Faucet Mount Water Filtration

Faucet or point of use water filters are usually attached to your kitchen tap.

A tap filter delivers enough clean water for small families, even if you use it for cooking as well.

They have a small lever or knob to choose between clean drinking water and unfiltered water. That is important as filtration reduces the water flow. When you just need water to clean, you can use unfiltered water and fill your bucket faster.

Before you decide to buy a faucet mount filter make sure that
1. You can remove the aerator from your faucet and
2. the your kitchen faucet is not a sprayer faucet.

Why?

The filter will sit on your faucet - that does not work with sprayer faucets.

Most faucet water filters use an activated carbon filter to remove bad taste and odor. Some models also remove fluoride or lead.

Advantages

  • Easy installation
  • Low initial price
  • Longer filter life than pitcher filters
  • Choice between filtered and unfiltered water

Disadvantages

  • Requires frequent filter changes (2-3 months)
  • Does not fit all types of faucets.
  • Filtered water runs slow.

Price range: $20 - 100

Read our faucet mount water filter reviews.

What contaminants does a faucet water filter remove?

Most faucet filter brands use their own proprietary filter - and reduction rates vary greatly.

We compiled the data for the most popular brands in this graphic:

Pur, Brita, Culligan and DuPont faucet water filter removal rates compiled

We also compared other aspects of the best faucet water filters.

faucet filter faq

Faucet Filter FAQs

Is my tap water filter BPA-free?

Brita, PUR and Culligan faucet filters are BPA-free.

How Do I Prepare The filter of Faucet Filter System?

To prepare your filter of your faucet system, you install the new filter and run cold water through the filter for about five minutes.

How Do I Change My Faucet Mount Filter?

To change your faucet mount filter, first turn off the faucet. Hold the filter housing base steady with one hand and unscrew the filter housing with your other hand. Be careful not to put stress on the connection between filter and faucet. Then flush the new filter for about five minutes or as recommended by the manufacturer.

How often should I change my faucet filter?

You should change your faucet filter as recommended by the manufacturer. Most faucet filters are good for 100 gallons or 3 months, whatever comes first.

But if you notice, that filtering takes more and more time, you should change the filter earlier. Same goes for changes in taste, odor or color as low incoming water quality can result in shorter filter life.

How environment-friendly are faucet water filters?

A faucet filter can replace a huge amount of plastic water bottles. That alone helps to keep a lot of plastic bottles out of landfills.

Additionally, some companies like Brita and PUR have recycling programs for used filter cartridges and systems.

What to look for in kitchen faucet water filter? The Tap Filter Buying Guide

When you plan to buy a kitchen faucet water filter, there are lots of options. faucet mount water filter buying guide

The basic models do not vary greatly in price, so what else should you base you decision on?

Our buyer's guide lists possible features and explains them.

So you are able to make an informed buying decision.

  • Size and position - Sizes and mounting position differ. Make sure that the model you intend to buy fits the space you have at your kitchen sink.
  • Contaminant Removal - The ability to remove contaminants and the removal rates vary greatly among faucet water filters.

    Some faucet filters are great at improving taste and odor of your water, but they don't reduce other, more dangerous contaminants. If your tap water does not contain health threatening substances, then a simple - and more economical - tap filter system is fine.

    If you have more serious water quality problems at home, check our removal rate comparison to find a filter that solves them.

  • Independent Certification - Certification by the Water Quality Association or, even better, the NSF, gives you peace of mind. Just pay attention to the details. We try to give you all the essential facts in our reviews.

  • Annual Cost - This is the amount of money you will have to spend on replacement filters for your faucet filter system. As you can see in our faucet filter comparison chart, the annual cost varies quite a bit.

    We calculate this cost using the list price for replacement cartridges and multiply that by the number of new filters you would need for one year. If discounted volume packs are available, we use that price.

    Annual Cost = Filter Price X Number of Filters/year
  • Spray options - All the faucet mount filters reviewed here have at least two options for filtered and unfiltered water. Only the Brita Complete Faucet Filtration System comes with a third option to spray filtered water.

    The simplest faucet filter systems just have one option. Once attached to the faucet, all water goes through the filter. For me, it does not really makes sense to filter water to clean dishes. And these filters are not very efficient. That's why none of them made it to our best faucet filter list.

  • Filter Life Monitor - A filter life monitor is a nice to have feature. It informs you when it is time to change the filter. Great to have for larger families, who may need to filter more than the recommended amount of water within the filters life time.

    On the other hand, faucet filters without a monitor are cheaper to buy. So you can save some money without compromising the filter quality. Most tap filters have a limited usage time of two or three months. So you can simply add a reminder to your calendar.

  • Color and/or finish - Some faucet filters only come in one color. Other have up to three finish variations. That give you a choice to select a tap filter that fits your overall kitchen design.
  • 360-degree swivel - This feature is a doubled sided sword. It is nice to be able to move the filter out of the way when you want to clean bigger pots. On the other hand, it the movement puts extra strain on the connection between faucet and filter, which may lead to leaks over time.