Anyone who is looking to compare water filtration systems will quickly be overwhelmed with a dizzying array of different types, products and brands. These systems can be as simple as a small pitcher you keep in your fridge or as complex as a whole house filtering unit.

When you want to compare home water filtration systems, your first question may be is it really necessary to obtain one? After all, America boasts of sophisticated indoor plumbing and treatment facilities, so what comes out of the faucet is safe, right? Well, the answer is often no.

Most American water treatment facilities use the outdated process of filtering out sediment and adding chlorine to kill the germs, not because chlorine is the most effective but because it is the cheapest sanitizer. To compare water filtration systems, you should be sure to consider our public treatment facilities.

As a result, when you turn on your tap, various chemicals and unwanted substances often flow into your glass. Chlorine is the main substance to be worried about: it has been linked to cancer. Also, the EPA has determined that American houses with indoor plumbing have elevated levels of chlorine gas produced from water vapor, so you can be affected by chlorine without drinking a drop. Lead is a concern in some areas of the country. Run-off from agriculture ends up in our drinking supply, carrying bacteria and chemicals with it. Because water is continually recycled through the natural rhythms of nature, it is always exposed to pollutants in our world.

Compare home water filtration systems product information to the information other sources tell us about our drinking supply, and it is clear that what comes out of our faucets needs further purifying. How these systems accomplish this differs. Distillation is a very old technique for removing unwanted substances, such as salt, from water. The drinking supply is passed over a heated metal coil which turns it to vapor, burning away other elements, then converts the purified vapor back to water. However, there are two problems with this process: most chemicals don't boil at the same temperature as H20 and are therefore not removed and this process removes vital minerals such as potassium from the water.

You can compare water filtration systems such as distillation to other systems such as reverse osmosis and see that the same problems persist. Reverse osmosis forces water through a very fine membrane but most chemicals are molecularly small enough to pass through this membrane while minerals are blocked, so the end produce is demineralized and not completely sanitized.

Carbon-based systems are usually the best at purifying your water supply. However, compare home water filtration systems that are carbon-based and you will see that the best systems exist in a multi-step process where the water passes over more than one filter or compound in order to strain out every impurity.

Carbon-based systems exist in small fridge-type units to whole-house systems, so you need to compare water filtration systems to decide what is best for you and your family. One of the easiest system to purchase is a carafe-style one for your fridge, but this type of unit quickly becomes impractical for a large family as it only filters a small amount of water at a time.

Sink-type models are more helpful as they produce larger amounts of water, but bear in mind that just treating your drinking supply is not ideal: what comes out of your tap can be harmful to your goldfish and plants, make washing clothes difficult, and cause your hair and nails to become dull. A whole-house system gives the most optimal results.

Finally, when you are looking to compare water filtration systems, keep in mind general cost and maintenance. There are products on the market that are relatively cost-effective; a good system should cost cents per day, not per gallon. A good system should not have to require constant changing of expensive cartridges and not require a lot of upkeep.

Martin Spencer is a health researcher who has been studying water filtration for over 25 years. He is a regular contributor to Water Filter Guide, a site dedicated to various methods of treating and purifying water. You can compare home water filtration systems on our site.