Water Filters Blog
Drinking water is essential to a healthy lifestyle.
Uderstanding Water Filters
Choosing a water cooler filter that will meet your needs requires a bit of homework. There are many different types available that vary in price, usage, and filtering agents. According to Consumer Report (May, 2010), the first step in determining which type of water filtration system to choose is to determine what is in the water. Each community provides a Consumer Confidence Report, or CCR that will list any contaminants found in the water.Learn More
Types of Water Coolers
Water filters vary depending on the type of water cooler. Coolers range from canister types that go in the refrigerator, to systems that connect directly to plumbing. Filters will, therefore, vary in price and filtration of contaminants, depending on the system used.
Basic Filters
Carafe-type canisters or faucet mounted filtration systems use relatively small filters that are changed every couple of months. Most filters use activated charcoal and remove basic contaminants such as pesticides and organic chemicals, including lead and chloroform, as tested in the study for Consumer Report. The cost of both of these types of filters will average anywhere from $50 to $100 per year, depending on the amount of water used.
Plumbing Connected Filters
Water cooling systems that attach directly to the plumbing will generally use larger filters that can average from $80 to $200 in yearly cost. These systems require filters that can handle lots of water, and often have dual filter systems.
Reverse Osmosis
The reverse osmosis system is made for use on large water coolers filters, and must be professionally installed. This system filters the widest number of contaminants by trapping the contaminants and filtering clean water into a storage tank. The filters will range in cost from $100 to $300 annually.
Choosing a Water Cooler Filter
There are many options available, so make sure that the water cooling filter fits the intended usage. Basic filters are adequate for those wanting to filter drinking and cooking water. Families may want to purchase the plumbing attachment filters if large quantities of water is used for drinking and cooking.
Important considerations:
Using water cooler filter systems are less expensive than bottled water, they are more environmentally friendly and they eliminate the worry of leaching plastic. Plus the quality of water can vary in bottled waters. Always purchase filters that have features indicating when it is time to change them. Filters that are old will not work efficiently and some will even leak contaminants back into the water.
