Distilled water has emerged as a great option for those who don’t want to drink tap water or bottled water. With increasing incidents of bottled water turning out to be nothing more than regular tap water, people prefer distilled water as a possible option of pure water. However, a number of misconceptions among the people about distilled water need to be related so that the facts about distilled water are clear.
The most common myth about distilled water is that distillation removes essential minerals from water, which leads to mineral shortage in our body. It is possible that distillation of water does take out a number of minerals from it. While some companies selling distilled water try to tell you that distillation only removes only harmful minerals, this is far from true. Researches have shown that our body does not depend on water for minerals, so these minerals might even be useless any-way. Naturally, if we can get the minerals from other sources, some loss of minerals from water is tolerable.
Another myth about distilled water is that distilled water tends to leach minerals from our body. This myth related to distilled water is also a mix of facts and speculation. While distilled water does act as a mineral magnet, it will only take away the unwanted, unused and discarded minerals. Distilled water doesn’t rob your body of those essential minerals which are already a part of the cell structure of your body. Thus, distilled water use does not rob you of any of the essential minerals that your body needs.
Another myth about distilled water is that it lacks fluoride. According to this myth, elongated use of distilled water will damage a person’s teeth. While distilled water does lack fluoride, there is absolutely no research that proves till date that teeth may be deteriorated because of distilled water use.
It is also stated that distilled water is ineffective against organic chemicals. This myth ignores a big scientific fact that volatile organic contaminants have a lower boiling point as compared to water. This means that they evaporate faster as compared to water itself. Most of the modern water distillers come with a pin hole sized escape outlet for the evaporated volatile organic chemicals to escape. Those organic chemicals which are able to bypass this VOC vent are trapped by the carbon post filter, which also comes installed on most water distillers.
The final myth about distilled water which scares a number of people is that it is extremely expensive. Water distillers consume 3 kilowatt to distill 1 gallon of water. This makes the price around 24-25 cents per gallon for water distillation. If that is costly to you, you can still consider solar water distillers.
With these informative points to consider, go ahead and decide what kind of water distiller to opt for the safety and health of your loved ones at home.
Berkey water systems are one of the best in water filtration. They are used all over the world for filtration in order to provide the most sparkling clean water.
Benefits of Berkey water systems
The Berkey water filter system is powerful and can be used to filter non portable or unhealthy water in situations where electricity and water pressure are not available. This water system is the most adaptable and flexible water filter available for everyday situations or for hostile filtration environments. Its water system is friendly, reliable and economical too. This water filtration process is very useful as it removes pathogenic bacteria, parasites and cysts to non detectable levels. It also eliminates unwanted or harmful chemicals to below the detectable levels. It reduces nitrites, nitrates and various other unhealthy minerals like mercury and lead without eliminating the nutritional and healthful minerals that the body requires.
There are various features of the Berkey water filter. These are as follows:
* Healthy- The light model of Berkey system is better than the other filters because it eliminates harmful, parasites and cysts, and pathogenic bacteria. It is most healthy delicious and clean water system.
* Convenient- The Berkey light model assembles in minutes without tools, water pressure, electricity, or plumbing. It is simple to maintain and operate.
* Economical- Its systems are probably the most economical system of all water systems. The unique design of their water systems permits you to easily remove and clean the filter elements.
* Flexible- It is very flexible and enables you to take it everywhere, be it on a vacation, camping tours, hunting, boating or hiking.
* Powerful- It is powerful in nature as it eradicates contaminants from raw, untreated water from sources like lakes and streams. It can be used at times of emergency or disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, etc. whenever tap water is not available.
* Elegant- Berkey water filter system is made up of durable material called lexan, which is used to make bullet proof glass. The substance is rugged, durable and attractive also.
* Ambient- It consists of eight LED lamps which are bright sufficient for providing a long lasting low energy source of emergency light, beacon for water in no or low light conditions, a delightful light. Its lower chamber acts like a chamber of that echoes the soft pitter patter sound of falling rain drops. These waves reflect the soothing patterns of the light over the surrounding area. With this compelling feature, it creates an amazing ambience.
So these are some of the features of the Berkey water filter systems which make it probably one of the best water systems. It is gaining popularity and its elements and features are taking the water filtration to a new level.
