Best Water Filters
Finding the best water filter depends on a number of criteria. Ranging from desired price range, number of people using the filter, use of water (whether just for drinking or for bathing as well) as well as which contaminants you want filtered out of your water.
We drink 182.5 gallons of water a year, on the average. Municipal water can be contaminated with an array of toxins including chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, industrial solvents, pesticides, bacteria, cysts, molds, viruses, prescription drugs, as well as other toxins and chemicals. It’s essential to protect yourself and your loved ones from these kinds of harmful contaminates by finding the best water filter you can.
Price Range:
Water filters range in price from $25 to over $6000. Basically you get what you pay for. Factors that go into the cost of a water filter include:
- The water filter type
- Type and number of contaminants that the water filter removes
- Number of steps in the filtration process
- The amount of water the filter can handle without replacing the cartridge
- Brand
When looking to buy the best water filter it’s also important to take into consideration the cost of replacement filter cartridges.
Water Filter Styles:
Water filter pitchers are the most inexpensive kind of water filters. They range in price from $25 to around $100. Pitcher style water filters generally do not provide the range of decontamination that more expensive water filters do, however they are good for basic tasks such as removing some chlorine and improving taste.
Shower water filters range in price from $50 to $150. These water filters generally attach to your shower fixture. The best shower water filters will take out contaminants and remove odors to protect your skin and hair from harsh chlorine and other toxins. Shower water filters are not designed to supply drinking water.
Countertop water filters range in price from $50 to $700. Countertop water filters generally attach to your faucet. Their usefulness to decontaminate your drinking water ranges from very poor to very good. Most at least remove some chlorine and will make your water taste better.
Under sink water filters are a bit more expensive ranging from $100 to $1000. These water filters attach to the plumbing under your sink and therefore do require a bit more installation time. Contaminant removal also varies on these water filters and like all the rest the best water filter probability will end up being in the upper end of the price range.
Whole house water filters go for $300 to $6000. These are the kind of water filters that are installed at the line coming in from the city. They require professional installation. While these water filters tend to cost more they also provide the benefit of filtering all the water for your entire house. This includes water for bathing, showers and drinking. These water filters also tend to remove more contaminants than other filtration systems, however every water filter has it’s own toxin removal profile and when looking for the best water filter it’s always wise to refer to these charts when purchasing a system.