An under counter water filter can provide clean and safe drinking water for your home at a rate of 30 gallons per hour, if you choose the right system. Most under counter water filters do not include enough steps to be effective. The ones that do typically have a very high price tag.
It is not unusual to see an effective under counter water filter with a price approaching $800. It is also common to see largely ineffective systems priced at $350. I don't mind paying extra for higher quality, but high prices have nothing to do with quality when it comes to under counter water filters.
If you buy in a department or home improvement store, you will pay about twice as much, because of retail mark-up. If you buy a private label brand, you can never be sure of the quality. If they do provide certifications, then you are probably paying more than you need to.
There are only a few companies that actually manufacture under counter water filters, but they sell them to departments store and retailers, to be used as a store brand or with a private label. If you can buy direct from the manufacturer, you will pay less.
The best and most effective under counter water filter on the market, today, costs between $145 and $200, depending on the model that you choose. There are also discounts for package purchases and other special pricing. For example, people who buy showerhead and under counter water filters at the same time can get both for a little more than $200. That's like getting the showerhead system free.
So, as you can see, there is a wide range of pricing. There is also a wide range of contaminants that a system should remove and quite a bit of disparity in their effectiveness.
For instance, that $350 system that I mentioned only reduces chlorine by 87%, lead by 98% and cysts by 99%. It does not remove chlorine byproducts and other carcinogens that are commonly found in publicly treated supplies.
That $800 system does, but it only reduces lead to the federal action level, which is 1 mg/liter. The best systems reduce chlorine, lead and cyst content by 99% or more.
In the case of the $800 under counter water filter, the high price is due to a reverse osmosis step. Reverse osmosis has been replaced by submicron filtration and ion exchange in the more technologically advanced systems. These methods do more and cost less.
Reverse osmosis systems were and still are accompanied by numerous drawbacks. In order to remove contaminants, they also de-mineralize. The systems break down easily and maintenance is expensive.
The best under counter water filters are easy to install and the only required maintenance is a filter change every six months or so. The best under counter water filter comes from a company with more than 30 years of experience and they do everything that they can to make your water safe, again.
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