Best Water Filtration Systems

Water filtration is something that should be in every home. If you haven’t started using water filters yet, you need to. This article will cover why you need water filtration and what are the best water filtration systems on the market today.Best Water Filtration System 2018

Do you know what is in your water? You should. Our drinking water, out of the tap, has been added to for decades. Some of the additives were put there on purpose, others on accident. Knowing what you are drinking is crucial to your health and well being.

It isn’t a scare tactic, though it is frightening. When people think about what is in their water, most will say fluoride. While they are correct, most do not know all of the other chemicals that have ended up there.

VOCs (volatile chemicals) are known to cause cancer and other health risks, and in many communities in America, they can be found right in the tap water. Other chemicals, such as perfluorocarbons (it’s the stuff they make Teflon coatings from) and chlorine can be found there too.

In small amounts, these chemicals can pass right through the body, but to get your eight glasses of water per day, you could be consuming far more than small amounts. Water filtration is the answer. You, again, have several options:

• Activated charcoal filters
• Charcoal sticks
• Reverse Osmosis filters
• Distilled water
• Ionizers
• Gravity filters
• Solid block carbon filter
• Multi-Stage filters

Each one will remove some, most or a lot of the chemicals that are found in drinking water. Only multi-stage filters remove everything. There is more to the story, though. Most multi-stage filtration systems are expensive, require professional under-counter installation and can be cumbersome.

The best answer is to find out exactly what is in your water. You can do so by contacting your local water company and asking for their public reports. Or, better yet you can visit the EPA website called EWG’s Tap Water Database and find out what is actually in your local water supply.

From there, you can choose the best filtration system for your particular needs.

Best Water Filtration Systems

In the following list, we won’t be covering the absolute best of the best (as only one filter system removes 100% of everything). Instead, we will give you the best water filtration system for most needs and desires; the filters that will work for everyone, at least to some degree.

How We Choose Our Ratings

Each filter is tested, used, and evaluated for price, installation, maintenance, reliability, cleanliness of the water and durability. Each one is given a numerical rating according to the claims in the paperwork that comes with the systems.

The higher the numerical value, the better the filter works. However, there is more to the story than just testing claims and looking at a price tag. We also seek out consumers that have made the purchases and used the filtration systems and find out how their experiences have been.

We take their testimonials, reviews, complaints, and criticisms, and evaluate the best water filtration systems from there, as well. We also give a numerical score from these tests.

Then, we combine the scores and rank them from best to worst, giving a star rating (out of 5) and present only the best in this report. Ready to find your next water filter system?

5 Best Water Filtration System

The best water filtration system is going to be the one that is easiest for you to maintain, use and, if necessary, install. Each person will have a different idea of what is best for them and their families.

The following is a list of the best systems from all categories to give you a better selection to choose from.

1. APEC Water Systems ROES-50 Essence Series Top Tier 5-Stage Certified Ultra Safe Reverse...

APEC makes an under-sink multi-stage filtration system that promises (and delivers) up to 99 percent contamination removal. The kit has everything you need, including a DVD instructional guide for DIY installation.

The system uses:

• Block charcoal filter (two stages)
• Sediment filter
• Coconut fiber filter
• Reverse osmosis filtration

These five filtration stages work together to give you crystal clear, clean water. The kit also comes with its own faucet and storage tank. The tank holds four gallons of purified water, so you always have enough to fill your glass or the coffee pot.

One downside, though is that reverse osmosis will actually lower the PH of the water as a by-product of the process. This makes your drinking water more acidic, and some people have complained about acid reflux or other issues revolving around acidity levels in foods.

However, if higher acidic water isn’t a problem, the all-inclusive kit will give you clean water without worrying about what could be in it.

2. Woder WD-S-8K-ADV-DC Ultra High Capacity Under Sink Water Filter with Direct Connect...

The Woder 10K is an under sink, in-line filtration system that connects to your cold water line before it gets to the tap. Installation is simple and takes only a few minutes.

The filter canister is activated charcoal and blended carbon and silver particles for removal of heavy metals, contaminants, chlorine, lead and bad odors as well as bad taste. The downside is that the filter will not work with softened water, hot water or well water.

It also doesn’t capture fluoride, pharmaceutical medicines or chemical contaminations. It will, though, filter your water and improve the taste for up to 10,000 gallons or three years. After that time you should replace the filter cartridge to continue to get the filtered water.

For the bad things the filter does collect, though, it does a fairly decent job. The filter needs to be run for about three minutes after installation to activate the filter and prevent carbon particles from entering your water supply.

3. Distilling Pure Water Distillers for Countertop Table Desktop, 4L Gallon Distilled Water...

Water distillers, like the CO-Z, use heat to separate particles from the water and transfers the clean water to a holding tank, jug or directly into your glass. There isn’t any installation as the unit sits on your counter, ready to distill your water when needed.

