Kitchen Water Filters

      It's Time To Stop Drinking Chlorine & Fluoride
                                                    and who knows what else

      Drink Pure Healthy Clean Water      


Friendsofwater.com has made its selection for the best kitchen water filters. We are most impressed with the PowerDisk kdf water filters to purify water for showering, bathing and gardening.  We are convinced that it is also the best choice for kitchen water filters to filter drinking water when combined with carbon (as it is in these kitchen water filters). 

As you may know, friendsofwater.com reviews and selects water products to sell in our store that we believe do what they should and are a good value. There are many choices for kitchen water filters available, and we could set ourselves up to resell many water filter lines. Of them all, we believe that these are the best.

You can easily find cheaper versions of these kitchen filters that look and sound very similiar.  The difference is in the quantity and quality of the parts and more importantly, the quality and quantity of the filter media.


       This page describes our line of kitchen water filters and provides in-depth information about water filters.
                                                     Most of your questions will be answered on this page.

       Click here or below to go straight to kitchen water filters in the store, 
                                    or you can click the photos above to go to specific kitchen filters in the store.


                                                    friendsofwater.com can be reached at:

                                                                   
                                                                         866-482-6803
                                                              or
                                                                            sales@friendsofwater.com  



                 Some Reasons You Need a Kitchen Water Filter

Recently there have been widely-distributed news stories pointing out the large number of new contaminants in our drinking water, including chemicals and hormones.  While no water filter company can say for certain that ALL of these contaminants will be removed, because they haven't all been tested, we say with great confidence and justification that the line of kitchen filters we sell will remove them.  The top quality and large quantity of granulated coconut carbon will remove organic materials including hormones and ecoli.  The kdf is very effective at removing metallic-based contaminants including chemicals.  The combination of the two is particularly effective; they use different methods for removal of contaminants.

If you tracked the news on water as we do every day, you too would see the endless stream (yeah, we meant that pun) of stories of municipal water being contaminated in one way or another all over the country. These incidents include arsenic, heavy metals like lead and chemical contamination. Of course when the emergencies are recognized, the authorities let people know as soon as they can, and work to filter the water as quickly as they can. But how much bad water did people drink before they learned that the water from their taps wasn't safe?

Perhaps more importantly, the 'normal' water from your tap is not as healthy for you and your family as it should be to use in your drinks and food. And you probably don't know just how good or bad it is. We'll just mention a couple of issues here. Chlorine (called free chlorine) is a poison designed to kill living organisms. Yes, it kills some nasty stuff that you might otherwise ingest. Disinfecting water is a good idea.  Does that mean you need to drink the poison? Filter it out of water before you drink it. 

                                                                                                  Click here to visit our page on the risks of chlorine.

Additionally, chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in water and produces what are called disinfection byproducts.  Some of those, known as trihalomethanes, are believed  to be carcinogenic.

Because of the carcinogenic threat, some communities have replaced the use of free chlorine with with monochloramine. While it isn't quite as effective as chlorine at disinfecting, it also doesn't result in the creation of trihalomenthanes. Unfortunately, it has now been realized that monochloromine causes an increase in lead in the water. That's not good to drink either - remember lead poisoning? You really should clean your drinking water of these dangerous cleaners!

Chloramines are made when ammonia is added to water to make the chlorine last longer.  There are some people whose skin and stomachs rebel immediately on exposure to chloramines. Kdf comes in one form that is particularly effective at removing chloramine.  Filters with that kdf variant will remove about 75 to 80% (perhaps more, testing isn't conclusive yet) of chloramines.  We've just added a new 3-canister kitchen filter designed to do all that our other 2-canister filters do, plus remove most of the chloramines, for those who need that.

