The drinking water filtration market is large. Companies make a lot of money selling home water filters, and then they make even more money selling replacement filter cartridges to customers who bought their purifiers. And as we all know, whenever and wherever money can be made, many lies will be told. Here are 3 lies often told by salespeople trying to get you to buy the water filters made or sold by their companies.
The first big lie
Drinking water filtration with carbon technologies and reverse osmosis technologies are only good at removing dirt and chlorine. They do not protect you from bacteria, amoebas, protozoa and other microbes.
Who tells this lie? It is usually the vendor that sells purifiers that have a UV lamp attached.
What is the truth? All developed nations and even many third world nations use chlorination to kill germs. All microorganisms, except cysts of certain protozoa, are killed by normal municipal treatment. Any reverse osmosis filter will remove these cysts from your water supply. And any carbon-based water purifier rated for 1 micron or less will also remove these cysts. UV light only disables the genes in these cysts so they cannot reproduce. They cannot kill these cysts.
The second big lie
Do not worry Be Happy. It is very easy to change your filter cartridge. Just make sure you change it twice a year.
Who is telling this lie: Any and all salespeople when they ask about the cost and frequency of filter replacement. Some of them may also tell this lie when you ask them for a demo.
What is the truth? Changing the cartridge every 6 months is just a manufacturer’s recommendation. Many people who purchase home water filters actually have water supplies that are much dirtier than average. They will probably need to change their filters more often than the recommendation of every 6 months. They may need replacement up to 3 times a year, maybe even 4 times a year. Replacing the purifier cartridge is also not that easy. Most of the better brands have more complicated working parts inside, requiring more complex procedures to make sure everything works at peak performance.
The third big lie
Water filter pitchers are the least effective means of home water purification. They only remove chlorine and lead, but allow other chemicals and cysts to pass through.
Who’s telling this lie: Any seller who doesn’t sell PUR or Brita pitchers, ever wondering if buying a water filter pitcher might be a smaller, cheaper commitment.
What is the truth? Like any other type of filtration, manufacturers make different models of jugs with different levels of purification. Like any other brand’s high-end home filtration systems, the high-end PUR and Brita jugs can remove not only chlorine and lead, but also cysts, herbicides, pesticides, nitrites and nitrates. Of course, that means you have to buy the high-end model instead of the cheap one.
Selling drinking water filtration devices is a lot of money, and this leads many sellers to be dishonest, especially when talking about their competitors’ products. Now that you know three of the top lies they tell, it should be easier for you to make a good decision.
