Buying and installing a home water filter is good idea regardless of where you live and how good your water is. At a minimum you have chlorine in your water if you are using municipally treated water. If you are using well water then you have to protect yourself from bacteria and anything else that has made its way into the ground water.

It does not take much research to realize that your brand choices are vast and sometimes your choices within a particular brand is enough to make your head spin. We are going to focus on countertop water filters here, looking at the pros and cons of installing this type of filtration system in your home.

Pricing
Generally speaking a counter top unit will be priced less than an under sink water filter and certainly less than a whole house system. For the most part a countertop unit can accomplish everything an under sink unit can, you will just need to replace the filters more often. Countertop filtration runs about $200 less than under sink models providing the same level of filtration.

Location
Obviously a countertop unit is going to sit on top of your counter. When it comes to installation this is an awesome convenience. Installation is complete simply by attaching the diverter valve that comes with your filter to the faucet head. When you desire filtered water just move the valve to the filtration setting and turn on your faucet, flip the valve again and you have tap water for dishes, hand washing etc. Since water filters must be replaced and serviced regularly the accessibility of a countertop unit is a major convenience.

Space required and appearance are considered a disadvantage by most. If you prefer a minimalist decorating style, preferring your kitchen counter to be clear of appliances then a countertop filter may not be for you. Often times, especially in apartment settings, there may not be much space available. Though most companies that manufacture counter top units make an attempt to make them as pleasing to the eye as possible, the simple logistics of the shape that is required to make the filter effective limits them to minimal creativity. Essentially you have a white or stainless steel cylinder or rectangle with tubing attached to your faucet sitting on your kitchen counter.

Functionality
Most of us in the USA are blessed with high quality water and for health purposes do not need massive filtration systems. However there are a few contaminates that are routinely added to our water such as chlorine and or chloramine for bacteria and fluoride for enhanced tooth enamel. While bacteria reduction is necessary the chemicals used are best not ingested. Fluoride is not needed at all by our bodies and is actually a toxin for humans.

There are countertop water filters that will remove these contaminates and they do so using chemical free methods. Chlorine and chloramine are rendered harmless with relative ease and therefore require less filtration. However fluoride is more difficult to manage due to how well it dissolves in water leaving its molecules smaller. There are essentially three ways to remove fluoride from your drinking water: reverse osmosis, distillation and activated alumina. All three will require more space than a simple carbon or charcoal water filter and the RO (reverse osmosis) system is down right ugly.

To recap here is a quick list of the pros and cons of a countertop water filter:

Pros

• Less expensive than under sink or whole house systems
• Easy to install, maintain and service
• Easy to use
• Can remove most contaminates found in municipal water suppies
• Non chemical water treatment

Cons

• Uses up valuable counter space
• Not very attractive
• Filters need replacing more often

Based on this evaluation it seems that a countertop water filter is an excellent option for an individual's or family's water treatment needs.