Buying a drinking water filter system can be really confusing. When some cost as little as $24.95 and others go up to $420, just for the countertop designs, it may make you feel like giving up. Take a minute and read the information we have here. At least it will help you get started.

Depending on your source, there are some things that you need a drinking water filter system to do and other things that may not be so important. For example, a reverse osmosis or RO drinking water filter system is very expensive but unnecessary for most of us.

If you are serviced by a public watersystem, then what comes through your tap has already been through a number of different processes. RO is one step that they usually employ. Regardless of what the advertisers say, RO is not the complete answer. It is only one filtering process which does not remove chemicals or bacteria. RO mainly removes particles, minerals and can be used for removing salt from sea water or brackish wells.

Most of us need a drinking water filter system that will remove chemicals and take out chlorine, but particles, minerals and salt are not a problem. The treatment facility hardware took care of that. They do a pretty good job, but there's only so much they can do.

Public watersystems mostly have to use chlorine or else bacteria and algae can build up in the pipes that lead to your home. They can use UV disinfection at the site, but that doesn't prevent bacterial growth between the site and people's houses. Chlorine taste and odor are two of the things that send people looking for a drinking water filter system. Then of course, they run into that big price variable.

All filtering systems remove chlorine. Many have underwriter's laboratory or some other independent certification and yet there is a four hundred dollar price range. Why?

Other than RO, the most expensive filters are sold by retailers. That means that some company went to a drinking water filter system factory and bought some units. If it costs them a hundred, they may sell it for four. If they don't move quickly, they may put it on "sale" for a hundred dollars off, and still they will make a hefty profit.

So, that's why you have several similar products that cost between $125 and $425. Now, let's look at the least expensive.

Pitchers are the lowest priced initially, but the cost of use is higher because the filters have a short life span. The "screw on the faucet" models are prone to leak, need to be replaced often and, once again, they tempt you with a low initial cost and then charge more for replacement cartridges, if they are even available.

There is a $40 drinking water filter system on the market that is advertised as "maintenance free", but that just means that you throw the whole thing away after a month or two. It's not really very cost effective and it only blocks chlorine and odor, nothing else.

Basically, the drinking water filter system that provides the best value for the money sits on the counter and costs about $125. It comes direct from the factory and removes the bad, while leaving the good. Hope this clears up some of the confusion.