There are hundreds if not thousands of manufacturers of drinking water filters. Most produce filters that reduce chlorine only. Only a few manufacturers produce filters that actually effectively reduce numerous contaminants in addition to chlorine. No water filter removes 100 percent of any chemical contaminant.

Quality is the key factor when it comes to water filters. A quality filtration system will not only provide you with better, purer, and healthier water than a cheap filter, but will also save you money in the long run.

Filter lifespan is very important. Look for filters that have a lifespan of at least 6 months or longer. Replacement filters can be expensive. A long life filter will save you money. Compare replacement filter cost also.

Another thing to question is how long has the manufacturer been in business? Will they be there when you need a replacement filter? If they have been in business for a number of years, 10 at least, they more than likely will be there for you when you need to replace your filter or need a part for your system.

Determine what you are trying to accomplish by using a filter. Chlorine reduction only? Bacteria? Or, do you want to effectively reduce bacterial cysts, chlorine and a wide range of chemical and organic contaminants? Do you want to remove the healthy minerals from your water?

Determine Technology – There are a number of different technologies when it comes to water filters. Loose Carbon, Carbon Block, Ultraviolet Lighting, Reverse Osmosis and Distillation.

Loose Carbon – This is a bacteria factory. Loose carbon allows oxygen to exist within the filter which encourages, in fact enhances the growth of bacteria. These filters are very cheap to purchase, but expensive in the long run because the filters have to be replaced frequently.

Distillation – Can be effective on bacteria, sediments, solids, and any organic or chemical contaminant that will not evaporate. Many contaminants, especially many chemical contaminants found in water today will evaporate.

Ultraviolet lighting can effectively kill bacteria. This type of technology should be used in addition to a quality filter.

Reverse Osmosis – Reverse Osmosis is a membrane which reduces radium, fluoride and numerous other contaminants to a high degree, but it does have limitations. This type of technology can be used in addition to a quality filter which will increase the range of effectiveness. Reverse Osmosis does remove the healthy minerals from water.

Solid Carbon Block – This type of filtration reduces the widest range of chemical contaminants to a very high degree. Some are higher quality than others. The density and quality of the carbon determine the effectiveness. Water passes through a high quality solid carbon block as a molecule instead of a drop. This means all the water touches the carbon. Therefore all the water is subject to proper filtration. Look for a carbon block which will reduce contaminants to at least 1 micron. The smaller the number the better.

Now that you know what you are looking for, how do you know which filters will do the job? NSF International (National Sanitation Foundation) tests and certifies that water filtration products meet certain standards and do exactly as the manufacturer claims. The NSF Certification will show you exactly which contaminants the filter will reduce and to what extent. You can find the certification data on any certified water filter by inquiring at www.nsf.org or by requesting the certification from the manufacturer. Never consider buying a water filter that is not certified by NSF.

Consumer Digest is also a good source for information when comparing water filters. Consumer Digest actually compares water filters and rates them accordingly. Cost – Filter Life – Effectiveness – etc.

For more information regarding water filters and drinking water see:

www.supremedrinkingwatersolutions.com

www.epa.org

www.cdc.org

www.nrdc.org

Everyone needs a pitcher water purifier because everyone needs good health. Why? You come back dry mouthed, dehydrated and thirsting for water after working in the hot afternoon sun.

You go to the kitchen and pour yourself a cold glass of refreshing water and swallow it hurriedly. It instantly cools you, satiates your thirst and re-hydrates you.

However, believe it or not, the vast majority of the water supply in the Unites States is contaminated with many harmful chemicals and substances that hurt your health. In fact, a good portion of them have been directly linked to diseases and causing poor health. Therefore, this makes buying the right water purifier an absolute necessity.

You know that the water you drink quenches your thirst, but do you know what it does to your body? It is true that we should drink eight glasses of water a day to keep hydrated and keep our skin glowing wit health. However, if you do not drink the right kind of water it can have a detrimental effect on you.

