A water filter can be a great idea if you want to make sure that you are going to have clean, pure water to drink, but there are so many options, it can be hard to choose. The ideal filter will be tailored to your budget and water supply needs.
It all depends on where you live and what you need the filter for. In Africa, you’ll need something a bit better than what you would need in the States or Canada, for example. It should be based on the water supply at hand.
If you are looking for a good, cheap filter, then charcoal is the way to go. The charcoal is made from coconut husks and is quite effective in filtering out most types of impurities, including cryptosporidium and Guardia, both bad for the health of the person who gets them in his system.
These filters are also quite affordable and the carbon must be replaced a couple times per year. Make the filter more useful by looking for one that uses nano-silver in addition to the charcoal.
A ceramic water filter contains a cartridge filled with diatomaceous earth, along with some nano-silver to filter water. The silver takes care of any bacteria or other living things in the liquid. These are quite affordable, but they do take time to use. The system is a drip system and it can take a while to filter through.
UV systems purify liquids but don’t actually filter out anything bad. They only kill all living organisms in the water. That means it’s safe for drinking . . . Even if it doesn’t look that great. These are particularly useful in countries where the water is always dirty.
Reverse osmosis systems can actually filter salt out of seawater. They work very well for this and can also be used for extremely contaminated water in any other situation. The filter is very fine and requires a lot of pressure to force water through it. That means that this is a very slow method of filtering and should only be used when necessary.
Distilled water is a less desirable option. It doesn’t use a filter, but it does evaporate water and then condense it in pure form. While this might seem ideal, it can actually be bad for you to drink this for long periods of time because there are no minerals left in the water.
Skip the cheaper filters. While these are charcoal, most of them do not live up to their reputation and are of fairly poor quality. You need to look at other options for your water. Though slightly more expensive, the other filters are well worth it. You’ll get safer water. Also look at catalytic converters and ionizers for additional treatments.
Which water filter is best for you? If you have regular water, then a charcoal or ceramic one will do the trick. Anything else and you’ll want to look into heavier duty filters for your home.
Marie Hernandez is a mother of three. She uses the best water filter so that her family drinks clean and healthy drinking water. She writes articles and reviews on house water filter like PUR water filters.