Archive for August, 2010

Are Reverse Osmosis Water Filters a Good Choice for Your Home?

Although reverse osmosis water filters are a common household filtration device today, they weren’t originally created for the home. Originally, this type of filtration device was designed for industrial and commercial usage. Reverse osmosis water filters have been used successfully in commercial applications,especially in removing salt from salt water.

Reverse osmosis water filter systems work with large amounts of water. This fact makes it a good fit for industrial and commercial usage but not a good choice for your home. Reverse osmosis systems use a semi-permeable membrane to separate contaminants from water. Water can pass through the membrane but contaminants cannot. When different contaminants are caught by the membrane, water pushes any impurities found on the membrane in the opposite direction than the purified water flows.

Reverse osmosis water filters use a larger amount of water than any other water filtration system. This design of water filter wastes three gallons of water as it purifies one gallon of water. The filter uses technology called back flushing. This is when water is used to flush out contaminants. Only 5 to 15% of the water that is actually used comes into your home. The rest is used in the filtration process.

The main reason that a reverse osmosis water filter isn’t a good choice for your home is that it doesn’t remove all contaminants. This type of device is only designed to remove contaminants that are the same size or bigger than the water molecule. Unfortunately, some of the most deadly contaminants like pesticides, bacteria, and chlorine are lighter than water.

Reverse osmosis water filters also remove healthy minerals that can be found in your drinking water. The process of purifying the water strips away trace minerals that benefit you and your family’s health. This process can be more harmful than the condition of the water before it was treated by a reverse water filter because when the water is demineralized, it opens the door for contaminants to attack your body. Some health risks if this approach to water purification is used could include cancer, neurodegenerative disease, and much more.

Reverse osmosis water filters advertise that they are great devices for residential use. This isn’t true. There are wide varieties of filtration devices that work better than reverse osmosis water filters. For example, ion exchange filters soften hard water. They can also remove more lead than reverse osmosis filters can. Ultraviolet radiation treatment kills more bacteria and microorganisms. Of all of these approaches to water filtration, the one that is the most efficient, however, is a carbon water filter.

Carbon filter devices are becoming more popular because they are efficient, easy to install and maintain, and economical. There are different types of carbon water filters that are designed to attach to your water supply entrance or kitchen faucets or even be used as a portable water pitcher filter.

With a carbon water filter, the healthy minerals are not removed from the water. Aquasana has filters for every area in your home that you could need. They are tested against contaminants that could be in your water. Aquasana specializes in providing and supporting carbon filtration devices that will provide clean and good- tasting water that will be healthy for you and your family.

Is There Any Research to Support Potential Shower Water Contamination Risks?

It is true that drinking contaminated water can harm our health. Many people are not aware of the surprising amount of toxins, such as chlorine, that are present in our tap water. More and more people are finding ways to purify the water they drink by purchasing filters for their drinking water. What many do not know is that this is not enough.

According to the American Journal of Public Health, two-thirds of the damage we experience from chlorine residue in water is from the water we use in the shower. As hard as that is to believe, it is true that you can get more harm from the shower water than from your drinking water.

This is so because when we are in the shower, the pores of our skin open up and easily absorb the chlorine from the water and the steam. Our skin becomes a sponge, and we drench it in water that is sometimes contaminated.

Experts from Rutgers University found that the amount of vaporized chlorine that is taken in during a 10-minute shower is the same as you might get from drinking 2 liters of unfiltered water. We would not want to drink chlorine from unfiltered water. So why do we let ourselves shower in unfiltered water that can be more dangerous to our health?

There are thousands of contaminants present in our water and the government only regulates a small number of them. With the increase of industrialization in our society, the number of contaminants in our water will only increase. The industrial and agricultural sectors are using more and more chemicals as well. These chemicals end up going into our water treatment plants that are ill equipped to deal with them. Because of these sources of water contamination, we know that the condition of our water is only going to get worse.

