Water Filters
Water filters will improve the smell, taste, and appearance of your drinking water. It will also remove some of the harmful contaminants that are sometimes found in our water supplies. Filters are the cheapest and easiest way to purify your water. The only drawback is that they aren't one hundred percent effective.
In general, water filters remove only certain substances, such as chlorine or lead. The water filter's label will specify what it can remove. They don't remove microorganisms, and are intended for use with water that is known to be microbiologically safe. There is no one water filter that will remove all unwanted substances and microorganisms from your drinking water, unfortunately.
Do I Need a Water Purification System or Water Filters?
If your drinking water is from a private supply (such as a well), it could conceivably have contamination from chemical or microbiological elements. Drinking water taken from private sources should be tested periodically to determine if treatment is required, and, if so, for what contaminants. Once you know this, you can decide whether or not you need one or more water purifiers.
If you have treated water, it will obviously leave the treatment center in pristine condition. But you must take into account the pipes that water travels through in your own home--if you've got lead pipes or lead solder, that factory-cleaned water isn't going to do you much good. You'll need to remove water that has sat in your pipes overnight by running the cold water until it feels cold, or you can use a water filter that has been certified to remove lead.
