The Best Water Filters To Buy Online In Australia
Depending on where you live, tap water can have a slight metallic taste, whereas in certain regions it might even have visible sediment inside. The water filters on our list are some of the best when it comes to removing any traces of potentially harmful chemicals and substances. Some of them can even add additional beneficial minerals to your water as well.
Best Benchtop Water Filter
BIO 400 MAX 7 Litre Bench Top Water Filter
- Automatic notification for filter change
- Enriches the taste of the water rather than just filtering it
- Lifetime warranty
- More complicated than a lot of other water filters
- The filter and all of the components take up a significant amount of space
The Bio 400 is probably one of the best water filters that you can find if you’re looking to reduce the amount of lead, copper, aluminium, zinc, and other heavy metals that are sometimes present in your water. It’s also very good at filtering out chlorine and fluorine since it’s reported as being able to remove 99.9% of those substances from your drinking water.
All of these substances as well as most types of sediment and bacteria are removed thanks to the 13-stage filtration process that includes a pre-filter membrane, ionized carbon, and even infrared rays. The filter mediums are magnets.
This water filter kit comes with all of the necessary equipment as well as instructions on how to use it. You might find using it difficult in the beginning, but you’ll develop a knack for it pretty soon after, and the result is a more thorough filtration process than a lot of other commercially available water filters.
Best Under-Sink Water Filter
AlkaWay UltraStream Undersink
- Easy to install and use
- Adds alkaline minerals to your water
- 3-year warranty
- The filtration process causes a delay between when you open the tap and when the water comes out
- Takes up a significant amount of space under your sink
As the name may suggest, the UltraStream is installed right under your sink and does the entire filtration process automatically. It comes with an installation kit that’s remarkably easy to use, even if this is your first time putting in a device like this. This device uses a reverse-osmosis filtration method, while also ionizing the water and turning it into alkaline water when it comes out of the custom faucet at the top.
You also get your first cartridge for free, which is easy to install and replace. The lifetime of these cartridges is measured by litres rather than time. What we mean by this is that the cartridges can go through around 3,000L of water before they need to be replaced. As a rule of thumb, you ought to replace them once a year.
Fortunately, you also get a free pH liquid reagent test kit, which means that if the water changes in taste noticeably, you can simply use the test kit and see if you need to order a new cartridge.
Best On-Tap Water Filter Attachment
BRITA On Tap Advanced System
- Quickest filtration method
- Cartridge lasts for 600L and only costs $36 to replace
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Doesn’t fit on every type of tap
- It isn’t as thorough as some other filtration options
As a tap filter, the Brita is remarkably easy to install and use. All you need to do is make sure that you have a tap and nozzle that are compatible with the filter, slip it on, and fasten it in place. You also get an LCD that shows you how much capacity is left in the cartridges before they need to be removed, as well as three different settings: filtered water, steam, and shower.
This particular filtration method is remarkably quick, but it might not be able to filter certain chemicals as the other filters on our list do. The Brita uses activated carbon pearls to filter out sediment, most heavy metals, and certain bacteria, but a filter that’s this cheap won’t be able to get rid of all of the potential water pollutants. This device is best for water that has a metallic taste or that has specks of dirt, but you might want to use something a bit more powerful for murkier water or if you’re trying to remove harsh chemicals.
Best Budget Benchtop Water Filter
Vitel Water Set
- The water beads never need to be replaced
- Incredibly simple to use
- Requires no setup
- Fragile and easy to break since it's made from porcelain
- Difficult to move when full
The Vitel water set is an all-natural purification method that purifies the water in order to remove most traces of impurities and contaminants. Since it can hold up to 9L, the container itself is pretty sizable, but it doesn’t take up all that much space on your countertop. Vitel claims that the beads never need to be replaced, but you can get two fresh bags for around 120 AUD if you decide that you want to change them once a year or so.
The Vitel set comes with a 9L water dispenser made out of porcelain as well as two bags of Vitel water beads that are used to purify the water. These beads can raise the pH levels of the water and naturally turn it into alkaline water. They’re also very good at removing any traces of chlorine and fluorine while also eliminating the possibility of bacteria growing in the water.
Best Large Benchtop Water Filter
BIO 1000 Black 10 Litre Bench Top Filter
- One of the most extensive purification sequences available
- Easy to set up
- Comes with a lifetime warranty
- Expensive for a benchtop water purifier
- The equipment takes up a lot of space
The BIO 1000 has a 10L capacity and 15 filtration stages. This means that it’s larger than the previous benchtop water filter that we mentioned, as well as more effective than the previous BIO model on our list.
Most of the contaminants in the water will be wiped out in the first several filtration stages, but the final steps are what increase the pH value of the water and not only produce clean water, but alkaline water. As with the previous BIO filtration unit that we mentioned, the process is a bit difficult to learn in the beginning, but you’ll get the hang of it soon enough.