                                                                      Click here for some story telling on the importance of filtered water

                                                                             
                                                                         

 
                                                       Click to go to kitchen filters in the store,



                                 "We Mostly Drink Bottled Water"

Well please stop!  We have created an entirely new set of major problems with all of this bottled water.  We'll list some of them:

• Many think that bottled water is healthier. There is no basis for this belief. Tap water is more regulated.
• A great deal of bottled water is contaminated. It does not have to be filtered when bottled.  Much of it is filtered only superficially to improve the taste and smell.
• The plastic itself can contaminate the water. The soft plastic used to bottle water quickly releases chemicals into the water.
• 1.5 million barrels of crude oil are used annually to produce the plastic used to bottle water
• Bottled water is hauled long distances for distribution, burning massive quantities of fuel
• One study put the cost of bottled water at 7.5 times that of tap water
• Mountainous rubbish heaps have been created from the throw-away bottles
• Massive water bottling is a form of defacto privatization
• Water shortages near water bottling plants have been reported all over, including Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Florida and Texas. 

                            By Getting a Good Kitchen Water Filter You Can

                                                       Know you are drinking pure healthy clean water
                                                         Stop drinking poisons (and other unknowns)
                                                  Have better-tasting and healthier coffee, tea and food
                                                          Reduce the burning of oil for making plastic
                                               Reduce gasoline usage in trucking bottled water around
                                                   Stop contributing to other people's water shortages
                                                         Stop contributing to waste material in dumps
                                          Reduce the need for recycling, which also has an energy cost
                                                    Save money - a lot of it - if you're buying bottled water
                                      Save water resources by sending clean water into the environment


                                                      Click to go to water filters in the store,


                   What About the Other Types of Water Filters?

Sorting through all the information on water filtering and water filters can be baffling. We have some background in understanding water filters, but it took us quite a while to determine which are the best now.  We have an online store.  We can sell whatever type of water filters we want.  There are several reasons we are convinced that the filters we are offering are indeed the best.  To summarize - these water filters do a great job at water filtration, require virtually no maintenance, filter replacements last a long time (and continue to do the filtering you need that entire time), and the water filters are very reasonably priced. 

We believe that they are the best value available for water filters.   They actually do the job you need.  You can find less expensive filters - but the reason is that the quality and quantity of filter media is less.  They won't filter as well nor last as long.  Having a filter that doesn't do the job can be worse than not having one at all.

Let's look at the major categories of water filters.  Reverse osmosis water filters result in good tasting very clean water.  Unfortunately the process also strips out nutritional minerals, which naturally should be in the water we drink.  Also, reverse osmosis filters separate good water, leaving the stuff you don't want in the water which is discarded. That can account for 3 to 5 gallons wasted for every filtered gallon!  We're trying to avoid waste and save our water resource.  We understand that reverse osmosis water filters also must periodically sanitized with chlorine bleach!   This is an unsustainable solution.  They also operate very slowly. 

Distillation, like reverse osmosis,  is a process that also results in very clean and good tasting water.  Distillation seems a highly questionable approach to us, however.  It strips out what you do want in your drinking water.  You use energy to boil water creating steam, which you then recondense to get your drinking water.  This water is very pure, and would be good for making computer chips.  It is not best for the human body however, including that you made acidic water, which is bad for the health.  You also are using energy to consistently distill water - then you need to store it.    

Acidic body pH reduces the ability to absorb nutrients, decreases energy production, and interferes with cells' ability to repair and detoxify themselves. 

Carbon block water filters work very well to remove organice volatile comtaminants from cold water. The biggest single problem is that they aren't changed often enough and bacteria can breed in them, drastically reducing their effectiveness.  By itself, block carbon is usually used because the density makes it harder for bacteria to colonize.  But they still can - it just takes longer.  So carbon works well, but you need to change filters frequently.  Granular carbon works even better than block carbon because there is so much more surface area to filter the water.

The kdf water filter media is bacteriastatic, which means that bacteria cannot grow in either the kdf or the carbon filter material that follows it - or in your water.   Carbon removes chlorine from your water by absorbing it.  In our kdf filters, the kdf removes the chlorine by eliminating it.  That means that the carbon doesn't absorb it and stays more 'fresh'.  These things add up to your filter media staying effective much longer. 

