When people start realizing they want to upgrade the purity of their water, they often go on
a journey. Suddenly they admit what they've always known, their tap water tastes like crap. In fact, it tastes so bad they hardly ever drink it..., it even has a smell.
So they start researching. What's in my tap water? They start looking up their municipal water source, how it's treated etc. If they look enough, what is discovered is often disturbing:
fluoride, chlorine, lead leached from old pipes, traces of arsenic and pharmaceutical drugs.
They then have an epiphany regarding what they've been drinking and they upgrade. It's modest at first, maybe a pour-through type pitcher filter. It tastes better, they feel better about their health and the improvement. An interesting discovery made along the way is that their coffee and tea tastes better when it's made with filtered water. They even notice their cooking has a different taste! Then begins the experimentation in earnest: tasting, testing and trying out different waters, buying bottled water, etc.
It's a journey.
However there comes a fork in the road where a decision must be made regarding the level of purity they are ultimately after. They have to admit: Do I just want water that tastes better? Or water the really IS better?
What is better tasting water vs better water? What water is the cleanest? Purest?
Filtered Water
An activated carbon filter will remove impurities and improve the taste and odor of your water. This type of filter works well in terms of removing organic compounds and any impurity that is large enough to be trapped in its carbon matrix. The carbon also removes odors. Your water will taste and smell better, but is it really better for your health? The fact is that there are plenty of contaminants that are small enough to pass through the channels in the carbon, such as lead, nitrates, other heavy metals and viruses.... So is this ultimately a good idea?
We feel that a carbon filter is definitely an improvement over tap water, as well as an improvement over purchasing water stored in plastic. Municipal water supplies are often laden with toxic contaminants, so a filter is definitely an upgrade. The catch with this level of water purification is that one likely will be merely consuming better tasting toxic water....It's a little bit like putting lipstick on a pig. Having said that, if you do choose to go this route, not all products are created equal and some activated carbon filters work better than others. We suggest you do some comparison research before you buy.
Reverse Osmosis Water
The next level up would be Reverse Osmosis or RO water. Instead of just one filter, Reverse Osmosis uses a series of filters, which are comprised of different materials designed to capture different types of impurities. Water is then forced through the membranes of the filters under pressure. RO systems reverse the phenomenon of osmosis, by forcing pure water to one side of the semi permeable membrane, and leaving the contaminants behind.
Drawbacks to RO water:
Filters wear out
can waste water (yikes!) in some cases up to 10 gallons to produce 1 gallon of purified water
bacteria can build up on the contaminated side of the semi-permeable membrane and could eventually pass back through to the purified side (known as "bacteria creep") if you are not vigilant in changing your filters when it's time.
We feel that RO purification is definitely a significant upgrade over tap water or an activated carbon filter, but still has may have drawbacks. It definitely works, and it's many people's "go to" choice. However it may be costly to maintain and require additional vigilance to ensure the highest level of purity.
Distilled Water (Distillation)
Distillation mimics nature's water cycle:
Ocean water is heated by the sun forming water vapor which rises. Once it gets high enough it condenses and becomes clouds. Once enough condensed water has accumulated, it falls to the ground as rain to replenish oceans, rivers and streams. If we lived in a world without pollution our rainwater would be 99% pure! And that is exactly what you get from a quality distiller.
Home water distillation process:
Tap water is heated in a boiler to the boiling point. The steam rises leaving any contaminants behind. The steam is cooled by a fan which then falls and is captured by a holding tank, preferably glass or stainless steel.
The primary difference in this method is that instead of removing contaminants from the water, distillation removes water from the contaminants. Anything with a higher boiling point than water will be left in the holding tank to be cleaned away later.
The only substances that are sometimes able to rise with the water are called VOCs or volatile organic compounds. Because of these, many distillers contain a post-distillation filter, which captures any remaining contaminants as the water is passing into the capture vessel. Any viruses or bacteria in the water are killed in the boiling process and left behind.
Conclusion: Distillation VS Filtration
We personally feel that distillation is the superior method for obtaining pure water.
It is the most cost effective
It offers a consistent level of purification and removal of impurities over time, where as in the filtration method filters must be monitored, replaced or maintained over time.
HOWEVER we feel that any level of purification, including the most basic filter is an improvement over municipal water supplies and a step in the right direction for your health.
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