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Home Water Filter Types
Point of use water filters are installed where the water is to be used and only filter the water at that one point. There are several advantages of using this type of filtration. Often you don't have to or simply can't filter all water that comes into your house. The cost of filtering all water can be prohibitively high. You may live in an apartment building and share water line with other people, and so on.
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| Home water filter types |
Point of use water filters include:
Faucet Filters are designed to screw onto a faucet. They generally use an activated carbon or microporous filter that traps impurities as water flows from the faucet. Shower water filters are specially designed faucet water filters meant for use on a shower head.
Advantages:
Inexpensive, portable, easy to install, can be used in rental homes | Disadvantages:
Slow water flow, only filter water at one faucet, replacing filter may get expensive over time |
Countertop water filters sit on your countertop by the sink, and are connected by a hose to your water faucet. Most have a storage tank, and use both an activated carbon filter and a reverse osmosis filter to remove up to 99.9% of the contaminants in your tap water. Some countertop units even include a UV light source to disinfect water.
Advantages:
Easy to install, inexpensive, can be used in rental homes, removes up to 99.9% of contaminants | Disadvantages:
Slow, limited capacity |
Inline/Undersink water filters are installed ‘in line’ with your plumbing. They may require professional installation by a plumber. Most use a combination of methods including activated carbon filtering, reverse osmosis and ionization to filter water for impurities and soften it.
Advantages:
Larger storage tank the countertop filters, easy to maintain, is installed out of sight | Disadvantages:
More expensive, may require professional installation, may not be acceptable in rental housing |
The other option for water filtration – and the best one if your water comes from a well – is a whole house water filter. These are usually installed at the point of entry for your water, and use a combination of filtering systems to remove all possible contaminants from your water.
Considerations for Choosing a Water Filter
- Capacity
- Output capacity
- Type of filtration used vs. type of contaminant in water
- Use of water
- Cost
| Last Updated: Oct 19th, 2006 - 15:14:56 |
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