How does your water measure up?

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - 22News tested various water filters and bottled water on Wednesday to see which produced the least amount of dissolved solids. The sensor used was provided by ZeroWater.

The number displayed on the tool during testing represented the parts per million (ppm) of dissolved solids in the water. The lower the number was, the purer the water.

The tap water filtered by the PUR, Brita, and ZeroWater pitchers was from Chicopee. Straight from the tap, the water had 52 ppm dissolved solids. Most tap water readings are about 200 ppm, according to Andrea Knorr, the lead scientist at ZeroWater.

Here were the readings after filtration:

ZeroWater...0 ppm
Brita... 33 ppm
PUR... 38 ppm

22News also tested some bottled brands of water for dissolved solids:

Aquafina...1 ppm
Dasani... 21 ppm
Poland Spring... 41 ppm
Evian... 261 ppm

Knorr explained that “mineral water” and “spring water” normally have higher readings. Minerals are naturally dissolved in the water or added to enhance flavor.

When filtering water at home remember, the life of your filter depends of the quality that from the tap.

“If you have very poor water, it's not going to last as long. […] Where we are based in the Philadelphia area, people will get maybe 25-30 gallons per one filter. Where people in New York can get maybe 50 or more gallons,” said Knorr.

Tap water may have minerals, metals, chlorine, sediments, and other dissolved solids floating around, invisible to the eye.

Dissolved solids are not always harmful. In fact, some communities add fluoride to the drinking water supply.

Examples of less desirable and possibly harmful elements that may be in your water include: chlorine, metals like lead, rust, sediments, and even traces of pharmaceutical drugs.

Also, do some research before tossing out old filters. Some brands like ZeroWater and Brita run recycling programs.