Most of us were born to believe water came from the tap, where it was clean, pure, nearly free and limitless in supply.
But suddenly, we’re paying real money for it again–at the grocery store, the convenience store and from companies that purify and distribute it. (See the story on Page 3.)
The cost of purchased water has led to a booming business in home water filters, which retail from as little as $6 for a small pitcher-filter that removes some of the chlorine, to thousands of dollars for a point-of-entry (POE) filter, which is installed where the water enters your home and makes every drop that flows through your toilet, shower and faucets about as pristine as water can be.
Cost comparisons aren’t easy, but home-delivered bottled water in 5-gallon bottles runs for about 90 cents a gallon, whereas most filters produce water for 30 cents a gallon or less.
Here is a rundown of specific concerns about municipal water that are leading the charge to alternatives.
– Chlorine. Municipal water utilities add chlorine to the water to kill bacteria. The amount added varies, depending on the level of bacteria in the water at a given time. Chlorine affects taste and smell.
– Lead. Not a problem with municipal water treatment but with delivery–either the main distribution lines or household plumbing made with lead pipes. Deteriorating lead solder on plumbing fittings is also a problem. In 1986, Congress banned the use of lead in plumbing in almost all cases. Lead is a health hazard, particularly dangerous for children.
– Cryptosporidium. This is a particularly resistant and hard-to-detect form of bacteria that can grow in surface water and slip through water-treatment systems. In 1993, 400,000 people in Milwaukee became ill and 100 people with immune-deficiency illnesses died. The EPA has since mandated that municipalities check for cryptosporidium.
– Nitrates. If you drink well water and live near farming communities, there is the chance your water could be contaminated with nitrates due to fertilizer runoff. The problem: serious health hazards, including cancer.
– Sediment. Well water sometimes carries sediments such as sand, silt and scale. The problem: the unappetizing prospect of crud floating in your water.
The nasties don’t stop there. “The list of potential problems is lengthy,” says Keith Reid, communications manager for the Water Quality Association, a trade group of manufacturers of filters and water softeners based in Lisle.
You can get a water filter that will remove most harmful elements, but most filters, especially the less expensive ones, won’t take out everything. The best advice is to know what you want filtered out before you go shopping.
Testing your water for lead usually costs less than $50. Check the Yellow Pages under “Water Testing” or call the Illinois EPA at 217-782-6455.
Mail-order labs will test your water for a broad spectrum of contaminants. Expect to pay around $140.
Water filters break down into two basic categories, says Matt Moes, a market analyst with Baytel Associates, a San Francisco consulting and market research firm specializing in drinking-water treatment.
“The first are charcoal and carbon-based products, which will take out from one to about 15 contaminants, and they usually list on their packaging those for which they are effective.”
These include pour-through pitcher filters from Britta and Teledyne, the two largest sellers, Moes says, and they retail from $6 up to $30. Typically, these are granulated or activated charcoal filters, which do nothing more than filter out chlorine, which will improve the water’s taste. You can find similar units that fit on your faucet, Moes says, running from $20 to $70. Some of these are certified to take out other contaminants, such as lead and bacteria.
Still in the carbon family, there are canister-shaped filters costing from $100 up to around $400, which fit either on the countertop or beneath the sink. Depending on their design, they can filter out more than a dozen contaminants.
How do you know what really gets out what?
The National Sanitation Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit organization, tests the claims of filter manufacturers and certifies them if they pass the tests.
“These are the people you should trust,” Moes says. “They are the benchmark.” If a product is certified by NSF to remove something from the water, it will undoubtedly say so on the packaging.
NSF will send you a list of the products that remove elements you are concerned about if you call this toll-free number: 800-673-8010.
For those who don’t want to play water detective, and instead want “a nice broad insurance policy for their water, and who can afford it,” Moes’ second basic category is the “broad spectrum filter.”
Currently, the most highly touted technology is “reverse osmosis,” (RO), a misleading name since while it includes an RO membrane in the filter, it is actually a multistep system of filters.
RO units begin at about $450 and range up to $1,000, Moes says. Joe Huemann, owner of Huemann Water Conditioning, a fourth-generation business in McHenry County, sells and installs RO units for about $600. “I prefer them because they take care of 99 percent of what’s in your water, which is about as good as it gets,” he says.
Carbon sellers knock RO units as wasteful because they use as much as four gallons of water to make one gallon of pure water. Efficiencies vary and technology has got some units down to 1 to 1, says Water Quality’s Reid.
Here is an important health note: Carbon filters that screen out bacteria become breeding grounds. The filters must be changed in strict accordance with manufacturer’s guidelines. Some filters, such as Amway’s, have indicators letting you know when they should be changed. Huemann calls his customers yearly when their filters need changing.
When calculating the relative cost of filters, be sure to include the price of replacement filters and the frequency with which you’ll need to replace them.
Most filters claim they are easily self-installed, even though under-the-sink models may call for severing your cold water line with a hacksaw. Read the directions carefully before you begin. A plumber should be able to handle the job in an hour or less.
One final note: Many filters remove fluoride. If the health of your children’s teeth is a concern, consider a fluoride rinse or consult your dentist.
