Who Needs a Water Filter in Their Home?

You may have heard that a lot of people nowadays are getting some kind of water filter system in their home. Why are they doing that?

After all, you may ask, why do you need a water filter? Surely the tap water is good enough? Well, not exactly. Studies have shown that there are many additives in the water that comes through your mains water system. Some of these have been added by the water companies. Substances such as chlorine or fluorine, for example. These are added with the best of intentions. But studies have shown that along with the benefits, these additives may have a downside too. Chlorine is added to kill bacteria in the water, but there is evidence that it can be linked to some health problems. The same goes for fluorine, which is apparently there because it is good for your teeth. Chlorine in the water also makes an unpleasant taste.

In addition to these deliberately added substances, there are many chemicals and effluent materials and even heavy metals, such as uranium, which find their way into the domestic water supply. Some of these are only present in small quantities, but sometimes a small quantity of them is more than enough. The water companies do the best they can to eliminate them. But they are faced with rising costs, and lower public willingness to pay higher prices, so they cannot deal completely with the problem. One of the heavy metals, lead, may be present in some supplies in quite large quantities, due to the presence of old lead pipes in the system that have still not been replaced. Many water supply authorities have a further disadvantage. Due to the increasing lack of fresh water, they have to make do with recycled water, often reclaimed from sewage plants. All in all, it is thought that the figure could be as high as over 90% of all homes have unacceptable levels of unwanted substances in the water supply.

In view of all this, what should people do? One way is to buy water in a bottle. The bottled water industry has, as a result, become big business. But there is evidence to suggest that the water you buy in a bottle is often not much better than the water coming out of the tap. Sometimes it is indeed pure mineral water, but it is expensive. There are environmental considerations too. The bottled water has often been transported hundreds, even thousands, of miles before you take it from the shelf, with all the use of energy that is involved. You have no idea how long the bottle has been sitting on the shelf. It has been shown that, after a while, the water reacts with the plastic of the bottle, thus introducing an unwanted additive. On top of all this, bottled water is very heavy when you have to carry it all the way home!

More and more people are now considering the alternative. Water filter systems in the home are free of most of the problems associated with tap water and bottled water. Most filter systems produce pure water that is every bit as good, or even better, than the best and most expensive bottled water. They are convenient and easy to maintain. There are all kinds of different systems to suit every wish. And you don't have to spend a large amount of money on them.