As the debate over the benefits and problems associated with use of free chlorine ( EPA Approved test strip for free chlorine ) as a disinfectant in public and private drinking water systems rages on and more people become aware of compounds known as disinfection byproducts, the desire for point-of-use water filtration systems capable of removing disinfection byproducts continues to grow.

One particular disinfection byproduct of, trihalomethanes (often abbreviated as THM’s or TTHM’s), has gained enough notoriety that companies like PUR have started certifying some of their products to NSF/ANSI Standards for the reduction of trihalomethanes in drinking water.

Below you will find a list of several PUR water filtration products that have tested and certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 (Drinking Water Treatment Units – Health Effects) for the reduction of TTHM’s and other unwanted drinking water contaminants:

• PUR CR-6000 Filtered Water Pitcher

• PUR CR-6000C Filtered Water Pitcher with LED Light

• PUR Faucet Mount Filter 3-Stage – Flavor Options

• PUR Faucet Mount Filter 3-Stage Horizontal Chrome

• PUR Faucet Mount Filter System 3-Stage Chrome

• PUR Faucet Mount Filter System 2-Stage White

For those unfamiliar with how trihalomethanes get into drinking water, they get created when free chlorine molecules attack, neutralize and become entangled with a biological contaminant. That process chain of events converts free chlorine into combined chlorine and in the process disinfection byproducts get created.

What harm can trihalomethanes in drinking water cause?

Four different trihalomethanes can form as a result of chlorination: Chloroform, Bromodichloromethane, Dibromochloromethane, and Bromoform. The United States Environmental Protection has found that excessive exposure to these compounds has resulted laboratory rats developing cancer.

While many scientists may disagree on the exactly how much exposure to each compound constitutes overexposure, we think it wise to keep tabs on your local water treatment system’s track record of trihalomethane level management (data available in annual reports) and if deemed necessary, install an NSF certified water treatment system capable of reducing trhalomethane levels.

‘Tis the Season for clean water, fa la la la la… la la la la.

With Christmas fast approaching we will now begin throwing interesting and USEFUL gift ideas out in the hopes that some of you will bypass this year’s trendy gimmick gifts and instead buy something of substance and worth… for the people in your family that you like.

We don’t care if you still want to send lumps of coal (or stale fruitcakes) to the other people on your Christmas list, though.

Rain water in your shower

Most of us have fond memories of walking around outside on a nice, warm Summer or Spring day enjoying the feeling of rainwater falling on our face. Each of the large, gentle drops striking our face softly and washing away some portion of the day’s dust.

Now imagine getting that same feeling each and every day in your shower… and NOT having the unpleasant smell of chlorine in the water.

With the Culligan RainDisc, an NSF/ANSI 177 Certified product for the reduction of free (available) chlorine in shower water, you can have it!

Reduces chlorine and more

Not only does the Culligan RainDisc reduce free chlorine levels by 97% (test results verified by independent lab), but it also reduces scale, rust, sediment and the odor of sulfur (if present).

Chlorine keeps water safe… Why get rid of it?

While very true that tap water with a free chlorine residual will most likely contain a lot fewer bacteria and/or other biological contaminants than water without a free chlorine residual, but once the water reaches your shower, the chlorine has done its job — and most people want it to go away at that point.

Not only does chlorine have a tendency to smell really bad, prolonged and/or repeated exposure to chlorine residuals in shower water can dry out a person’s skin (especially in the Winter), damage their hair and in some cases cause acne.

Additionally, several studies have also pointed the finger at chlorine vapors given off by heated swimming pools and showers as potential sources of carcinogenic compounds called TTHM’s (Total TriHaloMethanes). Other studies have suggested that repeated exposure to TTHM’s may result in a higher likelihood of a person developing respiratory problems.

Worried that a lack of chlorine will result in bacterial growth?

The Culligan RainDisc uses a specially blended bed of KDF filter media whose chemical nature allows it to also act as a bacterial growth inhibitor as well as an effective filtration mechanism.

Easy to install

Worried that you (or the person you give this to as a gift) will need a plumber’s license to install the Culligan RainDisc RDSH-C115? Nonsense!

This unit comes with everything the average person would need to get the job done in a matter of minutes and more or less just screws onto the same place as your/their old shower head.