Best Premium Water Filter
EcoHero 5 Stage Reverse Osmosis Under Sink
- Has a pressure gauge that monitors incoming water pressure and cartridge life
- Filters out all of the most common water pollutants and chemicals
- Comes complete with a full installation and service manual
- The installation is difficult and it requires a few plumbing alterations
The reverse-osmosis system that the EcoHero uses essentially uses the water pressure from the pipes and runs the water through a thin membrane that serves as a catalyst that keeps out the majority of possible contaminants and bacteria. This does require you to rework the plumbing under the sink, which is pretty difficult without a professional, but once the installation is done, the filter will work automatically without you having to lift a finger.
True to its name, the EcoHero uses an Eco-friendly system, and while not all of the water that passes through the pipes is used, the wastewater that gets filtered out by the membrane of the filter wasn’t meant for consumption, so there’s no actual waste when it comes to drinkable water. The water also gets remineralized, which raises its pH value after the 5-stage filtration process, and the system is remarkably easy to maintain.
Best Water Filter Jug
AlkaWay Alkaline Water Filter Jug
- Portable and can fit inside most refrigerators
- Comes with a cartridge replacement indicator just above the handle
- The slowest filtration method
- Can only filter 1.5L of water in one go
The AlkaWay water filter jug is slightly different from most other units of this type in that the water reservoir is used to contain purification canisters rather than individual activated carbon granules or anti-bacterial balls. These components are still present in the cartridges, but you also get a coarse pre-filter and a fine mesh that do a lot of purification before the water even gets to the main filtration units themselves.
Each of the cartridges can last for around 8-10 weeks, which is somewhere between 110 - 140 refills per cartridge if you use your filter twice a day. The cartridges themselves cost 109 AUD for a 3-pack, which makes them quite reasonably priced. At the end of the day, this is one of the best water filters when it comes to ease of use, and it’s very effective at removing possible contaminants, especially for a unit in this price range.
Best Water Filter Brands
Waters Co is primarily a distributor of countertop filters and it has quite a range of different models. You’ll easily be able to find devices in vastly different price ranges and choose the sort of filtration that you’re looking for. They have some simpler purifiers that are cost-effective but can’t handle all that much water. Then, they have some of the best water filters in terms of both capacity and purification capability but which will set you back a decent sum.
AlkaWay on the other hand is a company that’s primarily looking to increase the quality of the water that you drink and not so much into proper purification. Their filters can still help you get rid of heavy metals as well as chlorine and fluorine, but their biggest strength is in their filters that increase the pH value of the water that they purify. They also sell specialized cartridges for their filtration jugs that are much more useful than the individual filtration beads a lot of other companies provide you with.
How to Choose The Right Water Filter
Which Water Filters Remove the Most Contaminants?
Generally speaking, most people consider the under-sink reverse-osmosis filters to be the most effective when it comes to removing a vast amount of common contaminants. The filter membrane that most reverse osmosis filters use is very useful at finding contaminants, but that’s not its biggest strength. These filters usually contain multiple purification systems and combine them all to create an overall thorough filtration system.
How Often Should You Replace Your Water Filter Cartridge?
The cartridge lifespan is mostly based on the amount of water that gets sifted through them, which means that you’ll need a way to keep an eye on that. A lot of filtration systems have some sort of a warning system that sets off a notification when the cartridge needs to be replaced. Others have a manual indicator that can be moved up after every use, notifying you of the filter’s lifespan.
There is also a recommended time limit for the use of each cartridge in a filtration system, which simplifies matters since you don’t have to keep a constant eye on the volume of water that you use. These time limits are clearly outlined when purchasing any of these products.
You can also buy pH testing kits that can tell you the quality of the water that you’re drinking, which will give you some indication of whether the filter has stopped working at optimal levels.
How Long Do Water Filters Last?
The longevity of your model will depend on several different factors. Certain models have a lifetime warranty, whereas others have the same two-year-long policy that’s pretty common when it comes to most appliances. Most of the time, you’ll be able to get at least two to five years of constant use from a filter.
You’ll also need to consider how often you use the filter as well. Alkaline jug filters can last well over 10 years if you fill them up twice a day, but tap filters and under-sink filters are constantly on and functioning, so their lifespan is going to be significantly shorter.
Which Type Of Water Filter Should You Choose?
All of the devices that we covered on our list are some of the top water filters that can purify your water in different ways.
The alkaline jug filters and the countertop filters take longer to filter the water and have a lower capacity. On the other hand, they’re easy to set up and can take up very little space, so they’re perfect for anyone looking for a clean glass of water rather than a complicated purification system that needs to be hooked up.
Speaking of, the under-sink models are a bit more difficult to set up and they take up a lot of space below your sink. However, they’re easier to use once they’re installed and a perfect option for people purifying large quantities of water at once.