This review and comparison of Brita faucet filtration models looks at the company’s two filter system. In our modern world, with over 75,000 chemicals floating around, it’s simply too dangerous to rely on a water filter that does an adequate job removing chemicals. While filtering out some contaminants is better than none, the small size of Brita’s carbon filter simply can’t match the performance of a quality dual cartridge, multi-stage water filter. Let’s examine the performance, cost and several other important factors of these two systems.
Performance
With the Brita 2-stage process, water first passes through a non-woven screen that traps sediment. Next, the water flows through a compressed block of carbon and zeolite. This helps to reduce chlorine and lead. Brita uses GAC (Granular Activated Carbon), which is recognized by the EPA as the best available technology for removing organic chemicals like chlorine. However, the visibly small filter results in less effective filtration than countertop filters that have much more filter media. The non-woven screen also has the problem of being too small and far more ineffective at filtration than other two-stage or multi-stage filters.
On the specific matter of filtration, Brita does not even meet the revised standard for reducing lead. Compare this to multi-stage water filters that exceed the standard with over 99% reduction of lead and actually cost less in the long run. Lead is the most common contaminant found in water and is a toxin that has many negative health effects, especially on the brain.
Performance data…
- Both filters remove over 99%of chlorine.
- the commonly used atrazine weed killer brita removed while aquasana more than>For Benzene, Brita reduced 96.9% and Aquasana had greater than 98% filtration. Benzene is an additive for gasoline and obviously carcinogenic.
- Brita did not beat Aquasana’s performance for even one contaminant
Based on performance, the best filter is a multi-stage water filtration system that incorporates much more than a high quality carbon filter (with carbonized coconut shell medium) and a thin screening filter. The best multi-stage water filter on the market uses multiple effective technologies including GAC: mechanical filtration (filtration down to.5 microns), adsorption (contaminants bond chemically or physically to the surface of the GAC filter medium) and ion exchange (replaces harmful lead ions with healthful potassium ions). The multiple water filter media allow you to filter out over 99% of certain chemicals like chlorine.
Cost
It’s very easy to be drawn to the low cost of a Brita unit. You can buy a two-stage Brita filter system for about $30.00 to $35.00, but you will get what you pay for… and that means more contaminants in your water. The most important detail with regard to pricing is that the upfront cost is deceptive.
A more effective and efficient multi-stage filter lasts 500 gallons or about 6 months. The Brita filters only filter 100 gallons and need to be changed about every 4 months. Brita replacement filters cost $18.99 while Aquasana cartridges run $47.99. So, if you use 300 gallons over a six month period you will pay $47.99 for the multi-stage dual cartridges, but $56.97 to keep the Brita 2-stage system running.
The Brita filter costs about about 19 cents a gallon compared to 9 cents a gallon for Aquasana’s AQ-4000. If you are looking for a water filter that costs less than Brita and works better, then a multi-stage water filter is your clear winner.
Conclusion
While price is certainly important, I recommend that you base the purchase of a water filter first and foremost on performance. In this case, a multi-stage filter is the best investment in your health and will save you money in the long-run. Price and performance are critical factors for turning your sink faucet into a source for healthy filtered water. But, researching other factors like a risk-free guarantee, warranty, maintenance, industry awards and proven track record, can be just as important.
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Source by David Thimme
