Water is a vital part of our lives, and it’s essential to make sure we’re drinking clean water.
Brita filters are a popular choice for people looking to improve the quality of their water, but does Brita filter hard water?
In this post, we’ll look at what hard water is and whether or not Brita can help reduce its effects.
We’ll also discuss some of the pros and cons of using a Brita filter to treat hard water. Stay tuned to find out more!
What is hard water?
Hard water is a term given to any water that contains a relatively high concentration of dissolved minerals.
The most common examples are calcium and magnesium, which may be either naturally occurring or a result of soil erosion.
Hard water can occur in groundwater and surface sources such as lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.
When it does, it can be problematic as it may leave behind mineral deposits and affect water taste.
How do Brita water pitcher filters work?
Brita water filter pitchers work by trapping harmful contaminants in the filter. When water is poured through the filter, it passes over activated charcoal and fine mesh screens.
The activated charcoal does not allow dissolved chemicals such as chlorine and heavy metals to pass through into your drinking water.
These substances cause stains and nasty smells, giving tap water a strange flavor.
The fine mesh screens allow water to pass but do not allow contaminants to do the same.
The water filter traps the pollutants and provides sweet water like bottled water.
Brita longlast filter needs replacement after every 120 gallons or 454 liters of clearly filtered water through your pitcher.
To know when to replace your filters, just turn over your Brita water pitcher and look at the indicator located.
Does Brita filter hard water?
Brita water filter pitchers can improve the taste of tap water. They do not precisely treat hard water.
Instead, they filter out the impurities and make water more palatable. If you are looking to treat hard water, Brita filters will not help.
Instead, you may want to look for a water softener treatment. It can treat hard water with sodium ions and make it more suitable for drinking, bathing, and cleaning.
In the end, the Brita pitcher is effective in filtering out impurities and making water taste better.
However, they may not be the best pitcher option for people looking to soften hard water. That would be a job for a water softener or ion-exchange system.
Are the Brita water filters harmful to you?
This question could have different answers depending on the person you ask. Some would say yes, while others would argue no.
This can be attributed to how everyone’s opinion is based upon their own personal beliefs and experiences.
Brita came up with the idea that revolutionized how people perceived water filters and their benefits.
Despite its popularity, some people still complain about certain things that they consider harmful, even if scientific claims say otherwise.
To shed light on this matter, you must know the following information:
- Brita longlast filter purifies water using an activated carbon filter and ion exchange resin. These two components do not pose any health risks to people. They are even mentioned by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that they are safe.
- Brita filters purify water by trapping impurities and contaminants found in the faucet or bottled water.
- After the filtration, the water that comes out is clean and safe for consumption.
- The clearly filtered water you get can help avoid gastrointestinal issues such as constipation and diarrhea.
Finally, you can say that Brita filters are very beneficial, especially to those who are very conscious about what they eat and drink.
How to filter hard water for drinking and other use?
Household hard water is very common in most parts of the world. Even though hard water has many health benefits, it also has some side effects.
You can filter hard water and convert it into more softened water with:
Hard water softening filters.
There are many hard water softening filters available on the market. You can use them to filter hard water and convert it into more softened water.
It is a great option to get pure soft water for your family.
Hard water distiller
The machine can provide distilled water that uses electricity to create steam for purifying water.
It reduces harmful contaminants like arsenic, lead, nitrates, and other pollutants.
According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), contaminated drinking water is the number one cause of disease in developing countries.
Distilled water has a deficient level of contaminants and metals.
Hard water reverse osmosis water system
Water reverse osmosis is purifying water to make it clean and fresh. It is used for household purposes, including drinking, cooking, and washing.
It is a very efficient reverse osmosis water filter that uses pressure to force impure water through the RO membrane, made of semi-permeable material.
The reverse osmosis membrane filters out all the water contaminants. It makes it purer and more softened water same quality as bottled water.
Hard water shower filter
Since shower water contains more minerals than tap water, it is often called a “hard shower” or shower with hard water.
Hard shower water can cause showering problems such as dry skin, red eyes, chlorine buildup, and hard soap scum buildup in showerheads.
A shower filter can provide a great showering experience.
With rubber hoses, most shower filters are easily installed on showerheads and shower arms. They can also be installed on shower system lines.
The shower filter works the same way as shower head filters work.
