Alkaline Water Ionizers are a great addition to any household looking to drink cleaner water. These units can assist us in having fresh, pure, and contaminant-free water right in our kitchen.
Having clean water free of contaminants can provide a wide range of benefits to you and your family’s health. Alkaline water ionizers can also boost the pH value of your water, making it healthier and more alkaline.
Having a more permanent installation will give you the ease of access to this water whenever you want it. They connect directly to your water supply.
Depending on the unit, it can connect through your normal kitchen faucet/tap, or by tapping into the supply line of water under the sink.
There are advantages to alkaline water ionizers compared to alkaline water pitchers. We will briefly discuss these under the types of alkaline water ionizers available.
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What is alkaline water?
Alkaline water is water which has a pH level of above 7 on the pH scale. But not all alkaline water is created equal. Many of the alkaline water products available for purchase are created by adding chemicals to the water to generate a high pH level. 1
While this technically does make the water alkaline, it isn’t quite healthy to consume these added chemicals.
At Detox&Cure we recommend a more healthy alternative, which is to Alkalize your water. The difference is that alkalized water is created through electromagnetic charges.
While this may not sound healthier, it is just the technical term for ionizing your water. Our recommendation is to alkalize your water and not rely on store-bought alkaline water, as there is no telling how to water was adjusted to have a pH of above 7.
The healthiest option available is a fresh stream of uncontaminated spring water. But if you’re like most of the population, you probably won’t have access to this kind of water.
Thankfully technology has been able to create clean, mineral-packed, and alkaline water straight from your tap. There are a couple of ways in which you can make alkaline water. But on this page, we will focus on alkaline water ionizers.
The Types of Alkaline Water Ionizers
There are two main types of alkaline water ionizers, the counter-top unit, and the under-sink unit:
The counter-top unit
As the name implies, this is a unit that sits on top of your countertop and is not permanently installed into the house. The countertop unit will generally connect via the original kitchen faucet but have a fitting to be screwed onto the end of the faucet.
It will contain a switch of sorts, to be able to flip between alkaline water from the filter and regular tap water. Most units will come with a range of attachments to fit most sized faucets.
Their installation is fairly simple, take off the fitting on your faucet and find a matching fitting with your unit. Once the size matches, screw the fitting onto the faucet and ensure there are no leaks.
These units are great as they are not too hard to pack up and move around. Great if you travel for longer periods as you can take the unit along with you. It’s also easy to put the faucet back together if you need to restore it to its previous state.
The under-sink unit
An under-sink unit is a permanent unit fitted under the sink. It is connected directly to the water supply line that your original faucet is connected to.
The unit, however, will have a new (or second) faucet that is installed into the actual countertop. The new faucet will run completely separate from your current faucet.
The separate faucet will pull water directly from the supply line, filter and alkalize it under the sink in the unit, and push out crisp, clean water.
Installation on these units can be a bit more difficult. Some may require your countertop to have holes added to it for the new faucet.
Even if you aren’t much of a handyman (or handywoman), you should be able to install the unit using the manufacturer’s installation instructions. Depending on the manufacturer/seller, some offer services to come and install for you.
Although these units are pretty much immobile, they do provide the best quality available of any alkalizing units available. They also seem to have the most detailed installation videos available, making self-installation much simpler.
Quick side note
As alkaline water ionizers have a limited filter life/capacity, I would not recommend using filtered water for absolutely everything.
Washing dishes or rinsing fruit and vegetables is much more economically viable as the price of new filters can add up. While some filters can be pricey, the frequency in which you have to replace them is low.
We also recommend alkaline water pitchers. They are a cheaper alternative to an ionizer unit but require more maintenance and filter changes.
Depending on the unit selected from either category, ionizers will initially be a larger monetary investment than a pitcher. However, ionizers require replacement filters much less often, and will generally filter out more impurities than a filter on a pitcher.
The downside to alkaline water ionizers also is that they won’t alkalize your water to as high of a pH level as a pitcher would. Over the long run, however, they will have a more consistent alkaline level coming from the ionizer over the filter life.