It is very important to have shower head water filters installed in all of your showers at home. These filters will help you be healthier because the water you use in the shower will no longer contain toxic contamination. It will cleanse your shower water of impurities such as chlorine, weed killers, drugs, fertilizers, lead, and mercury. It will leave your water clean and pure.

Also, having clean and pure shower water will protect your hair and skin. This is because chlorine can dry out the hair and skin. By having chlorine filtered out by your shower head water filter, those harsh chemicals can no longer affect your appearance. Other contaminants can also cause irritation and rashes if found in shower water.

It’s always best to be safe from harmful toxins that are found not only in your drinking water, but also in your shower. If you are looking for a shower head water filter that you can trust, choose Aquasana. Aquasana provides a wide range of water filter systems that are efficient and affordable. Aquasana water filters make sure you only have the best water quality. With their water filters, you will only have pure and safe shower water.

What Are the Advantages of an Under-Sink Water Purifier System?

Because the Environmental Protection Agency and your waste treatment plant can’t guarantee 100% completely clean and healthy water, it is important that you provide yourself with another level of protection. Under-sink water purifiers from Aquasana will protect you and your family.

Here are some advantages of having an under-sink water purifier. They will not clutter your countertop since they are installed under your counter. An under-sink water purifier is easy to install and use. Most importantly, of course, is that it provides you with pure and healthy water.

Consult the user manual when you are ready to mount the purifier. There are a number of websites that will show you how to mount the filter if you don’t understand your manual or lose it. Installation of the filter will take a couple of minutes and save you the money you’d use for a plumber. You’ll need to disconnect the water supply first. In order to install this device yourself, you’ll need to be able to drill a hole into your counter top to hook up the purifier to your faucet. Once your under-sink water purifier is installed, there is no other effort on your part.

Your under-sink water purifier doesn’t require a great deal of other maintenance after installation like reverse osmosis and distillation devices do. These types have to be paired up with other filters because they don’t entirely remove the chemicals and other types of water contamination like the under-sink water purifier does. These other devices also require that a house has constant, strong water pressure. They take up more space because reverse osmosis and distillation devices need a septic tank for storage.

An under-sink water purifier uses a technology called carbon filtration. This type of technology is fast and can produce as much as 30 gallons of clean water an hour. Other forms of water filtration are not nearly as productive and efficient as the carbon filtration design. The carbon filtration technology makes your water taste better and it removes chemicals, like chlorine, that can give water a bad taste. This filter removes organic and synthetic chemicals as well.

Your under-sink water purifier removes the contaminants found in your water without removing the natural minerals that are great for your body. This purifier removes more contaminants than pitcher and faucet water filter systems. Under-sink water purifiers are designed to remove a wide variety of contaminants like parasites, herbicides, lead, VOCs, bad odor, bad taste, and so much more.

You’ll notice that your dirty dishes will clean faster and they won’t have any soap scum buildup. It will also make your home smell better because many of the contaminants from your water can be transferred into the air when the water enters through any of the faucets unless it’s fitered.

The replacement cartridge costs around $50 and can filter around 500 gallons of water. You’ll spend about 10 cents a gallon for completely safe water. Let Aquasana be the company that supplies you with a filter to meet your desire for an under-sink water purifier that produces clean and healthy water.

What Should be on My Checklist When Shopping for a Kitchen Water Filter?

Spring water and groundwater are generally considered to be fresh and pure. Once upon a time, no one thought twice about drinking tap water because we trusted Mother Nature. That was then and this is now.

Today, things have changed. Today, the level of tap water contamination that comes into your home is nothing short of alarming and dangerous. Municipal water treatment facilities leave contaminants in the water despite their best efforts. Some people believe that the answer is to switch to bottled water. Bottled water, however, is sometimes no more then well-marketed tap water in a plastic bottle.

Today, pesticides used in farming can get into the public water supply. Chemicals from personal products used in homes also end up in your water. Add to that the poor disposal of prescription drugs and batteries whose harmful chemicals get into our water and the result is a serious water contamination problem in our society.

