Should You Filter Your Tap Water? Our Water-Quality Expert Weighs In.

In this edition of The Recommendation, our expert shares what he’s learned after a decade covering water quality for Wirecutter.

You ever hear that lore about writing in space? NASA engineers realized that astronauts would need to take notes while orbiting, and spent millions of dollars developing a pen that would work in zero gravity. Soviet engineers recognized the need, too — and issued pencils to the cosmonauts.

It’s complete fiction, but the kernel of wisdom it contains holds true: Before you throw money at a solution, make sure there’s a real problem to solve.

In the 10 years I’ve been reporting for Wirecutter, I’ve conducted all manner of tests. I’ve burned thousands of matches to measure the performance of air purifiers. I’ve pitted dehumidifiers against wet basements. And I’ve tested dozens of water filters, going as far as creating DIY rusty water — and drinking what came out of the filters — to see how effectively they resisted clogging. And sometimes, in my own extensive testing, I’ve come to realize: I may not need the thing I’m testing at all.

Take, for example, the tap water in my home. In reporting our guide to the best water-quality test kits, I’ve had my tap water lab-tested nearly a dozen times, in homes in New York City and New Jersey, by six companies and an independent laboratory. After all that, I learned there was almost nothing in it for a filter to do anything about. So I stopped filtering my water altogether.

You may find that you don’t need to filter your water, either. If your home is served by a utility, you can look up what’s been found in the water supply in its annual water quality report — which you can usually find on your utility’s website. If you want even more certainty, you can test your tap water the way I did. (Our top-pick test kit covers more than 100 potential contaminants. And if you’re concerned about forever chemicals, we recommend a test kit that screens specifically for PFAS.)

Of course, regardless of what your own testing reveals, there is merit to filtering if you so choose. Even if your water doesn’t contain contaminants, a basic filter can make it taste better by removing the chlorine disinfectant added at the water treatment plant. This might be top of mind, as the swimming-pool taste is always worst at this time of year, when warm temperatures necessitate more funk-causing chlorine.

The good news is that an inexpensive activated-carbon filter is all you need to make your water taste better. In fact, you may already own one: the humble, reliable Brita— the No. 2 pencil of the filter world.

from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/2GizjKp
via IFTTT