Do You Actually Need a Tap Water Filter?

Do You Actually Need a Tap Water Filter?

A good tap water filter is no longer seen as a luxury. Nowadays with the alarming reports about all of the contaminants in our water systems, we understand the need to filter our own water. The only issue is what type of tap water purifier or filter to buy. There are several types on the market and a ton of manufacturers. It can all get a little confusing. Hopefully, this article will help guide you in the correct choice. Before we get started, however, lets make sure you actually understand why you need to filter your water.

It used to be that tap water was considered to be pure and clean. No longer! I'm sure you've read the stories about researchers finding everything from prescription drugs to pesticides in our water. A study was done recently on several American water systems that found traces of at least one pesticide in all 29 cities that were studied. One unfortunate city actually had traces of three pesticides in their water. There have been numerous studies lately that have found traces of all kinds of prescription drugs in our water--everything from sex hormones to cancer drugs.

Now, don't be alarmed. None of this is something that a good tap water filter can't handle. It's just choosing the right one that's at issue. To begin with there are essentially four types of domestic water filtering systems, distillers, reverse osmosis systems, ultraviolet purifiers, and carbon/ceramic filters. All of these will work as a tap water purifier except maybe the distillers and the ultraviolet light purifiers. Let me explain.

Tap water has the chemical chlorine in it. That's the disinfectant used to kill the bacteria and viruses in our water at the water treatment plant. Unfortunately, the chlorine has to be left in the water, or it will get recontaminated on the way to our homes from the treatment plant. Distillers don't necessarily work well with chlorinated water, because of the volatile compounds that chlorine can make with organic material. Ultraviolet light won't help this problem, either, because it only kills living contaminants. So, if you're looking for a good tap water filter, you'll probably want to restrict your search to a reverse osmosis system or to carbon/ceramic type filters.

If you're looking for a tap water purifier to filter more than just your drinking water, then you might not want reverse osmosis, either. Reverse osmosis tends to be very wasteful, using up to ten gallons of water to create one pure gallon. If you use a lot of water for drinking and/or cooking, or if you have a family, just think how big your water bill is going to be!

By far the best type of tap water filter for home use combines carbon and ceramic filters. These filters can filter out both organic and inorganic contaminants--pesticides, prescription drugs, chlorine...the whole nine yards.

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