Most of us take the water from our taps for granted. It looks clean, it tastes fine, so what’s the problem? Well, even in countries where tap water is considered safe, there’s almost always room to improve what’s flowing through your pipes.
That’s where point of use water filters come in. They attach directly to individual faucets, cost as little as $30, and can noticeably improve the taste, smell, and safety of your drinking water. Plus, the more comfortable you are drinking from the tap, the less you’ll rely on single-use plastic bottles.
In this guide, we’ll break down how POU filters work, what types are out there, and how they stack up against whole house systems. We’ll also cover the health, financial, and environmental benefits so you can decide if one makes sense for your home.
What Is a Point of Use Water Filter?
A point of use (POU) water filter, is a filter that attaches directly to the faucet.
It can either be placed under the sink or attached directly to the tap.
In the first case, it guarantees the purification of the water before it enters the single tap it’s applied to.
In the second case, it purifies the water coming out of the tap, right before reaching your glass or jug.
In both cases, differently from a whole house filtering system, the point of use filter allows you to choose what type of water you want to get, from specific faucets in your house.
The cost of a point of use filter starts at around $30, so it’s very accessible.
A point of use filter is small and easy to install, it’s also far cheaper and more accessible than the whole house filters, which can cost up to $10,000.
Advantages of POU Filters
The advantage of faucet filters is, that they act only on the water coming out of the single tap, so it’s easy to customize various taps in your house as preferred.
They not only help to purify drinking water but also water used for cooking, showering, gardening, and more. They require maintenance and replacement every 3 to 6 months.
Usually you’ll need to change filters regularly, but even including their replacement cost, filters are a more economical choice compared to relying on bottled water.
Substances withheld by point of use water filters include:
- Sediments
- Chlorine
- Trihalomethane
- Calcium
- Hard metals
- Phosphates
- Limescale
- Rust
- Lead
- Mercury
- Nickel
- Pesticides
- Nitrates
- Sodium
Types of Tap Filters
1. Activated Carbon
This is one of the most common filters on the market.
It uses activated carbon, that has an boost porosity and specific surface area.
These chemical and physical characteristics allow it to absorb and retain any particles, that may be present in the water, like chlorine, pesticides, and solvents.
These filters don’t affect the hardness of the water.
2. Ion Exchange Resin
This type of filter is particularly good if you’re interested in improving the taste, of your tap water. The ions in the resin reduce the hardness of the water and contribute to softening the taste.
This resin creates a chemical process, resulting in the softening of the water, by withholding calcium, magnesium, and limescale. This type of filter is very useful in preventing the formation of limescale and producing softer water.
For this reason, it’s particularly adequate for water used in dishwashers and washing machines.
3. Reverse Osmosis
The reverse osmosis is a process that allows the passage of the solvent molecules, from the most concentrated solution to the less concentrated one. The water enters the filter, and here, a semipermeable membrane catches the contaminants, whilst the filtered water keeps flowing.
Reverse osmosis filters are very efficient, as they can remove up to 99% of contaminating substances in the water. The disadvantage of this type of filter is, that it can waste a lot of water.
4. Aerator Filter
These filters can be applied at the end of the tap or inside it. These are physical filters, that are fine enough to stop bigger substances in the water, especially limescale, but they don’t filter smaller and more harmful particles.
They’re best known for being water-saving devices, as they sieve and reduce the water flow, allowing you to save on your water bill.
Recommended Brands
Here are some recommended brands for a point of use water filter.
TAPP Water
TAPP water offers various faucet water filters, that guarantee clean and softened water. The filters easily adapt to most taps and assure to remove hard metals, chlorine, microplastics, and substances that may be present in the water.
Prices range from $40 to $100.
PUR
PUR faucets filters are certified to remove up to 70% of contaminants including chlorine, pesticides, and metals like mercury. If you ever run into issues, check out our guide on how to change a PUR filter. They’re very easy to install and don’t require a replacement filter for three months.
Prices range between $24 and $28.
SPARDAR
This filter is durable and provides a good flow of water. Its design allows you to easily switch from filtered to regular water.
It easily attaches to the faucet and fits most standard taps. Prices are usually around $23.
If you experience heavy limescale formations on your appliances, you might want to consider purchasing a scale inhibitor. A scale inhibitor helps to prevent the formation of limescale inside pipes and appliances, increasing their lifespans.
Shower Filters
Have you noticed that when you go on holiday to a different country or region, your hair is a lot softer and lighter? You’re not necessarily putting a holiday filter on everything, including how good you look.
It could very much be that the town you’re in has softer, cleaner water, reaching your shower.
Shower water can be just as damaging as drinking water. The reason why we should filter our showering water is both hygienical and aesthetical.
