Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids and gases from contaminated water. The goal of this process is to produce water fit for a specific purpose. Even once treated, the water then travels through miles of 40–80-year-old pipes, contaminating it with bacteria, viruses, sediments, lead and other heavy metals. Over 240,000 boil alerts occur annually and many times we consume water unaware of these alerts.
Our options? Many people decide to go with bottled water, however, there are several problems found when taking this option, the most severe one is that the WHO (World Health Organization) reviewed some of the most popular bottled water brands and found that more than 90% of them contained tiny pieces of plastic. This water is not always fresh and it is also environmentally unfriendly since it takes 1,000 years or more for plastic water bottles to decompose.
What are some of the common water filters?
Water filters can reduce microplastics in the water by up to 99%, making them an effective way to reduce your environmental impact. Plus, they’re convenient, cost-effective, and easy to use. However, on the downside, they may not filter out every contaminant and can require frequent maintenance.
Some of the common water filters are:
- Refrigerator and pitcher types; These are limited efficiency, have short lifespan and do not remove bacteria, fungi or cysts.
- Carbon Water Filters; Do not remove bacteria, fungi or cysts and can actually grow mold and bacteria.
- Alkaline water filters; According to the 2011 Nutrition Journal, 238 studies concluded that there was no evidence that an alkaline diet improves bone health, however Alkaline water is more likely to cause cancer because most units gain alkalinity by creating sodium hydroxide, which is the most common ingredient in drain cleaners.
- Water Softeners; They are not filters and they are costly to use, maintain and service, you must continually add salt and they do not remove contaminants such as chemicals, bacteria or cysts.
- Distillers; remove minerals, are expensive and costly to service, do not remove all chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and are useless during power failure.
- Reverse osmosis; It takes up a lot of space, makes a limited supply of water, does not remove Chlorine, Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC’s), MTBE, trihalomethanes and its likely to grow micro-organisms and bacteria if not frequently treated. Additionally, if you do not use the water in the tank over a period of time, you must sterilize the tank to prevent a bio film from developing which makes it very high maintenance.
What are some Carico options and why are they the best?
- Nutri-Tech (10” 15” and 20”): The world’s most advanced point of use water purification system, designed to give you the purest water for your drinking and cooking needs. The 10” purifies for up to 18 months, the 15” purifies for up to 36 months and the 20” purifies for up to 42 months, after said time you’ll need to replace the filter.
- Ultra tech whole house: Carico’s system will turn tap water into “crystal clear” fresher water you can trust for all your household needs.
- Aqua Premium cartridge: provides a unique combination of efficiency, capacity, flow rate & low pressure drop at levels unmatched in today’s filtration marketplace. 99.9999% E Coli (Bacteria) from water, with no breakthrough and it will STOP any particles that are 0.005 times smaller than a strand of human hair.
- Iron-Mag tanks: incorporate our exclusive IronsorbTM media for complete removal of troublesome iron, manganese, arsenic, radium, heavy metals, radio nuclides and reduces hydrogen sulfide (foul egg smell) in residential applications.
- Ultra-tech 20” Saltless conditioner: The only saltless water conditioner that addresses calcium, magnesium, sulfates, phosphates and silica. For use with Carico Whole House Unit or Alone.
Now the question worth the million dollars is still: How do I choose the right one? And it all comes down to; what are your specific needs? If you are looking to at least begin eating healthier and washing your food ingredients to remove undesirable chemicals and biological contaminants, while also stop drinking microplastics from your water; we recommend to at least begin with a Carico Aqua Premium Point of use cartridge, but if you are able to invest in both a Point of use and also a whole house so that you can additionally eliminate the need for a pre-filter with most municipally treated water, do so. Keep in mind that if your household is from 2-4 people, you can invest in the WH500, but if you have a larger household, we recommend the WH750.