With a good home water system like the Berkey water system, you can fill your water bottles with confidence that your water is of the best quality because their purity standards are super strict.
Best Water Distillers
Water distillers are becoming increasingly common in most homes because people are aware of the qualities of distilled water for use in everyday life. Distilled water use has grown steadily over time and has led to increasing demands for water distillers especially home distillers and table top distillers.
It is rather difficult to say which the best distiller is because a number of different criteria can determine this.
The criteria that we are going to use to decide the best water distillers are ease of installation, effectiveness, features, power consumption and eco friendliness, size and ease of use.
Generally, there are three types of water distillers used in the home segment namely, electric powered in-line water distillers, solar water distillers and tabletop water distillers.
Ease of Installation: The tabletop water distiller is the best water distiller in this area. These are ready to use out of the box. Just fill them with water, plug into a power outlet and flick the switch. A solar water distiller is comparatively trickier because you have to install it where it gets a lot of sunlight. An in-line water distiller is the most complicated one to install because you have to cut and modify the water lines in your house.
Effectiveness: The best water distiller in this category is the in-line electric powered water distillers. They are followed by tabletop water distillers and the solar water distillers bring the rear because they are totally dependent on the sunlight.
Features: Feature wise also the best water distiller is the electric powered in-line water distiller. They come packed with features like vents for volatile organic contaminant and carbon filters. The second best water distillers in this category are again table top water distillers. The solar water distillers again bring up the rear. They are plain bland water distillers with no other features.
Power consumption: The best water distiller in this category is that which adds the least to your electricity bills and the solar water distillers are the best in this class. They do not run on electricity so your power bill will not be affected. Table top water distiller forms the second best water distillers here. While the table top water distillers do consume electricity, they are still less power hogs than the in-line electric powered water distillers.
Effect on environment: Again, the solar water distiller emerges as the best water distiller. They are the most environment friendly, use no electricity, throw out no carbon filters and are easily disposable. The table tops and electric powered in-line water distillers tie here for the second spot because both are not very environment friendly and need special disposal facilities.
With these tips, go ahead and decide which the best water distiller for you is.
Risks Of Bottled Water Consumption
There is still a definitely scarcity of water in the world; people are scared to drink water directly from any source. Also bottled water normally claims to be 100% pure and free from bacteria and other hazardous substances. We believe this to be the truth and accept it without giving it another thought.
Pure bottled water has become one of the biggest business segments to emerge in many developing countries. In most developing countries, people are catching on with the bottled water craze as being fit and safe to drink as opposed to any form of tap water. Various studies indicate that over half of Americans drink bottled water. Unfortunately, most Americans spend more on bottled water than tap water based on a misconception that the former is safer than the latter.
The Actual Truth about Bottled Water
Most of the water bottles come from municipal sources and is treated before it is bottled. Bottled water generally undergoes various forms of treatment. The most popular method is through distillation in which the water is turned in to vapor so that the minerals which are too heavy to vaporize are left behind before the vapors are condensed into water again. The other method is reverse osmosis in which the water is forced through membranes for removing minerals and absolute one micron filtration, where the water is sent through filters for removal of particles that are sized more than a micron. However, a treatment that almost every company uses is the ionization treatment. In this form of treatment, ozone gas is sent through the water for disinfestations. But the bottled water is expensive than the tap water as it cost around 240 to 10,000 times more than the tap water.
Still it is very popular because it is perceived to be comparatively of higher quality and safer than the tap water. Many people drink bottled water as a healthy alternative to alcohol and soft drinks. Most bottled water does not contain chlorine and other harmful chemicals except when the bottled water has been taken from a well or a spring. An increasing number of people prefer bottled water because it is being marketed convincingly about its properties such as clarity, lightness, salt free, sweetener free and health friendly. Thus, the main reason for increased use of the bottled water is because of the powerful marketing and advertising strategies. These strategies have shaped the perspective of the customers that bottled water alone is 100% safe to drink.
With this information, be aware of the risks of bottled water and take a logical decision so that it doesn’t endanger your health.
