Marcus Chen - DrinkingWaterFilter.com

One-piece salt-based water softener plumbed into a basement main water line, with a bag of salt pellets beside it

EcoPure EP42 Review (2026): 42,000-Grain Certified Softener

The EcoPure EP42 is a one-piece salt softener certified by NSF International to NSF/ANSI 44, rated at 42,200 grains, 8.2 gpm and 5,090 grains per pound of salt.

Glass of water on a white farmhouse porch railing overlooking rows of young corn, with a crop sprayer working in the distance

Atrazine in Drinking Water (2026): Limits and Removal

Where the herbicide atrazine in water comes from, what the EPA, WHO, and Health Canada limits are, where the EPA’s review stands, and the filters that reduce it.

Blue well pressure tank with copper pipes and a pressure gauge against a stone basement wall, and a glass of water on a wooden workbench

Radium in Drinking Water (2026): Limits and Removal

Where radium in water comes from, what the EPA says about its cancer risk and the 5 pCi/L limit, how to test a well, and the treatments and certification claims that reduce it.

Copper pipes under a kitchen sink in an open white cabinet, with blue-green patina on one joint and a glass of water on the counter above

Copper in Drinking Water (2026): Limits and Removal

Why copper gets into tap water from household plumbing, what the EPA and WHO allow, who is most sensitive, and how flushing, corrosion control, and certified filters reduce it.

Mail-in water test kit with sample bottles and a bacteria vial on a kitchen counter next to a glass of water.

Best Water Test Kit (2026): Lab Kits for Well and City Water

Mail-in lab kits for well and city water, compared on what they test and who runs the lab.

Running shower with steam rising behind a glass door in a grey stone-tiled bathroom, with a glass of water and a plant on the vanity

Radon in Drinking Water (2026): Risks and Removal

Why radon in well water is mainly an indoor air risk, where the never-finalized EPA rule stands, what Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire advise, and the whole-house treatments that work.

Private well head in a farmyard with corn fields and a red barn behind it, and a glass of water on a wooden fence post

Nitrates in Drinking Water (2026): Limits and Removal

Where nitrate and nitrite in water come from, why infants under six months are most at risk, how the EPA and WHO limits compare, and the treatments that reduce them.

Private well head in a dry sagebrush yard with mountains and a white farmhouse behind it, and a glass of water on a weathered fence post

Arsenic in Drinking Water (2026): Limits and Removal

Where arsenic in water comes from, why arsenic III and V need different treatment, what the EPA and WHO allow, and the certified systems that reduce it.

Glass of water and a bowl of water softener salt on a marble kitchen counter, with a water softener in the utility room behind

Sodium in Drinking Water (2026): Limits and Removal

Where sodium in water comes from, how much a softener adds, what the EPA, WHO, and Health Canada advise, and the treatments that reduce it.

Glass water filter pitcher with a white filter housing on a silicone base, beside a glass of water on a kitchen counter.

LifeStraw Home Review (2026): WQA-Certified Glass Pitcher

WQA certifies the LifeStraw Home Glass 7-Cup for lead, metals and microplastics. Here’s what’s certified, what’s only lab-tested, and what it costs to run.

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