How to purify tap water and have the best drinking water?
Nowadays, there are several technologies available to reduce the level of dry residues in water to improve its quality, lightness and taste.
Carafe filters
Activated carbon or a carafe filter (which also contains activated carbon balls) are minimal solutions. They remove about 20% of the most important residues from water, which will penetrate the micropores of the carbon. These systems mainly remove limestone, chlorine (and its derivatives), metals, permanganate, methylene and tannin. Ammonium, nitrates and nitrites are not being filtered out.
The carafe requires daily maintenance. Otherwise it can become a breeding ground for bacteria.1,2
The water softener
A water softener has become a must in many households, but it is a bad idea to drink this water. A water softener removes limescale by means of regenerating salt. The problem is that this salt ends up in the water that comes out of the tap as sodium.
According to Lucia Capone, a nutritionist at the CHU Saint Pierre in Brussels, you - and especially the most sensitive people - should avoid over-consuming this water. Softened water contains over 10 times the levels of sodium present in untreated water. The amounts are still tiny, but it is best to avoid over-consuming this softened water, especially if you are on a low-salt diet.3
Although they are the exception, there are non-ion exchange softeners, which are mechanical or electronic. However, environmentalists argue that water softeners are unnecessary because they consume too much electricity and water (needed for regeneration).
The osmosis system
The osmosis system is the most radical technology for improving the quality of water. Reverse osmosis not only filters water but also purifies it, i.e. it filters it to a tenth of a nanometre.
Once installed on the water supply, this system will eliminate over 90% of dry residues : heavy metals, microplastics, but also bacteria, viruses, drug residues, pesticides, hormones and even nitrates, which are very fine particles.
O25 uses this technology to purify your tap water to a maximum of 25 mg/l of dry residues.
There are many other water filter types with their own advantages and disadvantages, but they often perform the same as carafes.
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1 https://www.linfodurable.fr/conso/eau-en-bouteille-eau-du-robinet-laquelle-choisir-2834
2 https://www.gerbeaud.com/maison-pratique/utile-de-filtrer-son-eau,1460.html#desktop-menu
3 https://www.rtbf.be/info/societe/onpdp/detail_adoucisseurs-d-eau-les-pieges-a-eviter?id=9899833
