Access to clean, filtered water is more important than ever. But with so many systems available — from a countertop model like a Royal Berkey water filter to a whole-house system — how can you decide which is right for your home?
Under-Sink Mount
If you’ve seen homes with a second, smaller faucet next to the main one, there’s probably a filter system installed under the sink. Models range from $100 to $400, with the additional cost of filters.
Pros: It provides filtered water “on demand.”
Cons: The smaller models tend to have low output, while the larger ones take up storage room under the sink. If you lose your home water source, you won’t be able to use your under-sink filter to purify rain or river water. Some models can be hard to install, and call for expensive filters, while only removing some contaminants.
House-Wide Systems
House-wide, or whole-house, water filtration systems are put into place at the entry point in which water comes into your home. For that reason, it can provide filtration for any faucet and shower head in your home.
Pros: You can access drinkable tap water from any sink in your home.
Cons: Whole-house filtration systems are the most expensive option, especially if you don’t need every shower head and faucet filtered.
Water Pitcher
This type is the most recognizable, and the most initially-affordable, type of water filtration system. You fill the pitcher’s top from faucet, and the gravity-fed filter provides some purification.
Pros: You won’t have to lay out as much cash at the outset as you would other systems, and they are convenient to fill.
Cons: Over the course of the year you’ll pay almost 10 times as much per liter as a Berkey model, because of the frequent need to replace filters. On a day-to-day basis, you may get tired of refilling the pitcher several times a day. They also can’t safely filter rainwater, lake and pond water, or river water.
Royal Berkey Water Filter and Other Countertop Systems
The Royal Berkey water filter is an example of a countertop filter. This model is ideal great for families and groups of up to 10 people. It offers a much safer, cost-effective solution than many other options. It’s simple pour-in, gravity method is similar to filtration pitchers, yet the Royal Berkey water filter holds much more water — 12.3 Litres — than a pitcher.
For many users, the biggest draw of the Royal Berkey water filter over other brands’ countertop models, is the large range of contaminants it eliminates — including viruses, bacteria, lead, chlorine, chemicals and other unwanted substances
Pros: The Royal Berkey water filter per-liter cost is much lower than pitchers, under-sink filters and other types, because it doesn’t require constant replacement of the filters.
Cons: The Royal Berkey water filter may be too large or small to meet your specific needs. If that’s the case, take a look at our range of Berkeys, from the 5.7 Litre Travel Berkey to the 22.7 Litre Crown Berkey.
