Tapping into Kitchen Sink Water Accessories

by Gabby Hyman
Face Your Kitchen Columnist

If you live in a region where the drinking water quality is poor, or the water simply tastes terrible, consider having your kitchen contractor prescribe a water filter solution for your home. There's a wide range in cost, functionality, and overall quality of water filtration systems. But a system can be a rewarding kitchen accessory. Kitchen under-sink or tap-source filters not only protect your family from chemicals and germs, they can save you considerable money over the cost of buying bottled water. Often, it's simply the poor taste of tap water from a local water source and treatment facility that motivates home owners to add filtration systems when installing a new kitchen sink. If taste is not your concern, the presence of contaminants in your drinking water should be cause for alarm. How safe is your drinking water? You can check the source and quality of your community's water at the Environmental Protection Agency's water quality website.

Types of Kitchen Water Filtration Accessories

The most extensive system is a whole-house filtration setup, which really should be fitted by an expert or kitchen contractor. Depending upon the system you choose, you can enjoy half to full-year filter life. You'll also get a good half-year of filter life out of an under-sink filtration system. These systems hide out of sight and treat large flows of tap water quickly and efficiently.

Faucet-mounted and pitcher-source filter systems are available at home improvement stores and at many supermarkets. Most people have little difficulty installing a faucet-mounted system. These systems treat taste, but won't necessarily select out contaminants like an under-sink or whole-house model.

Pitcher-source kitchen accessories use a charcoal-based filter cone that inserts into a pitcher that you fill at the tap. These units certainly go a long way in eliminating foul taste from your water, but make few claims in removing contaminants. And if you're in a hurry, you may not like how long it takes for a pitcher system to filter a suitable amount of water.

Source:

• Environmental Protection Agency

About the Author
Gabby Hyman has written for print and online media for more than 20 years. He has created online content for eToys, GoTo.com, Siebel Systems, Avaya, and Nissan UK. He has also been a web consultant to the Governor of California. As an author of fiction, journalism, and poetry, Gabby is a former English professor for the University of Illinois, University of Alaska, and Old Dominion University. He holds an MFA in fiction writing from the University of Alabama.