There was a very interesting thing we noticed in our research.   Many companies provides charts showing how their water filters or method of purification compare with their competition.  None of them include a look at these kdf Power Disk water filters.   We believe that the answer is that these work better than theirs and are a better value.   There is also some self-serving presentation in some of these comparision charts in that there are things not shared.  Things like: after how many gallons does the effectiveness deteriorate and by how much?  And at what speed did the water flow through your filters to achieve the level of purifying you cite?   Water filter tests can be indicative (we have one at filter tests.)  But one could test a new filter, have it show very well - but be used up in three months.  More important is the right filter method and material - and the quality and quanity of filter media.  You also want well-made filter canisters or tanks and cartridges.


                                                                                    



                                     Click to go to kitchen water filters in the store,




                          How the KDF Power Disk Filters Work

The Power Disk (kdf) filter media is the most efficient, longest-lasting and lowest maintenance water filter media available.  And it extends the life and value of carbon.
 
The Power Disk kitchen water filters, known as kdf filters, have a copper and zinc disk that introduces many positive effects.  One is that these disks do not compress and therefore water can't form regular channels through.  This means that they maintain their filtering ability - and their capacity to filter is notable.  They also are bacteriostatic - an inhospital environment for bacteria preventing bacterial growth.   Kdf water filters render bacteria harmless - the water filter 'disables' bacteria.

Additionally, water is tumbled all through these filters so it enters the carbon filter media in endless ways - eliminating that problem-causing channeling.  So these water filters can use granular carbon, which delivers a greater water filter media-to-water ratio and therefore better water filtering.  Carbon is great at removing organic contaminants, including ecoli and hormones.   We use only the highest grade, prewashed and dusted granulated coconut shell carbon, which is sustainable.

The kdf Power Disks remove chlorine and heavy metals before the water gets to the carbon.  It is one of the best media for removing arsenic.  Without this first filter, these things use up the carbon, which is what happens with most kitchen water filters.  In combination with kdf, carbon can focus on volitile organic compounds, which it's great for.

The copper-zinc kdf Power Disks are a natural solution that solves the common problems of the alternatives and brings several additional positive results.  Their use as a first filter means that the life of the carbon is extended tremendously.  The copper-zinc disks have no pores that can plug up, is not soft like carbon, has no membranes that need replacing, and remains bacteriostatic. 

Our filters use a pound of top-quality prewashed and dusted coconut carbon, enough kdf material to eliminate everything needed and last a year.  The fluoride filters have 1 1/2 pounds of activated alumina.  We don't believe any other line uses as much filter material.  That's why they work better and last longer.

Your drinking water tastes good and natural.  More importantly, it is good and natural.

As contaminants pass through, a reaction takes place causing zinc hydroxides and copper hydroxides to form in miniscule amounts.  These carry into the water and provide hostile conditions for algae, fungus and bacteria. These trace amounts are defined as food supplements and nutrients by the FDA.   In the tiny amounts in your drinking water they form a small percentage of the minimum daily requrement.  While this enough enough zinc, it at least contributes to the lessening the zinc deficiency that is one of the most mineral deficiencies among Americans.

The Environmental Protection Agency has ruled that copper-zinc, patented as kdf- imparts nothing harmful to the water. The National Sanitation Foundation tested KDF and found it to be in compliance with its Standard 61 for water treatment plant applications and Standard 42 for aesthetic effects (taste, odor, chlorine reduction). 

The copper-zinc kdf water filter media is very effective at removing heavy metals, taking out 90 to 98% including iron, lead, arsenic and cadmium.  The zinc makes sure that only a trace amount of copper stays in the water.  The copper makes sure only a trace amount of zinc stays in the water.  Copper and zinc are required for the human body.  These filters introduce a portion of the amount needed every day.

Friendsofwater.com has these water filters in both undercounter and countertop versions. 

