Countertop Filters: Pure Tap Water

Your water is supplied from two main sources: underground water and surface water. You may not realize it, but your water supply is full of many different particles, some of which are harmful and others which are unpleasant. There are many (probably hundreds) of various contaminants and impurities in water supplies. Some are a result of natural occurrence and others are by-products of human activity. Additionally, your local municipalities treat water supplies, adding even more chemicals.

While the added chemicals may kill bacteria and other harmful substances in your water supply, these chemicals create new health problems. You want to filter and purify household water, even after it has been treated by the local departments. Furthermore, water that is treated by municipalities is not guaranteed to be completely pure and free of contaminants. Therefore, filtering and purification systems are a must have for every household.

You should be highly concerned about the water you consume, or actually take inside your body. This is known as drinking and cooking water. The most likely source of drinking water is the kitchen faucet. It’s unlikely that you would use the showerhead, bath tub faucets or bathroom sinks for drinking water.

When looking for a water filter, it’s important to know exactly the contaminants that you want to remove. Contaminants and other chemicals in water can cause health problems as severe as cancer. That’s a risk you don’t want to take. Different water supplies vary in concentrations and presence of contaminants and other chemicals. It’s recommended to check with your local water supply and department about the quality of water and any potential problems. Additionally, different water filters are designed to purify water from certain substances, while not working well for other harmful substances.

The most common technology used in water filtering systems include activated carbon, KDF (Kinetic Degradation Fluxion), Reverse Osmosis, and Ultraviolet (UV.) Every filter has a description about the type of filtering technology applied. These water filtering technologies work well for different purposes. Additionally, filters such as sediment or carbon block are rated in microns, which is a measure of the particle sizes in water. A small micron number means that the purifier can remove the tiniest impurities. A large micron number implies that the water filter cannot remove any smaller particles. Of course, you want the smallest micron rating to make sure all impurities are filtered.

The list of contaminants and particles in water supplies numbers into the hundreds. Some common harmful substances found in water supplies include Arsenic, Bacteria, Chlorine, Hydrogen Sulfide, Fluoride, Radon, Nitrates, and volatile organic compounds (VOC.) Some of these chemicals, such as (Chlorine and Fluoride) are added by your municipalities, but the chemicals are harmful in large amounts. It is necessary and recommended that all chemicals found in water supplies be filtered and kept to a minimum. After all, you want the purest drinking water.

For example, Ultraviolet water filters are extremely effective in killing bacteria and viruses such as cryptosporidium and giardia (which cause gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea and stomach bloating.) Meanwhile, Activated Carbon water filters effectively remove bad tastes & odors, Chlorine, Radon (toxic gas), and VOC’s. While KDF and GAC , granular activated carbon media is great at removing Hydrogen Sulfide, which is responsible for the rotten egg smell of water. It is clear that different filtering technologies have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to filtering certain chemicals. Therefore, it’s important to be well informed and educated about your water supply and the technology.

The most economical and efficient solution to filtering your water supply is a counter top water filter. Installing a large and sophisticated whole house water filtering system can be very expensive and require a lot of maintenance, with costs running into several thousand dollars. Instead, you want to filter water at one specific location that is your main source of drinking water. As mentioned before, that would be the kitchen sink. Counter Top Water Filters are connected directly to your kitchen faucet and placed nearby on the counter. Overall, Counter Top Purifiers are convenient and are easy to install within minutes. When it comes to prices, Counter Top Water Filters are affordable and can be bought for less than $100.

 

There is a variety of Counter Top Purifiers, including those with replaceable cartridges, and some without cartridges. For those water filters equipped with them, cartridges are typically last between six months to a year. Hence, Counter Top Water Filters with cartridges can last a long time and only require cartridge replacement. Counter Top Filters without cartridges require no maintenance, but have a limited life of only a few years. So let’s take a look at two different models of Counter Top Water Filters.

 

This is a typical kitchen counter water purifier that connects to a faucet. Crystal Quest countertop systems use one, two or three housing design to significantly improve water purification. Multi-cartridge models produce the best filtration and purest , cleanest drinking water.

 

The Aquasana Dual-Filter Drinking Water System is a great Counter Top Water Filter, as it received recognition as “Best Buy” by Consumer Digest Magazine. This counter top water filter uses activated carbon technology and removes harmful substances such as chlorine‚ lead‚ synthetic chemicals‚ VOCs, THMs‚ MTBE, Turbidity, and Cysts. The water filter comes with two filter cartridges and a chrome faucet diverter, allowing you to direct unfiltered water through it. The first filter is a sediment 5 micron, and the second filter is a coconut shell carbon and ATS ion exchange 0.5 micron. The maximum flow rate of the Aquasana Dual-Filter Drinking Water System is 0.5 gallons per minute and has a filter capacity of about 500 gallons , which should last for about 6 months for each filter cartridge. The Aquasana Dual-Filter Drinking Water System is available for only $100.00, with free shipping included.

 

 

If you are looking for a Counter Top Water Filter without a cartridge, then check out “Counter Top Water Filter No Cartridge” Countertop-Plus from Crystal Quest. This water filter has a six step water filtration, including KDF and GAC (Granular Activated Carbon) technology. There is 99% Chlorine removal guaranteed. The water filter has a capacity for about 10,000 gallons, which can last for up to three years. Remember there is no cartridge and no maintenance. The Counter Top Water Filter No Cartridge is available for just over $80.00.