The modernization of our society has brought with it increased contamination of our water. Local municipal treatment efforts are not taking care of the problem completely. While they may be removing sediments, there are still particles and chemicals left behind that could be harmful to our health. These hazards pose a particular health risk for babies, pregnant women, and nursing mothers.

Because your tap water is not as clean as it should be, water filters are now essential in every home. It is important that every family protects themselves by purchasing an efficient kitchen water filter system and only drink filtered water. Kitchen water filters are not just a fad. They are very much a necessity.

What kind of kitchen water filter should you purchase? There are several things you should look at and consider when buying a kitchen water filter. Listed below are some tips to help you find the best kitchen water filter for your needs.

  • Buy water filters that have been proven to be effective in dealing with all kinds of impurities in your water. These include chemical and biological pollutants, industrial chemicals, pesticides, and soil particles. After you install your new kitchen water filter, the water should not have any taste or smell because unpleasant taste and smell are indicators of impurities. Also make sure that the kitchen water filter you buy handles chlorine in the water. Some water filters are not equipped to remove all kinds of pollutants. Do your research to make certain that the kitchen water filter you buy does a good job of providing to your family pure and healthy water every day.
  • While the water filter you buy should be able to remove all kinds of pollutants, it should not strip the water of its natural minerals. It is good for trace minerals to remain in the water that you drink because your body needs them. Water should be clean but not demineralized. Some water filters overdo the purification process to the point that minerals like magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus are removed. Drinking water that has the minerals removed can be harmful to your body. This kind of water is a result of water that has undergone either a reverse osmosis or distillation process. If the water filter you are considering buying uses these methods, think twice about investing in it.
  • Your water filter must be easy to install and maintain. If the cost of the filter is low but it still requires you to hire a professional to install and eventually maintain it, you will still spend a lot of money. Also, water filter systems require routine replacement of the filter and you should be able to do this yourself.

If you only want the best kind of kitchen water filter for your home, purchase yours from Aquasana. Their water filters are safe, easy to use, effective, and affordable. Aquasana is an expert in the process of water filtration, so they will give you only the best.

What is the Difference Between a Point-of-Entry and a Point-of-Use Water Filter System?

Many people think that bottled water is the best way to get pure drinking water. There is something about water sold in a retail setting that makes people keep buying and buying the product. What they don’t know is that they might just be wasting their money on these bottles. They are also contributing greatly to the environmental problem we have right now.

The best option is having a home water filter system and a reusable water bottle that could be brought anywhere. This method has the portability and cleanliness that you seek in those water bottles. What you get that is better than bottled water is an unlimited supply at an economical cost and an assurance that the water you are drinking is clean, healthy, and tastes good.

There are two main types of home water filters for you to consider: point-of-use and point-of-entry. Point-of-use water filter system purifies the water right before it used. This is also done at only one area, such as the kitchen faucet.

There are 3 types of point-of-use water filter systems:

  1. Faucet-mounted systems. Water filters are connected to the faucet by a hose. If you want filtered water, adjust it and filtered water immediately goes through the filter and comes out purified. This is good for homes that use a lot of water for cooking purposes or homes with lots of people. Faucet-mounted water filter systems are very easy to install.
  2. Filtering pitchers. These are water pitchers that have a filter attached to it. All you need to do is put water in the pitcher and it immediately goes through the filter to provide you with filtered water. Also, you could put the pitcher in the refrigerator to chill, giving you cold drinking water. This is a convenient option but not recommended for those using a lot of water. You would need to add water to it a lot and even change the filter more often. This could be time-consuming and costly if used a lot. Filtering pitchers also do not give you clean water for cooking, cleaning, or showering.
  3. Under-the-sink filters. Not everyone can install these filters. They need someone with knowledge in installation, which could cost quite a bit of money. This type of filter does not need to be replaced often, which could be more cost-effective in the long term. With this, the filter is also out of your way and out of sight as well.

