Do you really need a water filter?
July 2, 2008 by Jennifer
This being water month here at Tree Hugging Family, I’m going to be doing some posts on water filters. This recently came up because I’ve always had water filters, well, since we lived in Humboldt. We lived in a town with just 300 people, and the county had some issues with water quality being ok – i.e. maybe it was, maybe not? In any case, we got a water filter, had ot for years, and when it broke, got a new one. My new one just broke maybe two months ago, and I almost went out and got a new one, but then started wondering if I should even bother.
Here were the questions/issues in the back of my mind:
- Is my water perfectly ok without a filter.
- The cost of water filters, at least replaceable filters is obnoxious.
- I’ve always hated that you can recycle filters, or even the whole darn system.
- Does a filter end up wasting more water than is reasonable? For those of you with filter systems, you’d know that each time you replace the filter, you need to run the water for a while.
- And more.
Basically I guess I never thought about it, I started filtering water, it became a habit, and now I needed to rethink it. So this month, I’ll be going over those questions above and telling you what I found out. Right now what you can tell me is if you have a water filter system, and why. Also, if you have any specific water filter questions, now would be a good time to bring them out. I’m in semi-research mode, and willing to look stuff up.
Let me know…
I have a water filter because our city water smells HEAVILY of chlorine and it made me feel sick to drink it. I use a PUR filter that attaches to the faucet. I’m picky about the water that I drink, it has to taste like NOTHING or I can’t drink much of it. Spoiled of me, I know, but there it is.
We don’t have one.
We were exposed to high levels of VOCs and Toxins inthe water in 1980 at Camp LeJeune and we glow in the dark now..no worries.
Back in Missouri our water had an awful very strong sulfur taste to it which we were never able to get used to. We found that the Pur brand water filters removed the taste.
When we moved to Kansas we tasted the water and found that it tasted fine so we quit using the filters. That winter I got sick with a stomach virus twice. I’m talking very sick. It was very bad.
The nurses at the hospital told us what the virus was (I can’t remember it now off the top of my head) and told us that it was a common thing that nothing could be done about.
So my wife started researching it on her own and found that the virus was often found in city water supplies and that a water filter would remove it.
We’ve been using water filters ever since, and I haven’t had a recurrence of the virus since.
It irks me having to pay $10 for a replacement filter every two months. But the $800 hospital bill because I couldn’t stop puking my guts out was annoying too.
I have been using filters for at least the last 10 yrs. I don’t like the taste of tap water, never have. Now that we live where we do and the copper mine is due to re-open I don’t trust the water. I’m not happy about having to pay as much as I do for the filters but not having to go to the hospital because of something in the water is worth it, like Nick said.
We have been using GE RO water filters in our home for a long time and I don’t think I can do without one. Our town source water is from a well and it’s high in iron.
Years ago before we bought a house, we lived in an apartment and we had faucet-mount filters, and some times it was a pitcher (I don’t remember the brands).
I never trusted water supplies. Plus, we bottle our filter water when we go out, just to save money.
I will say you need a water filter depending on where you live and the source of water; you need one if you home plumbing system is old.
If you live in an area where there is no sewer system it’s likely that there will be a lot of septic systems in that area. It is therefore necessary to test your water to make sure failed septic systems are not contaminating your well water.
for me a filter was the lesser of another evil…THE BOTTLED WATER
My daughter would bring it home by the case and so I told her ok lets try this….less plastic so we are both happy
We’ve used a water filter of some sort for about 12 years. We used to buy bottled water (but refilled our gallon jugs at the store), but when we moved in ‘96 decided on a faucet filter. The public water was terrible, it had a smell and a taste. YUCK. Where we live now, we have a spring that feeds us our water. The water is better, but still has a smell and taste (although different). The water just isn’t clean, there is a lot of sediment that is in the water. So we still use a filter. We did have a faucet and fridge pitcher with filters. Now our new fridge has a built in filter. If water has a taste (And I know I didn’t add any mixes to it), I don’t drink it. I just don’t want to risk my family getting sick from ickies in the water.
About a year ago I read Natural Cures They Don’t Want You to Know About (and then I couldn’t go to sleep because I was so freaked out!). We already filtered our drinking water, but the book points out that skin absorbs chemicals. When I started looking into household systems, I came across Terra Flo, but their website said “try again later” and hasn’t changed since then. ): I really like their stance on the need to recycle filters. Does anyone know of any other companies that do that?
Brita recycles filters in Europe, but not in North America. I wonder why.
Chlorinated water has been linked to cancer in men and women and developmental health issues in children. So, I’d say yes, a water filter is a great investment in healthy living. Reverse osmosis systems use more water than they produce so that could be what you’re refering to in that note, but you may or may not need reverse osmosis. The thing to do is to check your city’s water report before determing what type of filter you need. You can learn all sorts of things by visiting my website and I encourage you to do so as part of your research….
Jim
We have a water filter, mainly for taste. I grew up on well water which tasted SO good, so city water grosses me out. I still have to add lime juice to it…or make tea!
I also have heard about how filtering all the house water can be good for you (less toxins in the skin). It can get overwheming thinking about all the things we are exposed to in this toxic world!
The Terra Flo company either went out of business or was perhaps bought by another company (I hope). I used their filters for years and am looking for a replacement company as I have used up all the spare replacement filters that I had in storage. It is important to get a filter that not only takes out the heavy metals suspended in most tap water, but also deals with the bacteria that proliferate during the travel-time between the chlorine treatment plant in the cruddy aged underground pipes for miles before it reaches your home. The filter needs to be able to remove the chlorine that has been put into the water to kill bacteria. Most of the pitcher type water filters do not deal with all of the above-mentioned contaminants. If one cannot afford a triple stage filter system, at least get one that takes out the heavy metals, then boil out the bacteria and the chlorine before drinking your water. Shower filters are good if you can get ahold of one, because even the steam from a hot shower contains harmful fumes from the chemical reaction of hot water mixed with chlorine and heavy metals from your pipes. Or don’t take really hot showers, and avoid breathing in the steam if you do take hot showers. Do your research and save your health.
I have been into using a water filter for the last 4 or 5 years now. I’m 31 now and I couldn’t imagine going with out one again. Not only do I use one for my tap water but also I use one for my shower. My water tastes better, I have more energy and my skin feels better. Yes I have also taken on a healthier vegetarian diet which helps out a lot too but water is a key factor. I mean we are mostly made of water. We are water beings. But with all that said I have gotten tired of having to buy replacement cartridges for my filters. It gets expensive. Especially with multiple filters and doing it my whole life. But I recently got into these Structured Water Units. Or particularly the Whole Home Structured Water Unit. It’s a little more expensive than some filters but you don’t ever have to replace a filter on it again. And they will supposedly last your whole life. This scientist who worked for the Department of Defense for 40 years invented it based on all his studies of nature and rivers. He came to realize that river water or spring water is structured water and he created a device that structures any water just like a river does using geometric formations in his water filters. These are really neat Water Filters. So it seemed like some of you were complaining about replacing cartridges too and so you might want to google search the structured water unit.
So, if my Brita pitcher filter isn’t recyclable, what do I do with it?
@Teri you usually have to toss filters, which is why I hate filters. SUCH a waste. However, Brita actually has a new filter recycling program (very cool) http://www.brita.com/us/support/filter-recycling/ – I’ll be posting on this soon.