MyHoustonDecor.com

There’s a countertop water filter in your future, if you’re at all concerned about your health and that of your family. I’m joking a little, but actually when you think about the sorry state of our nation’s water, you’ll realize this is really not a joke. All of our water systems are compromised. Recent studies have found things like pesticides and prescription drugs in water treated by some of the most sophisticated municipal treatment plants. In one major American city studied, there were traces of three pesticides present. These aren’t just Raid, either. These are incredibly powerful chemicals used on agriculture. So, if you weren’t convinced of your need for a countertop water filter, hopefully now you are. The only issue now is which one to buy.

A countertop water filter is really no different from a bigger model. It has less capacity, and is generally used just for drinking and cooking water. There are basically four types of water filtration technology that countertop water filters use-reverse osmosis, distillation, ultraviolet light, and carbon/ceramic cartridges. Although the actual manufacturer of your water filter is important (some are more durable than others), the real issue is which of these methods does it use to filter water. Some are better than others for domestic use.

Reverse osmosis used to be very popular for counter top water filters. It’s loosing popularity lately because carbon/ceramic filters have gotten so efficient. The real problem with reverse osmosis is it wastes a lot of water. At least half of the water you send to your countertop water filter that works by reverse osmosis ends up running down the drain.

There are other problems with reverse osmosis besides waste. The membrane that you use to filter out the water gets easily fouled, and if you don’t change it the filter doesn’t work nearly as well. It’s because of these and other problems that reverse osmosis has lost a lot of market share lately.

Well, if you shouldn’t buy a reverse osmosis filter, what should you but?

The other three main possibilities are distillers, ultraviolet light filters, and carbon/ceramic filters. Distillers are the most expensive water filters. For some applications, they’re certainly the best. And you can buy countertop models, or at least smaller models, although distillers are naturally larger and have more moving parts than other types of filters.

The main problem with distillers for home use is they use more energy, and they’re very slow. Also, if one of your concerns is the chlorine in your water, then a distiller is probably not your best bet for a countertop water filter. There is a better alternative.

Probably the best overall water filter for home use is the ceramic/carbon cartridge filter. These filters are easy to use and manage, don’t use much, if any, energy, and are easy to maintain. They also filter out even the tiniest of contaminants. You really probably want to consider a ceramic/carbon if you’re interested in buying a countertop water filter.

Next, you need to figure out what type of countertop water filter you need to buy.

R. Lee Cole is an avid health and exercise enthusiast who loves to make his research available to everyone via the Internet. Check out Lee’s new website, Countertop Water Filter Guide, to learn more.