Bottled Water Quality: Faking Quality Standards
According to a research report that was conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), it is stated thus Every home in America has an elevated level of chloroform gas present due to the vaporization of chlorine… from tap and shower water.”
For this reason, most of the U.S. citizens spend a huge amount of money each year on purchasing the bottled water. In fact, some prefer it in place of soft drinks. There are also others who prefer the bottled water as they think that it is safer than the tap water. But the bottled water comes from sources that are similar to those of tap water. It may come from, lakes, rivers or from underground aquifers. There are lots of companies offering bottled water but the bottled water quality varies from brand to brand. It can also vary from bottle to bottle in the same brand. This depends on the source of a particular bottle. It may be possible that the bottled water may have at least little amounts of contaminants. It may meet the standards of USFDA but those standards may not demand total purity.
It has been found that less amount is spent on the quality of the bottled water and huge amounts of money are spent on the advertisement campaigns. The campaigns portray to the consumer that the bottled water arises from some pristine and natural mountain spring. This is totally incorrect because the reality may be that the bottled water is no more than bottled tap water. The federal rules and instructions governing bottled water are only applicable if the water is shifted across state lines. Most of the time, bottled water is prepared and sold within the same state to avoid getting entangled with these regulations. But the main problem that is worrisome is that there is no assurance or guarantee that the bottled water is of greater quality than the tap water.
The fact is that 50% of bottled water comes from a municipal water source. In fact, the National Resources Defense Council once conducted a study of about 103 brands of bottled water and evaluated that one third contained synthetic organic compounds and chemicals and other bacteria. Various other studies show that 25% of the bottled water comprise carcinogens and about 20% contain industrial chemicals.
According to FDA companies which promote bottled water as being safer than the tap water, it is just pure deception towards the U.S. citizens. That is why people should know that the bottled water that they are drinking is not safe as they believed. It is likely to contain those harmful elements which can damage your health.
With this awareness, be aware that the risk is real and the solution is so easy, all you need to do is pierce the veil of deceptive advertisements on bottled water and take logical measures so that your health does not suffer.
Countertop Water Filters: Gaining Edge
There is great demand for clean drinking water because we live in a health conscious modern world. As a result, the demand for water filters has also increased. This awareness regarding clean drinking water has propelled a huge increase in the number of manufacturers of water filters to meet this ever increasing need for safe drinking water all over the world.
Countertop water filters are one of the popular choices. If you are also planning to buy a countertop water filter, you must read the answers to some of the frequently asked questions on these filters, in this article.
1. What is a countertop filter? A countertop filter is the one which provides high quality water filtration in order to make the water fit for drinking. A majority of the countertop systems are used to filter the chlorine and other products, lead cysts, volatile organic compounds and various other impurities from tap water. These filters usually leave behind the safe minerals in your water, like potassium, calcium and magnesium.
A good and reliable countertop filter can be the main source of drinking water for you as it is cost effective and affordable.
2. What are its other uses?
It can be used for traveling purposes or as a reliable source of fine quality water in more remote areas of your home like workshops and bathrooms. These types of water filters are very easy to install and various models come along with a hose and a diverter valve that attaches your faucet and after that no additional installation is required. A countertop water filter is portable unlike the under sink water filters that require to be attached to the plumbing.
3. What is the hallmark of a good countertop water filter?
It is well known that municipal water system adds chlorine to water for killing the microorganisms. But the chlorine does not eliminate cysts. Therefore, it leaves you vulnerable to certain species of parasites. If the counter filter is able to remove the impurities as small as 0.5 microns which may includes stopping cysts becoming parasites in the body, then it is definitely a good countertop water filter.
4. What are the overall benefits of having a countertop water filter?
These water filters are very efficient at eradicating the odors and foul tastes from your drinking water. Water from the countertop water filter is generally clean, pure and fresh. A countertop filter is useful in removing the contaminants which cause neurological damage, gastrointestinal illness and cancer thus lowering your risk of these diseases. Generally, tap water has toxins present in it therefore a countertop water filter protects the children and the elderly members from the hazardous chemicals or other contaminants in the water. With its smart features, economical costs and overall quality performance, it is definitely a smart alternative in the long run.
