The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) is a non-profit organization founded in 1944 that creates standards for sanitation, food safety, and also water filter manufacturing.
Filtration Technology
Do Pitcher Filters Really Work?
5 min read
- 01 | Pitcher Filter Pros & Cons
- 02 | What Is a Pitcher Filter?
- 03 | How Do Pitcher Filters Work?
- 04 | What Do Pitcher Filters Remove?
- 05 | What Pitcher Filters Do Not Remove
- 06 | How Long Do Pitcher Filters Last?
- 07 | What Happens If You Forget to Change Your Filter?
- 08 | How Much Do Pitcher Filters Cost?
- 09 | Most Pitcher Filters Aren’t Very Effective
- 10 | How to Tell If Your Water Is Safe to Drink
- 11 | Is a Pitcher Filter Right for You?
In a survey of over 4,000 Americans, 3 out of 4 people said that their tap water smells or tastes bad.
Fortunately, pitcher filters can be a cheap, effective solution for better tasting water.
But not all pitcher filters are created equal. Some don’t even do a very good job of improving taste, but more on that later...
First, here’s a quick look at how pitcher filters work:
Pros
- Improves the taste and smell of your water
- Removes chlorine and other disinfectants
- Affordable ($40 or less)
- Easy to use and maintain
Cons
- Does not remove dissolved solids and other inorganic compounds
- Does not protect you from the most dangerous contaminants
- Filters need to be changed every few months
- Not suitable for large families or high-volume usage
- Can be slow to filter
A pitcher filter is a pitcher that contains an activated carbon filter in the middle.
After you fill it from the top, it uses gravity to gradually filter the water.
Carbon filters are also called charcoal filters, but it isn’t the same charcoal you use to grill your burgers.
Most pitcher filters use coconut shell carbon made from real coconut shells. Others use wood-based media or bituminous coal.
Pitcher filters reduce contaminants and impurities in water through a process called adsorption.
Adsorption means that the carbon molecules attract the contaminants so that they strongly stick to the carbon.
The large surface area of the carbon molecules help them act like a sponge. At least that’s the simple explanation. It’s actually a little bit more complicated than that...
Technically, the chlorine doesn’t “stick” to the carbon. Instead, it chemically converts chlorine into chloride by breaking the ammonia off the chlorine molecule.
But if you’d rather think of it as a high-tech sponge, that works too.
Pitcher filters remove:
- Chemical disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine
- Bad tastes and odors
- Trihalomethanes (THMs)
- Pesticides and herbicides
However, most pitcher filters only reduce these substances—they don’t remove them entirely.
Some high-end pitcher filters also reduce bacteria, lead, copper and other heavy metals.
Make sure to check for NSF certifications on the box before you buy, but more on that later...
Most people buy pitcher filters to remove disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine.
These compounds are added by treatment plants to prevent outbreaks, but they also make your water taste bad.
Even worse, chlorine produces toxic compounds called disinfection by-products (DBPs).
DBPs have been linked to side effects like cancer and learning difficulties in children.
Pitcher filters do not remove:
- Fluoride
- Hard water
- Nitrates
- Most bacteria and viruses
- Total dissolved solids (TDS)
- Dissolved minerals
Compounds like nitrates, dissolved minerals, and most pathogens do not bind to activated carbon.
Instead, they just slip right through.
Compared to under-sink filters, which can last up to 15 years, pitcher filters have a pretty short lifespan.
The whole system lasts roughly a year, but the filter cartridges have to be replaced every 2-6 months depending on how often you use it.
On average, a new filter can process 40-120 gallons of water before being replaced.
Old filters are less effective and can get crazy slow.
Believe it or not, an old filter can be even worse than no filter.
Once the carbon pores are packed full of contaminants, the collected particles can break off and enter your drinking water.
And remember… your filter is trapping bacteria, not killing it.
Over time, it can get pretty scuzzy as the trapped microbes start to grow and multiply.
One recent study found significant bacteria present in carbon-filtered water after just one week of use. Researchers discovered a whole colony of bacteria in there!
This bacteria can break off into your drinking water and make you sick.
If you notice that your water is filtering more slowly, it’s probably time to replace it.
Some pitchers have an indicator that warns you when time is running out.
Pitcher filters are by far the most affordable type of water filter.
Most are under $40 off the shelf.
Depending on how often you have to replace filter cartridges, annual costs can range from $32 to $180.
Most pitcher filters look the same, but it’s what’s under the hood that counts.
Look for NSF certification badges on the box so you know what it’s qualified to remove.
Most pitchers remove contaminants that leave a bad taste, like chlorine and hydrogen sulfide, but only a few remove things like lead.
If a filter can remove lead or other volatile compounds, they’ll probably brag about it on the box.
In a recent study on several popular pitcher filter brands, only two were able to remove lead, and over half of them weren’t even effective at improving taste.
They found a pretty big difference in filtration speed too—the fastest filter took a minute to process one quart of drinking water, while the slowest filter took nearly 15 minutes.
But sometimes slower is better...
The slow-poke filter was slow because it contained extra filters to remove 99% of lead. If flow rate isn’t a concern, more filter power is always better.
With that said, if your tap water contains dangerous contaminants like lead, you should probably upgrade to a more thorough filtration system...
It’s always a good idea to test your water for contaminants at least once a year.
Even if taste and odor are your main concerns, there could still be dangerous contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides and nuclear waste lurking in your water.
The United State’s distribution pipes are well overdue for an upgrade. Many of them are starting to break down and crack, and contaminants in the surrounding soil can easily seep through.
And did you know that pipes installed before 1986 may contain lead parts? Deteriorating pipes have already caused several lead poisoning emergencies across the country.
Even low levels of lead can cause health problems like:
- Hypertension
- Decreased kidney function
- Learning disabilities
- Slowed growth
- Anemia
- Hearing problems
- Reproductive problems
And private well owners have even bigger concerns...
Unlike public water, private wells aren’t regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This means that if something nasty seeps into your groundwater, you’re on your own.
But whether you’re in the countryside or the city, in a new house or an old one, it’s important to get your water tested at least once a year.
Local health departments offer free test kits, but these do-it-yourself kits can be unreliable.
Instead, it’s best to collect a water sample and send it to an EPA-certified lab. Tests cost anywhere from $20 to $100.
Pitcher filters can remove a host of contaminants and improve the smell and taste of your water.
However, they don’t remove the full range of dangerous contaminants.
If you want to protect your family from 99.9% of harmful pollutants, reverse osmosis systems like Cloud Water Filters are the way to go.
They keep up with the demands of large families and are super easy to maintain.
Cloud Water Filters use built-in software to track your water usage and automatically ship replacement filters right to your door, so you’ll never have to worry about a thing.
Click here to learn more.
