20 replies to this topic

[ajnast4r]

anyone know of a good showerhead filter? thanks

[scottl]

I've seen carbon ones advertised and wondered about them. Are you getting one for the chlorine? Do you really think the exposure to chlorine and whatever other baddies is in the water for the what 10? minutes a shower takes makes any difference?

[ajnast4r]

yes, from what ive read you can asborb a really good amount of the water you shower in. i dont remember where i read that you can actually get all the copper you need from showering in a house with copper pipes.

+ i have acne prone skin, which chlorine sucks for...

[Pablo M]

I have one, I think it's called the Rainshower CQ, from the Real Goods catalog. Google "real goods."

Scott: From what I've read, chlorine is not good to have in your water.

Ajnast: I had always read that swimming in chlorinated pools is good for acne.

[Shepard]

This is the one that I have.

http://www.allergybu...er-filters.html

I suppose the chlorine could help acne if you have pretty oily skin. My skin is rather dry, and the chlorine made it worse.

[ajnast4r]

my face skin is pretty oily too, not that i have too much problems with it, but after taking a shower in the winter i need to apply some lotion (or cream, but don't like creams) otherwise my face skin will become too dry and hurt for few hours till it gets oily again...

same here

[DukeNukem]

Everyone should have a anti-chlorine shower filter. Taking a shower is significantly more damaging than spending time in a pool. If you've noticed, people who spend a lot of time in pools immediately shower down when exiting (such as Olympic platform divers) because they know from experience they'll get sick otherwise, as chlorine compromises the immune system. Showers are worse because the steam/vapor generated in the shower is breathed in, and therefore has a free pass to penetrate your defense (a.k.a. skin).

I buy my shower filter from Whole Foods, and replace it every eight months. Those without a shower filter should know that with each breath in their warm steamy shower they are smoking in copious immunity damaging chlorine molecules. Enjoy!

[mitkat]

Dammit duke, is nothing sacred? Now I have to go buy a shower filter. You're the reason I went to whole foods anyway, and now I have to go again. [thumb] Just kidding. It just disturbs me that we are in this kind of a pickle.

[kevink]

I didn't chime in before because shepard already pointed to the same website I use, but I picked a different model: http://www.allergybu...sysVid=z37mv7v0

I have air purifiers as well - man, are they expensive.

Has anybody followed up to determine if the charcoal in the filter is damaged by periods of very hot water? This is a problem with drinking water filters. I'm assuming (bad habit) that the "technology" of the charcoal component is different in a shower filter and it's protected from damage by the inevitable extremely hot water burst?

I had a question/comment about drinking water filters, but I decided to start a new topic instead of burying it in this one.

(edit: I second the "whole food is smart food" point of view.)

[Paul Idol]

Kevin-

Has anybody followed up to determine if the charcoal in the filter is damaged by periods of very hot water? This is a problem with drinking water filters. I'm assuming (bad habit) that the "technology" of the charcoal component is different in a shower filter and it's protected from damage by the inevitable extremely hot water burst?

I don't know for sure, but I wouldn't count on it. Charcoal filters seem to be charcoal filters. The main issue is whether it's granulated or solid block, and maybe what source the charcoal is from, though I don't know that that really makes a difference.

-Paul

[kevink]

I checked and the Aquasana model is fine up to 120 degrees f.

Why a shower filter? FYI for those that don't know...

Of equal concern is the level of chemical exposure from inhalation. Almost all synthetic chemicals, including chlorine, vaporize at
a much faster rate than water. The result is that the steam has a much higher concentration of the chemicals found in water, often
10 to 20 times higher. We also know that when chemicals are inhaled, they get into our blood stream almost immediately and
have a more intense adverse effect.

The American Journal Of Public Health, in 1992, published the results of a ten year study that showed how chlorine in our water
caused significant increases in certain types of cancer… and stated that up to 2/3 of our harmful exposure comes from inhalation
of steam while showering. The U.S. EPA recently released a report that said " Virtually every home in America has a detectable level
of chloroform gas in the air due to chlorine and showering."

The National Breast Cancer Fund has published many recent reports on the "Chlorine Connection", and documented
that the one common factor among women with breast cancer is that they all have 50 to 60% higher levels of
chlorine by-products in their fat tissue. Today in America, a women dies of breast cancer every 13 minutes.

