Water filtration is an absolute necessity for personal hygiene, considering the fact that most disease comes from food and water. Today, in this article we have listed the top 10 best and the cheapest water purifier.
The cheapest water filtration system is the Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System which is meant for camping and costs just $20.
- Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System – $20
- Culligan FM-15A (Faucet Water Filter) – $21
- Brita Everyday 10-Cup – $27
- Zerowater 23-cup Ready Pour Dispenser (ZD-018) – $34
- Home Master JR. F2 (TMJRF2) – $85
- APEX Countertop Drinking Water Filter – $90
- Aquasana 3-stage Under Counter Filter – $140
- APEC Top Tier 5-Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System – $178
- Berkey BK4X2-BB Big Berkey Stainless Steel Water Filtration System – $258
- Ispring Rcc7p-Ak 6-stage – $276
01. Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System – $20
For $20 it is a pretty nifty tech and probably the best camping water filtration system. The product weighs just 2 ounces, making it ideal for hiking in the wilderness. It is effective at removing 99.9% of bacteria and other germs from the water. Each filter can be used for 100000 gallons of water, which easily attaches to all standard bottles as well as drinking pouches. For the price, it is the cheapest backpacking water purifier in the market.
02. Culligan FM-15A (Faucet Water Filter) – $21
This is probably the cheapest faucet filter in the market; it’s easy to install and comes with 2 adapters for standard sinks. It also features an auto-shut-off which switches back to tap water when the faucet is turned off. This is a great product for ease of cooking and getting fresh water quickly for pets. It is also one of the most loved faucet water filters in the market with positive reviews from the consumers. Culligan FM-15A is NSF certified which means it can reduce the number of contaminants, lead, cryptosporidium, class-1 particulates, chlorine, and giardia cysts. They are popular for their low price, lower maintenance costs with its filter priced at $12, it can filer over 200 gallons of water.
03. Brita Everyday 10-Cup – $27
Brita makes some of the best and cheapest pitcher filters in the market. This product is BPA-free both for the pitcher and the filters. It’s convenient, easy to clean, and has a narrow footprint which fits in most refrigerators. However, some reviews say that the pitcher fills slowly and the plastic seems to be brittle. Its standard filter costs $7 which can reduce mercury, zinc, cadmium, chlorine, and copper. The Longlast filter costs $12 and is NSF-42 and NSF-53 certified, which means it can reduce lead, asbestos, benzene, chlorine, and class-1 particulates. The standard filters last for two months or 40 gallons whereas the Longlast filters should be replaced every 6 months or 120 gallons. Having Brita at your house is definitely better than buying bottled water at a higher cost.
04. Zerowater 23-cup Ready Pour Dispenser (ZD-018) – $34
This is one of the large water filter pitchers for $34. The product is BPA-free for both pitcher and filters. The TDS meter measure dissolved solids and removes lead with its standard filter. However, people complain that it fills slowly and the filter doesn’t last long with hard water. When you need filtered water for your entire family, it can’t get cheaper than Zerowater Ready Pour. For $34 you get 23 cups of water with features such as 5-stage filtration system which is NSF certified. Its filtration system reduces most of the contaminants such as lead, pesticide, chlorine, mercury along with inorganic compounds. This water purifier comes with a digital meter to show TDS water level. The filter costs $16 which can filter about 40 gallons of water. Moreover, if you need you can buy various dispensers from 6 to 40 cups.
05. Home Master JR. F2 (TMJRF2) – $85
It is one of the cheapest water filtration systems that can remove up to 93% fluoride along with other contaminants. Most fluoride removing water filtration system is often expensive but Home Master JR. F2 removes fluoride as well as other contaminants at $85. Although it removes VOCs, chemicals, chlorine, and other pesticides, it doesn’t remove dissolved solids. This compact system is one of the best and cheapest countertop water purifier which connects to the main faucet with a tube. The filters last more than 3 months and are capable of filtering 500 gallons of water at just $20. According to the manufacturer the filtration medium is NSF certified, although the product itself isn’t. A majority of consumers have positive reviews about the product for its simple installation and performance. However, it does lack filter-life indicator and may not fit all faucets.
06. APEX Countertop Drinking Water Filter – $90
The APEX filtration system removes chlorine, radon, mercury, and other pesticides and connects easily to almost all kitchen faucet. For $90 the water purifier removed nearly all contaminants found in tap water and gives fresh water with improved taste. On the downside, it recommends being used only with cold water.
07. Aquasana 3-stage Under Counter Filter – $140
The under counter filtration system goes under the sink with a faucet that dispenses water on the sink. The 3-stage filter comes with NSF certification which is capable of reducing 75+ contaminants including lead and mercury. The product has received good reviews for its filtration system, low price, and compact design. Many consumers do complain that they found high TDS levels after filtration which is because the product doesn’t filter out minerals. For each lead ion, the product uses ion exchanger with two potassium ions. Each filter can last for 600 gallons of water and the filtration kit costs $65. On the downside, the filtration system is slow and might need some drilling to install the faucet. However, you do get a 90-day full refund satisfaction guarantee.
