Which Water Filter System Is Best?

  Filtering water is a bit of a minefield nowadays, but buying a filter can significantly cut down your intake of toxic compounds. You could buy bottled water but that soon adds up: it’s often cheaper in the long run to get an under the sink solution.

If you are thinking of doing  that at any point, this new Water Filter Guide from the Environmental Working Group is a really helpful run-down of the pros and cons of each type.

Personally, I have an under the sink Reverse Osmosis with a double carbon filter system for cooking and drinking water, a chlorine whole house filter and a special shower head to minimise water use. Do I feel smug? Yep.

You can see the water filter F-RO-4 I have and recommend here, along with other lifestyle stuff I have found to be excellent over the years. The whole house filters are being updated currently and two main versions will be available for about £100 shortly, I am told.

One important note: I have read that some systems use corn or coconut fibre as part of their filtering membranes. so I double checked the one above. Here is their response:

Carbon is used pre RO membrane purely to remove chlorine which if present will destroy the membrane. Post RO it is used just to sweeten the water immediately before use. There is no practical benefit from using coconut carbon in either of these two applications. It’s a definite no to corn fibre. Our carbon cartridges use bituminous based carbon granules only. 

Great reporting from EWG as usual, do support them if you can.