Before You Buy a Water Filter – 3 Features to Consider

Your running water can contain different chemicals, microbes, and heavy metals that can have adverse effects on your body over time. Since water is essential not just for drinking, you’ll need to assess if the quality of water you have at home is safe enough to use.

For most homes, tap water is their primary source of water for different purposes. Besides cooking and drinking, your home’s running water is necessary for washing dishes, clothes, and taking baths. 

Unfortunately, you can be using contaminated water without even knowing it. High amounts of sulfates can be present in the water, which can cause diarrhea and dehydration. Besides these soils, your water can also contain heavy metals that are hazardous even in low concentrations. These are just some of the serious reasons why you should invest in a quality water filtration system.

Investing in safe-to-use water

The first step to buying a water filter is getting your tap water tested in a lab. Doing so will allow you to see which filter will be compatible with your use best based on the organic compounds in your water. Unfortunately, there isn’t an all-in-one solution for your water filtration systems. However, different water filter brands may work better for your home’s water source, depending on what contaminants you need to remove. You must be vigilant in looking at features for your water filtration system.

Before you buy a water filter, here are three features you should consider:

1. Contamination removal

Water coming to your household can contain different forms of contaminants, such as bacteria and micro-parasites. Additionally, you can put yourself and your family at risk of cholesterol, diarrhea, and hormone suppression by ingesting the harmful chemical pollutants and heavy metals on your tap water.

Most filters can remove 40 contaminants at once. However, most of your options can range from processing 25 to 60 potential contaminants, depending on the brand you chose to purchase. If the tests reveal harmful organic compounds and chlorine, activated carbon filters may be your best bet. On the other hand, it may be better to purchase a UV filtration system if the results reveal heavy metals and sulfates.

2. Filtration rate

Each water filtration system will come with a maximum daily filtration rate attached to it. It’s the set amount of filtered water you can produce on a regular day. Although many homeowners undermine this aspect of a filtration system, it can be problematic if your water consumption exceeds your water filter’s capacity. It’s best to account for how much filtered water your household uses. The more people you have in your home, the more likely you’ll need a higher cap for your filtration limit.

3. Installation and maintenance costs

Water filters come in all sorts of sizes, from filtration rate to storage capacity. Additionally, some brands have remineralization cartridges, which can cost you more for their advanced features. Besides buying the entire unit, you need to gauge how much the installation and maintenance will cost you. This includes when you’ll have to replace cartridges and how much electricity it will take to operate. Taking all these factors into considerations will give you a better idea of your overall expenses.

Conclusion

After testing your water for the signs of contaminants, it’s necessary to have a water filtration system that matches your home’s needs. Instead of rushing to buy the cheapest product, you should first scout out your potential options and deliberate on the best purchase for you.

At Atom Keep, we provide the best water filter buying guides to ensure that you buy the right appliances for your money’s worth. Browse through our online reviews and learn about which appliances will work best with your home’s setup!