08. APEC Top Tier 5-Stage Ultra Safe Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Filter System – $178
For $178 you get a water filtration system that gives five-stage purification along with a reverse osmosis system and activated carbon system which removes 99% of contaminants. The system is capable of removing over 1000 contaminants including, arsenic, chlorine, lead, heavy metals, bacteria and more. Its filters can be used on both tap and well water with an easy-to-install system that quickly connects to your kitchen water system and gives you purified water on par with bottled drinking water.
09. Berkey BK4X2-BB Big Berkey Stainless Steel Water Filtration System – $258
Berkey BK4X2-BB Big Berkey is probably the best and the cheapest water filtration system for large families. The filters remove most contaminants such as lead, chlorine, bacterial, 99.99% of viruses and class-1 particulates. Moreover, it improves the odor and taste of the water to give your bottled water taste. However, it’s worth noting that it is not NSF or WQA certified; on the other hand, the company claims its water filtration system exceeds NSF testing and cites independent third-party lab results.
Irrespective of its accreditation and high price, the product is one of the top-selling gravity filters with cult popularity among consumers. The water system filter over 3.5 gallons of water per minute and has 3000 gallons of water purification per filter. It comes with two replacement purification system costing nearly $100 and purifies 6000 gallons of water. Made from high-grade 304 stainless steel it can hold over 2 gallons of water. That said, its downside includes bulkiness, filter clogging, complex setup, and cost.
10. Ispring Rcc7p-Aak 6-stage – $276
This reverse osmosis system connects to your kitchen hose and channels water through a semipermeable membrane and several filters. Purified water is then collected in a tank that sits under the sink and attaches to the faucet. The product is certified to remove over 1000 contaminants such as lead, fluoride, and even .0001 micron particles. The purification system also comes with an alkaline remineralization filter that adds minerals that were filtered out during reverse osmosis, at the same time keeping the PH balance levels. Unlike another RO system, these purifiers generate water at a 3-to-1 ratio. The purifier produces water with improved odor and taste on par with bottled drinking water. A set of replacement filters cost $63 and lasts for a year.
Best Water Filtration Process
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Distillation
Distillation is an advanced boiler water treatment, in which the water is heated to a boiling point and then the vapor is condensed into water and later collected and stored. This is probably the simplest method to reduce a wide range of contaminants however, it needs extensive maintenance to retain its purification process.
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Ion Exchange
This filtration process involves percolating water through a resin material where ions are exchanged with ions on the beads. The process involves two different types of ion exchange methods i.e. deionization and softening. In deionization, the beads exchange ions with hydroxyl ions or cations. The softening process is more of a pre-treatment which is done to reduce the hardness of water before sending it through the reverse osmosis process. The advantage of the ion exchange process it that it effectively dissolves inorganic material and can also regenerate to restore minerals in the water. But, the process is not enough to remove pyrogens and bacteria.
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Carbon absorption
This method is typically used in consumer drinking water filtration system. The process purifies water as well as eliminates odor and taste. The technique uses activated carbon remove gases and chemical from water and is most effective against microorganisms. However, it is not done by all carbon filter system and some used in domestic water filtration system removes coliform, lead, cysts, and asbestos. Its advantage is its effectiveness against eliminating chlorine and dissolved organics; on the downside, it could lead to carbon fines.
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Microporous basic filtration
The method uses screen filters, surface filters and depth filters of microporous type. Screen filters have a uniform structure such as a sieve, whereas the depth filter is matted fibers that are compressed to form a net that prevents particles using entrapment or absorption. The surface filters are made from a layer of different medium that creates a net to remove microorganisms and pyrogens. However, it is not enough to remove dissolved inorganic compounds.
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Reverse osmosis
RO is the most cost-effective method of removing 99% of all contaminants. Its pore structure is much smaller than UF membranes, which is why it can remove bacteria and organics that are greater than 300 daltons molecular weight. RO is typically employed by water purification plants producing bottled water, which is why domestic RO filters give bottle water like the taste. The RO membranes are restrictive where water flows through slowly. It also makes it mandatory for the filtration system to have a storage tank where purified water is collected given some time. RO process can effectively remove multiple impurities such as TDS, asbestos, lead, heavy metals, radium, and dissolved organics. Ion Exchange and Carbon absorption processes are oftentimes employed together to eliminate a wide range of impurities. RO is also capable of removing radioactive materials from water.
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UV Radiation
UV has been a popular water filtration method for the past few years, where a mercury low-pressure lamp is used to generate 254 nm UV light which sanitizes water. The microbes in water absorb the UV light making them inactive. In recent advances, UV lamp of varying wavelength is used that can produce both 185 nm and 254 nm UV light.
Conclusion
Although the cheapest water purifiers cost just $20, for extensive use and for big families you would have to splurge a bit more. The iSpring RO system can cost over $250, which is still cheaper considering the market price of other products. Other inexpensive methods such as boiling could remove most of the contaminants but if you live in an area with high iron or chlorine content you would need an RO system. Moreover, it will give you bottled water like taste and purity at a much cheaper price.