I bet you're wondering if there really are different types of water. Water is water after all, right? Well water is water but there are many different types.

Water should deliver important nutrients and minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and trace elements. The water you drink should also help to balance the acidic state of your body.

It should do so by being alkaline and thus help to fight diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes and osteoporosis which are caused by the acidic condition in our bodies that are created by the water produced by our body tissues due to pollutants, modern diet and stress.

Water isn't just a colorless liquid that quenches our parched tongues. Water is an essential part of life and properties that allow you to live a healthy life:

Besides quenching ones thirst, water should also be full of minerals, be alkaline, and be antioxidant. But most water is exactly the opposite.

A pitcher water purifier could do a good job of creating healthy, alkaline water with antioxidant properties. It is a very economical option and is highly effective without all the complications that other forms of filtration may have.

The best thing about a pitcher water purifier is that it is much cheaper than your regular water purifier that you have to purchase and install. Not only is it more affordable, but you don't have to spend hours trying to figure out how to install it; simply pour the water into the pitcher and start enjoying good, pure clean water. You can either purchase theses at a local store or the internet.

Quick tip: if you want to save some money, try buying it online. There are many discount websites that sell these for much more affordable prices than you'd find offline. Also, check eBay for some great bargains. You can usually find these water purifiers used for just as good quality as you'd find new, and also for much better prices. So get your pitcher water purifier now and live healthy.

There are over 400 drinking water filter manufacturers. Most water filters manufactured today reduce chlorine and improve the aesthetic value meaning the appearance, taste, and smell of drinking water. Only a few companies produce drinking water filters that will reduce a wide range of contaminants.

Please note, I said reduce. The simple truth is no water filter removes all of anything.

Many make false claims of producing PURE water. I have yet to find such an animal.

These false claims make it hard for even the most savvy consumer to choose a drinking water filtration system.

My goal in writing this article is to educate my fellow consumers so they can make a wise choice when purchasing a water filter.

Water filters are like everything else, quality costs money. Quality drinking water filtration systems usually cost a few hundred dollars to purchase, but save money in the long run because they produce drinking water for a fraction of the cost as compared to cheap filters. Cheap filters do little or nothing as far as purifying drinking water. One thing they are good for is costing the consumer a lot of money in purchasing replacement filters.

One of the main things to look for when shopping for a water filter is the filter life capacity and replacement filter cost. If the filter will not last at least 6 months, why buy it? The replacement filter cost for a cheap system will easily pay for a quality system that will actually improve your water by reducing not only chlorine, taste, and odor, but also various contaminants of health concern.

Performance is another important thing to look for in a water filter. Which contaminants can the filter reduce? The label on the product package should state exactly which contaminants it is capable of reducing based on standards set by NSF International.

So how do you know if the claims made on the label are correct? If the filter is not certified by the National Sanitation Foundation, put it back on the shelf. Quality water filter manufacturers put their filters through rigorous testing by NSF and are proud to advertise their certification.

NSF International tests and certifies drinking water treatment devices to the standard appropriate for the technology of the product. For filtration devices, NSF may certify the product to improve the aesthetics of the water to Standard 42, the health effects of the water to Standard 53 or both. In addition, NSF has developed an additional testing standard for Reverse Osmosis units, Standard 58.

Only if a product is NSF Certified can the consumer be certain that the product meets strict standards for design and performance. Many products claim they are Tested To NSF Standards, however, these products have not passed the rigorous NSF testing and certification process. The labeling on the package should strictly state NSF Certified to Standard 42, Standard 53 or both.

Consumers can go to the following NSF International website: www.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU/, locate the certification for any certified drinking water purification system, and then compare the certification of one product to another.

Any water purification system that is NSF Certified to Standard 42 and 53, will not only improve the aesthetic value of the water, but will reduce specific contaminants. The NSF Certification will specify each contaminant the water filter has been tested and proven to reduce and to what degree.

