water filter

When looking at all the options available out there for filtering your water one has to ask oneself is the method of your choosing a safe and effective way to filter the water? Needless to say most every water filter out there does at least some good, but the real question remains is what amount of contaminants, and what types of contaminants the filter actually removes.

There is a great disparity between the types of filters out there, and what they are fully capable of. Some merely mask flavor effecting contaminants but do little to affect the safety or portability of the water. In these scenarios it is incredibly important to do your research and learn what exactly your potential water filter will be removing.

A good place to start is to look at the type of filter that the water filter employs. If it is simply a mechanical filter than it will be effective at removing debris from the water stream, but not effective at removing chemicals. If it is a carbon filter without a mechanical filter than it will remove some chemicals however will be prone to clogging due to the lack of a mechanical filter to remove the debris.

Ideally you want to filter that removes both debris and chemicals. A good combination of filter materials is some sort of mechanical filter combined with an active carbon filtration unit. These types of filters are most commonly found in your grocery store water purifiers, and offer a good amount of effective filtration.

The pur water filter pitcher is one of the more well known and effective brands in this arena. It employs both mechanical and active carbon-based filtration thus lending to a nice balance of filtering potential. Another bonus to this type of water filter is the fact that you have an entire pitcher of water on hand in the refrigerator whenever you need one; rather than having to wait for the small stream of water that usually comes out of faucet attached models.

Two safe and effective water filter pitchers are the pur cr930 water filter pitcher and the pur cr1500 water filter pitcher.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Pattersons

To answer this question we need to ask two simple questions.

Is tap water good for you or is there a better beverage choice? Is a pure water filter really a necessary purchase for homeowners?

Let's look at the answers to those questions.

Purified water is the best beverage that you can drink for your health. A trace mineral content makes it even healthier. Most people do not drink enough water.

Without it, toxins are not thoroughly flushed from the body. They build up in the liver, kidneys and other organs. They make it difficult to absorb vitamins and minerals from the foods that we eat. They make it difficult to lose weight and they cause a variety of health problems.

But, is tap water good for you to drink? If you have installed effective tap water purifiers, then, yes, it is the best beverage for your health. If you have not installed tap water purifiers, then, no, it is not good for your health.

Tap-water contains many of the toxins that I referred to previously. Chlorine is dehydrating, it damages the digestive system and it also tastes bad. The chlorination process causes the formation of cancer-causing THMs.

So, if you are on a public water-line, you need tap water purifiers that remove these and other hazardous contaminants.

The cheaper products remove the chlorine, but not the THMs, so they are a waste of money. The most expensive systems on the market include a reverse osmosis step, which is unnecessary and does not remove chemicals, so they are a waste of money.

An effective worthwhile investment is a multi-stage selective filtration device that includes four steps. They are:

Submicron filtration, similar to reverse osmosis, but much less costly. This step removes parasitic cysts that are resistant to chlorination and other disinfection methods. If ingested cysts can cause severe illnesses. They are deadly to the very young, the weak and the elderly.
Granular activated carbon or GAC is the most popular choice for reducing chlorine levels. The cheapest products contain only this ste
Carbon and resin adsorptive block. This provides the most effective removal of chemical contaminants and is necessary to trap THMs.
Ion exchange performs many functions. It reduces lead by more than 99%, balances mineral content and pH level, while improving taste.

Is tap water good for you if you have all of these steps? Yes, it's the best tasting and the healthiest thing that you can drink.

But, really, is tap water good for you or should you buy bottled water? Buying bottled waters is an increasingly popular choice. You even see 'water bars' where expensive brands from around the world are sold.

The industry is not required to provide something better, only equivalent to unfiltered tap water. There have been many incidences of contamination. A pure water filter is a better choice and they save you money.

One more question; is tap water good for you to shower in.

It would take to long to cover, here, but 'no'. It is not.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Perry