Pros and Cons of an Under Sink Filter
Best undercounter (under cabinet) water filter features
Most people know nothing, or next to nothing, about under sink filters, which is why this section will cover all the pros and cons of owning one in a simple to understand bullet-point format.
Pros
- Eco-friendly – You will never need to purchase another plastic water bottle once you have a filter. The devices are also significantly cheaper in the long term.
- Out of Sight – A filtration system may not actually be compact. However, you will likely never notice it because it’s hidden underneath your sink. We count that as a massive, massive benefit.
- Maintenance – Replacing the filters is the only maintenance that you really have to do on a water filtration system. The good news? Replacing it is a relatively simple task that takes minutes.
- Better taste – Filtering removes contaminants, which will greatly improve the taste. You are also more likely to drink great tasting water, so it will make you more healthy in an indirect way.
- Affordable – Some options, such as whole house systems, cost quite a bit of money. Fortunately, under sink filters tend to be on the more affordable side of the market.
Cons
We won’t paint a rosy picture about under sink systems to convince you to buy one – they do have some cons! Keep in mind, every type of filter has its own set of cons. Personally, we find that an under-sink one has a relatively small amount of cons. However, you should know about them BEFORE making your purchase to make the most informed decision you possibly can.
- Single tap – Under sink systems only have one tap, which many people (me included) find extremely annoying. One tap means only one location, which just happens to be somewhere near your sink. Fortunately, most households have only one place that you would want a tap, so it’s not that big of a deal.
- Not in-line – Ok, another annoying feature is that it does not filter the water line. Instead, it diverts the water to a separate line with a separate tap, which means you have to drill a hole in your sink to install it. This can make the installation difficult. Installation may even be impossible on certain sinks.
- Annoying to replace – Filter replacements are annoying for one reason: you have to go underneath the sink. Fortunately, they aren’t that difficult. More importantly, you don’t need to replace it frequently (one or two times a year), so we find this problem relatively benign and insignificant.
Under Sink Water Filtration System Buying Guide
These devices go underneath your sink, as the name implies, and have a tap that comes up through your sink. Most people use these to filter water for drinking and cooking, but you could also use it to give your baby a bath, I suppose.
One thing to mention, those of you with a house water filter will find an under sink system redundant unless it’s a reverse osmosis filter.
Things to Consider Before Purchasing
These systems are simple to understand. However, you should consider a few things before purchasing one. Here are the considerations you should take into account:
What is Your Reason?
The most important question to ask is, “why do you want a filter?”
If your water tastes bad, then a budget option would solve your problem and cost significantly less money in operation, maintenance, and upfront costs.
Reverse osmosis works best if you want to remove everything bad from your water. A reverse osmosis system uses a lot of it in the filtration process, so keep that in mind before purchasing one.
Duration
The life of your filter is another thing to consider before purchasing one, and it’s especially important with an under sink system since you have to crawl around on your back to replace the filter. This process can be easy with some of the products listed, but not all of them. It also varies depending on the layout of your sink. However, it does take time and it’s always a little bit annoying. Just how it goes sometimes.
The Number of Stages
Filter stages determine how many total dissolved solids (TDS) are removed. More stages means less TDS, which is a good thing. However, more stages will cost more during filter changes and it will take longer to change them out all.
Size of the System
Another important consideration is the size. More stages means more size. And that’s something that just might not work in all households or apartments. Naturally, a reverse osmosis system will be the largest system listed because it has a storage tank for waste water and filtered one.
Final Thoughts
All in all, you simply can’t go wrong with an under sink filter. The extra faucet serves as a great reminder to drink more water – you can’t drink too much of it. Such filter saves counter space and fridge space, too. This makes it a great option for those that live in a small home or apartment. Or those of you that have a small refrigerator.
One more thing, you can even have the absolute best water filtration system on the planet, reverse osmosis, directly underneath your sink delivering you fresh and clean water whenever you want it. If you just want good tasting one without all the hassle of reverse osmosis, then we also covered plenty of affordable options in the above list.
