


The crisis in Flint, Michigan has brought attention to the serious problem of lead in drink water. fortunately, a water filter that is either NSF/ANSI Standard 53 or NSF/ANSI Standard 58 certified can reduce lead in your toast water system. These certifications are established by NSF International, a populace health arrangement that develops standards and providing certifications with the mission to improve global homo health .
These certified filters come in different shapes and sizes. authentication requires that manufacturers state how much urine the filter can treat before it must be changed. Some filters even include a device that will let you know when the filter needs to be changed. When changing filter cartridges, it ’ south crucial to use a certifiable cartridge. A non-certified magazine may not efficaciously trickle contribute from the drink water .
There are a variety show of percolate options that meet the NSF ’ s certified standard. Outlined below, these filters include : pour-through pitchers/carafes, faucet mounts, and even plumbed-in filters that are installed under your sink or reverse osmosis drinking water treatment systems.
On the NSF web site at www.nsf.org you can search for specific suppliers and product codes to see if they are NSF certified. Their lead specific guide provides a list of all NSF Standard certified brands and models with details for each : www.nsf.org/info/leadfiltrationguide .
Why Is a Water Quality Report Important?
Your water utility is required by law to tell you about any rape of EPA water timbre standards when it occurs ( through the mail or media outlets such as newspapers and television ) and again in the annual urine quality reputation. You should not drink urine that fails to meet EPA standards because it may be insecure. thankfully, public utilities have worked hard to improve water timbre. As a result, more than 90 percentage of body of water systems meet all EPA regulations .
The report must besides disclose a list of all baffle contaminants that have been detected in the water provide. The safe Drinking Water Act sets the maximal level of contaminants allowed in drinking water system based on the filter and treatment capabilities of current engineering. The water quality report besides tells you about potentially harmful substances found in your water at levels below their legal terminus ad quem .
How Is a Water Quality Report Distributed?
All very big community urine systems, serving more than 100,000 people, must post the report on-line. All community water systems that serve more than 10,000 people must mail or email either the report or its vane address to customers .
Water systems besides must make a “ estimable religion effort ” to reach renters, workers and other consumers who use the water but do not receive water bills. Utilities should use a combination of different outreach methods to notify users, such as posting the reports on-line, mailing them and advertise in local anesthetic newspapers .
More data is available on-line from the EPA .
Tap Water Filters and Filtration Systems
The United States provides some of the cleanest drink water system in the worldly concern, and more than 90 percentage of water systems meet all EPA regulations. Some people may prefer to filter their pat water, however, because they prefer the taste, want to remove minerals and particulates or have concerns about run pipe and plumbing. This section highlights the types of available filters to help you to determine which matchless is best for your needs .
What to Consider When Buying a Water Filter
What impurities do you want to remove from your water ? Are you concerned about health risks, or just unappetizing tastes and odors ? different filters are designed to remove versatile impurities, so be indisputable that the filter you buy will do the job .
once you have read your body of water quality report, determine what, if anything, you would like to filter out of your water. Depending on the water quality where you live, you may decide that you do not need to filter your water at all.
Water Filtration: What Are Your Options?
Water filters come in many shapes and sizes. Depending on your filtration needs, life style preferences and budget, you may want to consider the comply options, whose descriptions were adapted from a May 2010 Consumer Reports article :
- Carafe, or “pour-through,” filters are the simplest water filters to use. The filter fits inside a pitcher that you can keep in your refrigerator. Carafes are inexpensive and easy to use. However, the filters have a short lifetime and can only filter a limited amount of water at a time.
- A faucet-mounted filter is exactly what it sounds like — a filter that is screwed directly on to your faucet. These filters require minimal installation, but they slow the flow of water and can’t be used on all faucets.
- Countertop filters are best for filtering large quantities of water without modifying plumbing. They’re less likely to clog than carafe or faucet-mounted filters, but can clutter countertops and can’t be used with all types of faucets.
- Plumbed-in filters are installed directly into an existing water pipe. Often, they are installed under the sink (and are sometimes referred to as “under-sink” filters). They can be plumbed-in to the existing sink faucet, which may require drilling a hole in the countertop, or they can dispense water through a separate tap. These filters are best for filtering large amounts of water without modifying the existing faucet or cluttering the counter. However, they take up cabinet space and require plumbing modifications.
- Point-of-entry, or “whole-house,” filters are installed directly in the water main and filter all the water in a house, including water for the kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms. These filters have a long lifetime and are an inexpensive way to remove sediment, rust and, in some cases, chlorine from household water. But most won’t remove most other contaminants. They also require professional installation.
Water Filter Technologies
unlike water percolate products use different technologies. Some use more than one. If you are looking for a home water filter, you are probable to come across some of these terms :
- Particulate/mechanical filter: These are simple screens that block large particles. They often function as “prefilters” in a multiple-step water filter.
- Adsorption/Activated Carbon: Adsorption refers to a physical process where particles in water are removed because they stick to the surface of the material in the filter. These filters are usually made with carbon, often in granulated or powdered form. They are the most common filters on the market and come in different forms including pitchers and faucet-mounted systems. They are generally effective for reducing the most typical worrisome compounds that can be found in municipal water: chlorine, chlorine byproducts and dissolved volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) such as pesticides and herbicides. Carbon adsorption filters generally work well for reducing bad odors and tastes.
