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Best Water Filter For Apartment Living
HERE ARE THE BEST WATER FILTERS FOR RENTAL APARTMENTS
There are many good water filters for apartments, and the best one for you will depend on your specific needs and preferences. Some popular options include faucet-mounted filters, pitcher filters, and under-sink filters. It's important to choose a filter that is 3rd party tested to remove any contaminants that are present in your water supply. You may want to check with your local water utility or ewg.org's tap water database (if you want an independent look at your local tap water) to find out what is in your water and what type of filter would be most effective. Additionally, consider factors such as the filter's cost, maintenance requirements, and lifespan when making your decision.
Filtering your water has several benefits. First, it can remove contaminants that can affect the taste, odor, and safety of your water. This can make your water more enjoyable to drink and can help to protect your health. Filtering your own water can also save you money, as you won't have to buy bottled water. Additionally, using a water filter can be more environmentally friendly, as it can reduce your reliance on single-use plastic bottles. Filtering your water can also provide an extra layer of protection against potential contaminants in your water supply that may lead to long term health issues like cancer and birth defects.
- Pitcher & Dispenser Filters: Pitcher & Dispenser filters are a popular gravity style water filter choice for apartment dwellers because they are easy to use and can be stored in the fridge. They also are easy to move so when your lease is up, they come with you on your next adventure. They use a variety of filtration technologies, such as activated carbon block, granular activated carbon, ceramic, and ion exchange, to remove contaminants from your water. At Epic, we use carbon block filters to remove the maximum amount of contaminants.
- Faucet-Mounted Filters: These filters attach directly to your faucet, providing a convenient and space-saving way to filter your water. They typically use granular carbon filters to remove contaminants and improve the taste of your water. With the ever changing water faucet shapes & sizes, sometimes these are hard to fit on modern faucets.
- Under-Sink Filters: If you want to filter a larger quantity of water, an under-sink filter may be a good option. These filters are installed directly under your kitchen sink and can provide filtered water for drinking, cooking, and other purposes. The Epic Smart Shield is a DIY 15 min install (no plumber required) and can be removed in about the same amount of time. This filter connects directly to your cold water line. The Smart Shield is independently certified to 3 NSF/ANSI standards to remove 100+ contaminants including PFOA/PFC (forever chemicals), lead, chlorine, and microplastics (quick install video below).
- Reverse Osmosis (RO) Filters: RO filters are highly effective at removing a wide range of contaminants, including dissolved solids, bacteria, and viruses. They are typically installed under the sink and require a dedicated faucet for dispensing the filtered water, that means you have to drill a hole in your countertop. Not a great idea if you are renting. Also requires a plumber to connect the RO system to drain for the unused discharged water. We outline a few other reasons we are not the biggest fans of RO filters for apartments.
- Countertop filters: Countertop filters are a good option if you don't want to install a filter under your sink. They are easy to install and can be used with any faucet. Like other types of filters, they use a variety of filtration technologies to remove contaminants from your water.
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The solid activated carbon blocks, like the one used in the Epic Smart Shield & Epic Water Filter pitchers, remove more contaminants than the granular activated carbon (GAC) filters due to the larger surface area and the thickness of the carbon walls, this is why Epic Water Filters has standardized on the solid activated carbon block design for our water pitchers and our under the sink water filter. GAC filters do not do enough to reduce contaminants, this is why they are not used when there is a chance of bacteria or cysts in the water. They are truly not "Epic'' so that is why we have passed on the (GAC) filter design and let our competitors use these loose packed carbon filters for sub-par contaminant removal.
With solid activated carbon blocks the contaminants are in contact with more carbon for a longer period and therefore have more time to remove stubborn contaminants like lead (Epic Pure Pitcher 99.9% removal), fluoride (Epic Pure Pitcher 97.8% removal), and PFCs (Epic Pure Pitcher 99.8% removal). Carbon blocks can remove chlorine more effectively, eliminate undesirable odors, and removal of endocrine disruptors like volatile organic compounds. (GAC) filters, on the other hand, have small particles that move around under the pressure of water so they do not have as much uniformity throughout and therefore less contact time with the water and less contaminant removal.
RO filter systems do remove a lot of contaminants. There are 6 major downsides to a Reverse Osmosis System for an apartment.
1. RO systems are expensive. Most RO Systems cost 2x to 3x more than a carbon block system and usually have 4 to 6 small filters that need to be replaced each year. This means both the upfront cost and the yearly maintenance of the RO system will be higher.
2. Reverse Osmosis wastes a lot of water. Each RO system wastes an average of 5 to 6 gallons for every 1 gallon of drinking water it produces.
3. RO water filters remove trace minerals and other beneficial substances found in water that your body needs like calcium, manganese, iron and other important nutrients. This is why RO water is considered by many in the natural health world to be dead water and it is said that demineralized water is detrimental to general health due to vitamin and mineral depletion.
4. After your water passes through the RO filter process, it sits inside of a steel drum that is lined with a butyl rubber bladder which is made from a polyisobutylene base. The filtered water sits in this butyl rubber bladder until it is used. All rubber and plastic bladders leach into water at some level.
5. Major downside regarding RO Systems is that because the RO filtration process strips out all of the good nutrients in water, some RO companies think they can add a "Remineralization Cartridge" at the end of the filtration process to replace all of the good stuff that mother nature originally had in the water (Yikes!). Also, most of these "Remineralization Cartridges" that we have seen in the marketplace come from China. Generally we have found that when scientists or business people try to mimic mother nature, they miss badly. Solid carbon block filters do not have these issues.
6. You will have to drill a hole in your countertop and get a plumber.
A Different Way
Are you ready to change the water you drink? Epic Water Filters has a wide range of American made water filtration products to fit your needs. Select the product that fits best for you and start reaping the health benefits of filtered water.
Have questions about your water? Great! We love to talk about all things water related. Call us @ 720-600-0371 M-F 9am to 5pm MST or email our support team your questions support@epicwaterfilters.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.