Home Water Filter Systems: Three Key Questions Before Making Your Choice |
Author: Brent Craig
1. What is the Quality of the Water Supply?
In other words, what elements are you hoping to filter out, and in what quantities do they exist.
An easy test for sediments is to fill a large glass with water and then let it sit overnight. If your water supply has a lot of sediment you will see it on the bottom of the glass the next day. Discovering what chemicals are in the water is more difficult, but most municipalities will have that information readily available at City Hall, or even online. You can be pretty confident that chlorine will exist in the water; chlorine is used in nearly every water treatment program that exists.
2. How Much Water Do We Use?
According to the EPA, the average water use in America is 100 gallons per person per day. You can easily find out your own water usage by consulting your water bill. The total consumption amount should be on it, and you can simply take a few bills and average out your total consumption (some bills already have an average worked out).
Particularly if you are considering a whole house water filter, you will want to know what the total consumption for the household is, so that you can choose a water filter with a large enough capacity.
3. How Much Money Can We Spend on a Home Water Filter System?
Working out the budget for a water filtration system can be the most challenging aspect of making a choice. If you and your family are already spending money on bottled water, you can easily calculate how much you are spending per month on that, and then what the savings would be by buying a filter.
The most expensive and comprehensive, filtering system you can buy is the whole house water filter. This filter attaches to the water supply's entry point into the home, and filters all the water. Many people object to the expense of this filter, and claim that it is unnecessary to filter water that will just be flushed down the toilet or poured down a drain. This is an arguable point. However, the many health benefits from filtering all the water in the home -- including improving the air quality -- often outweigh the waste argument. Also, filtered water is easier on appliances, namely the water heater, so that one would have to factor in the increased longevity of these appliances when working out a budget.
The next step from the whole house water filter is to simply install water filters at the point of use. Best bet would be to install a decent under-sink unit where most of the water is consumed, and a shower unit for the common shower. These two filters alone will greatly improve the quality of water that is consumed by your family, and the cost is relatively cheap compared to a whole house water filter.
Whatever home water filter system you decide on in the end, you deserve congratulations for choosing this important device for your home. The health benefits you will get from your filtered water will make the purchase every bit worthwhile, and outweigh the cost. The improved taste will encourage drinking more water, and a shower filter will make your skin and hair healthy too.
A home water filter system is a great investment for any family concerned about their health.
About the author: Brent Craig is an author and journalist with a dedicated interest in Healthy Home issues.
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