- Softeners/Ion Exchange Units: Water softeners use a process called ion exchange to reduce hard metals — including lead — in water. When water passes through an ion exchange unit, hard metal ions are replaced by sodium ions, leaving the water “softer” as a result — but also saltier. This technology is often used in combination with adsorptive or reverse-osmosis filters. Potassium chloride water softeners work in a similar way to sodium chloride softeners, but without increasing levels of salt in the water; this makes potassium chloride softeners a better choice for some uses, such as watering plants.
- Ultraviolet (UV) Treatment: This treatment uses UV light to kill germs that may be present in the water. UV treatment is the only treatment certified by the National Sanitation Foundation International to reduce bacteria.
- Reverse Osmosis: Reverse osmosis is a process where water is forced through a membrane that filters out molecules physically larger than the water molecules. Although reverse osmosis works well for reducing minerals, it is not effective for chlorine or volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are more likely to be concerns in municipal tap water. However, many reverse-osmosis units are combined with pre-filters and carbon filters to address this concern. Reverse-osmosis filters are expensive and very inefficient — they waste from one to three gallons of water for every gallon that they filter.
- Distillation: Water distillers heat water so that it turns into steam, which is then collected and returned to its liquid form. Contaminants are left behind when the water evaporates. Thus, distillation is very effective for removing most minerals and bacteria. However, some distillation units do not remove VOCs. Distillation also requires more energy than other methods, to heat the water.
Consider Which Filter Is Best for You
Each product has its own pros and cons. individual products may use multiple technologies and are frequently marketed as two ( or more ) stage filters. Carafe, faucet-mounted and countertop filters typically use a combination of adsorption and ion rally resins, while plumbed-in systems may use those technologies in addition to reverse osmosis .
Filters besides come in a broad range of prices. Most carafe and faucet-mounted filters cost between $ 20 and $ 50, while countertop, under-sink and whole-house filters can range from $ 50 to $ 900 .
When considering the price of a water trickle, remember that the total cost includes your initial purchase price american samoa well as any facility, sustenance or successor fees. Filter parts need to be changed sporadically to prevent clogging, therefore be sure to consider how much successor parts cost, a well as the manufacturer ’ mho estimated life cross for the merchandise .
besides consider the amount of water system you use. Some percolate types have larger water capacities than others. Carafes, for model, can filter a few cups or gallons at a clock time, while faucet-mounted or under-sink filters work immediately through a tap .
Most importantly, make sure that the individual product reduces the specific contaminants that you want to remove from your water. broadly, products will include claims on their packaging or advertising regarding which contaminants they reduce and the share decrease pace. See the table below for more information about common contaminants of concern and which type of filter will reduce the contaminants .
Water Quality Concerns and Filtration Methods*
Contaminant/Quality ConcernFiltration MethodNotesChlorineCarbon/Charcoal FilterContact your local water utility to find out which disinfectant is used in your drinking water. Water filters certified to reduce chlorine do not necessarily work for chloramine.Chlorine Byproducts (Trihalomethanes)Carbon/Charcoal FilterTrihalomethanes are a type of VOC (volatile organic compound), so products certified to reduce VOCs will reduce this contaminant.Taste and OdorCarbon/Charcoal Filter LeadCarbon, Distillation, Reverse Osmosis FluorideDistillation, Reverse OsmosisNot all public drinking water systems add fluoride to the water. Check to see if your community does by reading your annual water quality report.ChloraminesSome Carbon/Charcoal FiltersCheck that the system you select is certified to reduce chloramines. Systems that reduce chlorine do not necessarily reduce chloramines.PerchloratesReverse Osmosis ArsenicDistillation, Reverse OsmosisTwo different forms of arsenic can be found in water, so it is important to know which type of arsenic you want to filter before choosing a water treatment system.
*Information taken from National Sanitation Foundation ’ sulfur Contaminant Guide. Please note that filters and discussion systems should be certified by a third base party means. Check to ensure that the mark of filter you choose is certified to address your water quality needs .
Pharmaceuticals, Personal Care Products and Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals
Consumers are increasingly concerned about pharmaceutical residues and early hormone disrupting chemicals in drink water. These chemicals are not regulated, but studies have shown that they are showing up in trace amounts in drink water. According to the National Sanitation Foundation, there is no testing available at this clock to measure the electric potential ability of home water treatment systems to reduce pharmaceuticals.
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Verify the Quality of Your Filter
Make sure that your filter is certified by an autonomous attest agency. not all filters live astir to the claims on the package, thus seduce sure that the product you are buying does. The packaging should display documentation from an independent license representation such as the National Sanitation Foundation International or Water Quality Association .
Check the internet for intersection reviews, and make certain the reviewer is impartial. The best reviews and ratings come from organizations that do not sell the products, such as Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports is published by Consumers Union, a nonprofit organization organization that provides consumers with unbiased product tests and ratings .