TAPP filters seem great but how do I know that they really work?
To give you assurances that the filters work as promised here’s an overview of what TAPP filters as well as research and independent lab tests to prove it.
What does TAPP 2 5-stage activated carbon filter?
Based on our testing and research TAPP 2 5-stage removes 100+ potential substances from tap water and reduces more than 30 others. Here’s an overview of what it filters and the reduction efficiency. Note that TAPP 2 3-stage does not filter limescale and heavy metals and TAPP 1 filters don’t include low micron filtration of microplastics and bacteria.
| Substance | Description of what is being filtered | Reduction |
|---|---|---|
| Organoleptics parameters (taste, colour and odor) | The unpleasant taste or smell of water is generally caused by Chlorine, its by-products and organic contaminants. | 95% or more |
| Chlorine and Chloramine | Chlorine is added to disinfect tap water from harmful viruses and bacteria. | 95% or more |
| Chlorine by-products | Over 100 by-products incl 32 known chlorine by-products (VOCs) such as THMs identified as potentially cancerous | 95% or more |
| Microplastics | Plastic pieces of a few micrometers length | 95% or more |
| Heavy metals | Occur naturally in traces amounts in water and caused by pipelines corrosion such as lead, zinc, manganese, copper, etc | 90% or more |
| Pesticides | 14 listed pesticides including Chlordane, Heptachlor, and Lindane | 95% or more** |
| Herbicides | 12 listed herbicides including 2,4-D and Atrazine | 95% or more** |
| Nitrate & Nitrites | Generally caused by fertilizers. Nitrites exist in very low concentration in water, unlike nitrates. | 70% or more |
| Pharmaceuticals | Pharmaceuticals in very small concentrations have been found in tap water. This includes e.g. Atenolol, Carbamazepina, Estrone, Meprobamat and Trimethoprim | 95% or more** |
| PFAS | This includes PFOA, PFOS and PFNA. Sometimes referred to as forever chemicals. | 90% or more** |
| Pathogens | Most "bad" bacteria including eColi as well as Microbial cyst including giardia and cryptosporidium | 90% or more |
| Turbidity | Turbidity is a measure of the degree to which the water loses its transparency due to the presence of suspended particulates. | 90% or more |
| Limescale | TAPP 2 prevents limescale from forming in the kettle, coffee machine, sink, water bottles, pitchers and anywhere else you use tap water thanks to our proprietary limescale inhibitor formula. | 80% or more |
* The percentages of efficiency of the filter as well as its lifetime will vary depending on the initial quality of your tap water.
** Based on public research by NIH and other research institutions of activated carbon in block form as used in TAPP2. See what does activated carbon filters remove and reduce and complete list of what TAPP 2 5-stage water filters remove including 100+ substances.
Read about how TAPP 2 compares to other water filters.
What TAPP doesn’t filter
A common misconception is that a water filter should remove everything from tap water. Here’s a list of the substances and parameters that TAPP 2 does not remove/filter and why.
| Substance(s) | Description |
|---|---|
| TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) | TDS is basically the charged minerals in your water such as inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter that are dissolved in water. These are usually calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, carbonate, bicarbonate, chloride, sulphate and nitrates. Most lab reports use Electrical Conductivity instead of TDS. TDS does not in any case indicate if the water is drinkable or not. |
| Healthy minerals | Minerals include calcium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, etc that humans need to survive. These essential minerals are insignificantly reduced by carbon blocks. |
| Hardness | Hard water is water that has high concentration of Calcium and Magnesium. For drinking purposes, hard water is mostly an advantage. However, it causes limescale deposits that are often perceived as an issue. |
| pH | pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity of water. A pH value of 6.5-8.5 is considered normal and your body will adjust the pH to the body's normal state (blood = pH 7.4) after drinking. There is no known health risk related to pH within the legal range. |
Independent Lab Tests to confirm the filter works as stated
Every year we carry out lab tests with third party labs. Here’s an overview of one of these tests carried out by SimpleWater, one of the most renown labs in the world, in Los Angeles, United States during 2018-2019*. The link below the table includes the full list of substances with external sources by the lab to verify the claims.
| Parameter/Substance | Before filtration | After filtration | Reduction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Chlorine (ppm) | 0.8 | <0.05 | More than 95% |
| Chloramine (ppm) | 0.8 | <0.05 | More than 95% |
| pH | 7.8 | 7.9 | Not applicable |
| Turbidty (NTU) | 0.17 | Not detected | 100% |
| Microplastics (particles / L) | 29 | Not detected | 100% |
| Nitrate & Nitrite (ppm) | 0.22 | Not detected | 100% |
|
Heavy Metals
(Average for Lead, Manganese, Zinc, Barium) (ppm) |
0.15 | Not detected | 100% |
|
Chlorine disinfection bi-products
(THMs, VOCs, HAAs,..) (pbb) |
6 | Not detected | 100% |
*Note: The reason for picking Los Angeles, USA is that this was the worst tap water in terms of contaminants that we found during all the tests. Lab reports are also available for New York, Toronto, Barcelona, Milan and Indonesia.
Full report:
https://tappwater.co/us/tapp-2-independent-lab-test/
Complete list of what TAPP 2 water filters remove:
https://tappwater.co/en/complete-list-activated-carbon-filtration/
Please contact us on [email protected] if you have questions about what TAPP removes or the lab results.
