The Decadence And Convenience Of Filtering Your Water
Even though water in most civilized places of the world is very safe, people still spend a lot of money on water filtration. This is really pretty amazing considering that clean water is available to anyone in a wealthy country who wants it, for free. This circumstance is likely completely foreign to people who live in parts of the world where safe water is hard to come by.
People in wealthy countries do value their money enough to not needlessly spend money. So there’s a good reason to buy bottled water and filters for tap water. Even though it may seem trivial to some, people will get filters to avoid bad taste or odors that can come from some water sources. Even worse, some water sources can have molds or bacteria introduced along the way.
The most common water filtration used by people at home is the carbon water filter. These are very popular because they come in different sizes and strengths for different applications. You can find carbon filter systems that will take care of a whole house, but some will even fit into a small water bottle.
Even though these sizes are available, they’re not the ones most people get. Because of size and ease of use, most people will get filters that come in a pitcher system or that fit to a kitchen water faucet. The two designs each have positive and negative aspects. The biggest thing that faucet filters have going for them is that you get as much filtered water as you need. You never have to worry about refilling the pitcher.
A lot of people prefer a pitcher type filter though. The upside of a pitcher filter is that you get chilled water since it’s recommended to put the filter into the refrigerator. You also don’t have a somewhat large filter obscuring the overall look of your kitchen water faucet. The down side is that it should be refilled each time it is used.
One thing to be clear about is that a standard charcoal water filter will not make unsafe water safe again. There are specialized filtration systems that will clean otherwise unsafe water, but it’s not the typical unit. Most water filters sold to the public are intended for removing excessive chlorine, cysts, and bad odors or tastes.
Is there really a difference between different kinds of carbon water filters? If you have problems with iron in your water, you may need to take it a step further and get an iron water filter.