                                                          WELL WATER

We also have kitchen water filters available to remove nitrates - used if your water comes from a well.  You can find them listed in our online store.  They use the same double canisters as the fluoride water filters, but are designed to remove nitrates instead.  For well water, you should get your water tested first.  Based on that information, we'll let you know if our filters are right for you, and if so, what configuration you need.  See more info below.

                                                                                              Independent water filter test results

                                                                                      


                                What About Fluoride?
               We Have Kitchen Water Filters That Remove Fluoride!


The American Dental Association, in November 2006, announced that the ingestion of fluoride is too dangerous for babies.  They have notified their members of this, but we are not aware of their making any effort to notify the public.  You can read more about that and other risks of drinking fluoride, including that it is carcinogenic, at our page                                                          fluoride dangers.

                                                                                      for a guest article on our site, click on fluoride toxicity. 

Fluoride is very hard to filter out.  In water it becomes part of a metallic compound, and it takes the attraction of a metallic substance to remove it. Every metal has a charge, either positive or negative, and each can be either strong or weak. The right combination happens with activated alumina, which is in one of the canisters of the double-canister water filter. Through an electrochemical reaction, 90% to 98% is normally removed (rated at 2400 ppm). In the typical kitchen with a municipal water supply, the filter will remove between 95% and 98% of fluoride for a year.

Activated alumina is a resin made of aluminium oxide, the same chemical substance as sapphire and rubies, but without the impurities that give the gems their color.  It has a very high surface-area-to-weight ratio. It has a lot of tunnel-like pores that run all through it.  This means that there is a lot of surface area against which the water interacts, thereby eliminating fluoride.  The alumina is not processed aluminum.  Typically these filters will remove up to 98% of fluoride for a year.

The water moves through the special fluoride filter first, then through the kdf and carbon filters, so that they can additionally remove any small amounts of fluoride if any made it that far.

You can remove fluoride with the undercounter double-canister water filters found in our store.  The undercounter is UC-2K-F.  There are also two version for the countertop - white, hard, food-grade plastic called the AC-2K-F and a chrome-covered version, the CT-2K-F.   In all of these, one canister contains the standard (KR-101N) filter cartridge - with both kdf copper-zinc and carbon water filters - that do everything described above.  The filter material in the first canister removes fluoride.  The water runs through the fluoride filter then through the copper-zinc (kdf) and the carbon.  The two-canister undercounter water filter system comes with its own faucet that goes through the extra opening in your sink.  

Our kitchen fluoride filters have 1 1/2 pounds of activated alumina.  This is more than any other kitchen filters we know of.  Remember, it is the quantity and the quality of filter media that determines how effective your water filter is, and how long it will last before needing a replacement filter.  There is a full pound of high-grade granulated carbon in the second canister, in addition to patent-protected specially produced kdf filter made from powdered kdf, with very high filtration value.

                             For more information on our water filters that remove fluoride:  fluoride filters information.

                                                                                                                          Click to go to fluoride filters in the store. 



                                   What About Well Water Filters?
                 We Have Water Filters that Remove Nitrates and Iron

For well water filters, you want a two-canister kitchen water filter, with our standard kdf and granulated coconut carbon in one canister, and a nitrate-removing water filter in the other.  The kdf does a great job removing heavy metals including iron - often found in well water -  and is bacteriastatic, preventing growth of bacteria.  The quality granulated carbon then further filters the water by further removing bacteria and organic compounds.  The carbon also removes pesticides and herbicides.  Nitrates are filtered out by the nitrate water filter in the first canister.

Nitrates get in the water from agricultural runoff, so it is usually people in rural areas that these filters are right for.

The nitrate 2-canister water filters come in the same configurations - an undercounter unit, a white countertop unit and a chrome countertop unit.  The 2 canister undercounter water filter comes with a 'third faucet', with both of the countertop units you can either get a spout right off them, or divert the water back to your kitchen faucet. 

If  you are in a situation where you need both fluoride and nitrates removed, give us a call.  We can put together a three-canister water filter for you that will do it all.

