The Complete Guide to Finding The Best Water Filter Pitcher To Remove Chlorine

If you need help to locate the best water filter pitcher to remove chlorine, this is your lucky day! After reading this article, you’ll have all the knowledge necessary to make an informed purchase decision on one of these great options! There’s a lot of information out there (most of it confusing), but don’t worry; I’m here to break down everything for you so it’s easy as can be! Ready?

Introduction: What is Chlorine? What are the Health Concerns of Drinking Chlorinated Water?

Chlorine is a chemical that is added to tap water to disinfect it. This means it is used to kill other potentially harmful bacteria, parasites, and viruses.

So, during the treatment process, chlorine is a good thing. It has prevented the spread of numerous water-borne diseases like cholera, amoebic dysentery, polio and typhoid.

If you have a chlorine residual in your drinking water, that’s a good thing. It has done its job by delivering disinfected water to your tap.

However, just because chlorine is good at preventing illness doesn’t mean you have to drink it.

Does Chlorine Cause the Water to Taste Bad?

Chlorine known to cause a taste that might not be what you want in the water you drink. It can react with organic compounds like algae or decaying leaves in rivers to form chloramines. These chloramines can give drinking water an unpleasant odor or taste.

Let’s face it, when your water smells or tastes bad, you don’t want to drink it.

Removing Chlorine from Your Water is Easy

The good thing is, removing chlorine from your drinking water is easy. All you need is a good water filter pitcher. The water filter pitcher must have an activated carbon filter at the very least.

How Does Activated Carbon Remove Chlorine?

Activated carbon can remove chlorine by adsorbing it from the water. It can bind the chlorine to its surface and effectively removing it from the water as it passes through the filter.

The main characteristic of activated carbon is a very porous solid material. The interesting thing about activated carbon is because of its porous characteristic, the surface area of one tablespoon is equal to a soccer field.

So, you can see how the small filter in a pitcher can remove chlorine from many gallons of water.

An important thing to remember is, activated carbon can remove more than just chlorine. It can reduce pollutants like arsenic, lead, mercury and more.

How to Choose the Right Water Filter Pitcher For You

If you are trying to decide which water filter pitcher you should buy, there are a few things you need to consider.

Does it Meet NFS Standards?

First, since you want to remove chlorine from your water, the water filter pitcher must meet NSF standard 42. This standard ensures the removal of chlorine and other taste and odors from the water.

NSF certifies some filters, others are independently tested against the NSF standard. Either is acceptable.

Size Matters

Water filter pitchers come in different sizes, so the second thing you need to consider is size. Remember that all members of the family will pour the water from the pitcher, so if it is too heavy they could drop it and make a mess or it just simply won’t use it.

A cup of water weighs just over a half a pound. The water in a 12 cup water filter pitcher will weigh 6.25 lbs. + the pitcher and filter.

You also may want to put your water filter pitcher in the refrigerator, if the pitcher is too tall it may not fit.

If you find you need a larger capacity, you could opt for a water dispenser.

Life of the Filter

Another consideration is how much water can the water pitcher filter. The filter life ranges from 40 to 200 gallons. This could affect the initial cost of the water filter pitcher and the ongoing costs.

What Else do You Want to Remove Besides Chlorine?

As stated above, NSF standard 42 deals with chlorine, tastes and odors. Some water pitchers add NSF standard 53. This standard deals with removal of contaminants that have health effects. The list of contaminants removed includes: Lead, Copper, Chromium, Fluoride, Arsenic and much more.

There is another standard that goes further and deals with emerging contaminants like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides and other chemical compounds. This is NSF standard 401.

The last standard to let you know about is NSF 473. This standard ensures the reduction of PFOA and PFOS. These chemicals are used in the manufacture of clothing, cookware, fabric for furniture, and many other things.

These compounds are also present in foam used for firefighting. PFOA and PFOS are finding their way into groundwater supplies and have created a health concern for many areas of the United States.

Some water filter pitchers go the whole nine yards and remove everything, including beneficial minerals. The ZeroWater filter pitcher is one of these pitchers. The include a TDS meter so you can test your water to see if your filter is still working.

Does Your Water Filter Pitcher Let You Know When the Filter is Used Up?

It is important to change your filter as required. After you use up your filter, it won’t provide clean water. In fact, a used up filter if left too long will become a health hazard.

Some filters have an electronic indicator to let you know when to change the filter.

Others have a timer that will alert you after a certain number of days have passed.

Pitchers like the ZeroWater Filter Pitcher will provide you with a TDS meter to determine exactly when the filter needs to be changed. Be aware that the filter life of a ZeroWater Filter pitcher is only 25 – 40 gallons.

The Best Water Filter Pitcher to Remove Chlorine is…

Brita Standard Everyday Water Filter Pitcher, White, Large 10 Cup

This pitcher is NSF certified for chlorine removal and more. NSF certifications are 42, 53, 401. The long last filter will clean 120 gallons of water. It has an electronic indicator to remind you to change the filter. All this at a very low price. As of this writing, this pitcher received a 4.7 star rating by over 51,000 reviewers on Amazon.

The Runner up is: 200-Gallon Long-Life Chubby 10-Cup Water Filter Pitcher

This water filter pitcher has a long life. It is independently certified to NSF Standard 42. It has a 4.6 star rating by 6200 reviewers on Amazon. As it says in the title, this filter purifies 200 gallons of water.

Conclusion: Final Thoughts on the Best Water Filter Pitchers to Remove Chlorine

What are the benefits of a water filter pitcher?

Water filter pitchers are the most convenient type of water filtration system. They eliminate foul tastes and odors and reduce or eliminate the chlorine that is found in tap water and bottled water. They work instantly and require no installation or waiting for filters to get wet.

Use the above information to find the best water filter pitchers to remove chlorine. There are many options depending on your individual needs. Use care in selecting the right water filter pitcher for you.