If you want water free of contaminants, you should invest in water filters for your home. Every July, your water district should publish a CCR report or water quality report. Each report states the level of contaminants in the water for your area and compare it to the EPA standards. While this report tells you the level of contaminants in your area, it will not tell you what’s coming out of your faucet.
Lead Content
The EPA did not start mandating lead-free pipes until 1986, as a result there may be higher lead content in houses built before then. But any level of lead in your water is not safe. Therefore, the EPA suggests running cold water for 2 minutes after not turning water on for 6 hours to reduce the lead content. Although this is not advisable in drought stricken areas like California. To determine the amount of lead in your water you can request water testing kits from your water agency.
To ensure you are using contaminant free water there are many filters available. These range in price from around $20 for a carafe filtering system to over a $1000 for a whole house system. Choosing the best type of water filter depends on what your needs are for removing contaminants and your budget.
Every system requires replacing the filter approximately every 6 months. Filters range in price from $18 to $400 for a reverse osmosis system. Most filters ratings depend on how much lead and chloroform they remove. If a system rates high for removing chloroform it is a good indicator it will remove other organic contaminants.
Water filter contaminant removal can vary even for similar filter types. Therefore, you should look to see if the the filter says it meets the NSF certification for whatever substance you are looking to remove.
Water Filters Varieties
There are several types of water filters;
- Carafe: Holds up to a gallon of water and can be kept in the refrigerator. The filters can clog easily and require frequent changing, but they are good at removing lead and chloroform.
- Faucet mounted filters: Unscrew the aerator on your faucet and screw the filter back into the faucet. These don’t work on all faucets and can slow water flow. Great for drinking water and cooking.
- Counter-mounted filter: These also screw into the faucet, although they take up valuable counter space. But these filters allow you to filter larger quantities of water and are less likely to clog than faucet and carafe filters.
- Under-counter filter. These filters may require professional plumbing installation. They will also filter large quantities of water, but also take up valuable under-counter space.
- Reverse osmosis (R.O.)filter: These are the most expensive and they work by filtering water through a semipermeable membrane, then through a filter. These filters remove a large number of contaminants including solid wastes. Furthermore, R.O. systems are the only systems NSF certified to remove fluoride and nitrate. They are also the only system NSF certified to remove both lead and copper. These filters will use valuable under-sink space and waste 3-5 gallons of water for every gallon filtered.
Whole House And Refrigerator Filters
Whole house filters are also available and will be featured in the next post. As the title suggests these filters work for the entire house. The cost can run into the thousands of dollars for these systems and they require professional plumber installation.
Bottom freezer or side by side refrigerators also have filters for their water and ice dispensers. These filters remove the same contaminants as faucet and countertop filters. These filters need replacing about every 6 months.
For more information and installation help with your water filtering system, call Sun Fire Plumbing. We are always happy to answer your questions and help with installation.