Water is a basic necessity and what’s more basic is how safe and pure the water is. We want a healthy life for our families and children and thus we can’t compromise on the purity of water. Most of us select such things which are offered in best prices. However let me tell you that this criterion is highly questionable and you might face the consequences of your bad decision. The price may be low initially but the price paid after could be worse. So, make a smart decision for you and your family’s health by considering all of the factors before purchasing a filter system.
You might not want to choose the most expensive water filter system but a filter that gives you all-in-one purifier qualities that gives safe and healthy drinking water. The purpose of these water filter reviews is to help you in deciding the best among best water filter systems. All of us surely have a water filter system in our homes and some of you might be planning to purchase one. For those people here is the good news. This guide might save you, people, from buying the water filter systems that you may regret afterward.
Why should we have a Water Filter System- Benefits?
Most common benefits of best water filter system are described as follows.
Cleaner, safer and healthier water
The very first priority for water is being its safety and purity. A water filter system ensures safety of water by removing all the impurities and makes it drinkable.
Aesthetics
Pure water is colorless, tasteless and odorless and thus, water filtration systems remove all the residual color, taste and odor from water making it aesthetically pure.
Removal of toxic materials
By safe water, it’s meant to be completely non-toxic. Removal of any undesirable materials such as arsenic, lead, chlorine, chloramines, fluorides etc is very essential for safe water that can cause serious health problems otherwise.
Essential minerals
Along with the aspect of quenching your thirst, water can also add up positively to one’s health and immune system. It adds essential minerals like calcium and magnesium which has a positive effect on our health and immune system giving us a healthy lifestyle.
Cost-effectiveness
You might purchase a mineral water bottle to fulfill your need of pure water. For a complete family, drinking only mineral water could be very costly.
Sustainability
Use of water filter system will reduce the plastic bottle usage that is otherwise hazardous for the natural eco system. Less plastic will save this earth from more pollutants.
Acne and skin
Drinking clear water has a very bright effect on your physical appearance. Fresh skin and beautiful hair remain forever if you just drink the right quantity of right water.
Digestion
Water also helps in your food intake and digestion. It keeps your internal organs in proper functions without and toxic materials that cause harmful cancers and stomach diseases.
Weight Loss
Our body is composed 70% of water. This 70% can make a lot of difference in our health. Drinking right proportion of water i.e., 8-10 glass of pure and healthy water can cause significant fat loss by maintaining essential minerals in our body intact.
5 Best Water Filter System Reviews
1. iSpring RCC7 Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Review
With its reverse osmosis technology, you’ll find this purifier as one of the best to get for your home. A complete manual and guide for installing this system is available on YouTube. iSpring is committed to provide safest water in a cheapest rate. It ensures 98% purity by the removal of unessential minerals from water such as chlorine, fluoride etc. This product has been continuously upgraded with the customers’ feedback. Some of its major features are:
# iSpring RCC7 Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Details
It’s a 25 pound, easy to install water filter system which has the capacity to clean 75 gallon water per day and has the capacity to store 2.5 gallons of water. It comes with all the useful accessories for a filter system including Tank Valve, Feed Water Adapter, Drain Saddle, Teflon Tape, Two Wrenches, 3 spare O-rings, 2 spare Elbow Fittings, and User Manual. The added features include pre-installed Automatic Shut-off Valve and the Check Valve which automatically shut the filter down when tank is full.
Installation: It comes with a very long list of accessories which might make you feel uncomfortable to install it. But the user manual is very helpful. The images in the manual will guide you to install the system perfectly. Other than that, you can also watch videos on YouTube for easy installation.
Space requirement: It can be easily installed below the kitchen sink and does not require a special space. It will easily fit and easy to replace when the time period is over.
Quality Standard: iSpring RCC7 also complies with National Sanitation Foundation standards so you need not to worry about it anymore.
Easy Maintenance: Like each purifier it also has a limited life. The impurities can affect the efficiency of system with the passage of time. So to ensure better quality for a longer period of time you need to change the filters of the first to third stage every six months. Moreover the reverse osmosis membrane which is essential for pure water should be changed after two years and the carbon filter should be replaced each year. So you see that it’s not that you have to take care of the purifier more than it takes care of you. Instead with just a little attention on time periods you will get the best out of this purifier.
Water wastage: It does not re-introduce the minerals such as magnesium and calcium in water after it has been purified. Moreover, the water wastage ratio in cleaning is also high with two to three gallons per day.
Low price: You will find this purifier quite cheap as compared to the benefits which it is offering. On average you’ll get a bottle of water at a rate of one cent. And with the quality you can stop drinking bottled water and can save the environment from plastic bottles.