Some units listed will not have a pH maximum level or range as they are not listed anywhere by the producer of the unit. They all guarantee to increase the pH level to alkaline levels.
Depending on the pH level of your source water, most units should be able to produce a pH of 7.5 or above fairly comfortably.
Health experts will normally recommend that you drink water with a pH of 6.5 to 8.5. Drinking water with a pH of over 8.5 is fine but should be avoided if you have liver disease as it can cause harm.
The only other side effect can be dry or itchy skin or an upset stomach. Drinking water with a pH lower than 6.5 means it is becoming acidic, which is not good for the body, inside or out.
Top 7 Water Ionizers
As we have two different types of units to cover, we have assessed both and selected a combination to create a top 7 list. This way we can give you a variety of units to review.
Counter-top ionizers
AquaCera HCP Counter-Top Filter System
The AquaCera HCP Counter-Top Filter System is a great mid-range countertop unit. Filter life is listed as 6 months or 600 gallons but is recommended to be changed more often if the source water has lots of contaminants in it.
While it only claims to raise pH by one point, it filters out nearly every chemical you may find in regular tap water. The removal of chemicals like fluoride, chlorine, and heavy metals such as lead, creates clearer, and more alkaline water. It also keeps beneficial minerals such as magnesium in the drinking water, further raising the pH level of the water.
It is set up as a normal countertop unit, ready to connect to your existing faucet. The size of the unit itself is about average, meaning it is solid once connected but also transportable if you need to take it with you.
While this unit doesn’t boast the greatest pH level increase, it is extremely effective at clearing out harmful contaminants.
Apex Counter-top Drinking Water Filter
Apex Counter-top Drinking Water Filter is a great unit for those wanting the best of both worlds. It will not only remove contaminants and add minerals, but it will also increase pH levels.
Recommended filter life is 750 gallons, or 4-8 months depending on family size and frequency of use. It is capable of generating water with a pH of 8 to 8.5.
Aside from removing harmful contaminants like chlorine, industrial chemicals, or mercury, the Apex Countertop Filter will also add back vital minerals.
This includes minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium among others. The result is clean water with added healthy minerals, along with an alkaline pH level.
This unit connects to your faucet as a normal counter-top unit would. There is no fancy installation required. It is regular in size for a counter-top unit, meaning it is stable enough on your counter-top, but also small enough to pack up and take with you if required.
Nu Aqua Platinum Series Premium Counter-top Water Filtration System
The Nu Aqua Platinum Series Premium Counter-top Water Filtration System is a powerful unit for its size. It not only removes harmful contaminants but adds back in the healthy minerals filtered out during the process.
The filter life on this filter is listed as up to 8 months, or roughly 750 gallons.
The Nu Aqua Premium Counter-top System has an 8 stage filter system. The first 5 stages clean out harmful contaminants such as chlorine, impurities, and heavy metals.
Stage 6 adds back healthy minerals such as magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Stage 7 and 8 filters out any larger impurities still remaining in the water. This leads to clean, mineral-packed, and alkaline water ready to go when you are.
The unit connects to most normal taps, but will not connect to spray-type faucets with fixed aerators. Installation is fairly standard, just connect to your existing faucet and run.
Being a counter-top unit it can be maneuvered around your sink as required, or packed up and taken with you fairly simply.
Under-sink ionizers
Express Water Reverse Osmosis Alkaline Water Filtration System
The Express Water Reverse Osmosis Alkaline Water Filtration System is a well-priced under-sink ionizer. While it is not the highest quality unit on the market, it is very good value in comparison to its price.
It is capable of producing water of up to 10pH under optimal settings. Filter life is listed as 4 to 6 months. However, Express Water makes it easy to buy replacement filters in bulk, helping you save money on filters in the long run.
The Express Water Alkaline Water System filters out all the usual contaminants such as heavy metals and chlorine. It also adds back minerals removed during the filtering process such as calcium, potassium, and magnesium.