Most companies that sell quality water purification systems offer under sink filtration systems which save counter space. Sure is a lot nicer than having a monster sitting on your kitchen counter that you have to manually fill on a daily basis. Under sink systems have their own faucet which will mount on your sink and are more convenient than the faucet mount type water filters.

For more information regarding drinking water or water filters please see the following sites:

www.supremedrinkingwatersolutions.com

www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/healthywater/

www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/brief.asp

www.epa.gov/safewater/

Ozone is considered one of the most powerful purifiers and disinfectants that Mother Nature has to offer. Though chemically unstable, the ozone molecule is a true miracle by its freshness and purity. Do you know that incredible smell that follows a summer storm? If you do, let me tell you that is ozone created by the ultraviolets emitted by the sun. Ozone water purifiers recreate the ultraviolets with the help of a lamp, and oxygen changes its atomic structure when passed through the light. The ozone acts on germs and bacteria present in water by causing oxidation, thus changing their internal cellular structure.

Ozone water purifiers include a device known as ozone generator that includes a high intensity ultraviolet lamp. Compressed air is pumped into a special chamber where it is converted into ozone; this very process can help us understand the way the ozone layer actually protects the earth from the direct action of the ultraviolets. Once created, the ozone is sent into a diffuser where ozone-saturated bubbles are made. Water combines with these bubbles in a purification tank and all the organic molecules in it – bacteria, protozoa, germs and fungi – will be oxidized.

Ozone water purifiers are now used to disinfect 90% of the world's water supply; even bottled water that is labeled as micro-biologically pure relies on ozone treatment. The advantage of Ozone water purifiers is that they act three thousand times more quickly than chlorine for instance; this means that the purification process is almost instantaneous. Due to the high efficiency of the method, not only water but air and food too are presently purified by ozonification as the procedure has been taken up by large industrial sectors. However, ozone water purifiers need to be combined with special filters so as to eliminate the various inorganic particles that give the water a murky look.

The best ozone water purifiers are those that turn on and off depending on whether the water flow itself is turned on or off. They can be attached to almost any ½ inch water pipe and provide an uninterrupted ozone concentration at a specific flow rate. The amount of power such devices require varies from model to model; yet the standard electricity consume should be around 32 watts as a standard. Consequently, ozone water purifiers provide clear water for the entire household without adding up too much to the electricity bill.

<p>If you are constantly on the go and are very much concern about the quality of the drinking water, there is one good news for you. It takes away  the added expense of water bottles,  on top of that, it give you the best of both worlds: clean, great tasting water. This portable water filter device simply provide you with the inexpensive convenience of high quality, filtered tap water. Just  fill the sports bottle with tap water, and it will remove lead, chlorine and other chemical contaminants for healthy water in seconds! Besides able to hold 20 oz filtered water, the bottle is durable, economical and is perfect for the gym, office, school, or anywhere else you are traveling.  </p>
<p>This portable water filter is Aquasana Purity Sports Bottle!</p>
<p>The portable water filter is just not a water container as it appears to be. It has one water filter that can effectively remove  chlorine, led, chemical contaminants, bad tastes and odors, from tap water. So, you can just replenish your drinking water from any tap water source you can find to your convenience. One single water filter can purify 40 gallons of tap water, or will last you 60 days of use. When you purchase, this portable water filter comes with 3 water filters or cat ridges and cost less than a dinner. So, that is a 120 gallons of pure, clean and well-taste drinking water. In the effort to assure you of the reliabilities of the portable water filter, it gives you 100 days warranty from the date of purchase. </p>
<p>It is made of Low Density Poly-Ethylene (LDPE). With the unique replaceable water filters, any contaminants in the tap water which are harmful to your body will be removed.  You are assured of pure, clean, odorless and tasty water prior to  consumption. The special design and  size make it conveniently for bringing it with you virtually everywhere you go. You can clean it easily by just rinsing it under the tap water, or if you are too lazy, you can clean it with dishwasher. So, this provide you with pure and safe drinking water irregardless where you are as long as there is tap water supply.</p>
<p>This portable water filter not only remove lead, chlorine and chemical contaminants for every 40 gallons or it will last you 60 days of usage, it also allows you to use any tap water source and the end result is great tasting, healthy and pure water. There are no risk in buying this portable water filter as the company is giving you 100 days warranty from the date of purchase. If you are not entirely happy with the performance of this <a rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://www.absolute-filtered-water-site.com">portable water filter unit</a>, you just inform and return to them, and you get your money back.</p>
<p>For those who travel frequently or always on the move, I would recommend you to get a unit of this <a rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href="http://www.absolute-filtered-water-site.com">portable water filter</a> instead of buying bottled water as drinking bottled water is not as safe as you might think. Simply spend the cost of a meal, bring it along with you, especially if you are traveling to some countries where you are not sure about  their quality of water. Believe me, you will have complete peace of mind irregardless where you are with this portable water filters. It can just turn any source of tap water into a clean and pure water which can be safely consumed.</p>

