How to Choose an Effective Under Counter Water Filter

An under counter water filter can be an expensive purchase. I've seen under counter water filters that cost as much as $800. But, I've also seen products that sell for as little as $143.98. What's the difference?

The product that sells for nearly $800 is made by a reputable water purification company, let's call "All Things Pure". If the name brings to mind bubbling springs and fields full of wild flowers, that's what the marketers were hoping for.

The company designs reverse osmosis systems for industries, businesses and homeowners. But, you have to remember to compare "apples to apples" when you're shopping for under counter water filters.

The $800 model was strictly designed for homeowners serviced by a public supplier. Unless you have a private well or other private source, you fit into that category.

The problems with publicly treated waters include:

* Chlorine, used by the facilities to disinfect and control algae growth in the pipelines. It causes digestive disorders and other health problems.

* THMs or trihalomethanes and other byproducts of chemical disinfection. They cause cancer.

* VOCs or volatile organic compounds include chemicals such as perchlorate that causes thyroid problems, metabolic disorders and developmental problems in children. These chemicals have yet to be regulated by the EPA or other government agencies. They are common surface and groundwater pollutants.

* Lead, a naturally occurring heavy metal, used to line pipes and solder joints together until governments recently banned its use. Chlorine is so caustic that it dissolves lead and it ends up in public drinking water supplies. It causes a long list of health problems, but is most hazardous to children.

* Cysts, parasites that cause varying degrees of illness, ranging from mild flu-like symptoms to fatalities. Resistant to chlorine and other chemical disinfectants, they may be present in publicly treated or bottled waters.

Under counter water filters that remove all of these things are available, but to get one from the All Things Pure company, you have to pay $800, simply because they include a reverse osmosis step, which has been replaced by submicron particle filtration.

An under counter water filter that includes submicron particle filtration can be purchased for as little as $143.98. The system has the necessary steps to remove all of the contaminants listed above.

So, it's not necessary to pay $800 for under counter water filters and I don't think that anyone should have to. Because of the importance of drinking something pure, I believe that everyone should be able to afford to effectively filter their water. Some companies obviously agree with me.

But, companies like All Things Pure will try to convince you that their under counter water filters are better than all the rest. Don't buy into their advertising hype. Reverse osmosis is completely unnecessary and simply impractical.

With the right under counter water filter, families can save the thousands of dollars per year that they would have spent buying bottled waters and be safer in the long run. So, make the right choice for your family, today.

Bob Goodhand is an advocate for home and personal water purification systems to protect and promote healthy living. Visit his site at http://natural-purified-water.com/ to discover the drinking water filters that Bob recommends.