Household Drinking Water Systems

Last year, (writing in 2007), the United States population consumed more than eight billion gallons of bottled drinking water. Eight billion gallons! Eight billion US gallons = 30 283 294.4 m3. Many additional gallons poured forth from household drinking water systems.

Household drinking water systems are available in a variety of styles and sizes, filtering or purifying water in small or large quantities.

Choosing a Household Drinking Water System

Several systems are regularly advertised on television. Before you rush out and purchase one, though, you should investigate the possibilities. Consider your drinking water demands. How large should a drinking water system be to meet those demands? If you are a single person living alone, you will probably not want to invest in a whole-house system. If you have a large family, or run a “Bed and Breakfast”, a whole-house system may be the best choice.

Decide what quality you want from your drinking water system. Filters vary, and even the best can remove only a certain percentage of contaminants and bacteria. Purifiers are required to move much greater percentages. Some drinking water systems “charge” the water. Some make the water more alkaline, supposing the body will experience greater health.

Considering these three categories:

1. Introductory Drinking Water Systems: Many people begin with a small, introductory type of drinking water system. This category includes pitcher and faucet-mounted drinking water systems. They will normally filter out 3 to 9 of the most common 11 pollutants left behind by municipal systems. They are priced competitively, the initial drinking water system itself costing between $25 and $50. Replacement filters, at $8 to $20 apiece, are normally replaced after every 30 to 100 gallons, depending on the drinking water system chosen. Due to the ongoing replacement costs, these introductory drinking water systems may end up costing you more in the long run than a larger system. They will deliver better tasting water than you had, though, and it will be cleaner.

2. Intermediate Drinking Water Systems: If you want assurance that your water not only tastes better, but is more pure, you may want to invest in an intermediate level drinking water system. These drinking water systems remove a greater variety of toxins – some remove all of the 11 most common contaminants and bacteria. Intermediate systems have a larger initial cost. Depending on the manufacturer, you can expect to pay between $120 and $420 (2007 prices). Budget $45 to $110 each for replacement filters, but realize that these will filter as much as 5 times the amount of filters in the introductory systems. You can have an intermediate drinking water system installed under the kitchen sink, or on the counter. You may want a second one in another part of the house, such as a family room.

3. “Extreme” Drinking Water Systems: Those who want to be sure their drinking water system provides clean water from every faucet will choose the whole-house drinking water system. These systems can be expensive, and installation will require a licensed plumber, but they purify great quantities of water – much more than the other drinking water systems. The initial cost, including installation can be expected to cost approximately $1500. Filters are replaced in these systems on an average of every 3 years. The filters, with maintenance fees, average $500. In other words, filters for whole-house drinking water systems average about $20 per month. Most of these drinking water systems come with a lifetime guarantee.

Which system is right for you? Investigate and compare.