Part of the common marketing practice these days, the listing of the bacteria in the water that are destroyed by the action of the UV water purifiers clearly tells a buyer what to expect when buying such an item. Ultraviolet light is widely considered one of the most powerful disinfectants discovered so far, which would explain the extensive range of applications both in households and industry. What exactly happens in the UV water purifiers that the results are so remarkable? We should begin by saying that the density of micro-organisms in water very much depends on the source, the geographical area as well as the climate.

UV water purifiers are low-energy devices that eliminate the bacteria by exposure to light. Micro-organisms are not literally destroyed, but inactivated. One of the properties of light is that of operating changes in the living structures, and this is the main working principle behind the efficiency of the UV water purifiers. The ultraviolets in the system have a specific wavelength and the water exposure time depends on the flow rate and the length of the lamp in the device. The water will absorb UV energy and  the highest purification efficiency will always be closer to the ultraviolet source.

In common UV water purifiers, the water will enter the inlet of the lamp and flow through a chamber where the germicidal lamp is located; afterwards, the purified water will leave the device through a nozzle in the outside chamber wall. Certain UV water purifiers can be adjusted so as to handle very high flow rates, up to 2400 gallons per hour; should you need a superior capacity, there is always the alternative of using multiple UV water purifiers connected in series or in parallel. Nevertheless for such complex combinations, professional maintenance is often required.

When you have to choose from among several models of UV water purifiers, there are some features that will tell you which item is the right one for you. First of all, go for expandable systems if you know that some time later you will want to extend and change the parts. Then, try those designs that have only one lamp per chamber since they are considered a lot safer while enabling the user to securely monitor the system. Last but not least, the best UV water filters are those that have the lamp covered with a quartz protection so that the temperature doesn't drop when water passes through.

Why do you need a drinking water filter system in your home?  The main reason is your health may be at risk.  The right water filter system can protect your home drinking water from contaminants such as bacteria, chemicals, chlorine and other potentially dangerous things.

Water is Vital to Life and Good Health

Your body is 70% fluid and you lose bodily fluids daily.  The best way to replace them is by drinking water. But the water must be safe, clean and pure.  Tap water is potentially harmful.   An in-home drinking water filter system can turn your tap water back into something that you enjoy drinking.

Is Your Water Safe or Contaminated?

When you find out what is lurking in your water, you may not want to drink it. A lot of  people do not realize what they are drinking, and thus continue to use tap water. Many of the most harmful contaminants are hard to detect because they are without odor or color.  We want you to know why a water filter system for your home is so important.

Chlorine - The Good and The Bad

Tap water that comes into your home has chlorine in it put there by the public water system. It is good that they put it there.  It kills bacteria that cause cholera.

However, chlorine is not good for your body.  It should be removed before you drink.  You should look for a drinking water filter system that is certified to remove at least 99% of the chlorine.  There are several on the market.  I found that a website that has an excellent water filter.  I will talk more about it in a moment.

So why is chlorine not good at all times? In the shower it causes dry skin.  Some people are allergic to it.   But the worst thing is that there is a relationship between chlorine in our water supply and cancer. Several scientific studies have revealed the connection.  People with chlorinated water have an increased risk of cancer.  A chemical and chlorine blocking  water filter  can reduce your risks.

