Faucet Water Filters
For affordable filtered water, a faucet mounted water filter is your best option. When you’re shopping for a faucet filter there’s some key points to take into consideration:
- What type of filtration method does the filter use – The most common faucet filters use carbon or charcoal to filter the water, at best this only helps improve the smell of the water and remove some contaminants.
- How does the unit attach to your faucet – You want the attachment to be made of metal, not plastic. This seems like a minor detail, but it can mean the difference between the filter lasting 5 years or 5 weeks. Leaking is the biggest problem most people encounter with faucet water filters and having a metal connection will greatly reduce leaking.
- How many gallons per hour does the filter produce – We all lead busy lives, and you shouldn’t have to wait 5 minutes to fill up a glass of water.
- What’s the total cost of ownership – A good faucet water filter will cost between $80-$125. This might seem kind of high, but the cost of ownership on a quality filter is always lower then what a cheap filter will end up costing you when you consider the cost of replacement filters and the fact that most cheap filters don’t last 6 months.
The Faucet Filter You Should Avoid
The most common (and least effective) faucet filter are the kind that the entire unit attaches directly to your faucet. These units typically use carbon filtration to purify the water, which is the least effective type of filter.
Most of these units are made from a cheap plastic assembly that’s prone to leaking and even cracking. It’s not uncommon for the plastic thread that attaches the filter to your faucet to begin to leak, or spray water after a months use.
These low quality faucet water filters cause nothing but headaches soon after they are installed. Within days the filter tends to clog, and it can take up to a minute or more just to fill a glass of water. If you want to fill a pitcher you better set aside 5 minutes because it doesn’t take much to reduce these filters to a slow trickle.
While the up front cost of these filters might be appealing to some consumers the reality is that when you factor in the cost of replacement filters you’re paying around $0.25 a gallon compared to $0.09 with the aquasana.
The Aquasana Faucet Water Filter
The easy to install and affordable Aquasana aq-4000 faucet water filter is widely recognized as the best home water filter on the market. If you’re considering a sink mounted water filter the Aquasana is a solid choice. Here’s why:
- It has a sturdy metal attachment that connects to your faucet, and prevents leaks
- The dual filter technology removes almost all traces of the most common contaminants found in drinking water
- The Aquasana can filter 500 gallons of water before you have to replace the filter
- Unlike many faucet water filters that suffer from water pressure problems the Aquasana can stream water at up to 30 gallons a hour
- The main filter housing of the Aquasana is not obtrusive like many of the other brands of faucet filters. The elegant design allows you to attach the Aquasana to your faucet while keeping the main filter out of the way
- The cost of ownership for the Aquasana is just $0.09 a gallon
