Home water purifier systems are significantly more involved than simple home water filters. While a filter can easily be attached to your faucet by you, a home water purifier system will likely require a professional to install it, and will take up a significant amount of space under your counter or in another location convenient to your faucet. When you choose one, therefore, you’ll have to think about the cost and space required by the system as well as how the system itself works. The best home water purifier system is always the one that works best for you.
Ask lots of questions before selecting between home water purifier systems. How long will it go between filter changes, if it needs changes at all? Some systems don’t use filters, and others require filters to be changed as often as four or five times a year. If you don’t have much space to work with, a filtered system may be more trouble than you want to bother with.
You should know about contaminants home water purifier systems remove. Home water purification systems remove different contaminants, depending on the system you’re using. Not all systems will remove the contaminants you need to eliminate, but you may not need every contaminant removed either. Be sure your chosen system takes out whatever you’re concerned about. For instance, a UV system is great for removing amoeba from a natural water supply, while a reverse osmosis system removes almost everything but may function better with a UV filter added to kill any living things that slip through.
How much does the home water purification system cost? Cheap systems are simple and attach directly to your faucet; they remove contaminants by filtering water through activated carbon, but don’t get much. On the high end, industrial-grade UV systems destroy all biological contaminants, like bacteria and amoeba, far more effectively and safely than chlorine, but can cost over a thousand dollars. Most systems run around $200 or a little more, but installation may cost you more if you need to have a plumber or other professional install it. Offset the cost with an assessment of how much your bottled water is costing you. Also, if you’re examining a shower filter, your filter will save you money in quality shampoos and body soaps; these filters remove drying and damaging chlorine, and will help your expensive bath products work the way they’re supposed to.
You’ll find four basic types of home water purification systems. Reverse osmosis systems are best for most needs, and keep purified water in a tank beneath your sink after contaminants have been filtered out with an osmotic membrane; they often include a UV purifier and an activated carbon filter as well. UV systems eliminate biological contaminants, making them perfect if you depend on “country” water instead of a municipal supply. Activated carbon filters are cheaper, but remove a limited number of contaminants and need fairly frequent changes. Finally, a KDF-55 filter acts in your showerhead to remove those contaminants, soften water, and eliminate chlorine. Understanding the differences between these different filter types will enable you to make an intelligent choice about which is right for you.
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