Using a shower filter can prevent you from breathing harmful airborne substances, in your lungs. Plus, your skin and hair can absorb hard components like chlorine and limescale.
These substances can remove the natural protective oils from skin and hair. The most visible impact is heavy hair, which easily becomes greased.
Shower filters can be a great help in reducing any hard substances from the shower water and therefore have visible benefits on your skin and hair.
Usually, you can find two types of shower filters:
- An all-in-one model with an integrated filter where the filter is applied inside the showerhead
- A filter that needs to be installed between the shower arm and the siphon (these are usually easier to apply)
The average price range for a shower filter is between $15 and $35.
Recommended Shower Filters
Cadrim - This is a 15-stage filter that effectively removes residues of chlorine, heavy metals, and sulfur smell. It also prevents the formation of limescale and mold.
Price is around $22.
Innobeta - It removes chlorine, contaminating and irritating agents, heavy metals, and unpleasant smells. Its nine-stage design can also contribute to softening the water and benefiting your skin and hair.
Fridge Filters
Fridges that also provide chilled water are usually already equipped with filters. Regularly replacing used fridge filters is just as important as replacing tap filters.
Replacements are easily findable and usually provided by the fridge brand itself.
Why Install a Point of Use Water Filter?
Let’s take at some of the reasons for installing a point of use water filter.
Removal of Chlorine
They remove the presence and taste of chlorine. The water that flows from our home taps is preventively disinfected with chlorine to kill pathogens.
Although the human body already contains a certain amount of chlorine, this element, combined with some food like fruit and vegetables, can favor the development of cancerogenic substances. Therefore, avoiding the ingestion of chlorine can contribute, to reducing the risk of getting cancer.
Reduce Ingestion of Heavy Metals
They reduce the risk to ingest heavy metals. Unfortunately, the water in some regions or cities can contain heavy metals like lead and nitrates.
Filtering your tap water can reduce the assumption of these dangerous cancerogenic pathogens.
Protection from Pathogens
They protect you from bacteria and parasites. Although tap water is subjected to disinfecting processes, some microorganisms can survive these treatments.
Ingesting some kind of bacteria or parasites can cause illnesses or other medical issues.
Pipe Protection
The presence of limescale can reach critical levels for appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, and boilers. Filtered water allows you to keep your domestic appliances functioning correctly and prevents encrusting deposits in your pipes.
Plant Protection
Plants don’t love limescale, nor heavy metals or bacteria. Filtering water is a great way to keep them healthy and favor the growth of flowers, trees, and vegetables.
Cost-Effective
It’s cost-effective and easy to install. The cost of POU filters is usually around $30.
Whether they’re under the counter or countertop devices, they’re usually easy to attach to your water line or tap.
Whole House Filter vs. Point of Use Filter
A whole house or Point of Entry (POE) water filter is a system that’s installed at the entry point of your home water line. That means that the water in all your appliances and faucets will be filtered in the same way.
Whole-house filters are significantly more expensive, with prices ranging from $400 up to $10,000. As they represent a much bigger investment, you might want to consider purchasing one when living in an area where water is likely to be contaminated with lead, nickel, mercury, and other harmful substances.
They’re mainly based on the same technology, as a point of use filters, including carbon and reverse osmosis.
The advantage of whole house filters is, that they’re long-lasting. You’ll only need to replace them once every 5-8 years.
They, however, don’t always produce good quality drinkable water.
So make sure you get proper consultation before deciding to install one.
Do I Need a Point of Use Water Filter?
As mentioned before, tap water is thoroughly controlled and safe in most Western countries. However, impurities in your tap water can still be caused by other factors, so there’s always room for improvement.
A point of use water filter might be a quick and easy solution if your home water regularly or occasionally has a funny taste or smell. This could be directly linked to old pipes in your water line.
This is a very common cause and it can undermine the quality of the water even though its source is ensured by your local authority.
Old pipes can rust, and that can give red or brown tones to your tap water. Even sand and other particles can flow into your tap when traveling via aged pipes.
As the cost of renewing your house pipes can be very expensive, a point of use filter is a great alternative to have safe and clean drinking water.
Remember that safe and clean water has to be colorless, tasteless, and odorless. These are the basic three characteristics to check when keeping, that you’re not drinking contaminated water.
Filtering Well Water
Many homes, especially in the countryside, get their water from private wells. If this is your case, water filtering becomes a vital aspect to consider.
Most private wells aren’t scrutinized by environmental protection agencies and won’t be guaranteed to provide safe water to your home.
All the types of filters discussed above will be suitable for well water too. However, you must get well water analyzed by a professional third party first.
