Which Type of Water Filtration System Is the Right One for Your Home?

Uninterrupted access to clean and safe water is one of the gifts of the modern world. Whether it is used for drinking, food preparation, sanitation, or even recreational purposes, readily available clean water is a critical component to the maintenance of good public health.

In Australia and most other developed economies, comprehensive and equitable access to affordable and safe drinking water is assured for most of the population. For this, people can thank the modern and efficient water infrastructure that their governments put into place, ensuring that there will always be enough clean water for everyone to use.

However, while people’s trust in modern water infrastructure may very well be placed, it is important to consider that in many places, water resources are under a tremendous amount of stress due to problems like pollution, variable weather conditions, and climate change. As such, it’s getting harder for a lot of towns and cities to provide enough safe drinking water for all.

Moreover, while water may be treated at the municipal level and chemicals like chlorine are introduced to reduce the number of pathogenic organisms in the water system, one still can’t be certain that water is 100% safe at the point of consumption. Chlorine itself is already a problematic chemical, but impurities like sediments, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and others can also make their way into the drinking water system.

This information should be enough for anyone to seriously consider getting a water softening system for their home. After all, having a reliable water filter is like having a second layer of protection that will allow you to better safeguard yourself and your loved ones from the harmful effects of unsafe drinking water. In this short guide, we’ll list down some of the options available to you in terms of water filtration systems.

Standalone Water Filtration Systems

Standalone water filters are among the most convenient types of filters that you can install in your place of residence. Typically requiring only one square foot of floor or benchtop space, a standalone water filter can be easily connected to the mains water supply so you can have immediate access to safe and refreshing drinking water. These dispensers can't provide filtered sparkling water straight from the tap, so make sure to have a SodaStream handy to carbonate the water if required, and locate a place that can perform a co2 refill near me for the canister so you don't have to keep buying new ones.

These filtration systems can use a series of filter media such as a 1-micron sediment filter and a 5-micron carbon block filter to remove impurities from water. There are also standalone filtration systems that can dispense normal, cool, cold, and hot water. When considering such a filtration system—for example a unit with a hot and cold water dispenser—you should make sure that it’s a model that has been designed to offer optimum energy efficiency. This way, you’ll have constant access to water of the right temperature without worrying about exorbitant energy bills.

In-Line Undersink Water Filtration Systems

As their name suggests, in-line under sink water filtration systems are installed beneath the sink, usually in a kitchen or a bar facility. Such a system typically has its own faucet through which the filtered water flows.

Most under sink water filtration units have one or more cartridges that contain the filter media. This can be a simple but efficient ionic silver-based antimicrobial carbon filtration media, or a more advanced superfine membrane that is supported by reverse osmosis technology. The semi-permeable membrane in a reverse osmosis unit rejects not only sediments but also pathogenic microorganisms, heavy metals, salts, chlorine, fluoride, and other unwanted impurities or chemicals.

While in-line under sink water filtration systems can last a very long time before their cartridges or filter media need replacement, they can also be more expensive to purchase at the outset.

Filtered Tap Systems

A filtered tap system is a faucet-integrated filtration system that has been designed to incorporate a built-in filter media. Additionally, it may also have heating, cooling, and carbonation capabilities as well. These taps are specially made to serve as drinking appliances, providing instant chilled, hot, or sparkling water to users.

Filtered tap systems are a great addition to any kitchen, but as you can imagine, they can also cost a lot of money. On top of this, they also require specialized installation from qualified tradesmen.

A Great Investment

In today’s modern world, access to pure and safe drinking water is easy when you have the right water filtration system installed in your home. Not only can an efficient water filter remove most of the unwanted contaminants in your drinking water, it’s also essential to providing you potable water that is refreshing, great-tasting, and superbly enjoyable to drink.