A few companies and their representatives claim their water filters can produce truly pure water for drinking, but that statement is false, as no water filtration system produces absolutely pure water. Some do reduce the number of contaminants to a greater degree. You should avoid any product or brand that makes such bogus claims. The best reverse osmosis water filtration systemtend to incorporate more than one type of technology. Let's take a look at some water filter options.

The first step is to decide what you want to accomplish with a water filtration; do you want to reduce chlorine, stop bacterial growth and cysts, or would you like to deal with a wide range of organic and chemical contaminants all at the same time? The best water filters can do all of these things at one time. You should also consider whether or not you want to remove the healthy minerals from your water, such as calcium and magnesium.

If you take a look at loose carbon filters, you will discover that they are actually bacteria factories. They allow oxygen to exist within the filter, which encourages and enhances the growth of bacteria. Although this type of filter is very cheap to purchase, it is expensive in the long run, since the filters must be replaced frequently.

Distillation is effective when filtering bacteria, solids, sediments and organic or chemical contaminants that will not evaporate. There are some chemical contaminants, such as MTBE, that will evaporate, so distillation is not effective in filtering that.

Ultraviolet (UV) light is sometimes used in conjunction with other filters to kill bacteria, and has been found to be a very effective tool. The light affects an organism's DNA, so it cannot replicate. If it cannot replicate, it is harmless.

Reverse osmosis (RO) is a filter which reduces fluoride, radium and numerous other contaminants to a very high degree, although it does have its limitations. There are a large number of contaminants found in water that will easily pass through an RO filter. Reverse osmosis is also used in conjunction with other filters to be very effective, though the process does remove the healthy minerals as well. RO by itself is capable of reducing contaminants such as radium, arsenic, barium lead, nitrates and nitrites, as well as giardia and selenium that are found in tap water.

How do you know if the claims made by the company are correct and true? If the filters are not certified by the NSF, (the National Sanitation Foundation) then simply put it back on the shelf. Those manufacturers of quality water filtration systems put their filters through rigorous testing by the NSF and are proud to have their certification. NSF tests and certifies water treatment units to determine which the best reverse osmosis water filtration systems are for consumers.

About the Author:

Roddy Jones is owner of TheSearchLounge.com--a website promotion company that specializes in improving search engine rankings for small business websites and internet marketers. If you liked this article, check out our complete line of affordable seo services to make your life easier today!