Finding the Best Home Water Purifier Systems

by Trent Barrett

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.

Which contaminants do you need to remove with a home water purifier? Home water purification systems all remove different contaminants and contaminant types, from biological contaminants to heavy metals. You should be absolutely certain that your chosen filter type removes the contaminants that are a problem for your water. The good news: a reverse osmosis system removes almost every type of contaminant, and though it delivers a relatively small quantity of water daily (about 15 gallons) it’s more than enough for your drinking water requirements.

You have to consider cost when selecting a home water purifier. Cheap systems attach directly to your faucet and use activated carbon, but the filters they use need frequent changing and don’t filter out as much as you might like. On the other end, UV filters can cost as much as a thousand dollars, but they will kill anything living in your water without chlorine or other chemical additives. In general, though, home water purification systems sit right in the $200-300 price range, with installation extra. This can be a real bargain if you drink a lot of bottled water; once installed, a water filtration system needs very little maintenance and you can make your own filtered water at about a nickel a gallon. Compare that with your regular bottled water costs, and decide for yourself whether it’s a net gain.

General types of home water purification systems are as follow. Reverse osmosis systems involve putting a tank under your sink for a passive osmotic removal of contaminants, and supply you with bottled-water-quality drinking water. UV systems kill any living organism in your water without contaminating it with chlorine or other harmful chemicals; this is a great option if you depend on well or spring water. Activated carbon filters remove many types of contaminants and are inexpensive in comparison to others, but they will need frequent changes. And shower filters, using KDF-55 filters, remove contaminants in your shower water, softening the water and eliminating harmful chlorine. Examining the other differences between these basic types will help you make an intelligent and informed decision about which water filtration system is best for you.

About the Author: Trent Barrett is a consultant who writes for Best-Home-water-Purifiers.com. You can visit their homepage to learn more about Home water Purifiers.