About My Site...
An in-home review of several shower filters tested under real world conditions. Tests include before and after total residual chlorine levels using a digital chlorine meter to measure the results. The shower filters are tested for their ability to remove total residual chlorine in an actual residential shower unit. This review puts various manufacturer's claims to the test. Find out what they don't want you to know.
Don't buy a shower filter before reading this review.
Introduction...
Shower filter technology has come a long way over the course of the last few years. Several manufacturers claim to have the “best” chlorine shower filter technology available anywhere. The problem with this claim is that what you may believe to be beneficial and what the manufacturers would like you to believe are not always one in the same. After reading this review you will have a good general understanding of what to look for in a quality chlorine shower filter.
The primary purpose of this review is to compare and discuss the various chlorine shower filter options available to consumers today. It will also show how the various shower filter manufacturers approach the problem of reducing or eliminating chlorine from your shower water. Because shower filter technology is a highly unregulated field, this review is intended to supplement other information sources currently being offered. As always, use your best judgment and take into consideration the pros and cons of each solution.
The primary purpose of any shower filter should be to remove or significantly reduce chlorine.
But what is it about chlorine that makes it so important? Chlorine, and its derivative chloramine, is hazardous to your health and can be found in a high enough concentrations to pose a potential health risk to you and your family. While the amounts of chlorine will vary based on geography, time of year, water demand or time of day, it’s almost always present at potentially dangerous levels. There have been numerous reports of chlorine levels in the municipal water supply exceeding that which is found in most swimming pools. The EPA generally considers chlorine in concentrations up to 4 p.p.m. (parts per million) safe for public consumption over a relatively short period of time, all the while claiming 4 p.p.m. too high to safely use in public swimming pools.
There have been several studies linking chlorine exposure to various forms of cancer, birth defects and miscarriages in humans. Any other impurities that may be found in our public water supply are usually not present in sufficient enough quantities to pose a significant danger to public health. For chlorine to be effective against microorganisms in your water system it must be present in a sufficient quantity and it must have enough time to react. This reaction time is usually around 30 minutes. To ensure continued protection against harmful organisms, a certain amount of chlorine must remain in the water after treatment. This remaining chlorine is known as residual chlorine and it is what you smell in your shower or while drinking tap water. While the chlorine in our drinking water and/or shower is effective in killing potentially deadly microorganisms, it can also be harmful in that it can damage the cells in our bodies.
While drinking chlorinated water may indeed expose you to some chlorine, showering in chlorinated water increases your exposure many times over. During the bathing process, the chlorine is released in a gaseous state out of the chlorinated water and is inhaled. This toxic gas can also spread through the house and be inhaled by others. Some reports claim that as much or more chlorine enters the body by inhaling steamy chlorinated shower vapors or through the open pores of the skin as that which enters the body by drinking chlorinated water during the entire day. This increased exposure to the adverse effects of chlorine by household residents can range from 6 to 100 times more than the medically recommended safe levels. Consult your medical professional about the potential dangers of chlorine exposure.
So what’s the Solution?
The “perfect” shower filter, in addition to removing 100% of the chlorine from your shower water, would also remove heavy metals, VOC's (Volatile Organic Compounds), cysts, bacteria and MTBE (gasoline additive). However, because the rate of water flowing through the shower filter is so high, very little to none of these compounds can be effectively filtered with any meaningful impact. In the majority of cases, the concentration of these compounds that may be found in our public water supply is almost nonexistent to begin with. The condition of our public water supply has arguably never been better.
However, high concentrations of these compounds in your water do indicate serious issues that extend far beyond the scope of ANY consumer grade shower filter. In this case, please seek professional assistance immediately.
Check with your local water municipality to get the latest water quality report for your area. This is usually a good place to start if the quality of your water is of any concern to you. Aside from having your water tested, it may be the only way to find out if your water is being disinfected with free or combined chlorine. There is a significant difference between these two forms of chlorine as they relate to shower filters. This will be covered later in this review.
Sample Water Quality Report
Be wary of any shower filter manufacturer’s claim to effectively filter anything but chlorine, and in some rare cases, chloramine.
Many manufacturers have simply converted their drinking water filter technologies directly over to their shower filters. The problem with this approach can be explained very easily. While these high tech solutions generally work extremely well for filtering relatively slow flowing drinking water, the same cannot be said for shower filtering applications. The water in the shower filter is moving far too fast to be filtered effectively against every conceivable “dangerous compound”. This is assuming any of these compounds exist in your water to begin with.
The chart, located on the results page of this site, compares several popular shower filters that claim to be able to remove chlorine from your shower water. Hyperlinks have been included for your convenience. These links are to sites that are actively selling or marketing their respective products and who seem to give you the most detailed information about their products or services. They are by no means your only source for purchase, although they do provide a very good starting point.
This chart also lists additional information that will help you make a more educated decision should you decide to purchase a chlorine shower filter.
Where Does This Information Come From?
The information covered in this review is, first and foremost, assembled with the end user in mind. That means you, the consumer.
This data originates from a combination of several sources. Online customer comments, extensive research and/or direct contact with various 3rd party sources have made it possible to compile this data in the most comprehensive chlorine shower filter comparison to date. Direct contact with the actual manufacturers is utilized if and when a cooperative relationship can be established. Some manufacturers are open to the idea a comprehensive approach to a shower filter review while others have not been so forthcoming with their assistance. The results of this review go a long way to understanding why this may be the case.
Our purpose is to arm consumers with enough knowledge about these products to be able to make an educated choice. Independent research is highly recommended prior to making any purchasing decision. This review is simply a guide to help you get started.
Introduction...
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All product names are trademarks of their respective manufacturer. The information found on this web site is derived directly from the manufacturers own literature or through actual in-home testing.
