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A water filter system, either for your entire home or just point-of-use, greatly improves the quality of your water by removing toxic chemicals that can be harmful to your health. Not all filtration systems are created equally, however, so it's important to choose the right one.

Because of the fact that most local water facilities use very basic, old filtration processes, the water in your home still has thousands of toxic chemicals, micro-organisms, cysts and other contaminants. Government regulations have not really caught up with the time, with standards for only 50 of these toxins.

So you can see why water filter systems make sense, especially those that can effectively remove dangerous chemicals from the water before we have a chance to ingest it or shower with it. Although there is no immediate danger from drinking from the tap, research shows that over time the buildup of these chemicals in your body can pose some serious health risks.

Because a water filter system is quite cost effective, there's no reason why every household shouldn't have one. The better ones end up costing about 10 cents per gallon, which certainly beats the cost of bottled water, which is no better than tap as there are no regulations requiring it to be.

If you are considering water filter systems for your home, you can decide whether you want a whole house unit or a point-of-use unit such as one for your kitchen sink or shower head. Although both are quite beneficial, the point-of-use unit will actually remove water-bourne contaminants from your pipes, including lead and vinyl-chloride. Since the whole home unit only filters the water coming into your home, there is a chance of re-contamination as it courses through your piping.

Whichever water filter system you choose, make sure you follow a few simple rules to ensure that you purchase the highest quality system:

• Look for a filtration system that removes chlorine, lead, volatile organic chemicals, parasites and cysts, among other contaminants, but DOES NOT remove natural trace minerals such as potassium, calcium and magnesium.


• Choose a multi-stage unit to ensure efficiency...avoid reverse osmosis and distillation systems as they are costly and inefficient.


• Make sure the water filter systems are California certified...these are the strictest standards and this certification guarantees the highest quality product.


• Read through the Performance Data Sheet to find out exactly what contaminants are removed and in what quantities. If there is no performance sheet, find another water filter system.

If you want clean, clear, pure water for your home, you really can't beat a high quality water filter system. Although any filtration system is better than none at all, make sure you find the best to ensure the water is as clean as it can be,