Emergency Water Filters and What They Actually Remove

Having an emergency water filtration system is becoming more and more important these days. Many people choose to use them for just everyday use in order to help make sure that their drinking water is clean and free from most contaminants. But what contaminants are filtration systems removing, and which system is the most effective?

Emergency water filters filter out many different contaminants in order to make water safe to drink and use. These contaminants include many different bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides, and microplastics. Filters also should remove most of the foul taste and smell from water.

So, those are a few of the many contaminants that filtration systems are having to filter out in order to make your water safer to drink, cook with, and use for hygiene purposes, but now which filtration system is best?

Now let’s talk about the most popular filtration systems, what they filter out, and their pros and cons in order to help you figure out which system you should get.

A Few Of The Common Filters and What They Filter Out or Reduce

Berkey with Black Filters

The first filter is the Berkey with Black Filters, which is one of the smaller filters (though you can get larger sizes) it is a very high-quality filtration system that can filter over a gallon of water each hour, far over the FEMA-recommended amount. This means that water won’t have to be a worry in an emergency situation.

What They Filter Out

Because of how expensive this filter is, you’d hope that it would filter out most things, and fortunately, this is true. This filter is able to filter out nearly all bacteria, trihalomethanes, inorganic materials, heavy metals, pharmaceutical drug contaminants, VOCs, petroleum products, and more.

That said, Berkey is currently in a bit of hot water because they’re accused of not actually filtering out everything they say they do.

Berkey with Sterasyl Ceramic Filters

Another option from Berkey is their Stersyl Ceramic Filters which last for about 6 months or over 500 gallons of water. The filters are made with porous ceramic, which is designed to provide efficient sub-micron filtration which helps remove nearly all bacteria. The filter is also made using some silver which helps prevent the growth of bacteria within the filter as well.

What They Filter Out

This is another one of the more expensive and high-end filters, which can prevent a great number of contaminants from ending up in your water. The Sterayl Ceramic Filter claims that it prevents >99.99% of bacteria and other parasites, while also being effective against rust and dirt. Along with these it also filters out most reduce organic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, organic solvents, trihalomethanes, SOCs, VOCs, and foul tastes and odors.

Berkey with Black Filters AND PF-2 Fluoride

The last Berkey filter I will cover here is the Berkey with Black Filters & PF-2 Fluoride. As said in the name, this is an upgraded version of the Berkey with Black Filters, with the biggest difference between the two, is that this filter is able to remove fluoride from your water. The other difference is that these filters last for a year, rather than the typical 6-month lifespan most filters have.

What They Filter Out

Again, this filter is almost identical to the Berkey with Black Filters as it is able to filter out nearly all bacteria, trihalomethanes, inorganic materials, heavy metals, pharmaceutical drug contaminants, VOCs, petroleum products, while also being much more effective at filtering out fluoride. Along with this, this filter is also more effective at filtering out pre-oxidized arsenic III and arsenic V, and Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE).

Alexapure Gravity Filter

Our first non-Berkey filter is the Alexapure Gravity Filter which is an extremely easy-to-use filter working a lot like the Berkey filters. In order to use this filter, you simply have to fill up the chamber with water, from there it will filter out the water and you will be able to use the tap on it to get clean water. The container is also capable of holding over 2 gallons of water at a time, meaning you won’t have to worry about constantly refilling it.

What They Filter Out

The Alexapure gravity filter system does a great job of filtering out many of the harmful contaminants that people worry about. It filters out 99.99% of all bacteria, viruses, chlorine, and vinyl chloride. It also filters 95% of fluoride, pharmaceuticals, and pesticides, while also filtering out the vast majority of heavy metals, including lead and rust.

Purewell Gravity Filter

The Purewell Garvity Filter works just about the same as the Alexapure system, and you can get the Purewell system in sizes ranging from 1.5 gallons all the way up to 3 gallons. Any of the gravity filters are going to be extremely easy to use as you just have to fill up the top and it will filter the water into the bottom section where you will then get nice clean water, and the Purewell system is very good at removing contaminants like bacteria.

What They Filter Out

When it comes to filtering out contaminants, the Purewell filtration system is one of the most effective at removing the many different bacteria, with the filter specifically mentioning 23 different types of bacteria it removes, along with an additional 7 types of parasites. This system also removes several other contaminants including foul taste or smell that some water ends up having.

Sawyer Gravity System

The Sawyer Gravity System filter is going to be one of the smallest and easiest to transport water filtration systems, as it is meant to be brought with you on hiking trips. It is a simple bag that you will fill up with water, and at the bottom, there is a hose that you can drink from, it is while in the home that all of the water runs through a filter, making sure that your water is going to be clean.

What They Filter Out

Because of how simple and transportable the filter is, it does sacrifice a bit of its ability to be as effective as many of the other filters, but it still manages to remove >99.9999% of bacteria and parasites, as well as 100% of the microplastics. While it doesn’t mention heavy metals, it will most likely be able to filter these out.

Lifestraw

The Lifestraw company has a variety of different filters, including a very transportable straw that lets you drink straight from rivers or ponds, however, I will be talking more about the Lifestraw Home 7-Cup Glass. This pitcher quickly removes contaminants and is simple to use as it utilizes the gravity method of filtration. Since it is also smaller, you are able to transport it and store it in a location like your fridge.

What They Filter Out

Since it does have a smaller filter, it can filter at the same level as many of the larger systems, however, the Lifestra Home 7-Cup Glass still filters out bacteria, parasites, microplastics, heavy metals, PFAS and other contaminants like dirt, rust, and chlorine. The filter does all of this while still leaving minerals like magnesium and potassium that are going to be good for your health in the water.

Reverse Osmosis

While reverse osmosis is a process used to help purify water, there are plenty of systems that use this in order to make water fresh and clean to drink. One popular in-line system is the 800 GPD UV Sterilizing Tankless RO System which you connect to your home water system and performs reverse osmosis on the water to make it clean for you to drink.

What They Filter Out

The reverse osmosis process does remove over 99% of bacteria and filters out the vast majority of heavy metals and contaminants like PFAS, dirt, and rust. The system also helps reduce the amount of toxic chemicals such as vinyl chloride, Ethylhexyl acrylate, isobutylene, ethylene glycol, and mono butyl ether. It’s one of the most effective ways to purify water at home.

Brita Elite Filter

The last emergency filtration system that I am going to talk about is the Brita Elite Replacement Filter. I want to point out that this is the ELITE/LONGLAST+ filter, not the standard Brita filters which don’t filter out nearly as many contaminants.

Brita is a company that produces a wide variety of filters, with the majority of the using the gravity filtration method, including this filter. Since this filter is placed in a pitcher, it is extremely transportable and easy to manage, but it does mean that it is a bit smaller.

Brita is one of the most common filtered water pitchers that you see, with many people happy with how much they do to make tap water cleaner and taste better. I use one at home to remove chlorine and other stuff I don’t want from the local water supply.

What They Filter Out

The Brita Elite Filter is an effective filter, with it performing best at filtering out lead and other heavy metals, while also removing the foul taste and smell that some water has. However, the Brita filter is also very effective at reducing chlorine while still leaving minerals that are good for your health. The Brita Elite Filter is not, however, effective for removing bacteria and pathogens.

The Brita ELITE/LONGLAST+ pitcher filter is not intended to purify water. Do not use with water that is
microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality without adequate disinfection before or after the system.

Performance Data Sheet for Brita Elite/Longlast Filter