We always talk about the benefits of undersink filters, countertop filters and whole house filters because of their tendency to filter out large numbers of unwanted drinking water contaminants very efficiently… and today we’d like to bring to your attention a PUR Water Pitcher Filter that comes with a really nice feature: the NSF Certified Seal.

Oh, and did we also mention you have the option of easily adding subtle, tasty flavors to the purified water it produces?

What importance does NSF Certified have?

Getting back to what really matters when it comes to a water filtration system, the PUR Pitcher Water Filter with PUR Flavor Options has passed independent laboratory testing and certified to NSF Standards for its ability to reduce levels of the following nasty water contaminants (if present to begin with):

• 2,4-D Reduction
• Atrazine Reduction — test for atrazine
• Benzene Reduction
• Cadmium Reduction
• Carbofuran Reduction
• Carbon Tetrachloride Reduction
• Copper Reduction — test for
• Cyst Reduction
• Mercury Reduction — test for mercury
• Simazine Reduction — test for simazine
• Tetrachloroethylene Reduction
• Toluene Reduction
• Trihalomethanes (TTHM) Reduction
• Chlorine Reduction – Aesthetic — test for total chlorine / test for free chlorine
• Nominal Particulate Reduction, Class I
• Taste and Odor Reduction
• Zinc Reduction — test for zinc

The PUR Water Filter in this water filter pitcher was successfully tested and certified by NSF International against NSF / ANSI Standards 42 and 53.

No, this filter will not protect your family against EVERY possible drinking water contaminant, but it does offer a decent amount of protection against some truly unpleasant compounds that don’t belong in your water.

Know what contaminants your drinking water contains

The best thing to do before ordering a water filter of ANY size, brand or type… Get your water tested to find out what you need to remove! If you have serious reason to suspect your water contains contaminants, consult with a certified water testing laboratory with proper accreditation. A lab like that will have the equipment and expertise to accurately assess any risks posed by contaminants in your water.

As an example, National Testing Laboratories, a water testing lab certified to perform water testing in pretty much every State in the US, offers three different water testing packages as well as a host of other contaminant-specific tests to the general public.

Click here to view National Testing Laboratories residential water testing packages.

This multi-stage (six) inline filter does a lot more than just remove arsenic from water at a rate of up to 1 gallon per minute, a rate perfect for use with water fountains, bottleless water coolers, commercial coffeemakers, and ice machines. It uses all six of its filtration layers to effectively remove a number of drinking water contaminants.

• In stages 1 and 6 water flows through pre and post one – micron filters capable of removing suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other types of unwanted matter.

• In stage 2 water flows through a specially engineered arsenic removal/reduction media.

• In stages 3 and 4 water flows through a media bed comprised of high purity KDF-55D ®, and KDF-85D ®, which operate using electrochemical and spontaneous oxidation/reduction (REDOX) principles. The combination of these two special media completely oxidizes any chlorine in the water.

  As an added bonus, heavy metals such as lead, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, and other dissolved metals also get removed/reduced during this stage of filtration.

  While some KDF media beds can harbor unwanted bacteria, studies have shown that this particular unit reduces the likelihood of bacteria growth by as much as 90%, thus eliminating the need for silver, an element considered by some to pose health risks.

  Worried about the possible addition of copper or zinc to the water in any significant amount? On a sample of water containing 2.3 ppm chlorinated water, testing after filtration detected <0.05 mg/l copper and only 0.46 mg/l zinc. The EPA has set the aesthetic levels for copper at 1.0 mg/l and 5.0 mg/l for zinc. Additionally, the human body requires both zinc and copper for good health. The FDA recommends a daily intake of 15 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper.

• In the fifth stage of filtration, water flows through granulated activated carbon (GAC) which adsorbs a wide variety of organic contaminants, such as any remaining chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer such as Trihalomethanes and benzene, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), PCB’s, MTBE’s and a laundry list of other chemical contaminants that may exist in your source (i.e. tap or well) water.

What about replacement filters? Will I have difficulty finding them? Highly unlikely! The manufacturer of this inline arsenic filter, Crystal Quest has existed in one form or another in the commercial water purification industry for more than thirty years.

You can order replacement filters for the inline arsenic filter on FilterWater.Com, a leading online vendor of water quality improvement products from Crystal Quest and other manufacturers.

