To understand which water filter is the best for you, it is first important to address why water itself is important to us. Water plays an important role in making the human body function normally and is considered a key nutrient. Whether it’s our cells or our tissues, every part of the human body requires water to remain healthy and operational. Not only does water carry nutrients to all your cells, but also oxygen to the brain. Thanks to water, we can absorb vitamins, minerals, glucose and amino acids from what we eat and drink, and then assimilate them into our bodies. Moreover, it flushes out toxins, regulates your body temperature and lubricates your joints and muscles.
What is a water filter and why do I need one?
Sometimes, the water that flows through our taps at home may contain contaminants like industrial chemicals, pharmaceutical waste, pesticides and heavy metals. This is not good for your body, so you need to make sure the water you drink doesn’t have these. You can do this by using a water filter, which will take out unwanted elements from the tap water, and give you clean, healthy water to drink.
A water filter helps remove impurities, unwanted chemicals or debris from the water with a fine physical barrier. It may also use chemical or biological processes, depending on the kind of water filter you use. The speed or flow of water through the filter depends on how finely gapped the barrier is.
What are the benefits?
Having a water filter automatically ensures that you drink good quality water that is safe for consumption. It also saves you money, instead of buying bottled water every few days or weeks. This, in turn, helps preserve our environment, by reducing the use of plastic bottles and containers. Since you have clean, running water, you can also save on soaps and detergents, while bathing or cleaning clothes and dishes. This water also reduces limescale and other unwanted mineral deposits and prevents skin irritation and water-based illnesses.
Kinds of filters
Depending on the kind of filtration process used to clean your water, there are 5 types of water filters:
- Sediment Filter: Sediment refers to the matter that collects at the bottom of a container of water. This sediment could consist of sand, rust flakes of metal, or mud particles. In order to ensure that this matter is not consumed, a sediment filter, usually along with Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Ultraviolet (UV) water purifiers, will catch and remove it. Shaped in a roll, a sediment filter is made of either cotton or polyester fibers. Once the sediment filter captures unwanted matter, the matter is transferred via the water outlet to the UV or RO purifiers. Using this filter is beneficial for extending the lifespan of UV and RO purifiers, as it helps pre-filter any visible contaminants.
2. Ultraviolet: Ultraviolet purifiers are known for their ability to terminate microorganisms or pathogens like bacteria, cysts and viruses, which spread water-borne diseases. The water passes through a UV lamp in the purifier, where bacteria and germs are exposed to UV light and subsequently destroyed. This filtration process uses no chemicals, and is eco-friendly. While UV water purifiers are suitable for filtering water from rivers and lakes, they are not as effective with hard water sources or detecting chemicals such as fluoride, arsenic or chlorine.
3. Ultrafiltration: Ultrafiltration is ideal for water bodies that have low chemical contamination. Thanks to its thin hollow fiber membrane, this purifier can separate water from certain big-particle contaminants like bacteria and viruses. This is a chemical-free purification process, which doesn’t require the use of electricity and has a long life span. However, it is not suitable for hard water or fine-particle contaminants, and may require regular maintenance.
4. Activated Carbon: Activated carbon, usually derived from charcoal, but also from coal, coconut and nut shells, and wood, can catch and remove chemicals and pesticides that cause water-borne diseases. It also helps remove contaminants that badly affect the taste of water such as chlorine. Additionally, Activated Carbon purification removes heavy metal particles, and expands the RO purifier life span, when they are used together.
5. Reverse Osmosis: Reverse Osmosis purifiers use pressure to separate continents from water, with the help of electricity. Water passes through the filtering membrane, where contaminants like chlorine, arsenic, lead, nitrates, and sulfates are trapped, leaving clean water to go further into the holding tank. It is from this holding tank that you get your clean drinking water. RO is effective with hard water sources as well. While it is more expensive, it certainly is the filter to choose for pure, safe drinking water.
Why is Reverse Osmosis the best option?
If you’re still asking yourself, ‘how does reverse osmosis water filter work better than any other filter’, then here’s why it’s the one to choose:
- Unlike traditional filters, RO has a membrane that thoroughly filters both visible and invisible contaminants
- RO rates higher than other filters on the Micron Filtration Scale
- RO effectively removes contaminants such as chlorine, dirt, sand, silt, lead, microbial cysts, volatile organic compounds, perfluorooctanoic acid, dissolved solids and chemicals