faucet water filters…?

3 Comments

1. Lillibet says:

   January 27, 2010 at 1:36 pm

   Both boiling and filtering can remove harmful organisms in the water. Most town tap water already has been treated with chemicals such as chlorine to remove bacteria etc. However, sediment can still be present in the water. Boiling will not remove this, but using a good quality carbon based filter will. Additionally, the carbon based filter should remove most of the chlorine, which should improve the odour and flavor of the water considerably.

   The use of flouride in water is controversial. Proponents of flouride argue it is important for dental health, and the amount put in water is too little to damage health. Others disagree. You can read more here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluoridation

   Faucet based systems are chosen mainly for the convenience of having a continuous supply of filtered water. The effectiveness of a faucet based filter will depend upon the type and quality of filtration material used. The extent or granularity of filtration is usually measured in units called microns. You can check with the manufacturer to see if the filter you are considering removes chemicals like flouride. This little portable unit, called the Waterman, has an 0.1 micron filter and is able to filter out about 85% of flouride, plus a whole lot of other substances, http://www.topbuys.com.au/waterman-portable-ioniser-filter-waterman.aspx

   Faucet or under sink systems can be expensive to install and maintain so do your homework before purchasing. ie, if you have access to treated tap water and you’re not too worried about flouride, you may only need a filter that removes a bit of sediment and reduces the chlorine and not an expensive system designed for untreated water such as bore water.

   Alternatively, you could just get a water dispenser with a refillable filter bottle. Check out some reasonably priced options at http://www.topbuys.com.au/water-coolers_1.aspx.
2. epic_laydown says:

   January 27, 2010 at 1:36 pm

   I would say that they are pretty effective in filtering out certain metals like lead and nickel that may be in your tap water. Filtered water certainly tastes different than unfiltered water.

   Boiling water sterlizes the water. it kills bacteria and makes it safe to drink from organic substances. But boiling water without filtering still keeps those metals and inorganic substances in your water. When you boil water from a stream for example, all your doing is making it safe to drink. Boiling tap water isn’t necessary since it’s already safe. Filtering will make it taste a bit better.
3. Larry L says:

   January 27, 2010 at 1:36 pm

   Water taps

   The physical characteristic which differentiates a spigot from other valves is the lack of any type of a mechanical thread or fastener on the outlet.

   Water for baths, sinks and basins can be provided by separate hot and cold taps; this arrangement is common in the UK, particularly in bathrooms/lavatories. In kitchens, in the U.S., and in many other places, mixer taps are often used instead. In this case, hot and cold water from the two valves is mixed together before reaching the outlet, allowing the water to emerge at any temperature between that of the hot and cold water supplies.

   For baths and showers, mixer taps frequently incorporate some sort of pressure balancing feature so that the hot/cold mixture ratio will not be affected by transient changes in the pressure of one or the other of the supplies. This helps avoid scalding or uncomfortable chilling as other water loads occur (such as the flushing of a toilet).

   Rather than two separate valves, mixer taps frequently use a single, more complex, valve whose handle moves up and down to control the amount of water flow and from side to side to control the temperature of the water. Especially for baths and showers, the latest designs do this using a built in thermostat. These are known as thermostatic mixing valves, or TMVs, and can be mechanical or electronic.

   Mixer taps are more difficult to fit in the UK than in other countries because traditional British plumbing provides hot and cold water at different pressures.

   If separate taps are fitted, it may not be immediately clear which tap is hot and which is cold. The hot tap generally has a red indicator while the cold tap generally has a blue or green indicator. In English-speaking countries, the taps are frequently also labeled with an "H" or "C". Mixer taps may have a red-blue stripe or arrows indicating which side will give hot and which cold.

   In some countries there is a ‘standard’ arrangement of hot/cold taps: for example in the United States and Canada, the hot tap is on the left by building code requirements. This convention applies in the UK too, but many installations exist where it has been ignored. Mis-assembly of some single-valve mixer taps will exchange hot and cold even if the fixture has been plumbed correctly.

   Most handles on residential homes are connected to the valve shaft and fastened down with a screw. Although on most commercial and industrial applications they are fitted with a removable key called a "loose key" or "Water key" which has a square peg and a square ended key to turn off and on the water. You can also take off the "Loose key" to prevent vandals from turning on the water. In older building before the "Loose key" was invented for some landlords or caretakers to take off the handle of a residential tap, which had teeth that would meet up with the cogs on the valve shaft. This Teeth and cog system is still used on most modern faucets. Although most of the time a "Loose key" is on industrial and commercial applications sometimes you may see a "Loose key" on homes by the seashore to prevent guests from washing the sand off their feet.

   Cheers