With the best water filter right there in the form of countertop water filters, go ahead and savor the delicious taste of sparkling, toxin-free water.
Distilled Water – Meaningless Concerns And Clueless Speculation
A numbers of critics of distilled water raised concerns related to the health of those persons who drink distilled water. Most of these come from companies selling other forms of water purification like water filters etc. While there are a number of arguments, the facts related to distilled water health issues are rather hard to come by. One fact however remains, distilled water lacks certain minerals, but since our body does not differentiate where these minerals come from provided there are enough minerals, we can make up for the lost minerals in food.
The most common argument about distilled water health issues is that minerals like calcium and magnesium which are removed by the distillation process are necessary for life. The argument is that their removal from water will cause a severe lack of these minerals in our body. These are just arguments for the sake of arguments and not based on research or facts. The fact is that the human body can easily make up for the lost minerals like calcium and magnesium, if we drink so much as one glass of milk everyday and take a balanced diet of vegetables and fresh fruits. This means that the human body cannot tell where a mineral is coming from so it isn’t bothered where it gets of the minerals from.
Another health issue is that distilled water has a tendency to dissolve essential minerals from our body, even those minerals which come from food or other sources. This is because distilled water is free of all other things but it cannot dissolve minerals which have already formed a part of our cell structure. There is no research or finding to prove that minerals are being dissolved out of our body by the mere consumption of distilled water.
A third issue is that drinking distilled water will cause deterioration of teeth because it lacks fluoride. A lot of health experts denounce the fact that drinking water with fluorine has any good effects on our health. In fact, over consumption of fluorine causes ‘dental fluorosis’ which leads to discoloration of teeth among children.
Another health issue is that distilled water contains Volatile Organic Contaminants (VOCs). However this is nothing more than a myth. A properly designed water distiller has an escape vent for VOCs. VOCs have a boiling point lower than water and they get out of the water distiller through a pinhole sized VOC escape vent once the water rises as steam and starts displacing it. In case, the VOCs are not able to escape from the vent they are still filtered by a carbon post filter, fixed in the water distiller. Thus, distilled water will not cause any bad health issues because of the VOCs.
With reasonably priced, good water distillers available today, go ahead and opt for the one that works best to suit your lifestyle and home requirements.
Various Uses Of Distilled Water
Distilled water is primarily marketed for drinking purposes. This does not mean that distilled water has no other uses. There are a number of uses of distilled water, besides drinking it, both inside a house and out of it. Thus, distilled water is used for domestic and non domestic purposes. The major domestic distilled water use is for cooking, especially for diets which need to be low on sodium, making baby food, food for your pets, plants and aquariums etc. Distilled water is also used in wet cell batteries, steam irons and in radiators of motor vehicles.
A major non domestic use of distilled water is in chemical plants where an exact quality of water is required, such as for filling up wet-cell batteries, development of photographic films, steam ironing, intravenous solution manufacturing and dilution. Distilled water use is also made in storage of contact lenses and for washing of wounds during surgery.
Cooking is the most important distilled water use apart from drinking. Cooking which is done by distilled water is generally free from any harmful elements. Distilled water use is also recommended while making baby foods because babies are very sensitive to water borne diseases. Distilled water use is great for your skin too because it is free of any contaminants which would block the microscopic pores of the skin.
Similarly, you should use distilled water use for your pets to drink and to water plants. Distilled water use is to be recommended in aquariums if you want your fish to live a long life.
On the non domestic side, distilled water use is mainly in chemical laboratories and plants, where pure water is required. Since distilled water is free from any dissolved substances, it can be used at places where only water is required, nothing else. Distilled water is also used for the development of photographic films. These films are coated with sensitive chemicals and need to be washed during the process of development. Usage of distilled water ensures that nothing unwanted remains on the film when it is developed into a photographic negative. This leads to perfect, dust free prints.
Distilled water is used to wash wounds and during surgical procedures . Since the skin has been cut and our body’s internal organs are exposed during a surgery, it is necessary to keep it clean so that nothing unwanted penetrates inside. Since distilled water is free of these unwanted contaminants, distilled water use is the best choice here.
With such incredible benefits in using distilled water, go ahead and opt for it so that you can enjoy the benefits too!
