Water Filter Buying Guide
18 Oct

Water is essential for life. But the quality of water that we consume every day is becoming dangerous for our health. To improve the quality of water for daily use, it is now mandatory to install water filters in our home. But people tend to make mistakes while buying a water filters in various aspects including purpose, flow rate and capacity.

Every filter works best on its own, but it is not necessary that it works best for your requirements too. Before buying a water filter you should go through a thorough analysis and research to get the best solution for your water filtration needs.

Water Filter Buying Guide: Things to Consider Before Buying Water Purifier

Test water quality of your supply

What type of source do you use for your daily usage? Most of the filtration requirements are defined by the source of water you use. The very first thing to do is test quality of water that is supplied to you. There are easy to use checkup kits available or you can even call an expert to do the job. You need to install a water filter only if your water source is contaminated. There are mainly two types of water sources:

Private or individual

Private source includes bottled water, spring water, and water from ponds, shallow wells, streams, ponds and river canals. Private sources also include individually created sources like rainwater harvesting, residential bores, cisterns.

Public

The United States safe drinking water act identifies public sources as the ones provided by public entities like local government supply, ration water tanks and city water systems.

If you get water from a private source like well and bottled water, then you can eliminate contamination from the source itself. But rivers, ponds, streams require a lot of expense and time to be cleaned. Natural private sources are not reliable in terms of quality. So, a water filter is required.

In case of public water sources, you can file a complaint against the water contamination and quality to the local authorities which may not be effective readily. If the water from a public source is contaminated, you need to get a water filter installed fit for your needs.

Check your home water system

If the water report and tests do not show any hazardous contamination in your water supply, then the problem may be in your house water system. Check for leakage in all faucets and pipelines going around your house. Make sure that the surroundings of your house are clean and there is no clogged drainage around your supply line. Metal water pipes slowly accumulate rust and other organic contaminants due to moisture. The pipes throughout the house should be cleaned quarterly to prevent organic growth and rust.

Understand your needs

Water filters eliminate only the specific contaminants that they mention in their labels. Be aware of what kind of contamination prevails in your water supply. Check the list of contaminants the water filter you want to buy eliminates. Analyze your daily consumption of water based on purpose like drinking, washing, bathing and cooking. If you need water purification for all your needs, whole house filters with Point of Entry system are the right fit. If the water purification is required only for drinking or bathing purpose, then point of use filters like RO filters, under sink filters and countertop water filters.

Explore the categories

With advancement in water filtration technology, there are many processes available today to purify water. There are many categories of water filters based on performance, durability, maintenance and cost which fit all types of water filtration solutions ranging from personal home to a commercial industry.

Maintenance cost

The maintenance cost of all filter categories varies highly. While many filters may come cheap in cost, the maintenance like replacement of cartridges and hoses is costly. So get detailed maintenance and repair costs of your water filter from the company before buying them.

Water filters are not a one-time investment. They need regular maintenance depending on the quality of the cartridges. Many companies provide features like quality index and security alarms for cartridges replacement which are beneficial. If the filters are regularly maintained the quality of water deteriorates, hoses may choke and power consumption increases.

Beware of scams

Do water filters actually work? Are you going to be scammed with an overrated device with false promises? Is doorstep water test trustable?

In case of any health related product, you should be aware of the scams that go around to stay alert and prevent getting scammed yourself. It highly depends on the company that you buy the water filter from. There are many companies that provide water filters at very low costs. They are mostly fake or ineffective. Water filtration is not a cheap process and any person who sells them at unbelievably low price is probably scamming you.

In recent news, many water filter scams have come into lime light. The worst of all was the door step sales and service scam to test your water quality and provide fake water filters. While there are many reputed companies that provide door step sales and service feature, they do not approach you without your solicitation.

Do you think that your water filter throws out more water than it purifies?

Then, you may be a victim of another scam. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) does not allow more than 30% of water to seep out from waste hose. But due to this scam being neglected, almost 3 liters of water seeps out to provide 1 liter of pure water.

Buy only certified water filters

The reviews not only help in finding a water filter company that is legitimate, they also help you find the right one for your requirements. Customer feedback is one of the best ways to find a good water filter company both for the product quality and performance and the post sales services and warranty.

You can also compare the price of the water filters online. If the price of another product with the same features is low, it is anyway beneficial for your pockets.

Important Note – Always read the description and contaminant list that he water filter eliminates. Never install water filters on your own as that voids the warranty. Read the instructions of use carefully for optimum performance.

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