[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":184},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Fguides":3,"type-articles-\u002Fwater-filters\u002Fguides":143,"related-\u002Fwater-filters\u002Fguides":149},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"date":133,"description":134,"extension":135,"meta":136,"navigation":137,"path":138,"seo":139,"silo":140,"stem":141,"__hash__":142},"content\u002Fwater-filters\u002Fguides\u002Findex.md","Water Filters: The 3 Questions to Settle Before Buying",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":126},"minimark",[9,13,24,59,70,88,96,114,122],[10,11,12],"p",{},"Buying a water filter takes five minutes, and that is exactly the problem: it is the impulse buy of the home aisle. The result is pitchers that end up in a cupboard and filters screwed onto faucets they never fitted. Three questions to settle before paying: what is actually wrong with my water, which format suits me, and will I keep up the cartridge discipline. This section takes them in that order.",[14,15,17,23],"h2",{"id":16},"the-order-to-take-them-in",[18,19],"icon",{"className":20,"name":22},[21],"size-6","solar:routing-bold-duotone"," The order to take them in",[10,25,26,30,31,34,35,38,39,44,45,49,50,53,54,58],{},[27,28,29],"strong",{},"1. Diagnosis first."," \"My water isn't good\" covers three different realities. A ",[27,32,33],{},"chlorine taste",": the most common case by far, and carbon filtration fixes it perfectly. ",[27,36,37],{},"Hardness",": no filter touches it, that is a ",[40,41,43],"a",{"href":42},"\u002Fwater-softeners","softener"," subject, and ",[40,46,48],{"href":47},"\u002Fwater-quality","checking your hardness"," takes two minutes. A ",[27,51,52],{},"health concern"," — lead, PFAS, nitrate, arsenic: that is a ",[40,55,57],{"href":56},"\u002Freverse-osmosis-systems","reverse osmosis"," subject, not a simple filter. Getting the diagnosis wrong means buying a machine that will not treat your problem.",[10,60,61,64,65,69],{},[27,62,63],{},"2. Format next."," Pitcher for short rentals and the office; faucet mount for an everyday kitchen; under-sink for discretion and long-life cartridges. The strengths and weaknesses of each format are on ",[40,66,68],{"href":67},"\u002Fwater-filters","the section's front page",".",[10,71,72,75,76,79,80,83,84,87],{},[27,73,74],{},"3. Upkeep last."," This is the disqualifying criterion. A pitcher wants a cartridge every ",[27,77,78],{},"4 weeks",", a faucet mount every ",[27,81,82],{},"3 to 4 months",", an under-sink every ",[27,85,86],{},"6 to 12 months",". If you know you will forget, pick the format that forgives forgetting, or the subscription that ships cartridges without you thinking about it.",[14,89,91,95],{"id":90},"the-mistakes-people-regret",[18,92],{"className":93,"name":94},[21],"solar:danger-triangle-bold-duotone"," The mistakes people regret",[10,97,98,101,102,105,106,109,110,113],{},[27,99,100],{},"Buying without checking the faucet."," Pull-down sprayer or flat spout: the screw-on filter will not mount, and it is the number one reason for returns. ",[27,103,104],{},"Keeping a cartridge \"a bit longer\"",": saturated carbon stops filtering and can release what it held; the change date is not a suggestion. ",[27,107,108],{},"Believing the anti-scale promises",": magnetic or \"structured water\" gadgets have never demonstrated anything; maximum suspicion on that shelf, and your kettle will prove me right. ",[27,111,112],{},"Assuming any filter handles lead",": only NSF\u002FANSI 53 certification says that, and most faucet filters and pitcher cartridges are certified 42 only.",[14,115,117,121],{"id":116},"frequently-asked-questions",[18,118],{"className":119,"name":120},[21],"solar:question-circle-bold-duotone"," Frequently asked questions",[123,124],"faq",{":items":125},"[{\"q\":\"How do I work out what is wrong with my tap water?\",\"a\":\"Separate three cases: a chlorine taste (fixed by activated carbon), hardness (visible on your kettle, confirmed by a test strip) and a health concern (settled by your utility's report and, for lead, by a test at your own tap).\",\"href\":\"\u002Fwater-quality\",\"linkText\":\"Check your water report\"},{\"q\":\"Which filter format works for a renter?