Our tap water in the UK is treated to a very high standard and is perfectly safe to drink. Despite this many people choose to drink either bottled or filtered water. Here we discuss why people do this and the benefits of considering a water filter.
Taste
All of the water delivered to our homes has come from a water treatment plant. The water has been treated in many ways including chlorination. This does affect the taste of the water and this for some people is unpleasant. A water filter’s main aim is to remove taste impediments in the water.
Scale
If you live in a hard water area, the hardness causes limescale that builds up in the kettle and can affect the way tea and coffee brews. Whilst most water filters don’t completely soften the water, they do normally include a component that reduces the water’s ability to create limescale.
Debris in the supply pipes
On the whole our tap water is very clean. However due to work on pipes underground it is possible for bits to get into the water supply. Many times over the years, at Shires Water, we have found small stones and other debris stuck inside pipes and fittings. Having a water filter ensures the water you are drinking has been filtered to stop anything making it through to your glass.
Cost saving and more eco friendly than bottled water
Choosing to drink bottled water has the benefit of great tasting water. But it is costly to buy and transport. A water filter with a cartridge that needs to be changed once or twice a year is far cheaper than bottled water. Reducing the need for multiple shopping trips, it also saves a huge amount of plastic, which is better for the environment.
How do most water filters work?
The majority of water filters use Granular Activated Carbon. This removes, or reduces organic chemicals such as chlorine in the water. They often include another component to reduce limescale.
What about reverse osmosis or multi stage water filters?
On the market are a myriad of water filter systems. Here at Shires Water we believe a small, good quality, single point water filter is a good option for most households. Reverse osmosis systems create very pure water but also remove all the good things in water, such as calcium at the same time.
Other multi stage filtration systems would be necessary in a country or area where water quality was not as good as it is here in the UK, for this reason we don’t offer these to our customers.
Filter jug or dedicated filter tap?
Filter jugs are a very popular option but a dedicated filter tap has many benefits.The problem with filter jugs is keeping them clean. Most jugs are made of plastic, because of this they get scratched inside whilst being cleaned. These scratches combined with sunlight can result in bacterial growth that can’t be seen. A dedicated water filter fitted under the kitchen sink, if changed regularly, removes this risk .Also having a filtered drinking tap is much more convenient than filing a jug filter and waiting for it to trickle through.
At Shires Water, our preferred small drinking water filter is the ClearFlow filter. This system can be connected to a small stand alone tap that sits alongside the kitchen tap. Or it can be connected to an all in one tap that replaces your kitchen tap. These all in one taps, sometimes called 3 way taps, deliver your normal hot and cold water for washing up and filtered water to drink.