If we had a nickel for every single time someone asked us what NSF 42, 44, 53, 55, 58, 62 and 177 meant… we’d have a huge pile of nickels and STILL not have enough money for that diamond-plated, gold-encrusted, platinum embossed drinking fountain w/ the GIANT water purification FACTORY attached to it from the other side of the wall.

NSF/ANSI Standard 42: Drinking water filtration systems that are certified to this standard remove chlorine and sediment/particles from water for the purpose of improving its look, smell and taste. The design of these filter do NOT lend themselves to the removal or reduction of health-related contaminants.

NSF/ANSI Standard 44: Water treatment systems certified to this standard typically function as cation exchange water softeners designed to reduce or eliminate water hardness (i.e. calcium and/or magnesium). Water filters designed to remove barium and radium may also certify to this standard.

NSF/ANSI Standard 53: Water purifiers certifying to this standard have designs that remove health-related contaminants such as waterborne organisms and industrial chemicals. Cryptosporidium, giardia, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) and trihalomethane compounds (THMs) fit into one of those categories or the other.

NSF/ANSI Standard 55: Devices rated to this standard function as point of use (POU) or point of entry (POE) ultraviolet microbiological water treatment systems. These water treatment systems feature designs which disinfect microorganisms (such as bacteria and viruses) potentially present in water.

NSF/ANSI Standard 58: Typically one will find reverse osmosis water systems (RO) certified to this standard. Devices in this category will normally have the ability to fully remove organic contaminants, but may only partially remove inorganic compounds and heavy metals.

NSF/ANSI Standard 62: Certified to this standard one will typically find water distillers. The process of distillation removes a wider range of drinking water contaminants than all other methods of drinking water purification. Arsenic, mercury and bacteria all get eliminated through the use of water distillation systems.

NSF/ANSI Standard 177: Water filtration units certified to this standard function as shower head filters designed to remove chlorine from water.

Crystal Quest pitcher replacement filter

Manufacturer: Crystal Quest
Model Number: CQE-RC

4 stages of convenient filtration with a 2,000 gallon capacity.

In stages 1 and 2 KDF55 and KDF85 media reduce iron, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, other dissolved metals, and harmful bacteria.

Stage 3 features an ion exchange resin that reduces heavy metals (such as lead, copper, aluminum) and lowers water hardness.

The fourth and final stage, a bed of granulated activated carbon (GAC) reduces chlorine by 99.9%, gets rid of bad tastes and odors, reduces pesticides and chemicals that are linked to cancer risks (i.e. benzene, THM’s, toxaphene).

How do you know if you need a water filter?

The answer, quite simply, involves testing your water. You can either test it yourself using a home water testing kit like the Water Quality Test Kit from SenSafe… or you can have a certified water testing laboratory such as National Testing Labs analyze your water.

In cases where homeowners suspect contamination, we always suggest using a certified water testing lab. Better to play it safe than sorry because… It’s your water, your health… and your LIFE!

While a quality reverse osmosis system DOES provide excellent protection against waterborne contaminants, including various forms of bacteria and cysts (i.e. Giardia and Cryptosporidium), use of a UV sterilizer system on water exiting a reverse osmosis system adds an extra level of protection against organics unmatched by any other readily available water purification method.

Ultraviolet Water Sterilizer Systems meet the most demanding needs of residential and commercial microorganism control — which sometimes proves difficult for traditional disinfectant methods given that microorganisms can range from bacteria and viruses to algae and protozoa. UV treatment systems for water accomplish the goal of disinfecting water faster than chlorine and without without cumbersome retention tanks filled w/ corrosive and potentially harmful chemicals.

Manufactured with axial flow reactors in 304 stainless steel for durability, the Crystal Quest Ultraviolet Water Sterilizer Systems incorporates natural ultraviolet light energy to damage the DNA of microbiological contaminants and in doing so kills them and/or renders them incapable of reproducing.

Applications for UV sterilization systems include post undersink water filters, post whole house water filters, water coolers, pre and post osmosis systems, private wells, camp grounds, hotels, bottlers, aquaculture, hospitals, food, cottages, restaurants, breweries, laboratories, marine, pharmaceutical, dairies and many other applications.

