Filters a necessity in our chemical soup

We are very fortunate to have treated water coming to our homes, where in developing countries, many people struggle daily to find access to water at all.

However, our water is not what it was when the treatment systems were developed. Now, as industries have continued to release new chemicals at an alarming rate, we have a toxic cocktail circulating in air, our water table, and throughout our water system. Our treatment facilities have not been designed to treat these chemicals, they cannot manage the synergistic effect of combining them together, nor have they innovated to filter stronger bacterial and fungal strains, or heavy metals from other toxins.

The answer is filtration at the source of use – the tap. Filtration is a simple series of components and the more components the more effective the filtration. A simple carbon filter is the first step, with more sophisticated systems offering a superior end result.

Under bench filtration, plumbed in, can be attractive as it’s tidily tucked away, but the two drawbacks to this are the wastage of water (often 30-50%), and by having the filter tucked away, there can be a tendency not to maintain filtration – your filter product is only as good as the operation of the filter, and any good filter needs maintenance to be effective. Filters have a life, and once their life is complete, they need to be refreshed with new filters.

That’s why we love products like the Southern Cross and our favourite, the Waters Co. filters. Each product comes with a series of replacement filters covering key parts of the 9 stage filtration and remineralisation process, so you have filter renewal at the ready for between 18mths – 5 years depending on the filter you purchase. It's premium water filtration and cost per year is a lot less than the cheaper, less effective filters.

Keep a diary note as reminder for your filter changes, as it’s not visible and water changes over time often mean it’s not as noticeable in taste.