How to Qualify a Good Water Purifier

Many homeowners and business owners probably only think about the value of a good water purifier from the stance that it improves the look, smell and taste of the water. While this is true, it is far from the only reason to take water filtration and purification seriously.

It is the case that a good water purifier will improve these qualities in your water, and thus the experience of drinking tap water will improve as well. However, a quality water purification system will provide additional benefits that reach far beyond this, and can even impact your health as well as your family’s, the longevity of your fixtures, and even your cooking!

Why A Good Water Purifier Is Important

The top reasons that people cite for wanting to invest in a quality water purification system hinge on enhancing the traits of the water that are easily tangible. As a quick example, groundwater often exhibits the presence of hydrogen sulfide that can naturally occur from sulfate reducing bacteria or from decomposing organic material. Many people find these smell repellent, and a water purification system can help remove these impurities, enhancing the smell of your water.

That is only one snapshot. The flavor and appearance of water will also vary with the source and location, and can be improved by leaps and bounds by a quality water purification system. But water filter systems often provide much more value.

In addition to the fact that a water filtration system will remove the impurities that lead to poor taste or smell, or those that cause cloudiness or off colors, they are also better for your health. There are many organic and chemical impurities that might be present in both well and city water that can be hazardous to your health. A quality filtration system can remove these harmful contaminants, many of which will be detailed below.

A good water purifier is also helpful to the environment, because the use of one can encourage homeowners to cut back on their use of disposable plastics like water bottles which will inevitably make their way to waterways and landfills. The more clean water you enjoy from the tap, the fewer pollution makes it way back into those water sources that we ultimately use anyway.

With these points being made, it’s helpful to be able to more closely identify the types of contaminants that you would want a water purification system system to remove. This list is by no means comprehensive but it should give you a good place to start. Here are some of the common issues with drinking water that can be rectified with the use of a high quality water purification system.

Common Issues with Drinking Water

The issues that can arise in drinking water are multivariate, but many of the common ones will be addressed below. Luckily, a quality water purifier will help remove many if not all of them.

  • Microbial contamination

Microbial contamination is probably the most significant concern with most drinking water, though it is far from the only one. Some microbes are widespread and common in drinking water and must be removed before the water can be safely used for drinking, cooking or other domestic uses.

For example, Cryptosporidium and Giardia lamblia are often found in natural water sources, even those that appear clear and clean. Giardia in particular is often implicated in infections that result from drinking contaminated water, causing stomach cramps, dehydration, general malaise and even flu-like symptoms. This is the parasite responsible for the ailment referred to as “Beaver Fever” due to the prevalence of the parasite in beaver ponds. Fortunately, a good water filtration system will remove these microbes.

Other pesky microbes include iron bacteria, which can cause the appearance of an oily film on the surface of the water or even the presence of orange staining. They also can cause the water to take on a musty odor. Although these bacteria themselves are not known to cause diseases in humans, they may encourage the growth of other bacteria that do.

Fortunately, a good water filtration system will remove these and other microorganisms from the water, making it much safer for domestic consumption.

  • Off color, smell or taste

As has been mentioned, water is sometimes subject to off colors, smells or tastes that can be caused by a variety of factors that cannot be neatly or succinctly described. As an example, the general term for water cloudiness or lack of clarity is turbidity. This is generally caused by suspended particles, most of which will be removed by a good water purifier, restoring its clarity, smell and taste.

Another potential problem with the taste of drinking water is when it takes on a slightly salty savor, which can be caused by the presence of chlorides. Chlorides are often present in water that has dissolved the mineral from bedrock or underground strata, and it can cause an unpleasant salty taste and be destructive to metal fixtures. Unfortunately, chlorides are difficult to remove, but some reverse osmosis systems may be able to tackle them.

Chlorine is another contaminant that can cause an off-flavor in water that is not considered pleasant. On that note, chlorine in high doses is damaging in other ways, but the problem here is that it’s addition to water in the first place is intended to kill bacteria that would cause human illness.

Also, as chlorine kills bacteria and other microbes, it breaks down into compounds known as chloramines, which are known by their distinctive odor. Chloramines are also sometimes intentionally added to water to prevent the regrowth of bacteria. The signature smell of “pool chlorine” is in fact due to the presence of chloramines and not chlorine itself. Like chlorine, chloramines can cause unpleasant odors, flavors and cloudiness, but can be removed from the water.

That makes chlorine, in some instances, a necessary evil, but one that can still be removed prior to drinking. A quality water purifier will remove chlorine from the water, reducing these unpleasant flavors.

