Water Filters – Choosing Tips

Do you still drink tap water? Due to the growing concerns over the quality of tap water, manufacturers have introduced alternatives. Some of the newest products on the market are water filters. If you are considering buying one for your home you are probably interested in knowing what are the best water filters. We will try to help you find the right products for you.

First of all, decide whether you need only a filter for a drinking water or you would like to have a shower water filter, as well. Keep in mind that there is no “whole house water filter” product, you have to look for an utility and drinking water filters. Therefore, look for different products if you are interested in filtering them both.

If you want to remove sediment and dirt down to about 10 microns, plus the 80% of the Chlorine, a whole house pre-filter is what you need. In case you want to get rid of hard minerals in an utility water in order to protect the plumbing fixtures and the laundry, you need also a water softener. However, if you use a softener, you need a system that will remove the salts the water softening system puts into the drinking water. In order to drink safe water, filters that filter down to 0.5 microns are needed. These filters will remove a wide range of contaminants, but they have to be certified (by NSF, for example). If you are interested in targeting some specific water contaminants, look for more specified filters. However, keep in mind that it’s certainly more affordable and practical to get the one filter that will cover the most of contaminants.

Once you find several water filter brands that match your budget, check if they are certified, what contaminants and in what percentage are removed. Also, take a look at water filter reviews to get the best one for your money.