What do Brita filters do?

The drinking water that we receive through our kitchen cold water system has been through numerous treatments before we are able to have a glass to drink. Read the guide below to discover what these filters actually do.

How it works

How safe is drinking water?
The companies that supply water to our homes all state how high the quality of their water is and that it is safe to drink straight from the tap.
The companies that make and supply the various water filtration systems that are available state that this is not so and that we should be concerned over the quality of the water supplied to our homes. How the unwanted elements are removed
Brita uses a filtration system of a sheet of carbon covered in pores.
This sheet sucks in all the impurities as they go through this section of the filter. The process of filtration takes just a few minutes and you receive a glass of purified water containing a reduced level of impurities.
Changing the filter cartridge
This cartridge should be changed regularly and Brita recommend around every three months.
Using cartridges past this time means your purified water is passing through a filter of carbon that is full of bacteria and other unseen impurities.

What it removes

Fluoride
Fluoride is in the water along with chlorine to prevent the growth of bacteria.
With this protection being removed or greatly reduced the drinking of filtered water older than 48 hours is not recommended as the bacteria may have grown to an unsafe level. Calcium
This is found naturally in the water supply and the amount can vary greatly depending upon the source of the water.
Well water can have higher concentrations of calcium and it can cause a build up of scaling to occur over time.
Filtered water improves the taste by removing calcium deposits. Magnesium
This contributes to the hardness of the water supply through its alkali content. Magnesium is washed off rocks, as well as being present in fertilizers and enters the water supply.
In low quantities, it is not toxic and magnesium is filtered out through water purifiers. Lead
Older homes can have this potentially lethal problem through using lead pipes. The lead is absorbed into the water and can be potentially dangerous particularly for children and women that are pregnant. Final word
Long term exposure can lead to kidney problems, affect the nervous system or the brain.
The filtration process reduces the lead content.