Transparency
How we make money
This site is free to read. It is paid for by commissions, and you should know exactly how.
How a paid link works
- You read a guide or reviewFree, no account, no cookies
- You click a marked linkEvery one says (paid link)
- You buy from the manufacturerCurrently SpringWell or Aquasana
- The manufacturer may pay usA commission on that sale
$0extra for you: the price is the same with or without our link
Paid links
Some links on this site go to manufacturers of water treatment systems, currently SpringWell and Aquasana. If you click one and buy something, the manufacturer may pay us a commission. These links are marked (paid link) right next to them, and every page with paid links carries an Advertising notice at the top.
The price you pay is the same whether you use our link or not.
What commissions don't change
- We tell you to test your water first, even though an independent lab test sells nothing for us.
- We say when a whole-house system is the wrong tool, for example for nitrate or arsenic, where a small under-sink system is usually the better choice.
- We say what each product can't do, based on the manufacturer's own limits.
- Manufacturers don't see or approve our texts before we publish them.
We don't run hands-on tests
We haven't installed these systems in our own homes. Our reviews are built from the manufacturers' published specifications, manuals and warranty terms, certification listings (NSF; WQA and IAPMO where their directories can be searched), and guidance from the EPA, the CDC and university extension services. Each fact links to its source. See About & method.
What our reviews are built from
- Specifications
- Manuals
- Warranty terms
- NSF
- WQA
- IAPMO
- EPA
- CDC
- University extension services
Ads
We may advertise this site on search engines. That costs us money; it doesn't earn us any. Nobody pays us to rank a product higher.