Clean water. It’s a simple but precious necessity we take for granted. But millions don’t. 844 million in fact. In 2018, that’s an increasingly shocking statistic that the human race should be ashamed of.
We all want access to water, particularly given our innate need for consumption of it. It’s no exaggeration to say that clean, safe, drinking water is the cornerstone of life itself. Take the unsafe water crisis that we saw in the North West in 2015. No one dared take a sip of tap water unless it had been thoroughly boiled first, and in my case, boiled and then put through a good water filter!
And the inevitable knock-on effect of unsafe drinking water is increased purchasing of plastic water bottles. I’ll soon discuss this in another post – start talking about it here and I’ll never finish this one!
Since 2015, a good, well-maintained water filter is a kitchen essential chez-moi. But there are water filters and water filters. Here are my current Top 3:
Which UK Water Filters Will Give You the Cleanest Water?
Big Berkey Water Filter System
The Big Berkey isn’t just the best Berkey Water Filter in the UK in my opinion – it’s also the mother of all water filters, period. I’ll let its facts speak for themselves!
The Big Berkey’s features include:
- Highly polished 304 stainless steel shell
- Will filter bacteria to a 99.99999% level and viruses to a 99.9999% level.
- The black Berkeys filter out Chlorine to undetectable levels
- Removes Lead, MTBE’s, and other heavy metals up to 95% levels.
- PF-2 filters remove Fluoride and arsenic.
- Black Berkey filters exceed EPA log 7 ANSI / NSF protocols for filtration and are rated as water purifiers.
- Gravity fed systems that require no plumbing or water hookups for use
- Black Berkey filters have a 3,000-gallon life (6,000 used in pairs)
- Allows red dye testing to know when filters need replacing (no expensive water tests)
- In emergencies allows the use of non-public water (stream, lake, etc.)
This is the kind of water filter that, if carefully looked after and cleaned, can last for decades.
TAPP 2 Faucet Filter
If you’re looking for a small water filter that does a good job, then this one is definitely worth trying. It filters over 80 common contaminants including e.g. chlorine, pesticides, herbicide, lead, most pharmaceuticals and microplastics. The water flows through activated carbon which is one of the most absorbent materials you can find. It’s also very effective because of millions of tiny pores that it can absorb.
There are two versions of this filter – a standard version and a smart-connected version that monitors filter status, savings, eliminated bottles and CO2 reduction.
Soma
Soma launched of its carafe-style water filter last year. It uses activated coconut shell carbon which reduces chlorine and improves taste and odour. The casing is made of a plant-based material which means that it’s pretty much plastic free.
The filters are available in different sizes and versions. I really love the look of the glass version as it’s really slick and ultra-modern.
Having a water filter is worth every penny of whatever the particular one you go for costs. We’re lucky in the UK to have, for the very most part, clean and safe tap water. But you can never be too careful. There are so many great water filters on the market now that my advice is not simply to settle for the most basic ones that cost you a tenner or so. While there’s nothing wrong with these, of course, you can get much better water filters for the additional equivalent cost, say, of a tank or two of petrol. And take it from me, you’ll smell and taste the difference!
