Brita filters remove the taste of chlorine, remove odour from your drinking water and they reduce other contaminants.
Click on each corresponding link to jump ahead to that section:
1. How Effective Are Brita Filters?
4. Brita Filters vs. Reverse Osmosis
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We want to equip you with the knowledge you need so that your family can be equipped with the right tools and information to keep your water soft and your home's plumbing in order.
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1. How effective are Brita filters?
Brita filters are highly effective at improving the taste and smell of tap water while significantly reducing common contaminants such as chlorine, lead, and mercury.
Certified under NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53, these filters meet rigorous standards for reducing aesthetic impurities like chlorine taste and odour, as well as health-related contaminants such as lead.
According to Brita, their filters reduce common impurities such as chlorine, lead, and mercury.
Independent research supports this claim:
A 2020 study in Environmental Science and Technology Letters confirmed that activated carbon filters, like those in Brita products, can effectively reduce lead to safe drinking levels.
Further research seems to back this up, as another 2020 study found that carbon filters can bring lead contamination in tap water down to safe levels.
The Brita Elite Filter therefore stands out, removing 99% of lead and filtering more contaminants than other pour-through systems, making it particularly beneficial for homes with aging plumbing.
In addition to health benefits, Brita filters offer environmental advantages by reducing reliance on single-use plastic bottles—each filter can replace up to 300 plastic bottles, helping combat plastic waste.
Furthermore, Brita filters can lower exposure to potentially harmful chlorine byproducts, such as trihalomethanes (THMs), which have been associated with certain health risks.
A 2022 survey found that 85% of users experienced improved water taste after switching to Brita.
For optimal performance, it’s essential to replace filters as recommended: standard filters every two months and Elite filters every six months.
Failure to adhere to these schedules can lead to contaminant buildup, reducing effectiveness and potentially compromising water quality.
Brita filters provide an affordable, convenient solution for better-tasting, safer water, but regular maintenance is key to maximizing their benefits.
Key Stats:
Chlorine removal efficiency: Up to 99%.
Lead reduction: 99%.
Mercury reduction: Effective within EPA guidelines.
Brita filters are best for removing bad taste and odour.
2. How do Brita filters work?
Brita filters come in several forms, from a pitcher (seen above) to fridge and faucet filters.
Each of the Brita filters consists of a coconut-based activated carbon filter. It’s like an ultra-fine sieve that catches and stores tiny particles.
Their pitchers are designed for use with disposable filters. To start:
You pour water into a compartment at the top of the pitcher with a filter at the bottom.
Water flows through a built-in mesh screen that removes impurities.
The activated carbon granules will then act like a sponge that removes mercury and the taste and odour of chlorine.
As the water runs through the filter, it slowly trickles out of the compartment into the main pitcher.
Once the water stops dripping through the filter, it’s ready to be poured out and used.
Brita filters also contain an ion-exchange resin that filters trace amounts of zinc, copper, and cadmium.
The process is similar for fridge and faucet filters.
The system effectively removes contaminants that affect taste and odour, providing clean, great-tasting water. However, Brita filters are not designed to remove all contaminants (e.g., fluoride).
Brita filters give you great tasting, odor-free drinking water
3. Limits of Brita filters
There are a few limits of Brita filters to address here.
First off, Brita water filters will only work for you if you’re dealing with the problem of impurities that Brita can remove.
For example, Brita filters don’t remove fluoride. If your tap water contains fluoride and your baby's main source of food comes from mixing a powder or liquid-concentrate formula with water, then you might run the risk of your child developing faint white lines or streaks on their teeth. This is known as fluorosis and you can read more about that here.
Also, you need to know Brita filters don’t soften your water.
That’s because Brita filters are only capable of removing temporary hardness like calcium bicarbonate, but can’t make much difference for permanent hardness, like calcium sulfate.
Likewise, the minerals that contribute to hardness build up quickly in the filters, meaning that they may leak back into the water unless you change the filter even more than recommended.
So, you’ll still need a water softener if you have hard water.
4. Brita filters vs. Reverse osmosis
Brita filters are effective, but reverse osmosis removes over 500x the microns that carbon filters will remove (as seen in the chart below).
Reverse osmosis, as mentioned above, is a water treatment process in which water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane that has very small holes or "pores."
Clean water passes through and impurities that are too big to pass through the membrane are left behind and flushed away.
Because reverse osmosis uses a chemical treatment process to apply pressure to the water, through a series of specialized membranes, it enables foreign substances, molecules, and minerals to be removed. This process creates pure water that leads to a number of health benefits.
There are many different brands of reverse osmosis systems to purchase. It is important to buy one that is high quality and also includes a carbon filter to block dangerous chemicals like pesticides, herbicides, and chlorine which are small enough to pass through the reverse osmosis filter.
At WaterSmart we sell, install, and service Duro Reverse Osmosis systems. These high-quality systems come with both a pre and a post-carbon filter.
Click here to learn more about our high-quality Duro system or contact us today to see what is the best system for you.
Contact WaterSmart For Info on Brita Filters and More!
Brita filters are a good and effective method for good-tasting drinking water, there’s no doubt about it.
But there are other options! We've been providing water services to our customers in the Kitchener-Waterloo area since 1994.
If you need reverse osmosis or any other water system in the Kitchener-Waterloo region, you can trust WaterSmart.
We would be happy to help at a reasonable rate, and we even have financing options if you need a new unit.
Our expert, experienced plumbers will install your new water softener efficiently and at a price that you can afford.
If you purchase a water softener from us, your installation is free!
Contact WaterSmart today for a free quote.
LOCATION:
14-105 Lexington Road, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 4R7
Phone: 519-886-7331
STORE HOURS
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Thu: 8:30 am - 7 pm
Fri: 8:30 am-5 pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed
Please note: Store will be closed on all long weekends, both the Saturday and scheduled holiday Monday
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I have been a customer here well over 10 years!”
