Search:

Home Water Filtration Systems

By: Trent Barrett Do you need filtered drinking water in your home, or spend hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water? Does your shampoo and soap seem to leave a residue, or your laundry soap not quite get the job done unless you use what seems like far too much? You may need a home water filtration system. These attach to your home water supply at the source, or at your showerhead, or just at your kitchen sink, providing you with a cleaner, healthier water supply.

Most people think of drinking water first when they consider water filtration. Carbon or ceramic filters, reverse osmosis water filtration systems, and UV filtration are the most cost-effective home water filtration systems. All of these can eliminate bacteria and biological contaminants, and most of them filter out other contaminants as well.

The lowest level of filtration, and the least expensive, is the carbon filter. This is the sort of water filtration system that screws onto your faucet, clearing water by forcing it through layers of activated charcoal. Impurities stick to the carbon, remaining behind while clean water goes through. These filters need to be changed fairly often, as they lose effectiveness fairly quickly. Ceramic filters are similar, but use a layer of silicon diatomaceous earth instead of carbon.

A UV filter is significantly different; these filtration systems do not remove anything from your water, but they act to destroy any biological contaminants. These systems are generally used industrially in hospitals to provide sterile water, and as part of a more complex water filter system where debris and heavy metals are filtered out via other means.

The most expensive, but most effective, filtration system is the reverse osmosis water filter. This remarkably effective water filtration system can remove salt from ocean water, and has no trouble removing almost every impurity from your tap water. Because the filtration system is slow, it uses a reservoir to store clean water under your sink. The best reverse osmosis systems include an activated carbon filter and a UV filter as well, ensuring you cleaner, better tasting drinking water than you'll find in the best bottled water.

Drinking water is not the only kind of filtration you need to consider; a shower filter removes chlorine and other contaminants from very hot water, eliminating a large contributor to indoor air pollution and delivering clean water that will act much better with your shampoos and soaps. The action of these water filtration systems is evident immediately; you'll use less soap, see less residue, and have softer skin with this cleaner water.

A complete home water filtration system uses all kinds of filters to eliminate every possible contaminant from your home's water system, ensuring your family the purest and healthiest possible water, for use inside and out. These systems must be installed by a professional plumber, but they are worth the trouble.