How Easy Is It To Work?

Have you ever received a great new time saving, life improving tool – only to have it sit on your basement and gather dust? This was because this wondrous gadget took a Master’s Degree in Quantum Physics to understand. Who has time for all of that hassle?

Don’t let this happen to your countertop water filters. There’s no pint in getting one if it’s just going to sit in the box. The best countertop water filters can be easily installed, uninstalled and maintained. They shouldn’t need any special tools or the every expensive labor of a plumber. You should also be able to easily understand how to take the filter cartridges in and out of the filter canister.

You should be able to get a hold of the instructions either online from the manufacturer or from the store you want to buy your prospective countertop water filters from. If you are doing your comparison shopping online, try to get a hold of the customer service email or phone number and see how long it takes for them to get back to you.

Any Recommendations?

You might already have the name of the best countertop water filter that was right for your friend, relative or business associate. Ask them about how they like their filters and if it’s easy or hard to maintain or any other questions you might have.

Although countertop water filters are getting more and more popular, chances are that you might not know of anyone who has one. Then, what do you do to find what other customers think of particular brands or kinds of water filters?

You could try “Consumer Reports”, which did an extensive comparison of the best countertop water filters a few years ago. They have a free website now that holds most of their archives.

You could also try customer ratings websites like MeasuredUp, Buzzillions or ConsumerSearch.com (which puts together a lot of reviews from all over the web). You can also check out the customer reviews on Amamzon.com. You will certainly read a lot of unbiased opinions about the best countertop water filters – and the worst!

Now, The Price

After comparing all of those and getting a short list of countertop water filters, then you take a hard look at the money involved. Although there is a large payment to get the filter, over time, it will prove to be less expensive than buying bottled water.

Also take a look at any freebies that often go with a water filter system. Does the store offer free shipping, free customer service or free reusable water bottles? The best countertop water filters have a service where you save a lot of money where you get a new cartridge every six months without having to send in an extra order form.

Jim Riley is a passionate spokesman about the health benefits of purified drinking and bathing water. Visit his site now at http://www.water-purification-site.com to discover the purification system he endorses and why.

You may be wondering why granite is such a popular material for countertops. First and foremost, looks! With its rich polished surface, granite appeals to every décor style from elegant or modern to traditional or country. Granite comes in some amazing colors, and is considered to be one of the most beautiful stones in the world. Installing granite countertops is not only timeless, its durable and virtually maintenance free, economical, and eco-friendly.

The best place to begin in understanding why people choose granite countertops in their home is to understand what granite is. Granite is a natural stone and comes from the Italian word “granito”, meaning grained. It is an igneous rock, essentially molten magma, which is cooled and then hardened below the earth’s surface. Granite contains crystallized minerals such as feldspar, quartz and mica. The colors and patterns of granite are determined by these minerals, their varying concentrations, temperature, pressure and the rate at which the rocks cool down on their ascent to the earth’s surface. It is this range of colors and patterns that make granite such an appealing and unique material to use for countertops.

Let’s move on to durability. As you are probably aware, diamonds are the hardest material. Granite is the second. Ask any stone fabricator what they use to fabricate granite in their shops and their answer will be consistent-diamond blades! It is for this reason that granite is a highly durable material. It is recommended that you do not use knives on granite, not out of concern for scratching the granite, but because the hardness of the granite will dull the blades. In addition, you can set hot pots on your granite tops without any concern. Anything short of a blowtorch will not affect your countertop. Granite is one of the most heat resistant materials you can use. It is commonly used as building material for high-rises due to its ability to withstand gale force winds and rain. Needless to say, its durable.

Granite is a fairly maintenance free material, as well. Routine cleaning with mild soap and water is all that is generally required. Unlike marble, which is generally a callous stone formed from oceanic deposits and then compressed under pressure (metamorphosed), granite, an igneous rock, is less porous. An occasional re-application of a penetrating sealer should be performed, which only takes about 15 minutes-less time than scouring a solid surface countertop with a cleanser to remove scratches. Unlike marble, which will lose its polish with time, granite will shine years from now just as if it was brand new.

Many so-called “experts” advise re-applying stone sealers on an annual (or more frequent) basis – this is just not true. In actuality, there is no “calendar” for re-sealing, and over-application of sealer can build up over time and cause a haze on the surface of your countertops. The frequency for re-sealing depends on the type of stone installed and the amount of use that the countertops see. An easy “rule of thumb” is to closely monitor the area around the sink. If you begin to notice water that does not bead up or soaks into the stone within 10-15 minutes, then it’s probably time to re-seal. Applying a sealer is easy, you can apply a liberal amount of sealer in the evening before going to bed and just let it penetrate and cure overnight. Sealers can be picked up at any “big box” hardware store.

Contrary to popular belief granite is not very expensive. With the new technology available to the miners and fabricators of granite, the cost of granite has dropped dramatically in the last few decades. Stone prices are now competitive and even lower than man-made options. Granite lasts longer than any other surface, not only for its durability but because it is not just the latest trend. Keep in mind, its been around and has been in use since, well, the Stone Age.

Although it is true that mining is rough on the environment, other products are far worse in several ways. Man-made products create potentially deadly by-products which end up straight in our already crowded landfills. Due to granite’s durability and timeless beauty it does not need to be replaced or upgraded. Man-made counters are replaced several times over the life of a building, further adding waste (both environmentally and financially). More importantly, to your own family’s health, granite does not harbor bacteria. In fact, in one study comparing granite with other countertop choices such as laminate, wood, tile, concrete, and stainless steel, sealed granite was shown to be second only to the stainless steel for resistance to bacteria.

It is for these reasons that granite has recently become the material of choice for homeowners remodeling their kitchens. With its durability and timeless beauty, granite is here to stay.

Kathy specializes in granite and marble fabrication and installation and services residents and businesses in the Tampa Bay area.

For more information on the benefits of granite countertops in your home, please visit http://www.kascostone.com