Installation is quite simple even for an under-sink unit, with many reviews stating that even non-handy people are having little to no issues.
The bonus of this unit is that it has a leak detection system, which is designed to detect moisture near or on the unit. This will greatly assist in identifying if there is a leak or issue with the ionizing kit before any major damage is done.
IonTech IT-750 Compact Under Sink Alkaline Water Ionizer And Filtration System
The IonTech IT-750 Compact Under Sink Alkaline Water Ionizer And Filtration System is our most expensive recommendation. It is well worth its price tag, however.
Not only does the unit produce exceptionally good water, but it also can customize the pH level of the water being filtered. That’s right, you can produce water ranging from acidic at 5.5 pH up to 9.5 pH from one unit!
The filter life is listed as 1500 to 3000 gallons of water, but the unit will let you know when it is time to change the filter out.
The other bonus is that the unit does a self-clean after every use. It also has a feature to perform a short clean to help keep both your filter and unit cleaner for longer.
The IonTech IT-750 Alkaline Water Ionizer removes all the usual contaminants and chemicals, such as chlorine and fluoride. It utilizes a powerful electrolysis process using precise titanium plates coated with platinum to create alkaline water in a completely chemical-free way.
Installation is slightly different from a standard under-sink ionizer, as this one requires a power socket to connect to. It needs to connect to your water source as a normal under-sink unit would.
The ionizer is not too difficult to install yourself even without “handyman” experience.
APEC Top Tier Supreme Certified Alkaline Mineral pH+ High Output
An APEC Top Tier Supreme Certified Alkaline Mineral pH+ High Output ionizer is a higher-end unit that provides exceptional quality water. This unit is extremely effective at removing contaminants, harmful chemicals, and toxins from your connected water source.
Depending on your connected water supply, the calcium carbonate attachment can raise pH levels anywhere from 1/2 a point to 2 points.
The filter life for most parts is listed as 6 to 12 months depending on water quality. The fourth and fifth stage filters can last anywhere from 2 to 4 years with proper care.
The APEC Top Tier High Output Ionizer claims to remove up to 99% of contaminants such as chlorine, fluoride, heavy metals, and over 1000 other contaminants.
The calcium carbonate attachment helps to add back in calcium and other beneficial minerals to raise pH values to make the water even healthier.
It installs as a normal under-sink unit by attaching directly to the water supply and delivers water through its own faucet. The bonus is that the faucet supplied is 100% metal-free and lead-free, resulting in even cleaner water straight from the tap.
Depending on your kitchen set-up, this unit can also be modified to link to your refrigerator ice maker.
Frizzlife RO Reverse Osmosis Under Sink Water Filtration System
The Frizzlife RO Reverse Osmosis Under Sink Water Filtration System is a sleek looking unit that takes up very minimal space under your sink.
This means no bulky water tank under your sink taking up valuable storage space. It also raises the pH of any water to a minimum of 7.5 pH. Obviously, the better the water source, the higher this number can get.
Filter life is recommended at an average of 1 year, or 1000 gallons depending on the quality of your water supply. The bonus of this unit is that the electronic interface will give you plenty of notice as to when the filter needs to be changed.
This makes it much easier to order replacement cartridges in advance, ensuring clean, alkaline water in every sip of water.
This unit is effective at removing contaminants you may find in most water supplies such as lead, fluoride, and heavy metals. The third stage of the filter process will add back in minerals which are stripped during the first two stages.
This stage also alkalizes the water, which can become slightly acidic during the first two steps, so it is important to use all components of this ionizer kit.
Installation of the Frizzlife Reverse Osmosis System is reasonably standard for an under-sink unit. However, a drainage connection needs to be added. This is to flush away the water that contains the leftover contaminants and chemicals.
It simply connects to the already existing plumbing for wastewater. It also requires a power supply to connect to (standard power point socket).
It is one of the most water-efficient ionizers currently on the market when it comes to wastewater to drinking water ratio, making it great value for money.
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Last Updated on 1 month by D&C Editorial Team
