For many people in the world, clean water is a luxury. Even in the U.S., it is not always possible to turn on the tap water to enjoy pure, chemical-free water. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, “drinking water may reasonably be expected to contain at least small amounts of some contaminants.” What’s a reasonable amount of contaminants for you? For your family? 

Many Americans, of course, aren’t content to consume any amount of potentially harmful contaminants in their water, which is why water filtration systems have become increasingly popular. Of course, there are various types of water filter systems, including a whole house water filter, reverse osmosis water filter, and more. What’s the best water filter system for homes? What does water filter installation require? Here, we’ll explore what you need to know about water filtration systems and how you can choose the best water filter supplier and the best water filter for your household’s needs. 

What’s In Your Water?

Before we delve into water filter systems for homes, it’s helpful to understand what may be in your water. The best water filter systems are designed to prevent these contaminants from winding up in your cup. Essentially, there are five types of contaminants that can wind up in tap water. These contaminants include:

• Chemicals: Fluoride, chlorine, ammonia, hexavalent chromium, and trihalomethanes

• Metals: Aluminum, mercury, lead, radium

• Minerals: Limestone, calcium, sulfates

• Microorganisms: Bacteria, fungi, algae

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs): Petroleum products, pesticides

Naturally, pure water is the ideal. While public municipalities are tasked to ensure that the water coming out of our taps is safe, we’ve read enough headlines to be aware that safety isn’t always top priority. With a water filter for sink system or whole house water filter installation, you can reduce the risks associated with drinking impure water. 

Unfiltered Tap Water: Be Aware of the Risks

In severe cases of impure drinking water, major health risks may be present. Water containing chemicals or VOCs can lead to an increased risk for diseases like cancer for affected communities. But there are more commonplace problems that you may already be experiencing but didn’t attribute to your tap water. For instance, the minerals and chemicals in tap water could irritate your skin, causing dry skin or even eczema breakouts. The chemicals in tap water can cause your hair to become dry or brittle. The minerals in tap water can even reduce the performance and longevity of your household appliances. To prevent tap water from affecting you and your household negatively, consider investing in a water filtration system designed to block contaminants. 

Types of Water Filtration Systems

There are different types of home water filtration systems. Here’s a breakdown and overview of the types you’re likely to encounter in your search for effective water filtering:

Water Softeners

Hard water is caused by minerals like calcium and magnesium. To combat hard water, many people rely on water softeners to filter their water. Unfortunately, water softener systems will not filter other contaminants like chemicals from your water. Water softeners work on the basis of ion exchange. Water softeners are like chemical magnets. When flowing through the system, the minerals exchange their ions that make the water ‘hard’ with sodium ions, which do not contribute to water hardening. But, this is all that water softener systems do. As water filtration systems go, these are quite limited in their filtration capabilities. 

Carbon Filters

Carbon filters have become popular with many households, and they’ve been around in some form for a long time. Even the ancient Egyptians used carbon to freshen their drinking water. The carbon in these filters can remove some contaminants often found in tap water such as chlorine. They can also greatly improve the taste of your water and may remove any odor associated with it. 

On the other hand, carbon filters do not remove contaminants such as fluoride or arsenic. Although activated carbon filters are widely available owing to their affordability, they do not remove lead and many other commonplace contaminants of drinking water, which means they, too, are limited in their ability to provide pure drinking water. 

Additionally, these systems will require water filter replacement periodically. As the filter blocks particles of contaminants, the filter will become filled with their molecules. That will slow the rate of filtration, so it’s important to change these filters to ensure that the filtration works optimally. If you do invest in this type of filtration system, keep in mind that there are many manufacturers of carbon filter systems–and many variations. Some work more effectively than others, so it’s crucial to determine which carbon water filtration systems are best if that’s the route you choose. 

Copper / Zinc Water Filtration Systems 

Also known as kinetic degradation fluxion media (KFC), copper and zinc water filtration systems rely on electro-chemical reactions to filter water. During the filtration process, which relies on purified copper and zinc, the electrons of contaminants are literally changed into a new element. For example, chlorine is changed into a benign form of the element. This water filtration system is highly effective for filtering chlorine, heavy metals, and some inorganic contaminants, but it doesn’t catch everything. 

Some people with these water filtration systems dislike having to clean the filter using a hot water backwash. That may be a drawback if you’re considering this type of system. Also, while these systems have an average life span of about 3-5 years, they work longer than some, but not nearly as long as others. Be sure to consider system longevity and maintenance when choosing a water filtration system for your house.

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis has a positive reputation as a water filtration system. It works by filtering at the molecular level. This means that it blocks particles that are larger than a water molecule. Consequently, it manages to block many contaminants such as fluoride, hexavalent chromium, and nitrates from your water. Again, it also has some limitations; it doesn’t remove contaminants such as trihalomethanes, drugs, VOCs, or chlorine.

Many people like reverse osmosis water filtration systems because they have under-sink options. This results in less cost than many whole home water filtration systems. Consequently, it’s a popular option with renters. Before investing in this type of system, remember that its filtration power is limited. It will also need membrane replacement annually. 

The other downside of reverse osmosis water filter systems is that they tend to waste a substantial amount of water. While some systems work better than others depending on the manufacturer, many of these systems can waste up to ten times the amount of water than other types of filtered water do. If you live in a setting where water is scarce or you simply believe in the principles of water conservation, this type of system may not be the ideal choice. 

Clean Water Co: 7-Stage Water Filtration

If only there was a water filtration system that could combine what the various popular systems do in order to completely filter water. That’s the vision that Clean Water Co set out with when it designed its 7-stage water filtration system. After all, a system that can block fluoride but not chlorine or vice versa is simply too limited to provide the comprehensive filtration that today’s consumers want. 

Clean Water Co created a 7-stage whole house water filter that employs the filtration capabilities of other systems all in one to create the best water filter. Our system removes 99.7% of all particles and contaminants to deliver some of the purest water you will ever drink. You can stop purchasing bottled water because our filtered water is just as pure. 

About Clean Water Co

As a leading water filter supplier, we developed our water filtration system because of our passion for clean water. As a family-owned business, we got into this business because of the need to protect families like ours from contaminants found all too often in tap water. Do we sell the best water filter system for homes? Yes. We believe we do. It does more than other systems to filter your water, and it doesn’t require any servicing for 15 years. Its equipment also comes with a lifetime warranty. 

When thinking about investing in a water filter system for your whole house, get to know the Clean Water Co whole house water filter. It does more to protect households from the dangers of water contaminants. We’ve distilled the best water filtration methods into one design that does it all. Only filtering some contaminants isn’t good enough. Our system is robust and provides the comprehensive protections you need each time you sip water from a glass. 

Contact us to learn more about our water filtration system and water system installation. We can also test your water to help you determine what contaminants are present.