Buying A Distiller Cleaner
Your drinking water can be purified and cleansed by using various devices or systems especially designed for this purpose. However it is a well known fact that although these devices can be effectively used for water purification, but also that those devices should also be cleaned in order to work effectively and efficiently.
A water distillers should be cleaned properly to distill the water perfectively without any impurity and contamination in it. There are various devices which are available in the market designed to clean the water distiller. These devices are known as distiller cleaners. Many manufacturers offer various kinds of distiller cleaner but you should go for the best one you can afford out of those they offer. Also you should compare the price, features and benefits of each distiller cleaner. Distiller cleaners are specially designed to remove the impurities and other deposits from water distillers and keep them in efficient operating condition.
Cleaners which are free from phosphate and are biodegradable are considered good distiller cleaners. Other types of distiller cleaners have various other features like:
* They dissolve the mineral deposits. * They help in increasing the efficiency of the distiller. * They will increase the life of the distiller.
It often happens that your water distiller will gather up some type of mineral or other impurity while cleaning or purifying the water, so it is really important to clean that deposit from the water distiller other-wise the water processed afterwards for purification would contain impurities in it which may harm your health.
The right distiller cleaner helps to maintain the water distiller in a perfect condition and thus increases its efficiency and life by keeping it away from contamination and impurities. The cleaner helps in keeping your purifier free of scale and residue.
When you go to buy a distilled cleaner you will come across a variety of distiller cleaners with almost similar benefits. But they may be different in their application and effectiveness. So always do a little research while buying them as it is a matter of your good health.
The main task of a distiller cleaner is to dissolve and remove scale deposits from inside the distiller boiler tank. These are not very expensive and therefore should be bought by every user who is using the distiller to keep it in a perfect condition. These cleaners are easy to apply and each cleaner has a specific number of times that it can be used on the distiller.
Faucet Water Filters: Balancing Quality With Purity
What people look for in their drinking water is primarily safety. Every one wants the water to be safe and free from any impurities that is likely to cause any illness or infection to them. Thus, water filters and water filtration systems are preferred and used by people all over the world.
Water Taste
Sometimes the taste of water unveils the inferior quality of the water. Usually the contaminants are the main cause of particles and thus bad taste in drinking water. Therefore, testing the water is essential to check out the contaminants. If contaminants are confirmed, you can use the water filters to clean up your water. The type of the water filter depends upon the various factors. Keep in mind that there are over 2000 cancer causing contaminants in the water which makes it absolutely necessary to use various filters for purifying the water.
Faucet water filter
A Faucet water filter is a filter which helps in purifying the water. These filters normally remove contaminants without stripping the water of the natural trace minerals that is required by our bodies as opposed to what the reverse osmosis systems and distillers do. The Twin cartridge system is a type of faucet water filter which is considered to be the best because of its dual system. The dual system uses a combination of carbon filtration, sub micron filtration and ion exchange. This makes delicious and sparkling water that is simply superb and safe to drink. These multi faucet water filters are an excellent tool as two cartridges are more effective in purifying the water.
This is how it works: The foremost stage involves the removal of the sediment, chlorine and several microscopic particles. The second stage involves the removal of the volatile organic chemical like herbicides, pesticides and industrial solvents that are hazardous to your health.
Dual filtration system
The best faucet water filters are those which remove contaminants using a dual filtration system. These filters normally bring together a combination of ion exchange, sub micron filtration and carbon filtration to effectively eliminate lead, chlorine and other organic compounds. Faucets for water filtration basically require installation which may take around 20 minutes. This is in addition to some tools and mechanical aptitude.
Whenever you decide to install faucet water filters in your home, you should consider the quality of the overall water purification system you are purchasing. Those water filters for faucets that contain only one strainer or filter don’t really remove all the contaminants from the water. This means your water still runs the risk of being contaminated because if that one strainer gets blocked, then the contaminants can easily infiltrate into your drinking water.
Choose a good quality water filter faucet with two strainers to ensure that all unwanted and undesired elements have been removed,with a multi step unit that is capable of stopping any contaminant from infiltrating your drinking water.
Once this is done, go ahead and savor the crystal like sparkle of your tasty, clean water.
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