How does this sound?
You turn on your filter tap in your kitchen and pour yourself a refreshing glass of fresh filtered water from your very own drinking water filter system.
Clean and healthy water that you can take out of the house with you so you don’t have to waste money buying expensive bottled water and then have the inconvenience of having to get rid of all those plastic bottles.
Choose from our fantastic selection of easy to install drinking water filter systems and enjoy drinking water that's free of impurities that you’ve decided you don't want in there. And remember, delivery costs in the UK are FREE!
For advice on any of our drinking water filters, call us on 01352 838 281. If you'd prefer us to call you - send a message
Our drinking water filter systems are easy to install. Watch our 'how to' installation video at the bottom of this page.
All filter systems come with a choice of drinking water filter taps which fit onto your kitchen sink, or if you prefer you can upgrade to one of our modern and stylish 3 way taps which combine your hot, cold and filtered water into one unit.
You don’t need to spend another pound on expensive bottled water.
If you're after RO systems take a look at our Reverse Osmosis products.
You'll either get your water supplied to your home or business by a water company through a series of pipes. This is known as mains water, or you will have a private water supply.
If you are not sure who supplies your drinking water please click here.
If you have any concerns about your drinking water supply, you should contact the water company in the first instance. They should be able to give you some advice and test the water if necessary.
Your water company should be able to give you some advice and test the water if necessary. They will also provide you with a summary of the water quality in your area free of charge on request. There may be a small charge if you request a water test.
If you’ve already contacted them and are dissatisfied with their response, contact the Drinking Water Inspectorate [DWI] on 0300 068 6400. An inspector will investigate the matter with the water company on your behalf and inform you of the outcome. Please be patient with them!
The DWI inspectors request a full report on your complaint from the water company and will decide whether the company need to take any further action. This takes a minimum of 10 working days but for more complicated issues, may take longer.
Your water contains a number of substances, most of which are perfectly harmless and, to be honest, water would taste pretty foul if they weren’t there. Others are safe in the minute concentrations found in drinking water.
Here’s a table with some brief information about some of the substances that may be present in water.
Calcium |
Occurs naturally especially where the water flows through limestone or chalk. |
Sulphate, Magnesium, Sodium and Potassium |
Naturally occurring as a result of the passage of water through minerals. |
Manganese |
Occurs naturally and is an essential part of our diet; may also come from the corrosion of cast iron water mains. |
Iron |
Occurs naturally and is removed during the water treatment process; may also come from the corrosion of cast iron water mains causing a rusty brown colouration to the water. |
Aluminium |
Found naturally in all water sources; chemical aluminium may be used in the water treatment process to remove naturally occurring aluminium. |
Nitrates |
Occur naturally from both mineral and soil processes and from agricultural activity; where present they are removed by sophisticated treatment or reduced to safe levels by mixing with low nitrate water. |
Phosphorus |
Occurs naturally and in fertilisers and detergents; phosphate is added to treated water in some areas to protect the uptake of lead from domestic plumbing systems processes. |
Copper and Zinc |
Presence is largely due to contact with domestic plumbing systems. |
Lead |
Treated water is virtually lead free; lead was used as a plumbing material and is still common in many older properties. Water may be treated to make it less likely to absorb lead from plumbing but the safest way to deal with lead pipes is to replace them, or filter the lead out. |
Chlorine |
Small amounts are added to the water as it leaves the treatment works to kill any harmful bacteria present and to keep the water safe on its way to your tap. |
Fluoride |
Occurs naturally in some sources; may be added to some supplies at the request of local health authorities. |
Pesticides |
May be found in water from land that has been intensively farmed; where present they are removed by sophisticated treatment processes. |
PAH [Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons] |
May result from the corrosion of the linings of old cast iron mains. |
Bacteria |
If found they indicate that the water has been contaminated on its way to your home or as it passes through a dirty tap. |
There are several ways water quality can be impaired. Here are some of them:
It is highly unlikely that your drinking water will contain any of the above, unless you live in a house with lead pipes! However, if you have a private water supply it is possible that your water may be impaired, which is why it’s so important to have your water tested and take preventative action to remove any risk of infection.
There are two main substances added to drinking water during the treatment process.
Chlorine
Chlorine is a disinfectant used by the water industry to maintain hygienic conditions within the public water supply pipe network. The very low levels used in drinking water in the UK are perfectly safe, but much higher concentrations are routinely used safely for other purposes such as baby bottle steriliser bottles and by the leisure and health care industry in spas, hydrotherapy pools and swimming pools. The reason why chlorine can be a concern in drinking water relates to the fact that some people can by very sensitive to its taste and smell.
The level of chlorine in tap water is very low in England and Wales, which contrasts very favourably with practices in other countries where much higher levels are common. Typically water companies keep the level of residual disinfectant in the form of free or combined chlorine to 0.5mg/l or less. However, sometimes during maintenance of the pipe network higher levels are needed. If you occasionally notice a slight taste or smell of chlorine it is probably due to maintenance work in your area, it will not be a long lasting problem and there is no cause to worry. BUT, if you notice a particularly bad or strong smell or TCP like taste which makes your tap water unpalatable, or you notice a smell or taste for the first time which does not go away in a short time, then you should contact your water company immediately.
Water is safe when it leaves the treatment works and the trace of chlorine is there only to preserve the high quality of the water as it passes through the miles of pipes used to convey water to homes and workplaces. Chlorine has a long history of about 100 years of safe use for hygiene purposes worldwide.