\",\"a\":\"The faucet mount: on and off in five minutes without tools, no trace when you leave. The pitcher stays relevant for a very short rental or a faucet that cannot take a filter.\"},{\"q\":\"Do magnetic anti-scale filters work?\",\"a\":\"No serious demonstration of their effectiveness exists. Against scale, what works is a resin softener for the house and reverse osmosis for drinking water.\",\"href\":\"\u002Fwater-softeners\u002Fguides\u002Fdo-magnetic-descalers-work\",\"linkText\":\"What salt-free descalers are really worth\"}]",{"title":127,"searchDepth":128,"depth":128,"links":129},"",2,[130,131,132],{"id":16,"depth":128,"text":23},{"id":90,"depth":128,"text":95},{"id":116,"depth":128,"text":121},"2026-08-03","Diagnosis, format, upkeep: my water filter buying guides, in the order the questions come up before you reach for a card.","md",{},true,"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Fguides",{"title":5,"description":134},"water-filters","water-filters\u002Fguides\u002Findex","vQFKf22kZwntINMXMYYdo0riw1I_ycAfF12gh7pg3aU",[144],{"path":145,"title":146,"description":147,"date":148},"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Fguides\u002Fchlorine-taste-tap-water","Chlorine Taste in Tap Water: Where It Comes From, How to Get Rid of It","Why your tap water tastes like a swimming pool, what that says about its quality, and the fixes that actually work — from a pitcher to an under-sink filter.","2026-08-04",{"overview":150,"articles":153},{"path":67,"title":151,"description":152},"Water Filters: Which One to Choose in 2026","Pitcher, faucet mount or under-sink: which water filter to pick to improve your tap water, what it costs, and what it really does to the taste.",[154,158,162,163,164,168,172,176,180],{"path":155,"title":156,"description":157,"date":133},"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Fcomparisons","Water Filter Comparisons: My Method and My Head-to-Heads","How I compare water filters: cost per gallon, filtration grade, real flow rate and certification — beyond 'removes chlorine, improves taste'.",{"path":159,"title":160,"description":161,"date":148},"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Fcomparisons\u002Funder-sink-water-filters","Which Under-Sink Water Filter to Choose in 2026","Under-sink filters: real cartridge capacity, cost per gallon, installation, and the difference with reverse osmosis. The models I would pick, and for what.",{"path":145,"title":146,"description":147,"date":148},{"path":138,"title":5,"description":134,"date":133},{"path":165,"title":166,"description":167,"date":148},"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Freviews\u002Fbrita-faucet-filter-review","PUR PLUS Faucet Filter Review: What It Really Does","A review of the PUR PLUS faucet mount: what it actually filters, its real cost per gallon, the faucet compatibility question, and the alternatives.",{"path":169,"title":170,"description":171,"date":133},"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Freviews","Water Filter Reviews: How I Judge Them","How I build my water filter reviews: the verifiable criteria, the traps in online reviews, and what only shows up after months of use.",{"path":173,"title":174,"description":175,"date":133},"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Ftools","Water Filter Tools: Diagnose Before You Buy","My tools for sizing up your water before spending a dollar: your utility's report, testing hardness yourself, and the cost-per-gallon calculation that settles every comparison.",{"path":177,"title":178,"description":179,"date":148},"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Ftools\u002Ftest-water-hardness-at-home","How to Test Your Water Hardness at Home","Test strips, titration kits or a TDS meter: the three ways to measure water hardness at home, how accurate each really is, and the ppm-versus-grains trap.",{"path":181,"title":182,"description":183,"date":133},"\u002Fwater-filters\u002Ftools\u002Fwater-hardness-by-city","Water Hardness by City: Why Your Report Probably Doesn't List It","Finding your water hardness in grains per gallon: what utilities publish and what they leave out, why most reports skip hardness, and how to get the number anyway.",1787678118381]