Warranty: It comes with a 1 year warranty and thirty days money back guarantee.
2. APEC Top Tier Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Review
A 100% US product which is capable of removing 99% of the impurities, this system ensures a high quality drinking water for you and your family with a service plan of entire life span of the system. Its reverse osmosis technology is very effective in cleaning and purifying within affordable price.
# APEC Top Tier Reverse Osmosis Water Filter Details
This is a 5 stage water purification system which guarantees high performance and longevity. The system’s size however takes a space more than other purifiers.
Easy to install: The system is easy to install without much of any technicality with a user guide manual and can treat all types and extremes of water with system’s industry standard design that enhances its versatility, compatibility & upgradability.
Space requirement: It can be placed under the kitchen sink but with storage bottle you cannot hide it under the kitchen sink.
Quality Standard: With a complete US technology, it complies with the NSF & FDA Certification standards.
Maintenance: It is a fully automated system that shuts itself thus lowering the water wastage and easy to trouble shoot. It just needs its Essence pre-filters to be changed every 6-12 months and causes less noise.
Water wastage: Its water wastage ratio is 3 to 1 which means it purifies a gallon of water with three gallons of water. This wastage is high but as a side story you can use the wasted water for other purposes such as gardening and washing.
Low price: With its efficient system it can purify 50 gallons per day with a storage capacity of 4 gallons which gives you a cost of one cent per bottle thus reducing the wastage and use of plastic bottles.
Warranty: 30-day money back guarantee with a one year limited warranty. Also a full life time tech and customer support.
3. Home Master Water Filtration System Review
This is a special 7-stage purifier which is also based on reverse osmosis technology which has the capability of re-introducing the lost minerals during the purification process. So along with pure and safe water, healthy minerals are also added so if you want to enjoy this benefit, this purifier is the best option.
# Home Master Water Filter Details
It is a 14.1 pound, much lower in weight, and an updated technology in RO filters. Its large fittings and tubes and system give faster flow of water as compared to other RO filtration systems. Added minerals are another benefit of this filtration system. It also balances the pH level slightly more efficient. It comes along with all the accessories including fully assembled purification unit, storage tank, 1 year of filters, 3/8-Inch feed water adapter with shut off, chrome faucet, faucet adapter, tfc RO membrane, drain saddle and instructions.
Easy to install: It comes with a complete instruction guide with color coded tubes. So you need not to have a plumber or an expert to install it. You can just follow the instructions carefully and here it is, in your kitchen serving great taste and clean water.
Space requirement:The system requires some space due to its longer tubes and large fittings which helps in faster flow of water. It cannot be placed under your sink in the kitchen and needs a proper space.
Quality standards: It has exceeded the NSF standards of quality in material safety and water purification performance.
Maintenance: The complete package comes with 1 year change filters so there is no need to buy new filters to replace in first year. Also its filters only need to be changed after one year or per 2000 gallons. So its maintenance is quite easy and cheap and easy to replace with push in technology.
Water wastage: Due to its double purification, i.e. purifying and then re-adding the minerals the water wastage ratio is high, 4:1 so as to give the safest and best taste water.
Price: Its price is higher than other purifiers because of its modular system and updated technology. But it is one time cost. Once it has been installed the maintenance and troubleshooting costs are negligible.
Warranty: It offers a limited five year warranty.
4. Watts Premier 531130 Water Filtration System Review
This purifier involves a three staged RO process and is easier to install and use for the safest water right from your tap. It purifies water from hazardous contaminants but not all of the chemicals are replaced with essential minerals but it does maintain the pH of water balanced.
# Watts Premier 531130 Water Filter System Details
This Watts Premier is a three stage water purification system. It does not require electricity and can work on very low water pressures. It is easy to install because of its 6.5 pounds weight which is easier to carry and put around almost anywhere nearer to your tap. It consists of One Filter-Pure (UF3) module (complete with filters), One high end Euro brushed nickel non-air gap faucet, One cold water supply adapter, Faucet connection hose, Parts bag, Product manual, Installation instructions and warranty.
Easy to install: Due to its smaller size and lighter weight, it is easy to be installed anywhere near the tap. It also does not require electricity so you need not to worry about the electricity socket nearby. Its installation is a matter of couple of minutes and you yourself can easily install it using the users’ guide available with the product.
Low space requirement: Due to its weight and size, you need not to worry about having a special place for this filter. Just keep it beside your kitchen sink and connect it with a tap. It’s that simple.
Quality standards: This has also been approved by NSF and ANSI standards.
Maintenance: It is very easy to maintain as well as the filters are easily replaced and it does not require a shut off valve as it directly purifies the water through tap.
Water wastage: It does not waste any water as compared to other purifiers because it is directly attached to the tap.