The mention of these compounds that cause these issues would be a good time to segue into chemical contaminants, of which there are many forms and which can be harmful in a number of ways.

  • Chemical contaminants

Many chemical contaminants occur naturally in water, while some are added. Either way, many of them can cause a variety of adverse effects and some are explicitly harmful to health.

  • Lead: Despite the fact that lead is a naturally occurring element, it is a potent neurotoxin that is highly hazardous to human health. Adding to the potential danger is the fact that lead solder is sometimes used to join pipes. Lead, which readily dissolves in water, is colorless and cannot be tasted or smelled. Nonetheless, it must be removed for water to be consumed safely. Removing lead is critical, and a quality water purifier will help with this!
  • Iron and manganese: Iron and manganese are often present in many water sources. The issue with iron is that the water that contains it is initially clear and it is very difficult to detect. However, over time, this water produces reddish stains as the iron oxidizes and leaves behind rust. Manganese, like iron, is also readily dissolved in water and the water itself that bears it will likely appear clear. Manganese is capable of leaving behind dark stains and in high concentrations will often impart an unpleasant taste to the water. A quality water filter will remove both of these!
  • Other dissolved minerals and sediments that can cause cloudiness: A quality water purifier may also be able to remove other mineral contaminants from your water, which can provide two specific benefits. It may be able to help prevent a buildup of that mineral on your fixtures, which can preserve their lifespan. Some reverse osmosis systems can remove dissolved calcium and other minerals and salts that cause hard water scale accumulation that is both unsightly and damaging to your fixtures. In addition, as many of our purifiers can remove particles down to the 1/50,000th of an inch, they’re excellent for removing sediments that will make your water cloudy.
  • Volatile organic compounds

Finally, there are a number of volatile organic compounds of which you should be aware that can be hazardous to health and adversely affect the quality of your drinking water. Volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs, comprise a broad class of compounds, many of which are man-made, that are hazardous to health and difficult to detect. Many of them are colorless, odorless and tasteless.

For example, a common form of VOC that may be present in water is known as a trihalomethane, or a THM. Trihalomethanes are formed when chlorine, which is intentionally added to the water, interacts with organic compounds in the water that contain carbon, hydrogen and halogens. These compounds are considered a carcinogen and their removal from water prior to use is imperative.

These are only one class of VOCs that may be present in drinking water, but many of them are linked to health concerns and it is advisable to take measures to remove them. Luckily, that is another benefit of a quality water purifier - look for guarantees that it can remove classes of VOCs from the water.

How to Choose a Good Water Purifier by Features

Armed with this information, you can proceed with choosing a good water purification system, and despite the fact that they operate via different methods, you can look for some of the following traits to make a wise choice.

  • Certifications

A good water purifier will come with a range of certifications that guarantee its efficacy. Consider, for example, our Everpure H300 Drinking Water System, which is our best selling system. This system has been tested by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) and is certified to remove chlorine, lead, parasitic cysts, a range of volatile organic compounds, dirt and cloudiness, oxidized iron, manganese and sulfides and other particulate matter matter down to 1/50,000th of an inch. That’s a certification you can trust to work hard to keep your water safe.

  • The ability to remove the contaminants listed in the previous section

While the certifications of a given filtration system will vary according to the system in question, you can learn more about each of them on our product pages and in our specification sheets. Naturally, if you have any specific questions on our systems, you can always get in touch with us at info@efilters.net.

  • High flow rate and capacity

Something else you want to consider is your actual usage of water. All filtration systems will provide differing flow rates, some of which will slow down as the cartridge (if the system takes one) ages. This won’t affect the quality of the water output, though.

For example, the Everpure H-300 mentioned above is capable of filtering a half a gallon of water per minute and up to 300 gallons, or the equivalent of over 2,000 16.9 ounce bottles. Other systems provide different flow rates and capacities.

  • A quality guarantee!

Finally, look for a quality guarantee that shows the producer stands behind their products. We here at efilters guarantee that our filtration systems will perform as advertised and will meet your expectations - if you have any issues at all, we encourage you to get in touch with us. Email us at info@efilters.net or contact us via our Live Chat and we will do whatever we can to assist. You can also learn more about our warranty at the previous link.

Contact Us to Learn More About Quality

Choosing the best water purifier to ensure the highest water quality for your home will require you to solve as many potential issues at once with the water filter system and might require you to choose a reverse osmosis (RO) system, over, for example, a system that uses a pleated system inside of a cartridge.

Deciding which system is best for you may take a little bit of investigation, but we are always here to help. Contact us at info@efilters.net, let us know about your unique needs, situation and water usage and we’ll make the recommendation we believe will suit you best!