Countertop Water Filters

Countertop water filters are a good choice to provide healthy drinking water.

Countertop water filters are a good, easy (and cheaper) alternative to expensive bottled water. They have the ability to provide drinking water with all the harmful contaminants removed. You don't need anything fancy (although they come in different styles and looks), you just need a good solid well performing unit. One of the many advantages of a countertop unit is that it produced better results than a picture.  It delivers water at a much faster rate than can filtered by a pitcher, proving it better for those who need more pure water than a pitcher can produce. As it reduces the level of harmful pollutants it also leaves in natural minerals that are beneficial.

A countertop water treatment unit cannot remove 100% of the contaminants in your water, but then no water filtration system has the ability to completely remove all impurities from your water. It can however, help provide a reduction  of the contamination you have in the water coming from your kitchen faucet. It has the capabilities that reduces the level of sand, silt and rust along with other contaminants. It can remove chlorine and many other chemicals, greatly improving the taste and odor of your municipal water supply.

This type of filter is an easy install. Just do the easy to follow instructions included with your unit. There is no plumbing required. The filter unit is attached to your faucet using a diverter valve. The name says it all. The flow of water at the tap is diverted through the filtration system and drinking water can then be dispensed on demand.  Some units are built better than others so, look for one with a metal valve as opposed to a plastic one. Most of the units come with more than one adapter so you should find the installation easy to do. The space taken by your unit is minimal, just a few square inches and that leaves more space for your other small appliances.

The drawbacks to counter top filters are that it can only supply purified water for one location, most likely your home kitchen sink faucet, leaving the rest of your water sources untreated. It does take up space on your counter (hence its name) and is subject to being knocked over by the more clumsy among us. If you think this may be a problem or you have limited countertop space, you should consider a system under the sink.

Most countertop water filter systems use granulated activated carbon filtration to remove the harmful or unpleasant "extras" in your water. Because of this, you may have a "carbony" taste when you first turn on the faucet. This is produced by a small amount of water in the filter dissolving the carbon. You can avoid this by allowing the water to run before filling that glass or pitcher. As the water flows through the filter it flushes out any water that may have concentrated levels of carbon and reduces the level of dissolved carbon and the chance of the taste being in your water.

You should be aware you will need to replace the carbon filter cartridges on a periodic basis (Tip: when purchasing your unit, make sure the carbon filter cartridges are a commonly used one to cut the expense of buying a "custom" fit). You should install replacement filters even more often than the manufacturer suggests for best results.

Using countertop water filters, you can provide, better tap water, that is pure, great tasting, clear, drinking water with ease and for a fraction of the price (below a dime a gallon) of buying bottled water. With these simple filtration systems you can turn the city water system into your own bottled water plant.