The scary facts that are coming out regarding the safety and content of tap water has made the water treatment systems increase in popularity and become a priority in many households. Nevertheless, not all the available systems on the market are of the same quality or efficiency. It is important to compare these systems not only by cost, but by how safe and pure they make your water as well. We will need to take a quick look at the most popular systems and give you some insight on the pros and cons of each.

One of the most popular systems, available at many grocery, drug, and department stores, is the pitcher system. When originally considered, it appears to be the least expensive system, but not so when the cost of the filter is factored in. This in fact is the most expensive method of acquiring filtered water. Another issue to consider is the fact that these filters only remove large particles like sediment and lead, but still leave in a variety of bacteria and chemicals. Although, these filters are much better than tap water, they are not the most cost-efficient or effective available.

If you want to compare water systems that work effectively, the two you need to look most closely at are reverse osmosis and multi-stage systems. Both of these systems provide far healthier water than either tap or filtered water. In the next few paragraphs we will examine the cost and effectiveness of each of these types of units.

Reverse osmosis water treatment systems work by passing water through a semi-permeable membrane that filters out anything larger than a water molecule. Because bacteria and chemicals are smaller than water molecules, these filters must also be used in conjunction with a carbon block filter.

These systems do remove the majority of contaminants and impurities from water. They also remove trace minerals such as potassium and magnesium that are needed by the human body to maintain health. It is important to note that these systems waste about two gallons of water for every gallon that is made drinkable. The cost of these systems ranges from 200 dollars for a kitchen unit to about 1,500 dollars for a whole house system. The total cost per gallon of water is roughly twenty-five cents.

Multi-stage water treatment systems do the process by moving the water through a series of steps and different patented filters. These systems remove almost all impurities including chemicals, lead, rust, and even the chlorine that is added to all tap water, but they leave in the valuable minerals your body needs.

Multi-stage systems cost about 150 dollars for a counter unit or 1,000 dollars for a whole house system. The total cost including filter replacement, which is only every three years, means you pay only about ten cents per gallon of water. These systems also produce far less waste than reverse osmosis systems.

When comparing water treatment systems, it is also important to highlight the difference between kitchen and whole house systems. While kitchen systems are very important and clean the water that everyone in your house drinks, whole house systems purify water in the one place in your home where the most water toxins are taken in; the bathroom.

When you take a hot bath or shower, you not only absorb the toxins from your water into your blood through your pores, but you also inhale them in the water vapor you breathe. Almost all of the chemicals in your water are dispersed into the air in the form of water vapor. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you use a whole house water filtration system.

In short, water treatment systems are extremely beneficial. Whether you use the recommended whole house system or simply a kitchen unit, treating your water is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family. With so many pollutants, carcinogens, and toxins in our tap water, purification is one of the best things we can do to help ourselves stay healthy.