Many people ask us how they can determine what sort of drinking water filtration system they ought to have installed in their home or office. We respond to each inquiry in the same manner: Find out what you have in your water first, then choose an appropriate drinking water filtration system.

In simpler terms this means we ALWAYS suggest that consumers test their water, or have it tested, before making a purchasing decision.

Consumers have two options when it comes to drinking water testing:

1) Call the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 for a list of state-certified drinking water testing laboratories in their area.

2) Obtain a home drinking water test kit such as the WaterSafe All-In-One drinking water test kit or the SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit from a local retailer or a reputable online vendor such as FiltersFast.Com, TestProducts.Com or FilterWater.Com.

Important Note: While at-home test kits provide reasonable piee of mind when it comes to monitoring the safety and purity of your drinking water, if you have serious reason to suspect your water may have gotten contaminated you will definitely want to have your water tested by a certified drinking  water professional.

As part of WebMD’s investigation into the safety and purity of bottled water versus the safety and purity of tap water they commented briefly on the following question posed by a number of their viewers/members: If I Drink Tap Water, Should I Use a Filter?

If you live in a home with older pipes, have odor or taste issues with your tap water, or just want an extra level of protection, a filter may be a good idea. But you have to get the right one for your specific problem, Janssen says.

“It is important to know what you are trying to filter out before you spend the money,” she says. “A reverse osmosis filter will get rid of most contaminants, but charcoal may be enough for odor and taste problems.” (source)

You may use the following links to find information on the benefits of using:

• Reverse Osmosis drinking water filtration systems
• Activated Carbon drinking water filtration systems
• Cation-Exchange Softener drinking water filtration systems
• Distillation drinking water filtration systems
• Ultraviolet Disinfection drinking water filtration systems

Today we will continue to explore the different drinking water filtration systems available to the general public by discussing briefly the specifics of a drinking water filtration system known as Ultraviolet Disinfection.

• Ultraviolet light waves generated by the system kill bacteria and other micro organisms as they pass through.
• You may find these systems under sinks and often times hooked up in series with some sort of activated carbon filter and/or a sediments screen.
• Ultraviolet disinfection systems typically do an excellent job of killing parasites and bacteria.
• Class-A ultraviolet disinfection systems protect against viruses and harmful bacteria.
• Class-B ultraviolet disinfection systems protect against forms of bacteria not typically responsible for causing diseases.

Today we will continue to explore the different drinking water filtration systems available to the general public by discussing briefly the specifics of a drinking water filtration system known as a Distiller.

• One part of a distillation system boils drinking water into steam and a second part recondenses the ‘purified’ steam back into water.
• Distillation systems may take the form of countertop models and point-of-entry (whole house) systems.
• Distillation systems work quite well for people whose unfiltered/untreated drinking water contains heavy metals and elements such as copper, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, arsenic, selenium, barium, fluroide and sodium.
• Some people opt to combine a distillation systems with an activated carbon system for more complete drinking water purification. Adding the activated carbon drinking water filter to the purification systems allows it to remove bad tastes and odors and a well-rated activated carbon filter will filter out many hazardous contaminants such as heavy metals, disinfection byproducts (i.e. haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes to name a few), chlorine, radon, volatile organic chemicals, parasites, and pesticides.

Many have asked the difference between the different types of drinking water filters they could use in their homes, at work, or at school.

Cation-Exchange Softener:

• Typically used to soften hard water (water containing excessive amounts of calcium and/or magnesium) by ‘trading’ minerals with a strong positive charge for those with a weaker positive charge.
• Often referred to as ‘water softeners’.
• You will find most systems of these water hardness treatment systems functioning as whole-house water filtration systems.
• These systems effectively remove calcium and magnesium (water hardness) which can build up and leave depositis in plumbing and faucet fixtures over time. Water softeners can also remove contaminants such as barium which can cause health problems in humans.

Many have asked the difference between the different types of drinking water filters they could use in their homes, at work, or at school.

