Pure drinking water is a precious resource on our planet and it’s especially vital for life. Regrettably, water supplies across the planet are not all subjected to treatment and as such will contain sediment and contaminants. Even tap water that has been treated by the city can still contain some impurities. This is why many households look into installing a private filtration system.
What Are Water Filters and How Are They Classified?
For commodity, some of the most convenient water filters are under sink filters which don’t take up counter space. This means they are specifically designed to fit under the sink in the kitchen or bathroom. Looking into this kind of water filter one will end up trying to figure out the different types of under sink filters and which one is best suited. You can read more about specific brands of water filters where descriptions and comparisons are presented.
Usually, the medium of filtration is what distinguishes different types of water filters but here is also the layout of the filter. These filters come with one or more layers of filtration, each with a different medium targeting certain contaminants from drinking water.
Single-Layer Water Filter
Water filters that use only one layer or stage or filtration medium, fall under this category. These filters can be highly effective at purifying water and they generally have only one filtering medium in place.
Sediment Filter
One of the most popular single-layer water filters usually deals with cleaning away solid material from drinking water. Aptly named sediment filters are very useful for households that are located in an area where dirt or solid particles contaminate the water source.
A sediment filter is thus the perfect type of filter to use in dealing with this kind of impurities. A sediment filter will not be viable in taking out chemical contamination, suspended solids, or salt impurities.
Absorption Carbon-Based Filters
Carbon or activated charcoal has been a part of water filtration for a long time, and it has proven to be quite effective. It’s no wonder that this medium is still in use today with many variations on it to boot. There are the classical and most widely used activated carbon granules and the carbon block filter. Both use the same medium that is slightly differently encompassed in a cartridge casing.
Granulated carbon has these tiny granules freely encased within a cartridge while carbon block very tightly presses a finer power of activated carbon in a cartridge shape. Both however are useful in removing chlorine, pesticides, and even disinfectant residue. A carbon block comes with finer filtration, being able to also remove certain bacteria.
KDF Filters
Another filter that uses granules to clean water, KDF filters implement a mix of copper and zinc in the form of these granules. These filters are more widely implemented in showerhead filters, but not exclusively, as they are known to be used in drinking water as well.
This filter is capable of removing some more difficult pollutants like mercury or lead among the common chlorine components, but also bacteria. Since it is proven to be effective even with damaging pollutants, KDF is implemented in under sink filters to elevate water quality to new drinking standards.
Ion-Exchange Filters
An ion-exchange filter is a very well-known and well-used water cleaning device. The filtering medium used is a resin bed that takes out certain pollutants. This filter is most often used to decalcify water. Reducing limescale is the main use of ion-exchange water filter systems, producing water that will not affect other water-using devices like coffee makers or electric kettles.
Multi-Layered Water Filter
Water filters that come equipped with one or more layers of filtration can be classified as multilayer. Usually, many single layers water filters can be attached to form a more encompassing filtration system. Many multi-layered filters already come like this, but there are also some added layers that bring the whole system together.
Tank-Based Water Filter
Reverse osmosis is one of the most highly praised water filtration system in use today. It is an accumulation of the most technologically advanced filtrations systems and this really shows in its efficiency. The compact design makes it not only very effective at cleaning water but also conveniently packed to fit under the sink.
Even with its separate tank, used to store filtered water an RO system is still fairly compact and easy to fit under the sink. This kind of water filter comes with a separate faucet through which the filtered water is delivered. A separate faucet is usually necessary so that no hot water gets passed through the RO system.
Tankless Water Filters
There are of course options for households that do not want a reverse osmosis system, either due to its price or because it does not fit the water source. Whole house water filters are sometimes needed to filter all the water that comes into the home.
An ultraviolet water filter is also a very useful water cleaning device as it effectively disinfects water. As the name implies, this system uses ultraviolet light to clean water. It uses a UV lamp to do so and it kills microbes and even viruses in drinking water.
Inline Water Filters
Most water filtration systems are made up of filtration cartridges that are replaced once they are no longer effective. Many inline filters come with this specific kind of filtering method and are attached to the main cold water supply pipe. A combination of many kinds of water filters can be attached to the pipe as a filter kit. A separate tap is also used to provide only filtered water for drinking.
Not an Easy Endeavor
Since there is so much variation in water filtration systems, it is not an easy endeavor to quickly choose one. Knowing the condition of the water is the first step in determining what filter is needed. Under sink water filters come with a need for installation but are the most convenient way to make sure no counter space is occupied. Whichever condition water finds itself in, there are plenty of options to implement and help in cleaning drinking water.