Having good clean water on hand is a must. Back in 2009, I was fed up with hauling gallons and 2.5 gallons of water home from the store. On top of that, it was difficult to rinse food without a spigot. So, I signed up for Sparkletts home delivery service. That was good for a while…until I began to question exactly what might be in the water and how it is filtered, if at all.
Turns out that bottled water and tap water are regulated by two different entities. The FDA regulates bottled water and the EPA regulates tap water. Even with the setbacks we’ve suffered courtesy of the Bush administration, EPA rules are still more stringent than those of the FDA. I figured a good home filtration system was the way to go.
Boy, was it a chore to figure out which one to buy. Carbon filters, ceramic filters, ionizers, alkaline pH enhancers, wetter water, water that is loved, water blessed by Tibetan monks, water collected after running over stones -- companies are running around out there making all kinds of claims. These various waters are purported to do everything from reversing age to curing cancer. At this point, I got a real leg up from the National Resources Defense Council. Their informative articles got me going in the right direction.
First, when you’re looking for a home filtration system, you need to know what contaminants are in your particular water supply. Where is your water coming from? What is in it that needs to be filtered out?
Here in Los Angeles, you can get information on the regulated contaminants from a nifty little report that the DWP creates each year that comes in your little ole mailbox. It’s their Annual Water Quality Report. It will tell you exactly what source your water is coming from depending on what part of the city you live in. It also lists out all of the nasties in the water that are required to be tested and in what amounts they are present. Useful Information!
I learned from the DWP report that my tap water has arsenic and lead in it, among other things. Looking deeper into the sources of my water, I also learned that it contains an unregulated toxin called perchlorate. This bad boy is an ingredient in rocket fuel and is highly damaging to the thyroid gland.
The EPA has made the decision to regulate perchlorate, but has not imposed any requirements yet. If Mittens becomes president, I don’t know that this process will continue. You can keep abreast of the development of this regulation at the EPA page on perchlorate. For the time being, the only method of purification that will filter out this stuff is reverse osmosis.
Armed with that knowledge and a credit card, I charged out onto the playing field, ready to find the best RO system. Thanks again to the NRDC, I found out about NSF International. It’s painfully clear that not only can a company make any claim, but they do it in spades. NSF International is an independent not-for-profit laboratory that tests products and certifies that their claims are valid. It is not a guarantee of safety, but if you find the NSF International symbol on a product, at least you know that the claims the company has made have been tested by an independent entity.
So, that was the method to my madness, folks. That is the route I took to my final purchase of the Multipure Reverse Osmosis water filtration system. Because of all my research from solid sources, I am convinced it is the best system around. It consists of no less than five filters, including a reverse osmosis membrane.
I love the thing. It costs $580.00, including all necessary filters. Three filters need to be replaced every six months for a total of $92.80 per year. One filter is replaced yearly and costs $69.95. The RO membrane is $102.95 and is replaced every two or three years depending on your water quality and amount of use. That means you’ll get six years’ of use for around 76 cents a day!
The water is delicious and crystal clear. I drink it like crazy. I make ice with it. I rinse my fruits and veggies with it. For health, wellness, and deep down refreshment, it is quite the deal!
NEED TO KNOW:
Multi-Pure Corporation
The Las Vegas Technology Center
7251 Cathedral Rock Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89128
800-622-9206 toll-free
702-360-3880 phone
[email protected]
www.multipure.com
(Jennifer Caldwell is a an actress and an active member of SAG-AFTRA, serving on several committees. She is a published author of short stories and news articles and is a featured contributor to CityWatch. Her column at www.RecessionCafe.wordpress.com is dishing up good deals, recipes and food for thought. Jennifer can be reached at [email protected]. Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jennifercald - Twitter: @Jennifersdeals)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 84
Pub: Oct 19, 2012