One of the most major problems with water distillation is that the process takes a very long time. The unit uses 750 watts per kilowatt hour and produces a single gallon of distilled water every four hours. If you run the CO-Z 24 hours a day, you can produce six gallons of water per day.

Of course, the energy costs to do so would not be beneficial. The unit works by heating water to vapor form, running the vapor through a charcoal filter and then cooling it back into a liquid. The result is water that is virtually free of all fluoride, chlorine, and chromium. It also removes near all heavy metals and pharmaceutical medicines.

The distillers are also mostly maintenance free, with the exception that you must keep an eye on the water level to prevent burnout. Easy to use, highly effective and virtually maintenance free make distilling water a decent option. If you have the patience.

4. Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 9.0 Aqua-Ionizer Pro Alkaline Water Ionizer Machine

Ionizers, like the one from Air Water Life, aren’t truly filters. They use a process called electrolysis. The atoms are ionized and sent through titanium and platinum plates to raise the pH balance. This makes the water more alkaline which effectively kills off pesticides and herbicides as well as pharmaceutical medicines and disinfection by-products.

As far as fluoride, chlorine and other hard minerals and deposits, they will remain. The Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 9.0 allows you to adjust the alkalinity of the water, as well as several other features including:

• Control the alkalinity from 3.0 to 11.5pH
• Create the perfect balance for drinking, cooking or cleaning water.
• Adds carbon filtration to help reduce other contaminants.
• Mount on the counter or install under the sink.

The ionizer allows you to make the most effective water for your needs. Cleaners for floors need a lower pH than water used to drink or cook with. The Deluxe 9.0 will produce the exact type of water you need for any situation.

5. Binchotan Charcoal from Kishu, Japan - Water Purifying Sticks for Great-Tasting Water, 4...

Charcoal sticks are just what they sound like: natural sticks you can use as a filter. These sticks, though, are from oak wood that is superheated (usually in a kiln) up to 1000 degrees. The oak burns at a lower temperature for a longer time than other charcoals, and when heated turns white. This is where the term white charcoal comes from.

Once the wood is charred, it is then rapidly cooled to produce the sticks. These sticks are then used by you in your water. You can place them in a water bottle or a carafe, and the particles in the water are drawn to the charcoal where it is captured, just like with a charcoal filter.

The difference is, though, that the water isn’t forced through the sticks like it is the filters and must, therefore, sit and wait. It takes about three to four hours to filter the water the sticks are in.

The good news, though, is that the sticks are reusable. You can move the sticks from one water bottle to another for up to two weeks. Then, you take the sticks and boil them in water for ten minutes, allow them to dry thoroughly, and can use them again. You can repeat this process for up to three months.

They won’t capture anything an activated charcoal filter won’t capture, and they take longer. But for on-the-go filtration, they do a great job.

Comparison Table

PRODUCT	OUR RATING	PRICE
APEC Top Tier 5-Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System
Woder 10K-Gen3 Ultra High Capacity Direct Connect Water Filtration System
CO-Z Water Distiller
Air Water Life Aqua Ionizer Deluxe 9.0​​​​​
Kishu Binchotan Charcoal Personal Sticks

Buyers Guide

Selecting a water filtration system can be an arduous task. It can be as simple as choosing to buy bottled, distilled water instead of using the tap, or as tedious and expensive as hiring a plumber to install an under-sink complete multi-stage filter system professionally.

The first thing you should do is find out what chemicals and additives are actually in your water. You may find that you don’t need the fancy, high-dollar systems to have clean, clear water.

Once you know what is contaminating your water, you will be better prepared to make a purchasing decision.

From there you can factor in your budget and see what types of filter systems are available in your filter needs and price range.

After that, it is as simple as choosing the option you like best and making the purchase. No matter which filter system you decide to go with, it will be better than the tap water you are drinking now.

Every filter will remove some additives or chemicals from your tap water, even if it is just the fluoride or chlorine. While you may be tempted to go for the absolute best of the best at filtration, it may be overkill. You can save money by getting what you need, or what is most efficient for you.

In Conclusion

Choosing the best water filtration system isn’t such a simple task. There are several factors you need to consider when making your final selection.

You should always know what is in your water and you can find out by visiting or contacting your local water company and asking for a copy of their water quality report. You may be able to find it online as well.

If that fails to return results, you can also visit the EPA’s Environmental Working Group (EWG) website and search by zip code. Once you know what is in your water supply, you will know what you need to filter out.

There are economical answers such as purchasing distilled water or going with an activated charcoal filter system. You can also use a gravity filter for a mid-range price and fairly large filter list.

If you want to eliminate everything from your water your best bet is a professionally installed under sink multi-stage filtration system. The labor cost of the installation, as well as the cost of the system itself, may be too much for your budget.

In the end, the right filter system is left up to you. Hopefully, you have found your next filtration system on this list of the best filter systems of 2022.

Last update on 2023-03-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API