Water Filter Comparisons

Bottled water

Bottled water is a multi-billion dollar business. It is the fastest growing segment of the entire beverage industry and the most profitable! The bottled water industry has become the target of some of the largest corporations of the world. Millions of dollars are spent each week by water bottlers to give consumers the perception that their water comes from some pristine mountain spring or pure underground aquifer. The truth is that often bottled water is little more than tap water in a bottle, there are no assurances or requirements that bottled water be any safer or better than tap water. Chlorox Bleach Co., Schweppes, Pepsi Cola and Coca Cola are just a few of the recent entries capitalizing on this highly lucrative market. If we just take a common sense look at the companies controlling this industry, who are certainly not known for their health consciousness, we will begin to understand the misconception that has been created around the quality of bottled water. Read the full article on bottled water.

Water Pitchers and Carafe-Style filters

In recent years, pitchers & carafe-style filters have emerged as low cost alternatives to tap water and bottled water and are by far the least effective and the most costly to use. They do offer a slightly improved alternative to tap water, but because of the small size of the replacement cartridges, they have very limited effectiveness and a low capacity, however they have the advantage of being portable.

Carbon Block and Granular Carbon Filters

These are the most common styles of countertop and under-the-sink systems (point of use). Granular carbon filters and carbon block systems use the same process of contaminant removal, adsorption, by which the contaminant bonds chemically or physically to the surface of the filter medium. Activated carbon is recognized by the U.S. EPA as the best available technology for filtering VOCs and THMs. For best performance it is essential that a multi stage process be used to filter out a wide range of contaminants.

Multi-Media Block filters

Multi-media block filters utilize the benefits of activated carbon with several added advantages. A blended media is extruded or compressed into a solid form with a sub-micron pore structure to filter out sediment and cysts like Cryptosporidium and Giardia. This configuration also prevents water from channeling around the filter media.

For best performance it is essential that a multi stage process be used to filter out a wide range of contaminants.

Water Ionizers

Some water ionizers perform two functions; a filtration procedure to remove harmful contaminants and an ionization process which separates the water molecules and the minerals in the water into positive and negative ions. Whether or not a filter is involved, the ionization process causes the water to be electronically enhanced due to exposure to positive and negative electrodes; separating the water and the minerals into 70% alkaline and 30% acid water. This occurs through a process known as electrolysis, where water is passed over two electrically charged metal plates or electrodes. This takes place in the electrolysis chamber, which is divided into two compartments by a diaphragm or membrane. One side has a positive electrode and the other has a negative electrode. The electrolytic process causes the water on one side to become alkaline, and the water on the other side to become acidic. Naturopaths use and recommend ionized water to help propel the body into an alkaline state as it’s believed that many life threatening illnesses within the body can only survive in an acidic environment. Many studies suggest that cancer cells can only grow in an acid environment. This theory seems to be supported by the fact that the areas where people live the longest most disease free lives are the areas that have the most alkaline water, water with the highest mineral content.

Water Distillers

Distilled Water combines steam distillation and coconut shell carbon filtration, resulting in the removal of all fluoride and 99.8% of impurities from the water. A water distiller is essentially a “mother nature” machine. It produces “newborn” water; that is pure, organic water that’s brand new, replicating the water found in raw fruits & vegetables. Due to the newness of the distilled water particle, it has the inherent ability to act like a magnet. As it travels through the body, it attaches to and draws out toxins, passing them out through the body, assisting in the detoxification process. Dr Norman Walker; a physician and world leader in natural health methods to heal disease was a great advocate of distilled water and a living testament of his beliefs; he lived to 109. Dr Walker considered distilled water to be ideal for anyone undertaking a detoxifying or a raw food diet although other experts disagree, stating that long term consumption of distilled water can eventually result in multiple mineral deficiencies.

Pi Water Filters

Pi water filters use a combination of carbon filtration, magnetic fields and far infrared energy to create water that is very similar to the water found within the body’s cellular tissue. This makes pi water highly compatible to the body’s existing homeostasis; this energized, structured water is said to have positive health benefits including antioxidant and immune-boosting properties. Because of the similarity to organic body water, much less energy is required for the conversion, giving the body a chance to work on the overall elimination of waste from all of the cells and tissues of the body.

Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Systems

This is a process that exposes water under pressure to a semi permeable membrane with a very fine pore structure. Because most inorganic contaminants have a larger molecular size than water, the membrane rejects certain contaminants, minerals and a large part of the water. The portion of water that passes through the membrane is stripped of inorganic compounds and trace minerals. Because many synthetic chemicals, such as herbicides and pesticides are smaller, molecularly, than water, a reverse osmosis system must also be used in conjunction with a carbon filter. Reverse osmosis systems require adequate water pressure and extensive maintenance. Because most point-of-use reverse osmosis systems produce less than 1 gallon per hour, they require a diaphragm storage tank. Reverse osmosis typically wastes 2 to 3 gallons of water for every gallon it produces and costs 18 to 24 cents per gallon. Often these products are marketed by using a demonstration that measures the TDS (total dissolved solids), and implies that this measurement shows the systems effectiveness at removing contaminants. TDS meters measure the dissolved minerals in water, primarily calcium and magnesium, and have little or nothing to do with contaminant levels or water purity. On a more scientific level, there are several credible research reports and books that stress the more recent opinion that long term consumption of de-mineralized water can in fact be dangerous. Two very negative things happen when we consume water that has been stripped of its natural minerals. First, because de-mineralized water contains more hydrogen it is an acid, with a pH below seven. Any time we consume an acid substance, our body will pull minerals from our teeth and bones to produce bicarbonate in order to neutralize the acid. Second, it has been proven that when our body fluids become more acid than alkaline the production of free radicals increases, causing increased cancer risks.

Whole House Water Filtration Systems

Whole of House water filtration allows you to filter the water at “point of entry” enabling the removal of chlorine and synthetic chemicals such as THMs and VOCs. These chemicals vaporize from tap water and are inhaled or absorbed through the skin, potentially causing adverse health effects. There are different types of whole of house water filtration systems on the market; standard carbon, reverse osmosis and multi-stage, multi media filters. Where there is a whole of house filter installed, it is usually advised to install a filter for drinking water although a shower filter would not be deemed necessary.