[rfarris]

Ok, after reading all the reasons to add a shower filter, I went to AllergyBuyersClub and looked at the shower filters. Because I already have a shower head I like, I ordered the Rio Vita chlorine shower filter. It didn't hurt that it was the most expensive filter at ABC ($70), which I've heard ensures that I will get the best. [wis]

* Patented 100% KDF-55 filter media: removes up to 97% of harmful chlorine
* LED filter cartridge change indicator: notifies you when the cartridge needs to be replaced (Green = new, Yellow = change soon & Red = time to change cartridge)
* Shut-off Valve: allows the user to shut-off the water flow without changing the hot/cold water mix

Now what was the issue about KDF?

(Rio Vita Filter)

[Paul Idol]

One thing I've read about KDF is that its touted chlorine removal capability is grossly exaggerated because it mainly or only removes free chlorine, but most of what comes down the pipe is in the form of chlorine compounds.

I haven't spent the time yet to look into whether that claim is true, but it sounds reasonable. At any rate, it's what the people promoting Chlorgon as an adjunct to KDF say. It's supposed to get more effective at higher temperatures, and it supposed to remove at least some chloramines as well as chlorine, converting them to chloride.

As to carbon filters, my understanding has always been that they all become problematic with high temperatures, becoming saturated and then sloughing pollutants back into the water stream very quickly. I don't know how a carbon filter could be effective at or near 120 degrees for more than a relatively few gallons — like a few hundred or less. But maybe it's possible. Not an area I know that much about.

-Paul

[rfarris]

Aquasana mentions that they use a KDF upstream to reduce most of the chlorine (into chlorides) before their secondary filter. I don't remember them mentioning what they use for the secondary filter. I hope Rio Vita is doing something also.

Where do "Chlorgon" filters come from?

[Paul Idol]

R-

Where do "Chlorgon" filters come from?

I don't really know. It's "mineral salts" and calcite. It's generally packaged with KDF.

-Paul

[maestro949]

Damn it. I'm ruined. I take long showers and love to steam up the bathroom real good and suck in the moist air! It seems to me that a filter isn't going to really be that effective. Sounds like you need to get the chlorine out before it gets there. Any affordable devices that effectively distill water for you in large volumes? I guess you'd need one that you could put in front of the hot water heater and then have a separate tank for cold water. $$$

What about just showering with cold water? No steam but brrrr.

[gelfey]

Hi All,

i found the same information about shower water filters below

Commercial link removed. -Funk

Edited by FunkOdyssey, 12 January 2007 - 03:46 PM.

[niner]

I've heard of people getting gnarly respiratory infections from gunk growing in their showerhead. Mycoplasma, I think, but don't quote me on that. It would be a good idea to keep your showerhead clean. Low flow should help reduce the total chlorine outgassing. If free Cl2 is what you're worried about, it might be enough to use a technique called sparging. This just means bubble some air through the water shortly before use. It would be *way* cheaper than distillation. You'd probably want to use an on-demand water heater, with the sparger upstream of it. Is anyone aware of any good studies about the hazards of Cl2 in showers? I've never seen anything, but then I've never looked... My gut feeling is that showers are a lot less of a hazard than swimming pools, but in my experience swimming pools are pretty bad.

[gelfey]

The aquasana shower filters has been voted “Best Buy” by Consumer Digest magazine. This product provides the healthiest most refreshing shower experience you can ever have at a minimum cost per day. The best part of Aquasana shower filter is that it is very easy to install and it can be done within seconds. It will provide you natural healthy water for showering all the time.

The benefits of Aquasana shower filters are immense. All Aquasana shower filters provide several benefits such as chlorine removal, reduction of soap scum, prevention of dry skin & hair and the removal of unpleasant odor. Aquasana shower filters are perfect for someone who wants chlorine free shower vapors – reducing asthma attacks in the process and for person who wants VOC free water, healthier hair and skin, less build up on shower walls.

So for Shower Filter and Water Filters , aquasana is the best.


Commercial link removed. -Funk

Edited by FunkOdyssey, 12 January 2007 - 03:44 PM.

[rfarris]

Gee, we have a salesman here.