Low price: It is least priced water filter but its durability and reliability is quite efficient.
Warranty: This purification system has a three year limited warranty.
5. Travel Berkey Water Filter Review
This purification system is useful for travelers, hikers and other adventurous kind of people who do base camping where the water from lakes, ponds and other sources can be purified to make it drinkable. It reduces the hazardous contaminants by 95%. Along with the system, there is also a filter bottle along with it which does the same purification to contaminated water. Also it could purify 100 gallons before replacing it.
# Travel Berkey Water Filter Details
It weighs 9.2 pounds and is easy to take away with you on your trips for four people. It has 1.5 gallons of storage capacity and can filter 2.75 gallons of water per hour. It includes One Travel Berkey Canister with lid and Spigot, Two Black Berkey Filters, Two Fluoride Filters and One Berkey Sports Bottle in the package.
Easy to carry: Despite of other filters that needs to be installed near the tap, this water purifier can be moved anywhere you want to. It is capable of purifying the most impure forms of water such as in lakes, ponds and other such resources. The impurities such as the fluorides get attached to the bottom of the two black berkey filters and provide you with safest water outside your home.
Space requirement: We know that it is mainly used for travelling purposes and you would not want to carry filter plant with you. So basically it’s just the two berkey filters that you can easily take away with you and can place it in your base camp for pure water.
Quality standards: Travel Berkey Water Filter complies with the standards of NSF.
Maintenance: Its two filters can purify 1000 gallons until it needs to be replaced. Moreover, the impurities get attached to the bottom of filters and can be removed by simply washing it with a dishwasher and by doing this you can enhance the filter capacity up to 6000 gallons before its filters expires and needs to be replaced. So the maintenance cost becomes very low as compared to other filter systems.
Low price: It is neither very highly priced nor the price is very low. But keeping in view its advantages and maintenance, it is worth the investment in a long run. Also the sports bottle can filter 100 gallons before it expires.
Warranty: It offers money back guarantee in the first 30 days of purchase and other than that a 6 months warranty with 2 year after sales support is guaranteed by the company and for the registered members this offer is for lifetime.
Types of Water Filters
Whole-house
Since they are installed at a home’s water source, whole-house water filters are a convenient, “always on” solution for cleaning up your supply. However, they are expensive to install, may require maintenance depending on the model, and may rely on water pressure to get their job done. Because of this, they may fail in emergencies, when we often need our water filters the most. Aqua-Pure is a well-known brand of whole-house filters.
Under-sink
These are essentially a less resource-intensive version of the whole-house filter. Usually installed at the water’s terminus (just below a sink), they treat the water for that sink only. Since they focus on a single sink, are often cheaper than whole-house filtration systems. However, they are also prone to failure during situations when water pressure is lost, for whatever reason. Doulton is a well-known brand in the under-sink space.
Gravity
There are many sizes and intended uses of gravity filters, from large-group countertop models like the Crown Berkey all the way down to MSR’s personal-use AutoFlow Microfilter. The thing that unites these filters is, as you’d guess, its reliance on gravity to filter water. The benefit of relying on gravity is that it is essentially “no-tech”—gravity doesn’t break down, require maintenance, or need municipal water pressure to filter water. This is very useful in situations where infrastructure is degraded or nonexistent. Other brands include Nikken PiMag, Katadyn, and Doulton.
Emergency / Portable
Though most countertop, gravity, or camping filters can be used in emergencies, many of them are a bit bulky for only occasional use. If you anticipate using a filter primarily in emergency situations involving the loss of water pressure (such as in a natural disaster), it’s worth keeping the size of the filter tank in mind for storage and portability reasons. The Travel Berkey the Katadyn Ceradyn are examples of gravity filters that take tank size into account.
Personal / Camping
Even more so than emergency filters, personal water filters are designed for completely on-the-go filtration. Use cases can range from leisurely camping to serious survivalist needs. The aforementioned MSR line is pitched to these users, as are most Katadyn and Sawyer filters.
Top Water Filter Brands
Berkey
This Colorado-based company has a passionate fan base and is the countertop water filter leader. The key to their success lies in their filters, the Black Berkeys. Their proprietary filter composition stands in contrast to most competitors, who typically employ a carbon/ceramic composite. While the latter is quite effective, Berkey’s filters stand in a class entirely their own. Models include the Big Berkey, the Travel Berkey, the Royal Berkey, the Berkey Light, the Imperial Berkey, and the Crown Berkey, which differ primarily in size and are geared toward targeting different use intensities. Optional fluoride/arsenic filters and shower filters are available.
