Faucet-Mount Water Filters

Faucet-mounted water filters are convenient

Faucet-mounted water filters can be convenient for households that use a lot of filtered water – more than a pitcher or dispenser water filter can provide. These products are relatively easy to install on the faucet, although they don't work with certain types or may require a special adapter. However, even the top water filters that mount on a faucet generally have a slower flow rate than water filter pitchers. Owners also say these filters can be cumbersome to work around while washing dishes and doing other activities at the sink.

Some of these filters are merely carbon inside a plastic casing, while others incorporate layers that trap sediment or improve the taste. Either way, to extend the life of the filter (because repeatedly running hot water through it may weaken it over time), faucet water filters have a valve to switch between filtered and unfiltered water.

If you are more concerned about improving the water's taste and don't want to spend a lot of money to filter out a wide range of contaminants, you should be aware that owners reviewing faucet-mounted water filters at Amazon.com give the highest ratings to the Culligan Faucet Filter FM-15A (*Est. $20). This water filter also receives the highest rating in one professional review for filtering out lead and organic matter, and it doesn't experience the clogging problems that other models do. In addition to lead, this filter is NSF-certified to reduce chlorine, atrazine (an herbicide), lindane (an insecticide), cysts (like intestinal parasites) and turbidity (fine particles).

Owners say the Culligan filter's main drawback is the lack of a filter status indicator, and you have to rely on a calendar and a noticeable reduction in flow rate to know when to replace the filter. Switching to filtered water is a simple matter of pulling out a stem valve, which owners say conveniently resets back to unfiltered when you turn the faucet off. The filters last twice as long as faucet-mounted versions of Brita's and Pur's water filters, and they cost about $5 less.

Pur redesigned its vertical and horizontal faucet-mounted water filtration systems to create a "one-click" installation. Owners at Amazon.com and other retail websites had complained about it leaking and falling off the faucet. However, the redesigned system still gets similar complaints. Owners also say the chrome starts to flake off because it is paint on a plastic housing.

We didn't find the newly designed Pur MineralClear Vertical Mount Faucet Water Filter (FM-3700B) (*Est. $30) in expert reviews, but it uses the same filter as its predecessor -- the Pur 3 Stage Vertical Faucet Mount-Chrome FM-3700 -- which didn't remove lead quite as well as the Culligan in one professional review. It is, however, NSF-certified to reduce 30 contaminants, including cysts like giardia and chryptosporidium. Pur's own tests also show that the three-stage filters remove 99 percent of the 12 pharmaceuticals tested, and the two-stage filters remove 96 percent.

Another option is the Brita Basic Faucet Filtration System OPFF-100 (*Est. $19), but experts say its filter doesn't remove lead as well as the Culligan water filter and is more prone to clogging. In an informal comparison review at ApartmentTherapy.com, writer Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan recommends the Brita Faucet Filtration System FF-100 (*Est. $30) over Pur models he has used. This system is identical to the OPFF-100 water filter, but it has three flow rate options. This Brita faucet filter is NSF-certified to reduce nearly as many contaminants as Pur. Brita's faucet-mount systems feature an electronic filter-change indicator. A replacement water filter, which is needed about every 100 gallons, is quite pricey at $15. Like the Pur, owner reviews of the Brita say its filters fall off the faucet. According to the Brita website, special adapters can be ordered free of charge if you have threads on the inside of your faucet or other problems with a correct fit.