Home water filtration, well water treatment, water quality testing, and clean water technology. Because what comes out of your tap matters.
Removes 95-99% of contaminants including lead, fluoride, arsenic, and bacteria. Best for drinking water. Requires under-sink installation. Wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon filtered. Top picks: APEC ROES-50, iSpring RCC7, Waterdrop G3P800.
Removes chlorine, taste, odor, and some chemicals. Great for whole-house or countertop. Affordable. Doesn't remove heavy metals or bacteria. Top picks: Big Berkey, Brita, PUR.
Kills 99.99% of bacteria, viruses, and parasites using ultraviolet light. Chemical-free. Often paired with carbon filter. Best for well water. Top picks: Viqua D4, SteriPEN, HQUA-OWS-12.
Filter all water entering your home. Protects appliances, showers, and every faucet. Carbon + sediment combo. $500-2,000 installed. Top picks: SpringWell CF, Aquasana EQ-1000, Pelican PC600.
Remove calcium and magnesium (hard water minerals). Prevents scale buildup in pipes and appliances. Salt-based vs salt-free. Essential in hard water areas.
Boils water and collects steam. Removes virtually everything including minerals. Slow (6 hours per gallon). Best for lab-pure water needs. Removes beneficial minerals too.
Municipal water meets EPA standards but can still contain lead (old pipes), chlorine byproducts, PFAS (forever chemicals), and microplastics. Well water has no federal monitoring at all.
Basic kits ($15-30) test for pH, hardness, chlorine, lead, bacteria, and nitrates. Brands: Watersafe, First Alert, Safe Home. Good for a quick baseline.
Send a sample to a certified lab for comprehensive analysis. Tests for 100+ contaminants. $30-200 depending on panel. Tap Score and SimpleLab are excellent mail-in options.
Lead: from old pipes. Bacteria: especially well water. Nitrates: agricultural runoff. PFAS: forever chemicals from industrial contamination. Hardness: affects appliances and soap. pH: affects pipe corrosion.
Test well water at least once per year for bacteria, nitrates, pH, and total dissolved solids. Test more often if you notice changes in taste, color, or smell.
Iron/Manganese: orange/brown staining. Sulfur: rotten egg smell. Hard water: white scale deposits. Bacteria: E. coli from surface contamination. Radon: in granite areas.
Most wells need a multi-stage system: sediment filter + water softener + UV sterilizer + carbon filter. Budget $1,500-5,000 for a complete system. Worth every penny.
Boiling (1 minute at rolling boil kills bacteria). Bleach (8 drops per gallon, wait 30 min). Iodine tablets. LifeStraw. SteriPEN UV. Always have a backup plan.