Sawyer
Sawyer’s water filters are one of several lines of products designed to provide protection to users in extreme environments, including areas with degraded or nonexistent water infrastructure. Sawyer’s filter construction is proprietary, employing a hollow membrane construction based on kidney dialysis systems. Water filtration products come in a wide array of form factors, including squeeze, water bottle, and gravity filtration. Emphasis is on portability.
Nikken
Nikken’s PiMag filtration systems employ several filters of differing construction, including ceramic & charcoal, to effectively address a broad array of water contaminants. A unique aspect of Nikken’s technology involves “pi minerals,” which include magnetite, calcium, and silicates, and which results in a slightly alkaline filtered water thought to help counteract the negative effects of our acidic modern diet.
Doulton
Offering a wide array of water filtration systems, including countertop, under-sink, and whole-house filters, Doulton is a leader in ceramic filtration. Popular products include stainless steel and polypropylene countertop models, instant hot water filters, and boat-specific filtration systems. Rather uniquely, Doulton also specializes in faucets, making installing integrated under-sink filters a breeze.
Katadyn
Katadyn specializes in portability, emphasizing on-the-go use over in-home solutions for water filtration. Product lines include the Ultralight Series, which are purported to be the lightest such systems on the market, the Backcountry Series, which is pitched toward longer single use or two-person uses, and the Endurance Series, pitched for group expeditions. Two of these latter products are the Ceradyn and the Gravidyn, both of which are gravity-based filters perfect for latter-day use.
Aquapure
A 3M brand, Aquapure filters are primarily whole-home systems designed to address a range of concerns. To this end, filters may be pitched to target specific issues such as rotten egg odors or mineral white scaling. Water softeners and ultraviolet treatment systems are also on offer.
MSR
Primarily known for higher-end camping gear, MSR’s water filters are understandably created with backpackers in mind. Notable products include the AutoFlow Microfilter, a lightweight (10.5-ounce) personal gravity filter pouch, and the robust MiniWorks EX microfilter, a robust, carbon/ceramic-based filter designed for heavy outdoor and on-the-move use.
Instructions to get the best out of water filtration system
Pre-Purchase Instructions
Before you go to buy a filtration system, do a thorough search on the latest technologies in filtration and what could be the possible side effects of a particular system. Read the reviews of a particular product to get a better idea of it. A water filter system may use RO technology, UF3, or any other technology. Read how the water is processed in the filter and what ingredients the output is composed of. Make your decision of purchase on a basis of thorough research.
Make a proper space
An under sink filter can easily be adjusted without taking much space. You just have to properly connect it with your sink tap. The storage tank can be placed beside and can be used for different household purposes. Perfectly adjusting the filter system will not make it look bulky in your small kitchen. In fact, your kitchen will look complete with a water filter system in perfect place.
Read the manual
Each water filtration system has different parts such as filters, cartridges, storage tank, connecting tubes, faucet and fittings. Adjusting those parts may require a help of a plumber but using the manual guide provided by every filtration company, you can easily install it yourself. Some filters have wrenches that make it a bit difficult to replace the cartridges every time. Some have push-in technology, which are very easy to install and replace.
Keep a check on replacement periods
Notice the time period of your filter systems regularly and also keep a check on its replacement time. Some filters have no need of replacement for a whole year while some should be changed twice a year. It depends on the material of cartridges and the gallons of water purified by the filter system. This is very important for the efficiency of the filtration system because the impurities extracted by the filter sticks to the walls of the filters’ membrane. This can also clog your system or may reproduce the impurities in water after exceeding the limit.
Stop water wastage
Water wastage is a common problem in all filtration systems. It cannot be avoided; however, instead of wasting that water you can use it for different purposes such as gardening, dishwashing and other household needs except drinking and using it for cooking.
Safety First
Some filters need electricity to run. Water and electricity are far known enemies and thus require special attention. Connect the filter with electric socket but make sure the socket does not have any direct or indirect contact with water. Also if you need to turn on or turn off the purifier, you must not touch it with wet hands. In case of any circuit problem, shut the main switch off and then continue with its settings. A little care can save you and your family from bigger loss.
Storage tank cleaning
Most of the filters have a storage capacity and for this purpose a storage tank is also a part of the system. Make sure the storage tank is washed regularly and do not use 2-3 day old stored water. Prefer drinking freshly purified water.
Live a healthy life
Last but not the least, is that you maintain your health by drinking safe water and saving yourselves and your family from every bad effect of polluted water. A healthy life is a key to successful life.
Conclusion
From these water filter reviews, you can easily evaluate the best water filter for your household needs on the grounds of price, features, quality, certifications, space requirements, ease and warranty periods. Preferences for choosing a water filter may vary but the ultimate requirement is a water filter system which gives you the best quality, safe and pure water for you and your family.
