and lead; eliminate pesticides; and filter out some parasites.
Water Softener/Filter Combo: For people with hard water, there are filters that can remove contaminants from it and soften it as well. However, you may wish to consider a water softening system so the water can be used to bathe in, wash dishes and clothes, and drink.
Ultraviolet Water Filters: These filters are best if you have microbiological contaminants in your water supply. These contaminants can be in homes close to water treatment plants or in rural areas.
Alkaline Filters: If your water is acidic, you can purchase an alkaline water filter to help balance out the pH level. This type of filter can produce natural alkaline water out of water with a low-pH level.
Reverse Osmosis Filters: These filters are known to be able to reduce more contaminants than other filters and are recommended to reduce the amount of inorganic compounds in water supplies. These compounds include arsenic, sodium, nitrates, asbestos, and many others.
Placement of Filters
Some filtering systems can be attached to the main water line coming into the house so that all the water used in the home is filtered. A water softening system or reverse osmosis filter are two examples of a system used to filter water for the entire house. Other filters can be attached beneath a sink or to the water tap to only filter water used for drinking or cooking. Water filter pitchers are available to place in the refrigerator to filter water and keep it cold.
The type of water filtering system you choose will depend on the contaminants in your home’s water supply and the cost of the system. Systems filtering all the water flowing into a house will cost more but last longer than smaller filters.
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