Advantages of Crystal Quest Ultraviolet Water Sterilizer Systems include:

• No need to add chemicals to the water which could form carcinogenic disinfection byproducts (DBP’s) like trihalomethanes (THM’s).
• Eliminates the need to store and handle dangerous chemicals.
• Requires only two water connections (in and out) and a power connection.
• UV sterilization typically does not alter the taste, odor, pH or conductivity or general chemistry of the water it treats.
• Works faster and more effectively against viruses than chlorine.
• Systems can treat hundreds of gallons of water for each penny of operating cost.
• Immediate treatment process eliminates need for holding tanks, long retention times, etc.
• Units operate automatically and require almost no attention.
• Most units require only periodic cleaning, if any cleaning at all, and annual lamp replacement.

Naturally you want to know what a unit like this costs, right? FilterWater.Com carries units rated for 1, 6, 8, and 12 gallons per minute GPM. Costs begin around $150 for the smallest unit and go up to around $543 for the largest unit.

What about replacement bulbs? How much will they cost? Good question! FilterWater.Com carries replacement bulbs for Crystal Quest UV Sterilizer Systems rated for 1, 6, 8, and 12 GPM.

Need a larger, more powerful UV Sterilization System? Take a look at the selection on WaterFilters.Net, another company that carries a great selection of water filter systems and replacement filter cartridges for residential and commercial water filtration applications.

With all the talk about oil washing up on the shores as a result of the BP oil platform disaster, some people have started to ask a very smart question:

Could some of that oil somehow end up in my well water if I live close to the shore?

At this point no one can answer that question definitively, but rest assured plenty of people would prefer to err on the side of caution and have a water filter system capable of removing any trace elements of the BP disaster that may find their way into their water supply.

The Crystal Quest Mega Triple Undersink Water Filter, known by manufacturer’s part number CQE-US-00309 and good for proper filtering of up to 10,000 gallons of drinking water, uses a combination of three separate filter chambers:

1. Water flows through a sediment filter cartridge that removes sediment, silt, sand and dirt. This helps to extend the life of water softener and water filters and prevent damage to control valves and/or pumps.

2. In the second filter chamber, water flows through pre one – micron filter pads which remove suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other undissolved matter.

   It then flows through a bed of media made of a special high-purity alloy blend of two dissimilar metals — copper and zinc (Eagle Redox Alloy® 6500 and Eagle Redox Alloy® 9500) — that works using electro-chemical and spontaneous-oxidation-reduction (REDOX) principles. At this stage chlorine gets instantaneously and almost inexhaustibly oxidized iron and hydrogen sulfide get oxidized into insoluble matter which attaches to the filter media, heavy metals such as lead, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, and other dissolved metals also get removed by the electrochemical process.

   In the next stage, water flows through the ion exchange resin, further reducing heavy metals such as lead, copper, aluminum, and water hardness.

   Next, water passes through granulated activated carbon (GAC), a compound universally recognized and widely used as an effective adsorbent for a wide variety of organic contaminants such as chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer such as THM’s and benzine, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), PCB’s, MTBE’s and hundreds of other chemical contaminants potentially found in drinking water. It also works to greatly reduce and/or eliminate bad taste and odors in drinking water.

   The last section of this filter chamber contains another one-micron filtration pad for further reduction of undesirable particles.

3. In the third filtration chamber water travel through a solid carbon cartridge designed to remove remaining volatile organic carbon compounds (VOC’s), insecticides, pesticides and industrial solvents.

Need replacement cartridges for the Crystal Quest Mega Triple Undersink Water Filter?

We recently received an email from Emma in North Carolina and she wrote,

We’re building a new house right on the edge of where the local water plant stops delivering water and want to know if we will be better off hooking up to the water line or having well put in. Some people say we’re lucky to have a choice, but really it’s just one more decision we have to make and we already have so many! Can you help? Thanks!

Emma

As Emma implied, sometimes having a choice makes for a lot more work – if you choose to research the options properly.

Hooking up to city water offers the security of knowing that the city has to test its water routinely before distribution and must inform you if it has experienced any ‘incidents’ which may put you in danger. On the flip-side, though, you will receive a bill each month to cover the expense of testing, monitoring, filtering and purifying the water going into your new home.

Investing in a well for your new home will rid you of that pesky water bill each month, but it will also make you 100% responsible for the quality and safety of water it produces once it passes an initial test done by the well drilling company.

We honestly do not have an answer, Emma, because some well water comes up cleaner and more pure than any water company could ever distribute… and other well water comes up nastier than backwoods swamp water and/or containing potentially dangerous chemical compounds whose origin even the best scientists in the World have trouble locating.

