Why choose Star Water Filter® to filter your water?
You've decided to filter your water (if not, see this page), but you're not sure which model or brand to choose. This page will help you choose with accurate, factual information. Gravity filtration systems seem similar, but vary according to brand and price.
How do you find your way around, compare and make an informed choice?
What is a gravity filtration system?
A gravity filtration system is a simple device consisting of two superimposed tanks, a tap and ancillary accessories. The water poured into the upper tank passes through one or more filters before being stored in the lower tank, ready for consumption. To guarantee the system's durability and hygiene, choose 304 stainless steel tanks, a material renowned for its resistance to corrosion and its use in food.
How do I choose a good filter?
Filtration quality is essential, and not all cartridges are created equal. Most filters on the market are based on the design of Black Berkey®, the pioneers of the sector. Although many brands claim equivalent performance, it's vital to check their certifications and independent tests.
The different types of filters and their efficiency :
- Filters composed solely of activated carbon: used alone, as is often the case in many gravity filters, activated carbon is certainly effective against certain pollutants, but not very effective against many others, such as certain heavy metals, pathogenic micro-organisms, fluoride and nitrates.
- Activated carbon filters + depolluting components: some manufacturers add specific filtering components to boost filter efficiency, as is the case with our Ultimate Star Filter®. The addition of silver, with its antibacterial or bacteriostatic properties, ensures that pathogens cannot develop in the filter element. For more information on the composition of our filter, click here.
- Ceramic filters: used in particular by British Berkefeld®, they offer an alternative with specific properties.
Whatever type of filter you choose, check its composition carefully and choose those that are NSF® certified and comply with certain European regulations, such as REACH or ROHS, to guarantee their quality and safety.
See our NSF® certification, or compliance with REACH and ROHS regulations.
To sum up, here's what you need to check before buying a filtration system
Our Ultimate Star Filter® has been designed and tested over many months by our research department and independent, recognised laboratories. It combines several filtration technologies for optimum efficiency. All its components have undergone rigorous testing. Our filter is NSF® certified and complies with European REACH and RoHS standards.
Filter life
Filters have a limited lifespan, due to the saturation of pollutants and the clogging of pores by sediment and limescale, which can gradually reduce the flow rate until it becomes very slow. Filter life also depends on water quality and filter maintenance.
Using a filter for too long can not only penalise its use by making filtration time prohibitive, but can also lead to the release of pollutants into the water. So it's important to replace it at the right time. A filter composed solely of activated carbon and promising efficiency over 22,000 litres is unrealistic. There is no scientific evidence to support this claim, and such a filtration capacity is physically impossible. Read our blog article on the life of water filters.
The lifespan of our Ultimate Star Filter® has been estimated at 3,000 litres (6,000 litres for a pair) to guarantee effective filtration throughout its lifetime. That's 2 years of filtration for a family of 4 at around two cents a litre. Detailed information on the service life can be found on this page. Detailed information on life expectancy on this page.
Analysis
This is a crucial point: without serious or incomplete and non-standardised analyses, it is impossible to prove the efficiency of a filter. Testing a gravity filtration system is complex, costly and time-consuming. That's why many dealers make do with vague information. However, only rigorous analysis can confirm that a filter is truly effective. The flow rate of a gravity filter is slow (it cannot be pressurised), and testing thousands of litres of water under these conditions is a costly and difficult process. In addition, a specific protocol must be used for each type of pollutant. For example, heavy metals must be analysed at two different pH levels (acidic and basic, typically 6.5 and 8.5), because their adsorption varies according to the acidity of the water. Displaying good results on tap water is therefore not enough to guarantee the effectiveness of a filter.
Our Ultimate Star Filter® has been tested by independent, recognised laboratories. The pollutants tested have been carefully selected on the basis of their danger to health and their likelihood of being found in the drinking water available in Europe. You can consult all the pollutants tested and their analysis results.
Certifications and approvals
To meet the requirements of European regulations and guarantee the use of components that are safe for human health, certain approvals and analyses are necessary. However, many filtration products are marketed without a certificate of conformity or approval, which represents a risk for consumers. What's more, some filters display logos that are worthless or even false. For example, the CE mark has no value for a filtration system, and it is forbidden to use it in this context. It is used by some brands as a sales argument that falsely induces excessive confidence on the part of the consumer. Others misuse the NSF® logo, even though it relates to only one component of the filter, or use it to refer to certificates that are irrelevant to the filter as a whole.
Our Ultimate Star Filter® and all filtration components are NSF® certified, as is our filter itself. All components, without exception, are REACH and RoHS approved and tested.
Customer service
Before placing an order, and after checking the above points, you should also pay attention to the seller's suitability, knowledge and sales service. Is there a telephone number where you can contact them if you have any problems or simply need information? How is their after-sales service managed, and do they have clear terms and conditions of sale and delivery?
One more thing: be wary of blogs, comparison sites or YouTube videos that give an ‘expert’ opinion, when in fact they are often people with commercial interests in offering competing systems. Nothing beats official documents and factual analyses.
If in doubt, contact us by telephone or via our contact form to obtain relevant and serious information.
And if you'd like to find out more about us, click here!
At Star Water Filter®, we have a wealth of experience in sales, after-sales and customer service. We've been selling leading brands of gravity-fed water filtration systems across Europe for many years. We decided to design, manufacture and sell our own products, while retaining our expertise, our skills and our desire to do things right. We manage our own after-sales service and dedicated logistics, and our warehouses are located in Toulouse (south of France). Our customer service team answers the phone every day of the week and we respond to emails 365/365 days a year.
Star Water Filter®: the benefits of a water filtration specialist
At Star Water Filter®, nothing has been left to chance, from the design of our filter, through its validation by dozens of analyses, to the certifications and approvals obtained.
Our professional, responsive customer service team will be happy to advise and support you and answer any questions you may have, by phone or email.