In August 2020, Melbourne Water issued a Boil Water Advice for the city of Melbourne after a power outage caused undisinfected water from Silvan Dam to enter the water supply system.
Bottled water flew off the supermarket shelves, and many looked to water filters or even boiling tap water as a solution.
To help you when the next Water Crisis hits, we're comparing boiled water with filtered water so you can make the best decision for your family.
Boiled Water
Boiled water is an old but simple way to kill pathogens in your tap water, making it a little safer to drink.
As most people are aware, water boils at 100 degrees celsius, and most bacteria and microorganisms cannot survive for very long past temperatures of 70 degrees celcius.
Drinking boiled water also aids in digestion and improves circulation, but what’s the difference between boiled water and filtered water? This article aims to address just that.
Advantages of Boiling Water
- Kills pathogens
- Affordable
- Quick and Convenient
- Aids in digestion
- Improves circulation
Disadvantages of Boiling Water
Boiling water can kill pathogens, however, it can’t remove anything from the water.
This means that the actual quality of the water will be the same as normal tap water, but at least the pathogens are dead.
Other disadvantages of boiling water:
- Uses electricity
- Takes time
- Doesn’t kill many other common tap water contaminants like a water filter will
- Expensive if you’re doing it for all your drinking water every day
Contaminants That Boiling Water Doesn’t Remove
There are many common tap water contaminants that aren’t removed during the process of boiling water, some of which include; chlorine, heavy metals, fluoride, nitrates, pesticides and herbicides, viruses, and more.
What is Filtered Water?
Filtered water is tap water that has been put through a cartridge or chemical process to remove a range of contaminants to improve the taste, but more importantly, the quality of the drinking water.
There are several different types of filtration methods that all depend on what the goal is with your water.
Filtered Water Benefits
Compared to boiling, filtered water is much faster to create and is much cleaner because numerous contaminants are actually removed during the filtration process.
When you filter your water instead of boiling, you can enjoy much cleaner, purer water which goes a long way in nurturing your health in so many ways - more than just improving taste.
As you can probably see already, there is a big difference between boiled water and filtered water.
More Filtered Water Benefits:
- No more heavy metals which clog up the body and cause illness
- Improves immune system
- Improves skin, hair and nail health
- May aid weightloss
- Improves the taste of coffee and tea
- Improves digestion
- Far superior taste and smell of drinking water
- No chlorine to cause unnecessary stress on the immune system or dry out your body’s cells.
- No fluoride accumulating in your body risking you with potential health problems as you get older.
You can experience a long list of benefits (many of the above) just by removing chlorine in drinking water.
There are many filtration options such as whole house, under sink, benchtop, reverse osmosis, UV and more.
Be sure to check out our range of drinking water filters if you’d like to go the extra mile, rather than just boiling water because your body will thank you for it, and so will your home and water appliances.
Why Filtered Water Is Superior To Boiled Water
- It's faster
- Removes more contaminants
- Energy conserving and;
- There's plenty of variety to choose from.
There are so many types of water filters to choose from, depending on the contaminants you want to remove or the outcome you want to achieve.
Boiled Water Vs Filtered Water: Which Is Best?
The overwhelming conclusion is that filtered water trumps boiled water.
Boiling water isn’t enough to completely purify the water because it leaves harmful contaminants such as lead and chlorine in there.
Additionally, when there is an external event, such as the algal blooms in Brisbane, or the storms in Melbourne - you may not hear anything from local governments until you’ve been drinking contaminated water for days, weeks or even months.
Overall, filtered water is far better for your health and comes with a host of other benefits compared to boiled water.
My Water Filter provides a range of water filtration solutions to help you create the best water you can in all areas of your home, including the shower!
If you're in an emergency situation and boiling the water is critical, we recommend checking out the CDC's guide to making water safe during an emergency.
How To Create The Best Water You Can
To get filtered water at every faucet, we recommend a whole house water filter.
If you just want filtered water coming from your kitchen, consider an undersink or benchtop water filter, or even a Reverse Osmosis Water Filter if you want the purest water possible.
If you have questions about which water filter is right for you, continue reading in our Learning Centre and feel free to contact us if you would like help tailoring a solution to the unique needs of your home.