Before we talk about alkaline water filters, let's first define what it actually is!
A water’s pH level measures how acidic or basic it is.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral, 0 being the most acidic, and 14 being the most basic.
Alkaline water has a pH between 7.5 and 8.5.
However, natural spring water is slightly alkaline due the alkalizing effects of minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium. Most home filters alkalize with naturally-occurring minerals.
Government Regulations and Alkaline Water
According to the Environmental Protection Organization’s guidelines, the pH level of tap water should be between 6.5 and 8.5, but tap water in the U.S. is usually much more acidic—sometimes as low as 4.3.
Bottled alkaline water is not regulated by the EPA, but most bottled water tends to fall between pH 7.5 and 8.5.
What Do Alkaline Water Filters Do to Improve Your Water?
Depending on the model, alkaline water filters can:
- Improve the smell and taste of water
- Soften “hard“ water by removing excess minerals
- Filter out particles of dust, sand, rust and sediment
- Remove heavy metals like arsenic, lead and copper
- Remove chemical disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine
- Filter dangerous, hard-to-remove contaminants like pharmaceuticals, nuclear waste and pesticides
- Increase negative oxidation reduction potential (ORP), which helps protect the body’s cells
- Remineralize with healthy doses of minerals like calcium and magnesium
How Alkaline Water Filters Work
You have an important decision to make…
Do you want to alkalize your water with a simple handheld pitcher or a complete water filtration system?
Let’s take a closer look at the two main types of alkaline water filters in action:
How RO Systems Alkalize Your Water with Remineralization
Reverse osmosis (RO) systems remove 99.9% of contaminants from tap water.
In addition, some even incorporate a process called remineralization, which naturally alkalizes the water by adding healthy minerals.
Step #1: A sediment pre-filter removes large particles of dust, rust and debris. Some systems also have a second sediment filter with even smaller pores to remove the tiniest particles.
Step #2: The water passes through an activated charcoal filter to remove chlorine and improve the smell and taste of the water.
Step #3: Ion exchange resins soften the water by removing “hard” minerals.
Step #4: The RO membrane removes dangerous contaminants like arsenic and pesticides by passing the water through a pressurized, semipermeable membrane. The clean water passes through, and contaminants remain trapped on the other side.
Step #5: The water flows through an activated carbon post-filter to polish and remove any remaining contaminants that may have snuck through.
Step #6: Last but not least, the water goes through a remineralization phase that naturally alkalizes the water with healthy amounts of minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium.
Viola! When you turn on your faucet, you’ll have nothing but pristine, alkaline, perfect-pH water.
How Alkaline Water Pitchers Work
Small but mighty, you can think of alkaline water pitchers like simpler, micro-sized water systems.
Most use multiple stages of filtration, including:
- Ion exchange resins to soften the water and remove “hard” minerals
- Tourmaline filter to charge the water with infrared energy and make the water even softer
- Mineralization filter to alkalize the water with essential minerals like calcium and magnesium
- Activated carbon filter to remove chlorine and trace heavy metals
Although alkaline water pitchers remove some contaminants, they aren’t capable of removing dangerous pollutants like pesticides and nuclear waste.
Possible Health Benefits of Alkaline Water
Alkaline water is a somewhat controversial topic.
Many health professionals believe that there isn’t enough research to support the majority of the health claims made by alkaline water proponents, but supporters say that it can help balance acidic body chemistry.
In addition, some early research indicates that alkaline water may have health benefits.
A 2012 study found that drinking artesian alkaline water with a pH of 8.8 may help treat acid reflux by deactivating pepsin—the main enzyme that causes acid reflux.
At the same time, a separate study found that alkaline water may improve blood flow by thinning the blood.
Regardless of this controversy, everyone agrees that the minerals used in alkaline water filters are undoubtedly essential to human health.
Magnesium and calcium, for example, support the brain, prevent muscle cramps and help cells throughout the body produce energy. They also act as antioxidants and protect the cells from free radicals.
What About Alkaline Water Ionizers?
Ionizers alkalize water through electrolysis—a process that lowers pH by passing an electrical current through it.
However, ionizers do not purify water.
Even worse, alkaline contaminants, like fluoride and mercury, can become even more concentrated due to electrolysis!
The bottom line is, it’s better to use a natural alkaline water filter instead.
Is Bottled Alkaline Water Safe?
Most alkaline water is made using electrolysis, so it lacks the healthy minerals that make alkaline water so nutritious.
But bottled water has an even bigger problem: plastic bottles leach toxic microplastics into the water.
Although most bottled water companies use osmosis to remove contaminants, the bottles themselves contain compounds like bisphenol-a (BPA) and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
Instead of getting your alkaline water from toxic bottles, it’s better to make your own alkaline water at home.
Cloud Water Filters use activated carbon, ion exchange, reverse osmosis and remineralization to alkalize your tap water and remove 99.9% of contaminants.
They also use a built-in software that syncs to an app on your phone so that you can monitor your water quality 24/7.
Click here to learn more.
