Why Should You Install A Shower Filter?
Shower filters are known to soften skin and hair and reduce exposure to chemicals commonly found in tap water. What is not as well known is the mechanism by which the shower filter media reduces these chemicals.
A high-quality whole home water filter with carbon and KDF media is the best way to improve the quality of bath and shower water when possible. By using this method, all the taps in the house offer filtered water. The disadvantage of this approach is that water that does not need to be filtered is filtered; for example, toilet flushing water, lawn irrigation, dishwashing water, etc.
Table of Contents
Installation
Also, installation costs can be prohibitive where construction is necessary to make space for the equipment. Do you think the water filter system’s costs outweigh the benefits? A high-quality shower filter in the bathroom and a high-quality drinking water filter (countertop type or under sink type) can be an economical solution.
Since KDF is found in almost all shower filters, the differences in the amount of KDF media, also the style and shape of the filter housing, and the type of showerhead.
Shower filters are available in a wide variety of styles and types.
Handheld
With a hose and removable wand
Extension
with a shower head that can be articulated in any number of positions
Refillable
A replaceable cartridge allows you to use the housing again and again. These are available with and without a showerhead.
With so many options, it is easy to find a shower filter that fits your needs and preferences. I would recommend a shower head filter for hard water with NSF certification, so the filter performs as advertised.
In the 1980s, several companies introduced shower filtration devices that utilized KDF media. The KDF media uses the chemical processes of reduction and oxidation to clean the water. To have a comfortable shower, a flow rate of 2.5 gallons per minute is desirable.
To get this kind of a flow rate with a carbon-based filter would require a filter cartridge the size of a small microwave oven! The adsorption process, in which carbon reduces chemicals in water, requires adequate contact time with the carbon media. To make this contact time adequate, you can either increase the amount of carbon media (thereby increasing the carbon surface area) or decrease the flow rate of the water – which is, of course, undesirable.
The KDF media, on the other hand, requires very little contact time for the chemical processes of reduction and oxidation to occur. This makes KDF ideal for a shower situation and is the biggest reason that all modern shower filters contain KDF. Shower filter manufacturers will often also include other ion exchange media (usually proprietary) or even some carbon.