Activated Carbon Filter:

• Positively charged and highly absorbent carbon media in the filter attracts and traps many drinking water impurities.
• You will typically find these drinking water filter systems on countertops, as point-of-use faucet filters, and under the sink.
• A good system for eliminating bad tastes and odors and a well-rated activated carbon filter will filter out many hazardous contaminants such as heavy metals, disinfection byproducts (i.e. haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes to name a few), chlorine, radon, volatile organic chemicals, parasites, and pesticides.

Why Install a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter?

Many of our readers have asked questions about reverse osmosis drinking water filtration systems and want to know more about them. Hence the purpose and reason for this deviation from the normal subject matter in this Water Testing Blog entry.

“Today, people are increasingly concerned about the quality of the water that they consume. Under the best of conditions, it’s possible that water may contain hazardous contaminants, ranging from dissolved organic and inorganic materials, to suspended particles and microorganisms. If you live in a home with older pipes, you may also be exposed to lead in your water. Even the chemicals, like chlorine and fluoride, that many municipalities add to water to kill bacteria or to fight tooth decay may be harmful to humans. If such chemicals are not used, your water could be harboring deadly parasites. If you suspect your water may contain microorganisms, lead, or other contaminants, have your water tested.

To decrease their exposure to possible contaminants, many people drink and cook with bottled water or put distillers or disposable cartridge filters on their water supply lines and faucets. However, bottled water may not be any purer than the water taken from your faucet, distilled water requires boiling and tastes flat, and although charcoal filters improve the taste and remove odors from water, they do little to remove chemical contaminants and microorganisms. If you find your water is contaminated, choose the correct water filtration system to correct the problem.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is generally recognized as the best system for purifying water while retaining good taste. The EPA recommends reverse osmosis filters for microbiologically safe water. Yet, an RO system alone will still allow certain waterborne germs to pass through. To knock out these types of contaminates, most RO systems incorporate some additional type of filtering, usually a replaceable carbon post filter. ( source )”

For those looking to purchase a good quality reverse osmosis drinking water filtration system, please take a look at the reverse osmosis units offered by FilterWater.Com, the Water Filter SuperStore

How Do Reverse Osmosis Systems Work?

Many of our readers have asked questions about reverse osmosis drinking water filtration systems and want to know more about them. Hence the purpose and reason for this deviation from the normal subject matter in this Water Testing Blog entry.

“The reverse-osmosis water filter is usually installed beneath your kitchen counter. The filter commonly consists of five components: one or two sediment pre-filters, the RO membrane filter, a drain for reject water, a small treated water storage tank, and a carbon post-filter. In addition, an air gap is built into the faucet; this serves as a sanitary device by preventing wastewater from flowing back into the filter.

Most reverse-osmosis systems purify water in 3 to 5 phases. The early phases use pre-filters to remove particles of dirt and sediment, chemical contaminants, certain microorganisms, and odors; a middle phase employs the RO membrane itself to eliminate dissolved solids, metals, and other microorganisms; and a final phase actuates a carbon (charcoal) post-filter to eradicate any remaining traces of chemicals and odors, thereby improving the quality and taste of the water. ( source )”

For those looking to purchase a good quality reverse osmosis drinking water filtration system, please take a look at the reverse osmosis units offered by FilterWater.Com, the Water Filter SuperStore

What Is Reverse Osmosis?

Many of our readers have asked questions about reverse osmosis drinking water filtration systems and want to know more about them. Hence the purpose and reason for this deviation from the normal subject matter in this Water Testing Blog entry.

“Reverse osmosis involves the passage of potable water through a semi-permeable membrane. In a normal osmotic reaction, water containing a dissolved substance in low concentration will flow through a membrane to the side containing a higher concentration of the dissolved substance. If pressure is applied to the side having the higher concentration of solution, the flow of water can be stopped or even reversed. When the flow is reversed, this is called ‘reverse osmosis.’ In this case, it is the water that has less dissolved substance that is desirable; this is the purified water.”( source )”

For those looking to purchase a good quality reverse osmosis drinking water filtration system, please take a look at the reverse osmosis units offered by FilterWater.Com, the Water Filter SuperStore