IS YOUR WATER FILTER PITCHER
GOOD ENOUGH?
IS YOUR WATER FILTER PITCHER
GOOD ENOUGH?
So, how do you know if your water pitcher is any good? First, you need to understand that filter performance varies. Second, you should only purchase brands that are tested by a third-party lab and finally, you need to read the lab reports to understand the performance. Not All Water Filters are Created Equal
Water filter effectiveness can vary widely even among the same type of filter. In fact, one of the popular water filter pitcher brands does not even remove lead from your water. The basic Brita water filter pitcher removes chlorine, copper, mercury, cadmium, and zinc. And, while these are all good pollutants to remove from your drinking water, there are dozens of other contaminants that the basic Brita does not remove.
The Propur water filter pitcher, on the other hand, reduces over 200 water contaminants including fluoride, arsenic, pesticides, micro plastics, and more. Brita and Propur are all water filter pitchers that seem similar, but perform at different levels of effectiveness.
Look for Test Results
Reputable water filter manufacturers use third-party labs to test their filters, and they publish the test results. If you cannot find the filter’s lab report, it is a red flag. Short of having the water tested yourself which is expensive and complicated, the only way you’ll know the quality of the filter is by reviewing the lab reports.
Some companies do not publish their test results or have their filters tested. You should never buy a filter from one of these companies.
Read the Fine Print
The next step is to read the lab reports. The reports will tell you which water contaminants the filter reduces and the percentage reduction. Below is an example of a lab report for a popular water filter. As you can see, it’s been tested and removes 95% of chlorine and between 94-95% of mercury. You’ll want to pay attention to the contaminant removed as well as the percent reduction.
If for example, you wanted to remove 99.9% of chlorine, you’d want to select a different filter.
Ensure that the filter is either NSF certified or that the lab that tested the filter is a certified lab. NSF stands for National Science Foundation. This organization has contaminant reduction standards for drinking water filters.
If the filter is not NSF certified, then you should find the name of the water quality lab that tested the filter and do a google search. If they are certified, you’ll find that information on their website along with the license number.
In summary, if you follow these simple suggestions, you can be certain that your water pitcher filter is good enough.
Written by: Pure Living Space
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