Recently the NCS blog staff came across a New York Times “Wirecutter” article discussing and rating the best under-sink water filter. Since a number of NCS staff members have water filters installed in their homes, and regularly talk about why they find it necessary to have them, we had to take a look at what the “Wirecutter” folks had to say.
More importantly NSF/ANSI certification came to mind, and we were thrilled to see the “Wirecutter” writers made sure to discuss that certification. After all, NCS offers a full range of NSF/ANSI 61 certified products suitable for potable water applications — not to mention NSF 51 and 61 dual certification offerings for food, beverage and water applications. But we digress….
Why filter?
Let’s momentarily go back to why people feel the need to use these filters. Obviously fresh water is essential for human survival and clean drinking water is a must. There is an ongoing myth that tap water is unsafe to drink, but we know that in the U.S. and Canada this is mostly untrue. Local water providers extensively filter and treat the tap water before you use it, and if/when there are issues, local authorities will issue boil orders or other advisories. Unfortunately some people do not like the resulting taste of the water after treatment. Chlorine and the mineral content in tap water may have an off-putting taste to some people. If the pipes in your house are old and corroded, metal shavings and sediment could get into the water supply. And in some areas there is still the worry of inadequate management of urban, industrial and agricultural wastewater. Water filters are made to provide one last filtration step to ensure those issues are resolved.
We aren’t advocating one way or the other as to if one should go out and buy a water filter; and the filter/no-filter debate will continue among our staff. What we will say is that NCS works to provide the water industry with elastomeric products that meet all industry standards and certifications mentioned above. NCS NSF products meet the strict standards for public health protection. So the next time you fill up your glass with water from the tap, water cooler or sink filtration system, you can be assured that the product used to deliver water is safe for use.
****
Check out our resources on NSF 61 Drinking Water System Components.
NCS offers more information on NSF 51 & 61 Dual Certification.
The thought for this blog post was sparked by a New York Times “Wirecutter” article.
