How do water filters work? Although the desired end result is the same, not all filtration systems are created equally. In fact, many methods of H2O purification leave toxic chemicals behind, in addition to wasting a lot of water in the process.

The basic answer to how does water filtration work is that a filter is used that traps unwanted substances in the filter, allowing the water itself to flow freely. The simplest of these is a single filter designed to remove a particular type of impurity, whether it be sediment like sand, minerals and metals, or chemicals like chlorine and pesticides. Many systems are much more advanced and elaborate and employ multi-step processes to filter multiple types of contaminants.

The answer, then, to how do water filters work is not as simple as one might at first believe, not because it is a complicated process but because it can work in different ways. The oldest type of filtration is distillation, and this type of system filters out minerals and metals from the water. Reverse osmosis also removes these substances. These filters were designed and used in the days when it was believed that minerals and metals that occur naturally in water were bad for you. Today we know that removing these is actually harmful to human health and reduces the taste and overall quality of the water. Modern systems do not incorporate these types of filtration.

Sedimentary filters are useful, because they remove large particulates that reduce water clarity and purity. They are not, however, the most critical phase of a water filtering system, although they are a part of answering how does water filtration work. Sand, although we don't want to eat it or drink it, won't harm us in small doses. Even so, the best multi-step water filtration systems do incorporate sedimentary filtration into their schema.

These multi-step systems are often whole house systems that require initial installation, but then can be neglected for three years and still have wonderful tasting and pure water. Overall, they raise the cost of a household's water by less than ten cents a gallon over the course of those three years.

The most important type of filtration that occurs is the one that removes chemical contaminants from the water. Usually based upon activated carbon filtration, these filters take out tasteless but very dangerous chemicals such as those that result from agricultural runoff, improperly disposed of household cleansers, and industrial waste.

They also remove chlorine which dries skin, hair, and creates breathing difficulties when it is emitted as a gas through showering. Chlorine, too, is carcinogenic and has been connected by experts with nervous disorders and degenerative diseases. In understanding how do water filters work, carbon filters bond chemically with these unwanted substances and trap them in the filter itself.

All in all, answering how does water filtration work comes down to not just one type of filter but many, and they are not all created equal. In many ways it is best to incorporate water filtration throughout one's house, though certainly at least using activated carbon filters at the main supplies like kitchen faucets and showers goes a long way toward improving one's water quality.