A Guide to Shower Filters For Hard Water

A Guide to Shower Filters For Hard Water

You may want shower filters for hard water, but you also want to remove hazardous chemicals that vaporize during a hot bath. In the enclosed area of the bathroom, we inhale these chemicals and scientists believe that increases our risk of cancer.

You also want to remove chlorine, if it's present. Chlorine also vaporizes and inhalation is irritating to the sinuses, as well as the entire respiratory system. The chemical vapors are known to trigger asthma attacks. That's one reason that indoor swimming pools are closed if chlorine levels climb too high.

The best shower filters for hard water combine ion exchange to balance mineral content and soften. This step also removes traces of metals like lead and copper that seep in from the pipes. Metallic traces dull the hair and exposure to lead is never safe.

Granulated carbon will remove chlorine and some of the other chemicals, but a process called adsorption is needed to remove as many chemicals as possible. Specifically, it removes chlorination byproducts. Those are the ones that cause cancer.

The prices of shower filters for hard water vary greatly. Believe me. You don't need the most expensive product on the market to get the best performance.

Some people recommend reverse osmosis. That's an expensive and largely unnecessary step, even for drinking water filtration. It also creates gallons of wastewater and there are no units specifically designed for your showerhead. You'd have to get one for the whole house.

Whole house filters are sometimes a good idea, but generally speaking, your showerheads and your kitchen faucets are most important. There's no particular reason to filter the waters for the toilet or even the laundry. You can always add water softeners to the laundry.

Some people recommend a brand called Wellness. There's no real reason to go to that expense, either. They make some scientific claims that they can't back up with hard evidence. There biggest claim to fame is that they are supposedly used in the number one health spa in the world, but I couldn't verify that, either.

The best shower filters for hard water have been evaluated and rated by Consumer Reports. The company provides certified product performance data before you buy. The cost of use is pennies a day and the replacement filter lasts a full six months.

In case you have a hard time remembering when it's time to change your filter, the company offers automatic shipment and discounts for signing up. There are many ways to save money. Buying direct from the factory is one easy way.

You want a product that is easy to install and unlikely to leak, simply to avoid frustration. If you're tall, you also want one that does not reduce the height of the showerhead.

The right shower filters for hard water will protect your health, as well as prevent that scaly build up on your bathroom fixtures. Just be sure to shop carefully, so that you don't end up disappointed.

wall candy

Well Water Filter - Do You Need One Or is it Better Than City Water Or Bottled Water?

Well Water Filter - Do You Need One Or is it Better Than City Water Or Bottled Water?

I currently live in the country. When I moved there, the first thing I noticed was that the well water definitely had more odor to it.  In the city, the usual smell was chlorine. In the country the smell was more like rotten eggs. When I lived in the city I used a counter top water filter because of the chlorine and the known hazards of drinking chlorinated water. I thought when I moved to the country I might not have to use a well water filter. Everyone would say that you don't need to filter your water in the country, well water is good for you. Well I did some research and found out some very interesting things about the quality of well water and bottled water.

I found lots of information on the EPA's website about private well water. There are a lot of potential problems you could have with your well water. Their website mentioned conditions like recurring gastro-intestinal illness, the fact that household plumbing contains lead and copper, you could live in a radon area, your pipes could be corroded, you could live near agriculture leading to runoffs of nitrates, pesticides, or bacteria. Well I couldn't read anymore, that was enough for me to realize well water may not be as goof for you as everyone thought.

I now had two dilemmas; I could buy bottled water or filter my own well water. I was not thrilled about purchasing bottled water because of all the waste associated with the plastic bottles. I did have some concerns about the counter top unit I was using from the city being able to handle the iron and sulfur smell of our well water. I continued searching and found a list titled "National Primary Drinking Water Regulations". The list gave all the disinfectants, disinfection byproducts, inorganic chemicals, microorganisms, organic chemicals, and radionuclides in our drinking water and their allowable level. That was pretty scary. Glad I had that counter top filter on my drinking water when I lived in the city.

I also searched for information on bottled water and was referred to the FDA website. I found even more interesting tidbits about bottled water on their website. I came across an article titled "Regulation of Bottled Water", in that article in stated "Under section 410, when EPA establishes new maximum contaminant levels (MCL) or treatment techniques for contaminants in public drinking water as part of a National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR), FDA is required to establish a standard of quality regulation for the same contaminants in bottled water, or to make a finding that such a regulation is not necessary to protect the public health because the contaminant is not present in water used for bottled drinking water".

Well needless to say, I contacted the company I purchased my counter top unit from and purchased an under sink water filter.  They advised me with their two stage filtering process, it was more than capable of handling filtering my well water.

proctor silex ice cream maker rechargeable 312 hearing aid batteries ott light bulbs