On the other hand, point-of-entry water filter systems purify the water before it enters the house. Water that runs through the pipes and comes out of all the faucets is filtered. There are many filtration methods used in point-of-entry water filters, including activated charcoal, ultraviolet light, and reverse osmosis. There are two types of point-of-entry water filter systems: in-basement models and outside-house models.

Point-of-entry and point-of-use water filter systems differ greatly. Your choice should be based on the condition of your water before filtration and the contaminants found in your water. You can find out the details about the level of contamination in your water by having a professional test your water.

No matter what type of water filter system you use, know that Aquasana has some of the most efficient water filter systems available today. By taking some time to get to know the wide selection of Aquasana water filters, you will find that they can accommodate any kind of water filtration need you might have.

Why is Aquasana Better than Mavea Water Filtration pitchers?

Water filtration pitchers seem like a great idea at first. They are a cheap way to get cleaner, healthier drinking water. While to some extent, this is true, water filtration pitchers not the be-all end-all solution for drinking water quality that you would hope for.

Many water filtration pitchers do not have the same stringent requirements that Aquasana water filters are subject to. Water filtration pitchers are not subject to any of the government regulations imposed upon standard water systems. You can never be sure what you are drinking when using a water filtration pitcher. Another disadvantage of pitchers is their slow filtering speed. It can take nearly half an hour for a full pitcher of water to be completely filtered. Unless you are only filtering water for a small family, this water will quickly run out and you will be forced to drink unfiltered tap water.

Along with the limited supply of filtered water you can produce, using only water fiiltration pitchers means the water you use to cook, clean your clothes, wash your dishes and take showers in will all still be unfiltered, contaminated water.  You will not be able to filter drinking water that comes from other sources like from your refrigerator water outlet, at a wet bar, from faucets in the bathrooms or the water that fills your automatic ice maker. So you are not getting very good protection from water contamination for you or for your family using only water filtration pitchers.

An Aquasana water filter can filter water at a faster rate and has a much higher capacity tank. It would take an extremely large group to drink enough water to overpower an Aquasana water filter. One advantage that water filtration pitchers do have is the initial investment. Purchasing a water filtration pitcher will be cheaper than a high quality water filter at first.

The filters in a pitcher will not last nearly as long, however, as those in an Aquasana water filter. You will find yourself constantly changing the filters in the pitcher in order to maintain the taste and purity of the water. In the long run, an  Aquasana water filter will save you money on the cost of repeatedly purchasing filters. In the end, it simply makes more sense to purchase an Aquasana water filter instead of a Mavea water filtration pitcher. Over the long run, they will cost less and clean your water better.

How Do I Put in a Replacement Water Filter in My Refrigerator?

Making sure that great water comes out of your tap is one of the big reasons most people invest in a water filter system. What is sometimes overlooked is how often you or your family gets your drinking water from the dispenser in the door of the refrigerator. There is a water intake hose that provides the water for those faucets and to provide the raw material for the ice that your automatic ice maker produces. If the water for those functions is not properly filtered, you could be getting contaminated water even if you have an outstanding water filter on your kitchen faucets.

If you bought your home with your water filters in place, it could be that the refrigerator water filter is not something you think about very often. Just as you must put replacement water filters in the faucet filters you have around the house, you should have it in your schedule to put a replacement water filter in your refrigerator water filtration system on a regular basis as well.

A good rule of thumb is that you should plan to put a replacement water filter in your refrigerator water line about twice a year. If you don’t know when the last time a replacement water filter was put in that particular water source, then now is the time to take care of it. The first step is to find where in the water line the water filter is placed and to get some model numbers from it so you can buy the replacement water filter you need. Generally the refrigerator water filter is between the water source hose coming in from the house and the housing of the refrigerator.

