CHOOSING A HOME WATER FILTER

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Choosing a home water filter...

There are many different types of filters on the market, and choosing the one that best suits your needs can be a daunting task. To help you make a more informed decision, Pure Water Network has compiled a guide which takes you through the advantages, and disadvantages, of the various filters.

How to Compare Products:

When selecting a drinking water treatment device, consumers can rely on the standards developed by NSF International, an independent organization that develops consensus standards and testing programs for a wide variety of consumer products, including drinking water treatment units. Also, NSF International offers objective, third-party evaluation of products against NSF International/ANSI standards. In addition to helping the consumer compare the contaminant reduction performance of a drinking water system, the NSF International standards also provide the basis for comparing the capacity of the unit as well as the flow rate of the device.

Points to consider when purchasing a drinking water system include:

Has the unit been tested and certified by NSF International and/or one of the state agencies that regulate drinking water treatment devices such as the California Department of Health Services?
What contaminants is the device certified to remove from the water?
What is the flow rate of water coming from the unit in gallons per minute?
How often will you need to change the filter and what is the cost of the replacement filter?
Does the manufacturer or distributor provide a customer satisfaction guarantee and/or product warranty?

Here is an excerpt from the California Department of Health Services website, giving a brief summary of how their certification program works and what it means:

Before a device can be certified, the manufacturer must comply with product labeling and consumer information requirements. A certified device is easy to identify because each device has a label which includes the certification number and a product data sheet which includes a copy of the certificate issued by the Department. The product data sheet must include the following information:

Rated service life (where applicable)

General use conditions

Model or part numbers for replacement elements

Maximum and minimum operating temperatures

Maximum and minimum operating pressure

Cost of replacement elements

Section 116840 of the California Health and Safety Code provides for enforcement against companies marketing or selling devices in California that do not comply with the certification requirements. Civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation per day can be levied by either State or local officials. A copy of Chapter 5, Article 3 is included in Section 10.

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