Simplicity is the name of the game with gravity filters. By inserting several varieties of filter cartridges, membranes, and mesh systems between a top and bottom reservoir, these devices let gravity do all the work, collecting pure, tasty water from bad tasting or contaminated sources.
We’ve been looking at the options for gravity water filters on the market at the moment. Here are the best gravity water filters available to buy right now:
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Why use a gravity water filter?
While most of us have access to clean and safe drinking water, there’s no guarantee that safe = great tasting. Chlorine from water treatment, trace substances from heavy industry, and naturally occurring mineral sediment can all give water an off-putting bitter or chemical flavor.
Gravity filters will do away with these annoying tastes, while also purifying your water of other potential contaminants such as heavy metals and bacteria (depending on the specific filtering mechanism).
Gravity systems are generally intended for either home or outdoor use. Camping gravity filters utilize lightweight components, such as plastic reservoir bags and tubing, which sit either side of a filtering component. The filter system is then suspended from a tree, tent pole, or car door, so that gravity can pull contaminated water from the upper reservoir down through the filter.
Home gravity water filters use the same principles with higher quality, more efficient materials. From stainless steel reservoirs with ceramic cartridges, to convenient carbon filter systems, all gravity water filters keep things simple and effective.
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What’s the filtering component inside a gravity water filter?
There are a few options here. Inside most gravity filters you’ll find a preliminary fiber mesh followed by an activated carbon filter. These elements work together to remove the most common contaminants found in drinking water. While the mesh will take care of any large sediment and particles, a carbon filter absorbs leftover chlorine and other chemical or pharmaceutical traces in your water supply.
Gravity filters at the pricer end of the spectrum may replace activated carbon with ceramic or silver cartridges. While operating in a similar way, these materials are able to filter a more extensive range of contaminants, including minerals, lead, and other heavy metals. (Ceramic cartridges can also be sanitized and reused).
Many gravity filters also incorporate a super-fine filtration membrane. Often known as Ultra, Nano, or Microfiltration, these membranes have tiny pores of only a few micrometers across, allowing them to catch protozoan cysts and other microorganisms. Such membranes are always found in gravity filters designed to be used on non-potable water, where insurance against waterborne diseases is a priority.
FAQs
Harnessing the force of gravity to let water naturally flow through a filter is a simple and cost-efficient method. It means filters don’t need to be connected to a power source, nor are they likely to contain any complex parts. It also makes gravity filters a great option for locations where water is questionable, but power is limited or nonexistent—so, the campsite, the cabin, or the RV.
However, relying on gravity means water treatment is restricted to filtration methods that operate at low water pressure. Using an outside force to push water through a filter module can result in more powerful filtration, as the pore size in membranes can be much smaller.
The membranes found inside a gravity water filter will often be labeled as providing ultrafiltration (UF), microfiltration (MF), or nanofiltration (NF). These terms refer to the size of the pores in a filter membrane, which determine what can fit through the filter, and therefore how powerful a filter can be considered to be.
Ultrafiltration is the most commonly sized membrane used in gravity filters because it works well under low water pressure, striking a good balance between power and efficiency. UF membranes lie between nano and micro membrane options, with a pore size that’s still small enough to remove cryptosporidium and giardia cysts.
