Our water comes from many different sources: lakes, rivers, groundwater, reservoirs and aquifers. It can pick up lots of chemicals and bacteria on its journey through the environment.

Before it reaches your home, city water is treated with sediment filters and chemical disinfectants at the treatment plant. This is done to ensure the water is safe to drink.

Water flows through the filter.

In nature, water goes through a process known as the water cycle. It changes form from vapor to clouds, precipitation, water absorbed by plants, and finally, drinking water. As it passes through this cycle, water naturally picks up all sorts of debris. Some of this is big enough to see, like sticks and stones. But water also shaves off tiny pieces of rock, plastic, and metal, and it can even collect bacteria and germs.

A water filter helps remove all of these impurities. It does so by forcing the water through a filter medium (think: thin or thick barriers) under pressure. This way, the water passes through but leaves most of the contaminants behind. There are a number of different water filters and treatment methods that work to get rid of a wide range of pollutants. One example is ion exchange resin. These chemicals exchange the cations and anions in the water for hydrogen ions and hydroxyl ions. They also make the water softer by reducing magnesium and calcium levels in it.

The filter traps the impurities.

During its journey to your home, water can pick up dirt and chemicals that can leave it with a cloudy appearance or bad taste. Luckily, the process of Water Filtration can eliminate these impurities and leave you with clean, odor-free drinking water.

This filtration process involves creating a physical barrier for water to pass through. These barriers may include a membrane, sieve or even an ion exchange process. These systems can remove a wide range of impurities including sediment, bacteria and even heavy metals.

Some filters also contain a substance like carbon which is jam-packed with nooks and crannies to trap chemical impurities. However, these kinds of filters tend to be less efficient when it comes to reducing taste and odor. Furthermore, the water that is produced by these filters will lack small amounts of elements that are necessary for human anatomy. This is why it’s important to research different filtration systems before buying one.

The filter removes the impurities.

There are a number of different types of water filters. Some use a fine physical barrier (like a sieve or membrane) to filter out contaminants. Others use a chemical process to change the nature of the impurities in the water. For example, ion exchange filters change ions in the water by swapping them for other, less troublesome ones, like magnesium and calcium. These systems are especially effective at "softening" water by removing the minerals that form scale.

Other filtration methods are much more involved, like reverse osmosis, which uses a semipermeable membrane to force contaminated water through it while allowing clean water to pass. This method is particularly effective at reducing bacteria and viruses in drinking water.

There are also a number of other ways to filter water, including granular activated carbon, ceramic and pleated polyester, with each type used for specific problems like taste and odour, hardness and sediment removal. Most filtration systems, including household jugs, faucet filters and whole-house water filters, use combinations of methods to target specific issues.

The filtered water is ready to drink.

Water filtration systems turn tap water into clean, healthy drinking water. They remove unpleasant tastes, odors and sediment as well as harmful bacteria and heavy metals. They also leave behind healthy minerals like magnesium and calcium.

Most water filters use one of two methods to filter out impurities. Physical filtration involves straining the water, much like a glorified sieve (your electric kettle has a filtered screen to help prevent limescale). Chemical filtration uses patented smart technology to treat the water with active materials that remove toxins as they pass through.

In addition to making better-tasting water for you and your family, water filtration systems benefit the environment by helping reduce the amount of plastic used in bottles. They also extend appliance life by keeping the water free of particles that could corrode or react with internal mechanisms. Some systems require the use of a special type of salt called sodium ion exchange resin to regenerate the filter.