Home water purifier systems are significantly more involved than simple home water filters. While a filter can easily be attached to your faucet by you, a home water purifier system will likely require a professional to install it, and will take up a significant amount of space under your counter or in another location convenient to your faucet. When you choose one, therefore, you'll have to think about the cost and space required by the system as well as how the system itself works. The best home water purifier system is always the one that works best for you.

Ask lots of questions before selecting between home water purifier systems. How long will it go between filter changes, if it needs changes at all? Some systems don't use filters, and others require filters to be changed as often as four or five times a year. If you don't have much space to work with, a filtered system may be more trouble than you want to bother with.

Which contaminants do you need to remove with a home water purifier? Home water purification systems all remove different contaminants and contaminant types, from biological contaminants to heavy metals. You should be absolutely certain that your chosen filter type removes the contaminants that are a problem for your water. The good news: a reverse osmosis system removes almost every type of contaminant, and though it delivers a relatively small quantity of water daily (about 15 gallons) it's more than enough for your drinking water requirements.

You have to consider cost when selecting a home water purifier. Cheap systems attach directly to your faucet and use activated carbon, but the filters they use need frequent changing and don't filter out as much as you might like. On the other end, UV filters can cost as much as a thousand dollars, but they will kill anything living in your water without chlorine or other chemical additives. In general, though, home water purification systems sit right in the $200-300 price range, with installation extra. This can be a real bargain if you drink a lot of bottled water; once installed, a water filtration system needs very little maintenance and you can make your own filtered water at about a nickel a gallon. Compare that with your regular bottled water costs, and decide for yourself whether it's a net gain.

There are four basic types of home water purification systems that are available on the general market. Reverse osmosis systems install under the counter, and use a passive filter system (one without pressure) to collect water in a reservoir at a rate of about fifteen gallons a day. UV systems use light technology to kill germs in your water supply, but don't remove any other contaminants; this makes them great for spring water or other non-municipal supplies that are otherwise fine. Activated carbon filters are commonly used in the faucet filter systems, but are also used in larger systems to provide clean water on a larger scale; they work pretty well, but need frequent filter changes. The KDF-55 filters are generally attached to a showerhead to remove chlorine and soften your water, making your shower water healthier for your skin and enabling your expensive bathing products to work better as well. Know these differences before you buy, and you'll save yourself money and time.