When you find a source that will sell you the right replacement water filter for your refrigerator, buy two or three. A good water filter provider like Aquasana can make sure you have a regular supply of the replacement water filters you need. Keep them on hand so you don’t have to go looking for one the when the time to put in a replacement water filter comes around.

The two precautions to take when you put in a replacement water filter in your refrigerator are to unplug the refrigerator and to turn off the water going to the unit. You may have to trace the water line back to find the cut off valve for that water feed to your refrigerator unit and turn it until you cut it off. Often it is the same valve system that controls the water that goes to your sink faucets. Securely seal that water off so you don’t have water shooting out when you disconnect the water filter to put in the replacement water filter.

Be sure you put a towel under the water filter housing before you open it to catch residue water that will come out. The filter will open by turning it counterclockwise until the housing opens to reveal where to put in the replacement water filter. These units are made to be replaced by a homeowner so it should not be difficult to open the filter and swap out the old filter with the replacement water filter that you bought.

Before you put the assembly back together, take a few moments and inspect the water filter itself for damage and excess build up. You can use a small rag to clean inside the water filter before you put the replacement water filter in place and reassemble the housing.

Now just turn the water back on, plug your refrigerator back in, and put everything back in place. When the water begins to flow, test the faucet in the door and engage the ice maker. You should hear the water flowing to it when it goes through its natural cycle. Discard the old water filter and save the packaging along with your receipt so you know where to get another replacement water filter when the next six months goes by. Meanwhile, enjoy fresh and great-tasting water and ice from your refrigerator because you took the time to keep your water filter in good repair on schedule each year.

Why is Particulate Water Filtration Important?

Your drinking water leaves the water treatment plant and makes its way to the pipes through town and then into the plumbing system under your house. When that water gets to your home’s main supply line, it doesn’t have to simply go through the pipes “as is.” If the water first enters an Aquasana whole-house water filter, you then have one more level of protection against a wide variety of water contamination. After the contaminants in your water that the treatment plant doesn’t catch are captured by your Aquasana water filtration system, clean, pure water flows from your faucet into your glass.

Let’s take a closer look into the filters that you’ve come to depend on. All filters have an area where the contaminants are claptured That area is called particulate water filtration. This part is probably the most important when dealing with water filtration because without it you we wouldn’t have particle-free water.

Particulate water filtration is a mechanical operation that works in filters to remove small amounts of different particles. This filtration step cleans particles ranging from sand to clay from drinkable water. Because most home filters aren’t made to hold a large amount of particles, particulate water filtrations either work with another filter or by itself.

There are a number of different types of particulate water filtration devices. Which one is best for you will depend on what you need for your home. Surface screen and depth filters are the two different categories of particulate water filtration systems. Surface or screen filters remove particials near the surface. Two types of surface screen filters are ceramic filters and resin-bonded filters. Ceramic filters are cleanable which means they are reusable. They are made from a ceramic cylinder. Resin-bonded filters look like they are ceramic but are bound by resin. Both ceramic and resin-bonded filters work to catch contaminants that could harm you or your family.

Depth filters are wide filters that trap particles of various sizes. There are three different types: string-wound filters, spun-fiber filters, and pleated-fiber filters. A string-wound filter uses strings of polypropylene and nylon to form a criss-cross model. The second type of depth filter is a spun-fiber filter of synthetic fibers. These synthetic fibers make what looks like a fuzzy fiber tube. They’re made out of polypropylene and nylon or natural fibers. The third type of depth filter is a pleated-fiber filter of pressed and connected individual fibers. This filter can also be of a continuous membrane with small openings for water to flow through, but particles get trapped so they do not go on to be part of the drinking water that you and your family consume.

These particulate water filtration systems are meant to be used as part of a total water management program. They shouldn’t be left inactive for long periods of times to prevent things like bacterial growth, clogging, and release of collected bacteria when the particulate water filtration device is used again. By understanding the value of a particulate water filtration system and how to include this type of water filtering in your plan for making sure the water that comes to your home is safe and clean, you will be the one in charge of your water quality, not the city, state, or federal government. When you know it is you making the decisions about the quality of water your family gets, you know the job will get done right.

