Water Filtration

This is a quote from a flyer that will appear sometime this year with your water bill.  It pictures a discarded water bottle on a seashore and reads:  

“Get the Facts about Bottled Water: You find them on the beaches, parks, everywhere.  Empty plastic water bottle litter is obvious, but did you know that bottled water consumption in the United States required the equivalent of more than 17 million barrels of oil and bottling the water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide?  And that’s just a few to the environmental problems of using bottled water.  But isn’t bottle water safer than tap water?  Think again.  City tap water is subjected to more rigorous testing and purity standards than bottled water.  And, according to a Natural Resources Defense Council study, one-third of the bottled water tested contained levels of contamination.  In Santa Clara County, people can buy 120 gallons of tap water for the price of a gal9on of bottled water.  So why are you spending all that money on bottled water?  No good reason at all.  Drink tap water, it’s the clear choice.”

That statement reiterates what we have known for years.  There are no regulations to bottled water yet city tap water is subject to known testing and the results are posted and mailed to each consumer.  I am not saying that city tap water tastes very good but it is not going to make one sick.  By using a good home filter system you can get even better, cleaner, and cheaper water than bottled.  And by reusing your own containers for your consumption you are helping protect the environment.

The bottled water industry is booming today and is making huge profits because most consumers are not aware of home systems which will provide equal or better drinking water from their own taps than the bottled water companies can provide. I will try to explain some of the things to look for when buying a water filter and what are the common features.

Taste and Odor: This type of filter is generally some type of carbon. It removes the chlorine in the "City" water thus giving it a better taste. The best type of carbon is activated. Also solid carbon will absorb more than granular. Most of these filters have a capacity rating and some even remove lead as well as chlorine. Make sure you ask about the capacity because you get what you pay for. Do you want to change the filters every 2-3 months or every 1-2 years.

Chemical Removal: This type of filter is a particulate filter which removes solids. They are rated on a micron scale, the lower the number the better the filter. The best we have seen is 1/2 micron. These filters cam remove up to 99% of the hazardous chemicals found in our "City" water such as; Trihalomethanes, PCBs, EDBs, fibrous cysts, giardia, as well as other chemicals. One can purchase a combination of filters to remove the exact things that exist in their water. There are even some Volatile Organic Cartridges on the market which remove dissolved solids such as pesticides and fertilizers which have seeped into ground water. They remove the Nitrates, sulfides, benzenes, etc. Most of these filters leave in the minerals from the water so it is not only safe to drink it is now healthy by leaving in the Iron, Calcium, etc.

Reverse Osmosis: This system basically distills your water removing all chemicals and minerals. We recommend this system if one has a high mineral content in the water such as iron (orange or rusty colored water) or high salt content (if you have a soft water system or sea water seepage into a well) for those of you who have high blood pressure. RO systems are usually bulky and have a storage tank as well as filters and use 5 to 10 gallons of water to make one clean gallon so there is much water wasted. Also, by removing the minerals, one is not getting the mineral enhancement from a cartridge system. RO systems cost more to buy and more to maintain.

NSF Certified: Most filters I have seen are not certified by the National Sanitary Foundation. With an NSF approval one can be sure that they are getting a better grade of filter. These systems are ones that restraints use. NSF has international standards which they measure for filtration effects. Standard # 42 and Standard # 53 are the way they are measured and comply with state and local laws and regulations. They then are graded within a class with the lowers number being the

best (Class 1 filter is best Class 2 lower grade and so on).

On Board Filters:  This is the term used when a manufacturer is providing a water filter internally with a refrigerator, usually with an ice and water dispenser.  These filters are band-aids at best.  They have a 3 month capacity and usually cost about $50.00 to replace.  Both Whirlpool and General Electric are on their 3rd style.  It won’t be too long until these filters are no longer available for replacement as the fittings have changed with the newer models.  At best these filters take out taste and odor and are a last resort when the customer has no way to put in a good drinking water system.  They are not good for cooking since the water is chilled and it is not easy to get a pot filled with a dispenser.  We always recommend to bypass this filter and install an Everpure system with a faucet on the sink for cooking.

I have seen filter companies come and go over the years and make all sorts of promises as to their commitment of stay in business for the long haul. I say Bull. Just ask the people who spent hundreds of dollars on Whirlpool filters only to have them disappear 2 years later.  Or General Electric drinking water systems which make getting replacement filters for RO and external water filters virtually impossible to order.   Our recommendation is to go with the Everpure system. They have a variety of filters for your drinking water needs. The company has been thriving in our community for over 30 years and it is the best water money can buy. Just ask Starbucks who uses Everpure water products exclusively for their coffee making. When it costs 50 cents to buy a pint of bottled water wouldn't you rather spend 40 cents a gallon for better water. Remember, those bottled water companies are not regulated and do not have to tell what they have in their water, but because of certification Everpure tells you exactly what they take out of your water and prove it.