Culligan FM-15A Level 3 Faucet Filter
...but not a drop to drink. For my highly sensitive 2 1/2 year old this phrase is painfully oh so true. Zoe has a number of food allergies and sensitivities and after much trial and error we narrowed down that one of her major irritants is chlorine. The discovery of this led us to early potty training (at about 20 months) due to bleeding diaper rash associated with the chlorine content of diapers and the poor breathe-ability of diapers (even the chlorine-free brands).
Another 'ah ha' moment came when we realized the water in our house had a disgustingly high amount of chlorine in it...more than that of a swimming pool! Once we learned of this we researched water filtration systems and decided on the RainSoft EC4 whole house water filtration system. If you are curious about this system I highly suggest you request a demo...you will be shocked.
Now, I understand that water must be treated for it to be 'drinkable'. There are many bugs and nasties that can grow in water and that we dump in water ourselves (ex. fertilizers). I just wish there were a more natural way to remedy this issue than pouring in boatloads of chemicals. If you haven't already, I suggest you take some time to research the effect of prolonged exposure to chlorine in household water. Aside from skin dryness and irritation, there are a whole host of problems linked to chlorinated water including irritation of mucous membranes, possible artery damage, link to melanoma and other cancers, fertility problems, etc. Without sounding too much like an 'Erin Brokovich', I want you to be aware of what is in the water being consumed by you and your family.
The RainSoft EC4 filter works like a charm but since we are away from home for a year I needed to find a more cost-effective way to filter the water that Zoe will be using. I researched faucet mounted systems and found the Culligan FM-15A Level 3 Faucet Filter on amazon.com. I paid about $13 for this little gadget and figured if it didn't work perfectly then I wasn't out too much cash. It got great reviews so I figured what the heck. It arrived about a week after I ordered it and I immediately installed it on our kitchen faucet. Earlier that day I picked up a water test kit made by AquaChem at Wal-Mart. This kit comes in a little blue box in the pool supply section and costs about $6; it was actually the same kit I used when I was a lifeguard in college so I was familiar with the test.
It took about 3 minutes to install the filter, very easy. With the filter in place you can choose to have unfiltered water (great for tasks like watering the plants or rinsing dishes before putting them in the dishwasher) or filtered water by pulling a little knob. I first used the AquaChem test kit to test the unfiltered water. The ideal chlorine level for a swimming pool is about 1.5 ppm...the unfiltered water had 3.0 ppm, twice that of what should be in a swimming pool! Then came the real test, the filtered water. Amazingly the filtered water had 0.0 ppm of chlorine...every little bit was removed, hallelujah! We then installed the same filter on Zoe's bathroom sink and taught her how to pull the knob when she needs filtered water to brush her teeth or wash her hands. What a relief it was to find this little contraption for not a lot of dough!
I highly recommend you purchase the AquaChem (or equivalent) water test kit from Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's or any hardware or pool supply store. Check out your water...then get your Culligan FM-15A filter right away :)
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