Other methods like distillation and disinfection might be required to make sure your well water can safely enter your home. That might also include chlorination, in the same way as local bodies disinfect public water.
In the end, if you’re looking for a total and full filtering system, you can choose to install both POE and POU filters.
Benefits of POU
Here are some of the many benefits of using a point of use filter.
Health
Even though tap water is safe and clean in most developed countries, some cities still experience issues with contaminated and toxic water.
It doesn’t harm to install point of use water filters to improve the quality of your tap water.
When deciding what system is more appropriate for your house, consider aspects like the area you live in and how strict the controls are on public water.
On top of that, having tap water that tastes and smells better thanks to a point of use filter can certainly make it easier for you to drink more.
Studies suggest that we should be drinking at least 2L of water per day as part of a healthy diet.
The benefits of staying hydrated are countless, including skin hydration, the correct function of key organs, weight loss, and gut health.
Besides, filtered water can contribute to reducing the risk of gastrointestinal disease and disturbances and even lower the risk of contracting cancer.
As much as chlorine is an essential component in so that the water we drink is safe, it can irritate and dry sensitive skin.
Installing a point of use filter on your shower can improve the health of your skin and contribute to that extra beauty factor, making the skin softer and hydrated.
Similarly, unfiltered water can cause hair dryness due to the presence of chlorine, calcium, and magnesium.
Adding a point of use filter to your shower can help you achieve smoother and softer hair as it will visibly benefit from being washed with lighter, cleaner water.
Cost-Effective
Choosing to drink tap water over bottled mineral water impacts your savings directly.
Research suggests that the average American adult spends up to $100 per year per person on bottled water.
Bottled water is the 2nd most purchased bottled drink in the US and is up to 2000 times more expensive than tap water.
On the contrary, tap water is incredibly cheap.
In fact, according to Food and Water Watch, tap water is thousands of times cheaper than bottled water, costing around $0.002 per gallon against bottled water that ranges between $0.89 and $8.26 per gallon.
The purchase of bottled water has increased in recent years worldwide, mainly due to intense marketing campaigns but also because of the common perception that it’s safer.
Except for specific areas experiencing water contamination, tap water is as safe as bottled water in most developed countries.
Another reason why water filters are cost-effective is that they reduce the formation of limescale. That means your water pipes and appliances will require less maintenance.
Practicality
Tap water runs free. It’s always there and you can never run out of it.
It doesn’t take space in your kitchen, storage room, or wherever you would be stocking up your bottles of water. It’s always fresh, and it doesn’t risk being contaminated when stored in warehouses.
Environment
The impacts of bottled water production on the environment are significant. The first aspect is as obvious as it’s devastating.
The production of plastic bottles.
Billions of water bottles are produced and thrown each year in the US alone.
Bottled water takes an exponentially higher amount of energy to produce compared to tap water.
This includes pollution deriving from the production, transportation, and disposal of water bottles.
Tap water is a zero kilometer resource, as it doesn’t need to be transported from the factory, to a shop, or a house.
Caveats
Some sources state that point of use filters can reduce the presence of important substances like calcium and magnesium in tap water.
For this reason, it’s important to choose certified brands and do proper research before purchasing a filter.
Another counterproductive risk can result from bacteria forming in saturated filters that aren’t being replaced regularly.
Make sure you read the indications on your filter to understand how often you need to replace or clean it.
Most filters last between 3 and 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Basic faucet-mounted models start around $30, and under-sink versions run $50 to $200. Even when you factor in replacement filters every 3 to 6 months, you're still spending way less than you would on bottled water or a whole house system.
For most models, you're looking at every 3 to 6 months. It depends on the brand and how much water you're running through it. Some higher-end filters stretch to 12 months. Just stick to whatever schedule the manufacturer recommends — that's how you keep the filtration working properly.
Absolutely. Plenty of POU filters are certified for lead removal. Both activated carbon and reverse osmosis do a solid job of reducing lead levels. If this is a priority for you, look for filters that meet NSF/ANSI Standard 53 — that's the certification specifically for lead reduction.
POU filters treat water at one specific tap — like your kitchen faucet. POE filters (also called whole house filters) treat everything coming into your home at once. POU is cheaper and simpler to install. POE gives you whole-home coverage but costs significantly more.
Final Thoughts
If you don't need to filter every drop of water in your house, a point of use filter is the smart move. It's affordable, simple to install, and does a surprisingly good job at improving what comes out of your tap.
Before you pick one, spend a few minutes researching your local water quality. That'll help you figure out exactly which contaminants to target.
Just don't forget to swap out filters on schedule — a clogged or saturated filter can actually make things worse. Once you're set up, you'll probably find yourself reaching for tap water instead of bottled, and your wallet and the environment will both thank you.