Other Water Contaminants

Being a country of consumers, all that we use on the land will sooner or later end up in the water supply.  Pesticides, herbicides, gasoline additives and a thousand other chemicals have been found in drinking water and all of them can cause cancer.  You may think that the public drinking water filter system takes care of these things, but the facilities were not designed to handle these issues.

The public drinking water system in many areas is outdated.  It  uses old technology that does nothing to filter out chemicals.  The latest technology has gone into the best home  water filter system, so that it can remove chemical contaminants.  If you look for product performance data that certifies removal of VOCs, THMs, benzene, alachlor, atrazine, lindane, TCE and MTBE, you'll be safe. 

The right drinking water filter is one that balances mineral content and pH level.  Distillers and reverse osmosis are old technologies that block minerals, leaving the water with an acidic pH. 

Most reverse osmosis will not remove chemicals, like chlorine unless it has a carbon filter.  Distillers will leave you with a dry powder that is chemical in nature.  With the latest technology, you are left with nothing but pure healthy water. 

Best Choice for the Home

No home water filter system will not protect you from all of the diseases that are out there.  But, it can protect you from all water borne diseases.  Some bacterial contaminants are resistant to chlorine disinfection. 

Those who specialize in water filters call those bacteria,  cysts. This is  in reference to the oocyst or spore stage.  If they get inside the human body, they can grow, causing illness and even death.  In order to protect your family from them, you need a drinking water filter system that removes cysts.  It should be listed on the performance data sheets.  Look for it.   For more information please see my website.  - Larry L. Taylor

Are you about to buy a water purifier for your home? Beware, going to the market without the proper planing might not be fruitful and you may end up with a wrong pick in your hands.

Thus you need to have some knowledge of certain features which must be traced in your potential buy.

Water Consumption : It becomes a vital point to consider before you buy a water purifier. Just asses minutely how much water your family members use on average. Keeping a tab for a week may give you the idea. For a family of half a dozen members, something which can purify almost eight to ten gallons water within a minute can be the best material. Check out its GPM( Gallon Per Minute).

Size : There can be various sizes of home water purifiers in a kitchen appliances store. They can be bigger or smaller ones. The water purifiers in smaller sizes are suitable for bachelors. So if you are not one of them, then you should go for something in medium size. They suit a family of three to four.

Filters : Depending upon the use of purified water in your kitchen, you can choose the number of filters attached to your buy. For a family of five to six members, buying a system with three filters can be feasible. The more filters you have, the more water you will get purified in a short period of time.

Installation : Before buying a water purifier, you need to know where do you want to install it. A smaller one can be installed near the kitchen sink. If you need cold filtered water every time, get it installed in your fridge. However, buying a bigger one can eat up some place. No problem, you can fix it behind the walls.

Easy Installation : Refrain from buying something which makes the installation a tedious job. The market is full of water purifiers which installation is an affair of five minutes only. They are designed in such a way that the installation doesn't need any extra effort or the assistance of technicians. They prevent you from drilling holes in the walls and swinging hammers in the air.

Pricing : There are many types of water purifiers available on the market. As per the technology used, their cost may vary. If you are affected by recession, there is no reason to spend some extra bucks. Rather go for a pitcher filter. It is the cheapest option.

Under sink water filters are an extremely handy thing to have. They allow you the convenience of having clean, safe drinking water coming out of a separate faucet on your kitchen sink that can also be used for cooking. It will require either a plumber or someone with professional experience to install an under sink water filter. Once it is done though, there is very little maintenance. There are several different kinds of under sink water filters. The one you need will depend on how contaminated your water is.

Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Systems

This is typically the most powerful type of under sink water filters. It is excellent for removing lead, arsenic, copper, chlorine, cadmium, giardia, pesticides, salt, trihalomethanes, sulfates, cysts, nitrates, as well as some bacteria and viruses. However there some disadvantages to a reverse osmosis filtering system. For one, it tends to waste a lot of water in the filtering process. Second, it will filter out the good minerals that your body needs as well as the bad. Before choosing this type of system, get your water tested. Use a reverse osmosis system only if your water is full of contaminants and bacteria. Then get yourself some trace minerals from the health food store to replace the healthy minerals you would be missing. If you decide to go for a simpler system than a complete reverse osmosis unit, the two best under sink water filters on the market right now are:

Aquasana - Aquasana water filters were voted ‘best buy’ by Consumer Magazine 5 years in a row. That shows great quality. They have a basic under sink water filter as well as a deluxe model. Their water filters are priced great and have a good manufacturer’s warranty which is very important.

Crystal Quest - Crystal Quest has been around a long time and has over 30 years of industry expertise. Their water filters are known for being of excellent quality and produce some of the healthiest and great-tasting water around. They also come with an excellent manufacturer’s warranty.

These two under sink water filters use a combination of filter technologies which is why they are so great. They use one or more of these technologies:

ATS Ion Exchange - removes heavy metals like lead Carbon Block - removes chemicals that cause bad taste and odor Doultion Ceramic - removes biological contaminants KDF-55 - removes heavy metals and kills bacteria UltraFiltration - removes extremely small contaminants

Our tap water has been shown to have traces of prescription drugs, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones. That is scary stuff. Finding a great under sink water filter can help to ensure that you are drinking and cooking with clean and safe water.

To learn much more about under sink water filters as well as to find whole house water filters visit Get-Water-Filters.com where you’ll find this and much more, including great information on refrigerator water filters.

Have you ever imagined life without water purifiers? Imagine walking up to a cool clear stream, kneeling down and gulping up as much water as you wanted. It tastes cool, satisfying and refreshing. Water purification is the furthest thing from your mind as you indulge yourself in this pure clean water from that babbling brook.

Then you wake up from this dream and remember all the publicity about the poor quality of our drinking water. Reports of all the chemicals and pesticides that are present at varying levels in the water we drink and bathe in, has skyrocketed sales in the water purification industry. That dream of drinking right from that clear flowing stream terrifies us, as we think of all the contaminants that we may have ingested in that satisfying gulp.

I have a confession to make. As a hunter and fisherman, I have taken a drink from those streams. They appeared to flow clear and clean, but it's what I couldn't see that may have affected my health.

Luckily, I had no ill effects, but I certainly could have. Our streams may have been ok to drink from in earlier times, but in these times that is not the case. Water purification is common and is here to stay!

As you read my articles, you may think I'm the bearer of doom and gloom, but the public needs to know what is going on with the water that they drink. They need to know that water purification is important.

People tend to ignore the tell-tail signs that indicate that our water may be making us sick.

More and more cases of cancer, birth defects, childhood diseases and other symptoms are increasing every day. Many studies have linked these things to the water that we drink. We need to drink water to survive. So its' quality is of the utmost importance. That is why water purifiers are used extensively in our homes and businesses.

People drink millions of gallons of bottled water every day. They feel good that they are drinking large quantities of this safe pure water. Unfortunately, we have been mislead. The government has no regulation on the quality of this bottled water that we hold so dear. Some of it is no better than the water we drink, unfiltered, right from our tap. On top of this, bottled water cost more per gallon than gas. Yet we think nothing of spending $2 per bottle in a convenience store to quench our thirst.

Let's face it, we can't be sure that every ounce of water we drink is safe. But we can make the decision to install a water purifier in our home. Water purifiers not only make our water taste better, but they do a satisfactory job of removing chlorine, lead, chemicals, residuals and a number of other know substances that threaten our water supplies.

There are many types of water purifiers out there. If you look at the many charts that compare water purifiers, you will see that you don't have to spend the most to get a good quality water purifier for your home.

Do yourself a favor and install a water purifier in your home today. Give yourself piece of mind knowing that the water your family is drinking is of the best quality that it can be