What Are Shower Filters and How Do You Use Them?

Many people see a nice hot shower as one of the great pleasures in life. Unfortunately, most of these people do not understand how dangerous that hot water is after it has been chlorinated by the water treatment plant in their community. Despite the fact that chlorine is not healthy for our drinking and bathing water, it is still a widely used method to disinfect our water supply.

InspiredLiving.com quoted Dr. Herber Swartz, a chemist and biologist, as saying that “chlorine is so dangerous that it should be banned. Putting chlorine in the water is like starting a time bomb. Cancer, heart trouble, premature senility, both mental and physical, are conditions attributable to chlorine-treated water supplies. It is making us grow old before our time by producing symptoms of aging such as hardening of the arteries.”

Simply taking a hot shower is more dangerous to our health than previously thought. This is because gasses become less solid the hotter the water. Once the chlorine has been freed by the heat is becomes a gas and is in the air in our home. This means that in the steam coming from our relaxing hot shower are dangerous fumes that we then breathe in. Taking hot showers in chlorinated water on a regular basis could lead to lung irritation and other serious health risks, including cancer.

Not only does chlorine in your shower water risk your health, it can be damaging to the beauty of your skin and hair as well. Being exposed to chlorinated water on a regular basis, hot or cold, can cause your skin to become dry and age much faster. On the same note, chlorinated water will strip your hair of all its nutrients, leaving it damaged and dry as well. Luckily, all these problems can be avoided with the simple installation of a shower filtration system.

Shower filtrations are extremely easy to use. You simply remove your current shower head and put the filter system with its built-in shower head in its place. Some models, such as the Aquasana AQ-4105, even come with detachable hand-held massagers. Then all you have to do is replace the filter every so often. Aquasana has a convenient auto-ship program, which will send you a new filter right when you need it. This way you never have to worry about your shower water again. You simply shower as you normally do while enjoying softer skin, silky hair, better lung function and the peace of mind of knowing you are being protected by a  #1 rated shower filter, according to Consumer Digest.

Ditch the Pitcher

A pitcher which filters the water inside seems like the perfect solution to clean your drinking water. It is relatively cheap and can be conveniently carried around, unlike a filter which sits on your faucet or counter top. If the websites that sell water pitcher filters are to be believed, then these pitchers are just as effective as a high-quality water filter such as those sold by Aquasana. This is simply not the case.

Water filtration pitchers are some of the least effective types of water filters available. They will take out a few of the chemicals that make the water taste horrible, but they provide much less health benefits. A standard pour-through water filtration pitcher will come with one filter that lasts for about 30 gallons. The replacement filters will cost about two thirds as much as the pitcher itself. Over the course of only a year, it will take far more money to use a filtration pitcher than it would be to simply buy a high quality countertop water filter.

Higher quality water filtration pitchers do not rely on gravity to run the water through the filter as you pour it. Some of them come with a pump which will pump the water through a filter so you do not have to wait for the filter to finish before it will come out of the pitcher. These filters are usually slow, and can take several hours for all the water in the pitcher to be fully filtered. The filters on nearly all filtration pitchers are made out of large carbon granules. Unlike the carbon filters used in high-quality water filters, these filters have a tendency to let bacteria and harmful chemicals through the water. Although the pitcher filters will be better than nothing, you can get higher quality water for less money by purchasing a slightly more expensive water filter that offers more value.

The type of filter you use to clean your water does make a difference in the quality of water you consume. A cheap water filtration pitcher will make your water cleaner than plain tap water, but it cannot hold a candle to a high-quality water filter such as those from Aquasana. Over the long run, the water filtration pitcher is more expensive and more time consuming than an on-the-counter filter. When you choose what type of filter you should use to clean your water, keep in mind the long term as well as the short term. It will help you to make better decisions to keep you and your family healthier.

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