ALLERGY: CHOOSING A WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM
There is a bewildering array of competing systems for water treatment, purification and filtration on the market. They vary greatly in price, running costs, performance and capability. It is very difficult to compare like with like. The main things you need to consider are:
• Purity
How pure do you need the resulting water to be?
• Initial Cost
How much do you want to pay to instal the system?
• Running Costs
How much will it cost to run it over its life?
• Coverage
What parts of your water system do you want to treat?
Do you need just drinking water and cooking water, or do you want
more coverage?
• Convenience
Do you want a plumbed-in system?
Do you want a system that requires frequent cartridge or membrane replacement?
Do you object to a low flow-rate of water?
• Taste
Do you mind a de-mineralised taste to your water? The main types of purification and filtration methods are:
• Reverse Osmosis
• Kinetic Degradation Fluxion (KDF)
• Activated Carbon
• Distillation
• Softening
The way that these work and their principal benefits and drawbacks are explained below. The three methods which are useful for most chemically sensitive people’s needs are reverse osmosis, KDF and activated carbon. All of these provide cheaper water than using bottled water.
Systems can be plumbed in variously, either undersink to supply one tap, or end of tap or showerhead to supply that outlet. Free-standing, or jug versions are available for some methods. Some methods are only suitable in certain variants – if you want a whole system version, or nitrate-reducing method, you only have limited choices.
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