If you’re thinking of purchasing a water filter, you have probably come across both ceramic and charcoal water filters. These two types of water filters are the two main types of water filtration systems; some water filters even use them in combination to more thoroughly filter the water you drink. You might be wondering what the differences between these two types of water filters are.

Ceramic Water Filters Vs Charcoal Water Filters

Ceramic water filters (check out Refrigerator Water Filters) are made from diatomaceous earth and usually treated with silver. The silver helps to give the water filter anti-microbial properties; it makes it hard for bacteria to live on the water filter. Ceramic water filters work by having a very small pore size which makes it impossible for almost anything but water to travel through it. Bacteria, viruses, and sediment will all get caught in the filter and filtered out, leaving you with water that is safe to drink. However, liquid contaminants such as chlorine can usually pass through the filter, so you won’t be able to filter out chlorine with ceramic water filters.

Charcoal Water Filters

Charcoal water filters operate similarly to ceramic water filters in that they have a small pore size which traps unwanted contaminants in your water and allows pure water to filter through. Unlike ceramic water filters, charcoal filters are excellent at removing chlorine from water, as the charcoal will trap the chlorine inside it. However, it does not readily remove minerals from hard water. In addition, charcoal filters can sometimes become prime breeding grounds for bacteria if they are not used frequently; since charcoal filters must be frequently replaced due to the charcoal inside become over-saturated with chlorine, they are normally not treated with silver to give it anti-microbial properties, as this would make the cost of replacement filters prohibitively expensive.

Key Differences

Both types of filters will make your water safe to drink, as they both filter out bacteria and viruses. Most of the risk of drinking unfiltered water comes from illness as a result of drinking viruses or bacteria; minerals can make your water taste bad, but are not particularly bad for you, and the quantity of chlorine in unfiltered water is usually not enough to affect you negatively. With charcoal filters, you will need to replace the filter often whereas with ceramic water filters you can simply clean and re-use it. If ceramic water filters become clogged with sediment and debris, you can easily scrape off the topmost layers of the filter and continue using it to filter your water. Charcoal can filter out chlorine from your water, whereas ceramic water filters cannot.

Are Ceramic Water Filters The Best?

Which is best? It depends on the source of your water. Ceramic water filters are great for hikers in campers; chlorine contamination is not an issue with natural water sources, and is mostly only found in municipal water supplies. The ceramic water filter can be re-used again and again, whereas you would have to purchase a new charcoal filter for each camping trip. Charcoal filters are usually the better choice for filtering water that comes out of your faucet, as they can help improve the taste of your water by eliminating chlorine and other contaminants.