Many kinds of home water filtration systems abound, and picking the right one for your home requires knowledge of what contaminants your local water contains and in what amounts. Have the water from your home’s tap tested before exploring which home water filter system to purchase. Once you know what your tap water contains, you can shop effectively.
Start by educating yourself at the National Science Foundation (NSF) website, which offers a guide to reducing contaminants in your water supply.
This guide provides a list of water filters scientifically proven to filter out a particular contaminant, such as nitrates. The NSF has tested and certified filtration systems for bacteria and viruses, lead, arsenic, chlorine, chromium, chloramine, fluoride, nitrates/nitrites, Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Total Trihalomethanes (TTHM), and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
Filtering water doesn’t have to cost a lot. A simple home water filtration system can remove particulates, although particulates vary by filtration system. Choose a reverse osmosis system if you want a solution that removes a broad spectrum of contaminants. This system type removes everything except bacteria and viruses, but processing the water a second time through an ultraviolet light treatment or microbiological treatment system does remove them.