                                                           For more information on well water risks and filters, click on well water.

                                                                                     To see well water filters in the store, click on water filters.

We also can fashion a whole house water filtration system for you, with a whole house system plus an extra filter at your kitchen sink for extra-pure drinking water.  Be sure to tell us if your system is for filtering well water.  We can put a copper-zinc ratio that is superior for removing iron and hydrogen sulfide.

                                                  To see our Whole House Combos, click on house filters to see how we do it.
                                                    Then give us a call and we'll figure out what is best for your circumstances.

A customer who bought a two-canister filter like these sent us the following note: 

"Thank you very much, I have received my order on time, installation was a snap.  You know, it occurred to me that I had never seen, smelled, or tasted pure water before..."        Adam Ryder, Dublin Ohio.                  

                     
                                 Undercounter & Countertop Models

We carry undercounter water purifiers to filter your drinking water. One is the fluoride-removing, double canister water filter just mentioned. Another is a 2-canister filter that removes nitrates, suitable for some well water. There is also a 'single' that contains the powerdisk (kdf) and granulated carbon filter media described above.

Each of the 2-canister undercounter water filters come with their own faucet, which can go through the opening in your kitchen sink. The undercounter filters are very easy for a plumber to install in about a half-hour.  It is a mistake to do it yourself if you are not a plumber, however.  The  filters with a faucet come with a saddle valve that clamps on to your pipe under the sink to cut into the cold water line.

There is a picture of the 'extra' faucet above on this page.  See the photo above with the bowl of raspberries behind the sink.

The single-canister undercounter filter does not necessarily come with a separate faucet, however if you want to get one with a faucet, that configuration is listed in the store too.

The Big Splash at friendsofwater.com got an undercounter fluoride water filter for his house. He called in a plumber to install the system (and to get the plumbers opinion on the water filter). The plumber swapped out something already in the 'extra' opening, and had the new filter installed in about 35 minutes.  In his opinion the filter parts are of good quality and the saddle valve to tie into the water line was cleverly designed and well made.  He was very impressed with the strong water flow through the filter and the faucet.  In his experience this was much better than most water filters.
                                                                                   
We have countertop water filters in both chrome and white.  Both come with a swivel spout (see the photo at the top left of this page). However, if you wish you can get instead a double-diverter option that sends the water back to flow out of your tap.

Every one of these drinking water filters removes more than 600 contaminants including chlorine, arsenic, lead, homones, chemicals, heavy metals, trihalomethanes and pesticides in much the same way that Mother Earth uses the minerals in the rocks and ground to clean water as it runs through to the aquifers.


                                                       


If you're still reading we have to assume you're pretty serious about this. We've done the homework. Get yourself a kitchen water filter. If you're not happy for any reason we'll give you a full refund within 90 days.  Additionally, the water filter units (not the replaceable filters) have a pro-rated five year manufacturers warranty. 


We also have put together reduced-pricing 'bundles' combining drinking water filters with shower and bath filters, and for the gardeners a garden filter.  We call these our Whole House Water Filter Alternatives.  

            For information on Whole House Water Filter Alternatives, as well as Whole House Water Filters 
                                 and Whole House Water Bundles click here:  Whole House Filter Options.


                         
                                                         Please click below to visit the store. 
                             Get Yourself A Kitchen Water Filter Now.


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                   on undercounter and countertop kitchen water filters.


                                                     Kitchen Water Filters



                                             friendsofwater.com guarantees everything we sell. 
                                   If you aren't satisfied, you can take up to 90 days to 
                                                return any product for a full refund, 
                                 including original shipping charges if there were any.



                                                              If you need some help,
                       we'd be delighted to help you figure which filter would be best for you.
                                                         Call us.  We're easy to talk to.  
                                             If we can't answer, we'll get back to you soon.


                                                           friendsofwater.com can be reached at:

                                                                   
                                                                         866-482-6803
                                                              or
                                                                            sales@friendsofwater.com 

                              Our offices are located in Northern California.