Filters FAQ

               Frequently Asked Questions  
                         Water Filters

          Drink Pure Healthy Clean Water       


                     Please cruise around the site, using links and the buttons above - to learn more about additional issues 
                                                                 like chlorine or chloramine, fluoride, drugs, etc.



Friendsofwater.com is family-owned and completely independent.  We consider and select water products to sell that do a great job, fulfill the claims made about them, and are a good value.  There are many choices for water filters available, and we could set ourselves up to resell many water filter lines. 



                               Click here or below to go straight to water filters in the store

                               Frequently Asked Questions

Will the filter result in slow water flow?

     No, we don’t sell any filters that result in a slow water flow.

 
How long before I need to replace the filter media?

     Typically once for year for kitchen canister units and filtering water bottles.

     Every filter has that information in the description in the online store.

 
How much does replacement media cost?

     Every filter in the online store shows the replacement media to the left of the description under “REPLACEMENT FILTERS.”
     For more detail, click on the item.

 
Do your shower and bath filters remove fluoride?

     The primary risk of fluoride is from ingestion – unlike chlorine and chloramine, fluoride does not release into the air, is not
     breathed in, and is not readily absorbed through the skin. 

     However, our shower and bath filters reduce fluoride up to 40%.  We haven’t found any others that remove more.
     If we did, and they were well made, we’d sell them.  Because there are some customers who prefer to filter it out of their
     shower water too.

Will the filter put aluminum (or BPA or any other contaminant) in my water?
    
    Of course not, we’re here to help people get clean, healthy water.  All the filter materials used have been tested to NSF 
    standards and put nothing harmful in the water.  There is no aluminum in any of our filters.  Activated alumina is an inert
    resin.  What we know of as Aluminum is a much more highly processed material.  That processing includes the
    addition of fluoride.  The resin Activated Alumina in many of our filters to remove fluoride is not dangerous.

How do your filters work?

    We have many different types of filters for many situations, whole house, point of use, travel, etc.  We are not a one-size
    fits all business.   How each filter works is detailed within the description of each filter.  Also see the links within each
    description for still more detail.

    In every case however, it is what we call "classic" filtration: where the water if filtered by running over and through the right
    media.

     If you have well water, please get your water tested and email us with a copy of your report.  You don’t want to spend
    money on a filter that targets contaminants you don’t have – and may not target contaminants you do.  And we need to
    know levels to be able to prescribe appropriate amounts of the right filter materials.

 Many of your filters use kdf, which is made of copper and zinc.  Aren’t copper and zinc dangerous?

    Anything can be dangerous if you get too much of it.  Copper and zinc however, are both trace elements that the human
    body needs.  Many Americans are deficient in zinc.  Our filters leave copper and zinc in the water at a small fraction of the  
    level people need each day; but at least it's some.

    Copper ions are water-soluble and function in low concentrations serve as a bacteriostatic substance and a fungicide.  It is
    an essential trace nutrient to all higher plant and animal life.

    Zinc is an essential mineral of exceptional biologic and public health importance.  Zinc deficiency affects about two billion
    people in the developing work and is associated with many diseases.  In children, zinc deficiency causes growth retardation,
    infection susceptibility and diarrhea, contributing to the death of about 800,000 children worldwide every year!

     In our filters, copper and zinc work together in several ways, including that the zinc moderates the amount of copper left in
    the water, and the copper moderates the amount of zinc.  Kdf also improves the effectiveness and efficiency of carbon.


Are your filters as good as Reverse Osmosis?  Or the variant:  Are your filters reverse osmosis?

    No friends.  We of course could sell reverse osmosis filters.  But we only the sell the best.  Reverse osmosis is not the best 
    type of filter for many reasons, and we won't sell products we don't believe in.  We recommend against reverse osmosis.  
                                                                                        You can read more here:  Reverse Osmosis.

 

How do I know if there is chlorine or chloramine in my water, and if there is fluoride?

    Call the phone number on your water bill and ask them.  Or do a web search for "'Your town & state' Annual Water Quality 
    Report" and see what they list.  If it lists it, it's in your water.  If it doesn't, it's not.


What if we have both chlorine and chloramine in our water?

    That is only likely to happen if your municipality gets water from different sources in different seasons, and one uses
    chloramine and the other doesn’t. 

    Chloramine filters will do a better job with Chlorine than Chlorine filters will do on Chloramine.  So for shower and bath, get
    Chloramine filters.

    For the kitchen, the 3-canister FLUORIDE, Chloramine Plus filter has materials that will effectively remove both chlorine and chloramine.


We thought that block carbon was better.  Why do you use granulated carbon?

    Block carbon is not a better filter.  Granulated carbon provides acres of surface material.  Water filtration happens by contact time 
    between water and filter material.  Guess which has more contact time - a block - or granulated material with acres of surface area?

    If granulated carbon is not combined with kdf, as is the case in our kitchen canister and whole house filters, granulated carbon 
    has problems.  Water can channel through the same path in the carbon, reducing effectiveness.  And when that happens, pockets form 
    where bacteria can breed.

    Both of these issues are eliminated when carbon is combined with kdf.  The water comes out of the kdf in all different ways, eliminating
    channeling and pockets.  And copper (one of the materials in kdf) is a bacteriacide.  Kdf is bacteriostatic, meaning bacteria cannot breed
    in the water or the filter materials.  

    Thus, in our kitchen and whole house filters, you gain the advantages of granulated carbon and totally eliminate the potential 
    disadvantages.  The result is more effective filtration and longer-lasting filter material.


Do your filters adjust pH?

    No, if you are on a municipal system, your water is already pH neutral, so using filter material space to neutralize pH is a was of 
    filter space.  You want filter media that actually does what you need done.

    These are filters - filtering out contaminants.  They are not ionizers.  And by the way, ionizers may contain some filter material, but their
    primary role is not filtration.  Those who chose to use ionizers often put our filters in line before the ionizer so that contaminants
    are removed.


What is the micron size of your filters?

    One or two sediment filters is built into each kitchen cartridge.  The standard micron size is 5 microns.  This is the least important
    method of filtration in these filters. 


What about TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)?

    We understand that there are some companies that make a big deal about filtering TDS.  However, TDS is not a great measure
    of contamination.  Our concern is contaminants filtered, not TDS - which provides only hints about what is actually in your water.

    From Wikipedia: 

                                                  
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                          Click to go to kitchen water filters in the store

                                                                                          

                               example of a 2-canister undercounter filter

                                                                               
                                 example of a 3-canister countertop filter