Is the water in your house clean and healthy? Learn about different types of home water filters to choose the best one for your needs. There are many advanced filtration technologies available today.
The Different Types of Home Water Filters
Without the proper filtration system in your home, impurities and contaminants may be found your drinking water. Make sure your home is as healthy as possible by installing one of these types of water filters.
1. One of the Most Common Types of Home Water Filters: Activated Carbon Filter
Many homeowners install an activated carbon filter to purify their drinking water. This filter is best for removing contaminants like chloroform, organic substances, magnesium, sediment, chlorine, and agricultural chemicals. The charcoal in the filter binds to the impurities and toxins in your water, eliminating them as the water runs through the filter. While activated carbon filters are quite popular, they’re often used alongside other filtration methods to remove more contaminants.
2. Ion Exchange Filter
Ion exchange filters are commonly used to soften water. This system exchanges ions for other ions when water flows through the filter. For example, an ion exchange filter will replace magnesium or calcium ions to reduce the hardness of water, leaving sodium ions in their place.
Hard water can cause build up in your pipes and affect the longevity of your plumbing system. While ion exchange filters do reduce hardness in water, they won’t remove organic material, bacteria, or particles as effectively as other filters.
3. Reverse Osmosis System
Reverse osmosis systems are a favorite among homeowners because they remove a wide range of contaminants. Reverse osmosis removes toxins like salt, radium, copper, nitrates/nitrites, arsenic, hexavalent chromium, and fluoride. This filter pushes water through a semipermeable membrane that traps the contaminants on one side while freshwater transfers through to the other side.
Another important benefit of this filter is that it removes chromium +6 and fluoride, which most other filters aren’t able to do. Similarly, reverse osmosis can remove the sodium in the drinking water caused by a water softener. However, these systems do waste a significant amount of water.
4. UV Filter
UV filters effectively remove viruses and bacteria. Often viewed as an environmentally friendly system, these UV filters purify water using ultraviolet light. With this technology, microbial cells absorb the light, essentially killing the viruses and bacteria.
While this system is effective at what it does, these filters only eliminate viruses and bacteria. Homeowners with UV filters should use these in conjunction with another type of filter to remove additional contaminants.
5. Water Distiller
Water distillers are one of the most popular types of home water filters. An inexpensive method for sanitizing water, water distillers use the distillation process to remove heavy metals, phosphorous, calcium, bacteria, and salts. Water distillers come in a variety of sizes, with the most inexpensive small enough to fit on the countertop.
Choose Types of Home Water Filters Based on Water Testing
Order a water test from a professional to learn what impurities are in your home’s water. Keep this guide in mind as you decide which types of home water filters are right for you.
Premier Home & Building Inspections provides home water testing and other home inspection services. Click here to schedule an appointment in Eastern Connecticut, Massachusetts, and all of Rhode Island.