There can be minor variations in the amount and the form of the chlorine present in each water supply. Water companies set the levels as part of the safe management of the whole network. For this reason if your property is located near to the water treatment works the level of chlorine may be a little higher in your tap water than it is at properties several miles further away. Water companies are required to have in place a residual disinfectant management policy designed to ensure a minimum level at the remotest part of the network whilst also ensuring the maximum level is still acceptable to all consumers. The operation of a water distribution network is a complex task and occasionally levels of chlorine are not optimal. If you do not like the smell or taste then you can get rid of it by installing a water filter.
The WHO has set a health based guideline maximum value of 5mg/l for chlorine as a residual disinfectant in drinking water. The levels in tap water in England and Wales are well below this guideline and most water companies aim to keep the level below 1mg/l. Your water company will provide you with a free water quality report showing the maximum and minimum level of residual chlorine in your local water supply on request.
Chlorinated water may have a drying effect on the skin and this can make it itchy and uncomfortable. Some people seem more susceptible than others, particularly if a person suffers from eczema. A minority of people are allergic to chlorine
Fluoridation is the term used to describe the dosing of water supplies to bring the fluoride level up to 1mg/l as a public health measure intended to prevent tooth decay. The maximum permitted value of fluoride in drinking water is 1.5mg/l [milligrammes per litre].
In England, the decision to fluoridate your water supply is made by your local authority. When deciding whether to fluoridate a local authority must carry out a public consultation exercise. The law only permits a water company to fluoridate under a contract with Public Health England. The water company has to be consulted about the technical feasibility of any proposed scheme. In Wales, health decisions about fluoridation are taken by the Welsh Government.
Water companies are only permitted to use specified fluoridation chemicals in accordance with European standards. These standards specify purity levels and producers are not permitted to sell chemicals unless these purity criteria are met.
Fluoride is naturally present at low levels in most drinking water in England and Wales.
Very briefly, they work in two ways:
Mechanical Filtration Like a very fine sieve to remove particulate matter and sediment. The finest of these is the 0.2 micon Ceramic/Carbon Block cartridge which we use to make the Pearl-B and Oyster-TBC.
Electrokinetic adsorbtion. The contaminants 'stick' to the acvtivated carbon.
Activated carbon is made by grinding bituminous coal, peat, or peanut or coconut shells and baking in controlled conditions to 540C in the absence of oxygen which bakes off the impurities.Then superheated steam at 870C activates the carbon and creates a massive network of pores that greatly increases the surface area of the carbon. This surface area is why carbon can absorb such large quantities of various compounds. This is called Granular Activate Carbon or GAC
Coconut shell carbon is, by far, the superior carbon and adsorbs the widest spectrum of chemicals the most efficiently.
Health note: This is not a problem if you or yours have a nut allergy. This carbon has been sterilised and acid washed. It is just carbon but activated to remove harmful chemicals from your drinking water.
The newest and best activated carbon technology is Coconut Shell Activated Carbon Block. This is coconut shell GAC which has been further pulverised into smaller particles, then fused and then extruded. The result is all the top chemical adsorption qualities of coconut shell activated carbon but with finer particles giving a much larger surface area and much more activated carbon in the same volume as GAC; and with smaller micron ratings and a longer service life.
An additional benefit of carbon block is that the water is distributed radially & evenly through out the media without 'Water Channeling'.
GAC is a loose media (like sand) and can suffer from 'Water Channeling" where the water keeps to the same waterways through the media. This results in some of the media not being used and leads to early depletion.
At Fountain Filters we use coconut shell activated carbon block cartidges in all the water filter systems except the Pearl-M Heavy Metals filter which uses a special mixed media GAC/KDF-55 cartridge and the Pearl-B which as a special, washable, 0.2 micron cartridge
Product | Per Day | Per Week | Per Month | Per Year | 2 person household |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tesco Everyday Value | £0.17 | £1.19 | £5.15 | £61.80 | £123.60 |
Asda Smart Price | £0.17 | £1.19 | £5.15 | £61.80 | £123.60 |
Morrisons Yorkshire Vale Still Spring | £0.44 | £3.08 | £13.35 | £160.00 | £320.00 |
Sainsbury's Table Water | £0.20 | £1.40 | £6.07 | £72.84 | £145.68 |
Yes, but you'll have to leave the saddle valve behind in the closed position. The tap is your decision. All the rest you can take with you. We stock self-piercing saddle valves and drinking water filter taps at competitive prices. We stock all the components you will need for both your new home as well as your old one including tube end stops (to prevent possible disasters!).
This is simple. Of course you can. We get asked this a lot. For example, if you decide to install one of our basic drinking water filters, such as our Pearl T and then some time later you decide you want to filter out something else or add to your existing set up, you can. That's one of the fantastic benefits of installing your very own drinking water filter. You can pretty much do what ever you want to suit your requirements and budget. The best thing to do should you decide you want a change is to contact us and have a chat.
For most of you, probably not. However, all of our Pearl and Oyster drinking water filters will remove them as well as chemical residues from pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs).
Yes. Our drinking water filters are very easy to install and no plumber is required. The pipe connectors are all push-fit and the connection to the cold water pipe is a saddle valve (if you choose that option). This uses a thumb screw that pierces and seals the cold water pipe with no special tools or experience required. The only tool needed is a drill to make a hole to mount the water filter tap on your sink or kitchen work top. Easy to follow fitting instructions are included with every kit.
Watch our 'how to' installation video below.
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