Pretty much all city water contains some form of disinfectant which can create unpleasant tastes and odors in drinking water. It can also irritate skin, bleach clothing, etc. and some water systems contain obnoxious (and smelly) levels of chlorine which can make water taste absolutely wretched.

While on the topic of chlorine, the most widely used disinfectant for public water systems, produces trihalomethanes (THM’s), a potentially carcinogenic disinfection byproduct, when chlorine molecules attack organic contaminants in water.

Getting back to the well water, commonly occurring events in the environment can change the quality of well water on a daily basis. Heavy rains, a lack of rain, temperature and even air pressure can radically alter the nature of water pulled from well – and let us not forget about pollution from industry which can seep into the ground 100’s of miles away from a well and still, somehow, make its way into that water that well produces at some point.

So, Emma, in the end, and if you want to make the best possible decision regarding where you will get your drinking water, we suggest you have a sample of water drawn from the aquifer your proposed well will access and have it tested by a certified water testing laboratory such as National Testing Laboratories. Contact the well drilling company you think you may use to drill, if you go that route, and ask them for advice on getting sampling and testing done. Do make sure they submit the sample to a certified water lab, though, and not do the testing themselves!

Then contact the local water company and ask for a copy of their latest water quality report, usually referred to as a Consumer Confidence Report and abbreviated as CCR.

With both reports in hand, weigh the pros and cons of each and remember that no matter which option you choose, you may STILL want to consider having a Whole House Water Filter System installed and/or purchasing point-of-use water filter devices for the shower, faucet and countertop.

Suzanne from Temecula, CA wrote in and asked,

Shortly before leaving me, my ex-husband installed a monstrosity of a water filter for the whole house that he claimed would remove 99% of this, that and the other thing. He said we needed it. Too bad I still have to pay it off… But anyways, I now travel a lot and have noticed that the water tasted funny everywhere I go — and i really don’t like it very much at all. I’ve started carrying bottles and 1 gallon jugs of water with me on my trips but I think there has to be a better option. Do they make a travel-sized whole house filter? Thanks for your time and I look forward to reading your response. — Suzanne

We thank you for your question, Suzanne, and sorry you got stuck paying for that ‘monstrosity’ of a whole house filtration system. At least you have safe, clean, and good tasting water at home, though, right?

We completely understand your not wanting to carry jugs of bottled water around in your car, assuming that you drive everywhere. Although one can usually pick up gallons of purified water for small amounts of money from the local grocery store, the inconvenience of lugging them around all the time definitely sounds like a miserable experience.

You could pick up travel-sized sport water bottles with built-in filtration units, but those typically work better for short trips, hiking trips, etc. and that does not sound like what you want. It sounds to us like you want a portable version of the ‘monstrosity’ you have at home.

After doing a little research, we came across a Countertop Portable Water Filter made by Crystal Quest. It has multiple filtering stages (like your monstrosity at home) and claims to remove hundreds of contaminants (like your monstrosity at home most likely does).

Stage 1 — Water passes through a 5 micron filter pad which remove suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other un-dissolved matter.

Stage 2 — Water passed through a specially blended bed of high purity media known commercially as KDF-55D ®, and KDF-85D ®. This media uses an oxidation-reduction process to effectively neutralize chlorine and remove metals.

Stage 3 — Water passes through through granulated activated carbon (GAC), a compound known for its ability to adsorb a wide variety of organic contaminants such as chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer such as trihalomethanes (THM’s) and benzine, pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), PCB’s, MTBE’s and many of other chemical contaminants which if present in water may also cause bad taste and odor.

Stage 4 — Water passes through a final 5 micron filter pad to filter out suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other un-dissolved matter.

Unlike the ‘monstrosity’ you have not, yet finished paying for, the Crystal Quest Portable Countertop Water Filter has a pretty good price (around $70) and will supposedly last for up to 5,000 gallons.

Compare that to paying $1 per gallon for purified water from the store…

Worried about a time-consuming installation? From the looks of things, the Crystal Quest Portable Countertop Water Filter attaches to a common sink faucet via an adapter that screws into where the aerator goes. Should take less than a few minutes, though instinct tells us you may want to carry a pair of pliers in your travel bag — in case no one has removed the aerator in your cabana, cabin, or hotel room in a while.