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Independent water-filtration watchdog · verified vs. NSF / WQA Free tools · No upsells · Real part numbers
Check my water
It starts with your tap

What’s actually in your water?

Enter your ZIP. We pull your utility’s real EPA testing, grade each PFAS against the health-based limit (with the date + the basis), then show the filter that handles what your water carries — and what still slips through.

  • Your utility’s real measured PFAS (EPA UCMR5), sourced & dated
  • Non-detects shown honestly — never a guessed number
  • No sponsored rankings, no upsells
Source: EPA UCMR5 (2023-2025) + the EPA health-based PFAS limits

Try: 07102 Newark45202 Cincinnati48503 Flint28401 Wilmington

How a filter actually works

A good filter catches a lot — but not everything.

In general, here is what a multi-stage cartridge removes at each stage — and what needs reverse osmosis or a softener instead. Your exact water report (by ZIP) is coming next.

IN OUT STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 Sediment mesh rust · sand · 5um Carbon block chlorine · taste · VOCs Catalytic media lead · cyst (NSF-53) Polish
✓ A certified NSF-53 filter catches
Sediment & rust Chlorine & taste Lead Cysts Some VOCs
⚠ Slips through (needs more)
Nitrate · Arsenic · Fluoride→ reverse osmosis
PFAS→ certified PFAS filter or RO
Hardness→ a softener
General guidance — not a reading of your specific utility. The by-ZIP water report is the next release.
The independent registry

Don’t take the box’s word. Search the record.

Every certification, cross-checked against the NSF & WQA listings. We show what’s actually listed — not what the label implies.

Filter Certification Registry

Search any brand, filter part number, or contaminant and see what the official NSF / WQA certification record actually shows -- versus what the box implies. We read 68 filter lines and the NSF/IAPMO/WQA listings so you can verify before you buy.

How to read this: don't take the box's word -- this is what the certification record shows.

  • Listed On the official NSF (or WQA Gold Seal) certification record.
  • Select SKUs Listed for lead, but only on specific premium SKUs -- not the whole line.
  • Via IAPMO/WQA Certified by IAPMO R&T or WQA (legitimate) rather than listed by NSF.
  • Implied only The box implies the claim, but we found no listing on the record -- verify the model.
  • Not on record No published certification claim found (often a sediment / RO-stage element). Not the same as "fails".

No filter in this registry holds a verified NSF/ANSI P473 (PFAS) listing as of 2026-06-24. PFAS-reduction wording you see on a box is not the same as a certified P473 listing -- search "PFAS" below to see which products only claim it, and verify any claim at info.nsf.org.

No exact match yet. No registry rows match "". Try a brand (Waterdrop), a part number (DA29-00020B), or a contaminant (lead, PFAS).

  • Search by the model printed on your filter, or the aftermarket brand name.
  • Search a contaminant -- "lead", "PFAS", "chlorine" -- to see what is verified vs only implied.

Certification is SKU-SPECIFIC, not brand-wide: confirm your exact model against the official listing at info.nsf.org before trusting any lead/health claim.

Need the filter that fits YOUR fridge? Use the finder →

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The NSF data study

We pulled the NSF listings for 9 aftermarket brands. Not one carried NSF-53 line-wide — yet most imply it.

Methodology, the brand-by-brand table, and the limitations — all stated plainly.

Read the study →
The free tools

Decide before you buy

TOOL 01

Which Filter Fits

Pick your fridge or system → exact fit, OEM + verified aftermarket, real NSF status.

Start →
TOOL 02

RO Cost Calculator

Your true cost-per-gallon across membranes and refills over five years.

Run it →
TOOL 03

Softener Sizing

Hardness + household → the right grain capacity, no oversell.

Size it →
Free cheat sheet

Every brand’s verified filter, in one card.

OEM part, the listed aftermarket match, and what it actually removes. Free, no spam.