Harmful effects of hard water:
Hard water has various harmful effects like:
1. Water does not taste good because it has high levels of minerals.
2. It can cause rust stains in the sink and bathtubs when you leave the faucet on when brushing teeth or washing your face.
3. The hard water does not lather well with soap because of its high calcium and magnesium content.
4. It does not make good ice cubes because the calcium inside does not freeze well with water molecules.
5. Minerals in hard water can help secret scale in kitchen appliances like dishwashers, coffee machines, ovens, etc.
6. The minerals are bad for hair because they leave limescale and do not have a good lather.
7. It causes dry skin because the hard water does not rinse away from the shower and does not moisturize the skin as soft water does.
Brita does filter contaminants, but only a little bit of hard minerals harmful to health. You can purchase a whole house water filter or tankless hot water system that will filter all the minerals in your water, but it does cost money.
Which Brita Filter Is Best For Hard Water?
Brita filters have become one of the most popular brands for a water filtration system. Still, people with hard water may wonder if there are better options for them.
The Brita Slim Pitcher filters out many things from the water, including lead contaminants and chlorine taste and odor.
Still, it is not designed to soften water or remove hard minerals from alkaline water.
Brita filter pitchers are great for clearing up tap water, but hard water is a problem.
But Brita PRO home filters can soften hard water.
The filter can remove 82 percent of calcium and magnesium from water and a regular activated carbon filter to remove lead, chlorine taste, and odor.
Brita PRO filters can also remove 98 percent of trace pharmaceuticals from water, such as ibuprofen and naproxen. These filters are designed for regular and filtered water.
Best water filter pitcher for hard water
Brita pitcher does not filter out minerals that make drinking water hard.
The Zero Water high-capacity pitcher is the best hard water filter jug, removing 99.6% of dissolved solids, including calcium, copper, lead, and nitrates.
It even removes excess sodium ions from the water, which is excellent for people on low-sodium diets.
It comes with a 5-cup pitcher and a free integrated water quality meter, and it is reasonably priced.
Although it’s not as cheap as Brita, the ZeroWater filter is the best water filter pitcher for hard water.
This is the perfect choice if you want to remove all minerals from your water and enjoy purified perfectly-tasting drinking water.
So, Brita does not filter out calcium and magnesium, which makes drinking water hard, whereas Zero Water does it very well.
FAQs
Do Brita Filters remove calcium and magnesium?
Brita water filters remove chlorine from drinking water and other unwanted tap water impurities.
However, Brita water filters are ineffective in reducing calcium and magnesium levels in drinking water.
A recent study from UEA’s School of Chemical Sciences found that a Brita Water Filter jug removes only 10 percent of calcium and approximately 25 percent of magnesium ions.
It doesn’t mean that Brita filters don’t remove the calcium and magnesium that makes water hard.
Can I Use Hard Water with Brita Filter?
You may not want a Brita pitcher because it contains too many minerals.
These filters are not designed to filter out minerals from tap water, which means that you may end up with hard water.
If the water that goes into the Brita filter is already hard, then the flavor issue won’t occur. Looking at your water report, you can tell if the water is complicated.
Suppose the mineral levels in your water are within an acceptable range. In that case, you shouldn’t have any trouble using hard water through your Brita filter pitcher.
Do Brita Filters remove minerals?
No. Unfortunately, the Brita pitcher filters are not very effective in removing minerals found in water, such as calcium and magnesium.
Instead, the water filter uses ion exchange resin to remove chemicals like chlorine and lead.
Are Brita filters effective?
Yes. The Brita filters are very effective in removing chlorine and lead from water, in addition to many other undesirable chemicals that might be in your alkaline water.
You need to change your Brita filter on time to maintain water quality.
Does Brita filter out fluoride?
No. The Brita filters do not remove fluoride, which the American Dental Association recommended for cavity prevention.
Conclusion
Brita filters effectively remove chlorine and lead from water.
But if you ask, “do Brita filter hard water?” the answer is no; these filters do not remove hard minerals like magnesium and calcium from the water.
Suppose you want a water filter that removes all minerals from the water.
In that case, you should purchase a unit like a house water filter or the ZeroWater pitcher, which eliminates 99.6% of dissolved solids with its five-stage water filtration system.
Zerowater filter comes with an integrated TDS meter by which you can easily track your water quality at any time.