When you compare home water purifiers, or “point-of-use” systems, as they are sometimes referred to, you will see that you have many options. Distillation, reverse osmosis, pitcher types, carbon filters, multi-media blocks, ion exchange, sub-micron filtration or a combination of any or all of these systems is available. Choosing the right option is important, both to your family’s health and to your pocketbook. Let’s look at the pros and cons of each.

Distillation

Pros: This method destroys harmful bacteria. Inorganic compounds that have a higher boiling point than water will be removed.

Cons: Chemical contaminants that have a lower boiling point will travel along with the steam and be returned to liquid form in the final chamber. Electricity is required, so electric bills will increase. The cost to filter a gallon exceeds 20 cents. Additional steps are required for complete safety. When you compare home water purifiers, you will find that there are less expensive systems that cost less to use and filter some common contaminants more effectively.

Reverse Osmosis (RO)

Pros: This is a process used by treatment facilities and desalination plants. It removes contaminants larger than water’s molecules, so most things like lead, arsenic and other groundwater contaminants will be removed.

Cons: Removes trace minerals necessary for good health. Water cleaned in this manner tastes stale. Chemical contaminants, such as pesticides and herbicides are too small to be removed by the semi-permeable membrane. Gallons of wastewater are created. The system is slow, so a large storage tank is needed. The cost to purchase, maintain and use is excessive. Electricity is needed to pressurize and power the pumps. Cost per gallon exceeds 18 cents. Additional steps are required for complete safety. When you compare home water purifiers, you will see that RO has more disadvantages than any other.

Pitchers and Carafe-Style Filters

Pros: These are inexpensive to purchase. They remove some chlorine and odor. Most also remove lead. Water can be filtered and stored in the same container. No electricity is required. This is a low cost alternative to bottled.

Cons: Filters have a short life span. Cost of use is about 25 cents per gallon. They work slowly and are prone to leak. They only offer a slight improvement over tap-water. Additional steps are required for complete safety. If you compare home water purifiers, you will find better options.

Carbon Filtration and Multi-Stage Systems

Before I get to the pros and cons, I should say that when you compare home water purifiers on the market today, you should view the product performance data sheets before you buy. All activated carbon and multi-stage systems do not have the same effectiveness. The system that I am evaluating here is the most effective on the market, assuming you are serviced by a treatment facility or have a well.

Pros: Removes a wide range of contaminants including chlorine, THMs, VOCs, cryptosporidium and giardia cysts, pesticides, herbicides, MTBE and lead. No electricity is required. They operate with any water-pressure. Countertop units are easy to install without the help of a plumber. It costs less than $125 to purchase. It costs less than a dime per gallon.

Cons: This is not really a drawback to the product but a warning about bacterial contamination. Following a heavy storm or when your source has been contaminated with E coli bacteria, you should filter first and then boil before use.

Hopefully, the information here will help you compare home water purifiers and make the right choice.

By: Michael Redmond

About the Author:
For the most cost effective and healthy solution to ensure a clean, pure and safe supply of water throughout your home, consider a water filtration system . Find out more about the finest water filtration options for your home at http://www.waterpurificationadvisor.com.

When you use a pure water distiller it takes out various types of contaminants such as heavy metals and salts that can be left in even after boiling it. When you distill water (H2O), it’s heated to the boiling point and the steam that it produces is collected. Once the steam is converted back to its liquid form, any contaminants that were in it are left behind. This process leaves you with pure H2O as about 99.5 per cent of the contaminants are removed.

You will find that distillers come in a variety of sizes, with most of them being able to fit on a kitchen counter top. A pure distiller can save you quite a bit of money over the course of a year when compared to buying bottled H2O. On average, a gallon of distilled water costs about 25 cents to produce. The distiller itself can usually be bought from about $400 to $650 dollars. While it may seem expensive, it will pay for itself pretty quickly.

Using a distiller is quite easy as it basically works a lot like a portable coffee maker. All you need to do is fill the boiling container with tap water and then start the device by pressing a button. Then just wait a couple of hours and you’ll have pure distilled H2O. You can take the liquid from the pure water distiller and it’s ready to drink or be used for anything else you have in mind.

You’ll notice that calcium and salt that’s removed from the tap water will usually form and build up inside the boiling container. This will look like a hard, white substance and you can usually stop it from building up by washing out the container on a regular basis. When you want to clean the distiller, you can soak the boiling container in a sulfamic acid cleaning solution overnight and then rinse it out.

You can also clean a distiller with vinegar. Just fill the container with one part vinegar to one part H2O and let it soak. Remember to make sure you empty the distiller with any liquids before you use it as the cleaning solutions and vinegar may cause the distiller to overheat.

There’s also a carbon filter inside the distiller and it should be replaced regularly. Check with the device’s user manual to find out how often you need to change it. The carbon filter is needed to remove all of the contaminants from the liquid. If you take care of a pure water distiller it should last for over 10 years. You may have to replace cooling fan and/or heating element in some models though. However, it’s less expensive than buying a new distiller.

By: V K Rajagopalan

About the Author:
And, to help you avoid water related health issues, I invite you to take a look at a pure water solution that will prove highly effective in protecting your entire family’s well being. You would get more information when you visit http://www.safefilteredwater.com/
From Rajagopalan, A strong advocate of natural healthy living.