Unfair Practices of Water Filter Sellers

Very few laypeople are familiar with the issue of water filters, which is much more complicated than it might seem at first glance. Unfortunately, unscrupulous sellers or even fraudsters often exploit this. They try to push overpriced products onto customers that not only fail to improve water quality but can even turn otherwise good quality water into water unsuitable for consumption. So how can you avoid being deceived and recognise a truly qualified seller of drinking water filters?

It's Simply Not Possible Without a Water Analysis

Every water treatment and filtration system must be based on a laboratory analysis and tailored to each customer individually. If a seller tries to present you with some miraculous water treatment product that will solve all problems, they are a fraudster. And this is for two reasons:

No filter or device can solve all water problems. Sellers very often offer households so-called reverse osmosis or membrane filtration, which removes absolutely all substances from the water, resulting in pure H2O. This may give laypeople the impression that this device is truly universal and effective. However, pure water is not drinkable and is demonstrably harmful to health. Drinking water must contain a number of essential minerals.
Without a professional water analysis, no qualified and honest seller will offer you products. Every water filtration and treatment system must be designed to measure. However, this is simply not possible without knowing the values of your water.

In the case of unprofessional intervention, you may devalue your drinking water source.

Not All Analyses Are Equal

The fact that a seller offers you a water analysis is not in itself a guarantee that it is a truly professional analysis. It is very common for a "specialist," more precisely a door-to-door seller, to offer you a water analysis directly at your home and for free. It sounds tempting, but be cautious. Analyses are usually done in laboratories and are not entirely cheap.

If someone performs an analysis on the spot while you wait, it is probably a scam – using simple chemical reactions, sellers try to colour or cloud the water and show you how extremely polluted it is. Such an "analysis" is, of course, merely a pretext for selling water filters, the data is manipulated and does not reflect reality.

How a Professional Water Analysis is Conducted

If you draw water from waterworks, you can obtain current data on its composition directly from the drinking water supplier, so you don't need to do any analysis. In the case of your own water source, you must order a professional water analysis yourself in an accredited laboratory. The cost of a basic analysis is around 1000 CZK.

However, it must be an independent laboratory, not a test offered by a water filter seller. Do not rely on various home tests either, which are significantly inaccurate and do not provide comprehensive information.

A professional water analysis is always conducted in an accredited laboratory, never directly in households.

How to Read Drinking Water Analysis Results

If you have had a professional water analysis conducted in an accredited laboratory, consult with a specialist company on the next steps. Decree No. 252/2004 Coll. sets hygienic requirements for individual substances contained in drinking water. You should pay attention not only to the maximum values but also to the minimum ones, which are set for some minerals, for example. These are essential for the human body, and their sub-limit values may pose a health risk.

The results of the drinking water analysis will provide you with data on the concentrations of about 100 different substances – both beneficial and harmful. These can generally be divided into 3 groups:

mechanical pollution, solid particles, and turbidity,
substances dissolved in water, especially disinfectants and other chemicals, but also minerals, etc.,
microbiological pollution, such as bacteria and viruses.

Who to Contact in Case of Proven Contaminant Content

If the water analysis indeed proves that your drinking water contains above-limit concentrations of contaminants, have a solution proposal prepared by several specialist companies and compare the offers. A qualified seller will need the following to create an offer:

water analysis results,
the amount and purpose of the filtered water usage,
water source.

If they do not request these documents, they are not a truly professional seller. When comparing offers, consider not only the acquisition costs but also the operating costs, maintenance, and ease of use. Ask the seller for proof that the offered filter or water treatment plant meets hygiene standards according to Decree 409/2005 Coll. and that the product has been positively assessed by an accredited laboratory.

If you have no problem with water quality, there is no reason to treat or filter it.

If You Are Satisfied with Water Quality, Don't Let Anyone Convince You Otherwise

In general, water quality in the Czech Republic is very high, and hygiene standards are strict. Water from waterworks is under strict scrutiny and any amateur intervention in its composition could negatively impact the quality of drinking water. Scaremongering that water from waterworks could be contaminated or harmful to health is therefore not entirely justified.

On the other hand, water from private sources must always be treated, as the well or borehole owner is responsible for its quality. However, this must be preceded by a drinking water analysis and a professional design of a tailored filtration system.

We recommend conducting a water analysis:

before the first water draw from a new borehole or well,
preventively once a year in the case of private water sources, preferably in spring,
if the water is cloudy, smells, or has an unpleasant taste,
if you have atopic eczema or other skin problems,
if you want to ensure the appropriate composition of the water.

Unfortunately, even today, there are still many fraudsters and unqualified or dishonest sellers who do not hesitate to use various unfair business practices to sell their products. Do not be deceived or swayed by advertising and when choosing a filter and water treatment plant, consult with experts. Otherwise, you risk, at best, paying exorbitant amounts for non-functional devices, and at worst, devaluing your drinking water source.