Water filter - meaningful purchase or superfluous output?
Many swear by their water filters, create softening systems, place stones in the water or install systems with magnetic fields. Still others demonize Brita & Co., call them germs and negate positive effects. Where do water filters really make sense?
The water quality
Tap water in Germany is the best and most complete supervised food. What comes out of the tap with us, can be drunk without hesitation and fear of germs. The limits are recognized as strict and will be respected without exception. What can not be filtered out in the waterworks, the household filter can not hold. Why then water filter?
The water hardness
What varies considerably with the tap water from area to area is the water hardness. This term refers mainly to the concentration of dissolved in water ions of calcium and magnesium, in small parts of strontium and barium. The unit is? Degree of German hardness? ° dH. Today there are three water hardness ranges: soft (less than 8.4 ° dH), medium (between 8.4 and 14 ° dH) and hard (more than 14 ° dH). These dissolved ions, when dissolved, may form insoluble compounds such as lime. The calcium ions, for example, remain dissolved as long as they are in equilibrium with the carbonic acid contained in the water. If carbonic acid is lost by heating or evaporating the water, insoluble lime precipitates. The consequences: calcification and loss of taste. Especially with electrical appliances, in which water is heated, such as coffee machines, kettles or steamer, you quickly notice the white surface, which can not be removed so easily. But also most plants do not like hard water? the lime in it is too much for their metabolism. With soft water soaps foam more, so you should also reduce the detergent with an extra addition of water softeners in washing machines.
How can you reduce the water hardness?
There are different systems to get the ions out of the water. In waterworks, for example, very hard water is decarbonated before being fed into the conduit by the addition of calcium hydroxide. In the private household, dishwashers and water softening systems are based on ion exchangers, which replace the calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions. The ion exchangers need regular fresh sodium ions - therefore the addition of common salt! In addition to ion exchangers, detergents also contain polyphosphates which bind the ions.
Household water filters like those from Brita also work on the ion exchanger principle. In addition, they filter the water through an activated carbon filter, so that odor and taste-disturbing substances such as chlorine are removed. These activated carbon filters are in the criticism, because here can form germs. Therefore, the filter manufacturers rely on silver to kill germs. However, the user himself is in control of the germ load by changing the filter regularly, at least once a month! The degree of hardness of the water is reliably reduced by the use of the filter systems? but also only with regular change of the filter.
Incidentally, systems with magnetic or electric fields have no influence on the water hardness according to independent test reports.
What causes the reduction of the degree of hardness?
The calcium deposits are significantly reduced? but that does not save you from the regular descaling of your coffee machine. Because the ions are less by filters, but they do not disappear. Whether fully automatic coffee machine, filter machine or espresso filter holder, one should keep the inside of his aroma appliance clean, thus ensuring a long service life.
The taste changes: not only tea and coffee drinkers swear by filtered water, because the taste can develop better. Whether you should use filtered water when cooking? The rumor that pasta in filtered water does not stick together is only this: a rumor. In order for vegetables to retain their color after blanching, a bath in ice water ensures that the cooking process is interrupted, which has nothing to do with water hardness. Filter water is recommended for cooking only if the water from the line tastes unpleasant, for example, if it was chlorinated. The limescale deposits in the pot can be easily removed with a vinegar infusion, in the lime-scale attack? Eggs cook? you can already give a splash of vinegar in the cooking water.
Buy now 
BRITA Water Filter Marella white incl. 6 MAXTRA + Filter Cartridges - BRITA Filter Half-Year Package for? 44.99? 34,26 ?
Conclusion:
- With water filters you can reduce the water hardness and remove any disturbing traces of taste.
- Ion-exchange-based water filters, such as those from Brita, are recommended for medium and, above all, hard water for use in electrical appliances. The water hardness can be inquired at his waterworks.
- The filter insert should be replaced as recommended by the manufacturer regularly.
Editor's tip: You can also determine the water hardness of your tap water yourself with so-called test strips or drops
