Discover the Best Well Water Filters
| Tap Master Iron® Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System |
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| Retail Price: $425.00 |
| Amazon Price: $329.95 |
Here’s an interesting fact, forty-eight million Americans get their water from private wells. That could account for all of the advertising and the hundreds of well water filters on the market. They want your business, but if you don’t do your homework before you buy, you could end up with an ineffective, inefficient or unnecessary product.
People buy well water filters for a variety of reasons, but some are more common than others.
Acidity (pH balance)
If you notice corrosion on any of your fixtures or bluish-green stains in your sinks or tubs, then your pH level may be too acidic. In the shower, you may feel like the water is not very “wet”. When you drink your tap water, you may notice a metallic taste. If you notice these things, then you probably need well water whole house filters, but you can always buy some litmus paper to test. Blue litmus paper turns red in the presence of acid. A numbered pH tester is also available, but is more expensive. Any level under 7 is equal to an acidic pH. In order to correct acidity, you need a well water conditioner (calcite -corsite) that enhances the water by increasing the pH. Multi-stage systems use ion exchange and other filters to correct the level.
Iron
High iron content sends many people looking for reverse osmosis well water whole house filters. But, those systems start at $10,000. Besides, reverse osmosis removes all of the minerals, some of which are beneficial to your health. Water softeners, ion exchange, or chlorination followed by activated carbon well water filters will take care of the problem, for a lot less money.
Bacteria
Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, parasites and microscopic cysts (giardia, cryptosporidium) are often found in unprotected drinking water supplies, but are not typically present in underground wells. The soil acts as a filter. But, since you cannot see these microscopic creatures and ingesting them can cause disease, you should have your water tested on a regular basis. Testing is done at most public health departments, but you may have to send a sample to a private lab.
If you are concerned about bacteria or the test comes back positive for bacteria, you have several options. Chlorine kills all but the most resistant, which can be removed by a .5 micron filter, ultraviolet light or ozone. Always follow chlorination with activated carbon filters. Those of us who have city water know that drinking chlorinated water is not a healthy option, plus the taste and smell is terrible.
Activated carbon filters on your kitchen and shower taps are probably insufficient. Activated charcoal is only effective at temperatures below 104 deg. Fahrenheit. Removal of chlorine on these faucets should be done with a filter containing kdf-55 material. But, there are well water whole house filters that contain activated carbon, as well. The cost is more, but may balance out against the cost of replacing multiple filters around the house. UV filters, distillers and reverse osmosis can be used against bacterial contamination, just be sure to have the water tested again, to make sure they are doing the job. Even though reverse osmosis well water filters are very expensive, the membranes are prone to defects and deteriorate when exposed to chlorine, so they may not provide the protection that you need. The membranes must be replaced every year or two.
Other Considerations
Reverse osmosis well water whole house filters waste more water than they clean. Some RO units use 14 gallons of feed water for every gallon they filter even though they claim to only use 4 to 1. Only 1% of the earth’s water is drinkable. Water is one of our most precious resources. We cannot afford to waste it. Think about the next generation and buy the most efficient well water filters that will meet your needs.
Categories: Water Filters Tags: kdf-55, Ph Tester, sentry vedenkäsittely, sentry vedenkäsittely
Your Guide To The Best Home Water Filter Systems
A lot of people are getting more and more concerned about the quality of their drinking water. And according to published reports they have very good reason to be concerned. It has been estimated that almost 7 million Americans get sick each year from drinking contaminated tap water. And on top of that, many studies that have been done recently indicate that most bottled water is no better for you than what you may get from your home tap. What that essentially means is that you are paying much more for the same quality of water then.
So water filtration systems have become very popular with many homeowners as a means of improving their home. There are several kinds of filtration systems in use today, and we will try to help you get familiar with the most important ones.
1. The cheapest to purchase, easiest to use, and most portable are water pitchers designed specifically for the purpose of filtering water. The advantage of these water pitchers is their simplicity itself. All you have to do is fill the picture up with tap water and then let it filter out the impurities. The biggest disadvantage to using water pitcher filters is the time that it takes for the water to be filtered. Very often they take 15 minutes or more just to filter a half-gallon of water. So obviously, if you often need water right away this may not be your best solution.
2. The next step up in the water filter chain are faucet mounted water filters. These are often seen advertised on television and in magazines. As the name indicates, they connect to the end of your water faucet, and have a lever so that you can either choose straight tap water, or to send the tap water through your filter instead. These are also very inexpensive types of filters, and very easy to install. They filter water much more quickly than water pitcher filters, but the filter cartridges have to be changed on a regular basis, perhaps every month or so.
3. Undersink water filters have the advantage of providing some of the best overall water filtration possible, and also are stored out of sight. They also work much faster then either water pitcher filters or faucet mounted filters. However, the biggest drawback to them is that in many cases professional installation is a good idea. Some homeowners that are very handy may attempt to tackle the installation of an undersink water filter, but for the average person it may be too much of a job. Cartridges are also used as the filter material for these units, but they only have to be replaced about every six months or so.
4. Whole house water filters are able to provide filtered water to every faucet in your home easily and quickly, which many see as a clear advantage. However, they can be even more involved to install than undersink units, and so most often you will need the services of a plumber to get it set up. The filters in these units also last about six months or so.
5. Reverse osmosis water filters were very popular in the past, but are not nearly as popular today due to the increasing effectiveness of some of the less expensive and easier to install water filtration systems. Perhaps the biggest drawback about reverse osmosis filters is that they waste almost 5 gal. of water for every gallon that they purify. On the plus side though, they are one of the best water filtration systems available, capable of filtering out even some of the smallest and most obscure pollutants.
As you can see, there are several choices to be made when you’re considering home water filter systems, and hopefully the information provided above will help you make a more informed choice of the water filtration system that will work best for you.
Categories: Water Filters Tags: Best Solution, Home Water Filter, Tap Water
