WaterAnswer.com covers water quality equipment — filters, test kits, treatment systems, and related products. Many of those reviews include affiliate links that pay us a commission if you buy. That’s how the site generates revenue. Here’s exactly how that relationship works and where it ends.
How We Select Products
Every product on this site gets selected before affiliate relationships are established. We identify candidates by:
- Checking NSF International’s certified product database for systems certified under the relevant standard
- Reviewing manufacturer technical documentation and published removal rate data
- Looking at lab test results from independent testing (Consumer Reports, Wirecutter where available, NSF)
- Reading long-form user reviews on retailer sites to identify real-world failure patterns
We don’t accept free products in exchange for reviews. We don’t accept payment to change rankings. Affiliate commissions are earned after products are ranked, not before.
If a product doesn’t have verifiable NSF certification or documented lab testing for the contaminants it claims to remove, it doesn’t make our recommendation lists.
NSF Certification Requirement
For any product that makes a health-effect claim — lead reduction, PFAS removal, arsenic reduction — we require NSF certification under the relevant standard (NSF 53, NSF 58, NSF 55 Class A) before recommending it. “Tested to NSF standards” or “NSF-like performance” don’t meet that bar.
For aesthetic-only products (chlorine taste, odor, hardness), we apply the same rule but note when a product lacks NSF certification while still performing well in available data.
Affiliate Links
Some links on this site are affiliate links. When you click one and buy the product, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Every affiliate link on this site carries rel="nofollow sponsored" attributes. Affiliate pages carry a disclosure box at the top of the article — you’ll see it before you read any product recommendations.
Affiliate relationships do not affect rankings. If the highest-rated product in a category doesn’t participate in an affiliate program, we still rank it first and note where to buy it.
Contaminant and Health Information
WaterAnswer.com is not a medical site. Contaminant information is sourced from EPA regulations, CDC guidance, peer-reviewed studies (linked by PMID where possible), and state health department resources. We name sources. We don’t write “studies show” without linking the actual study.
YMYL pages (those covering health-risk contaminants like lead, nitrates, arsenic, PFAS, and bacteria) carry health disclaimers at the top and bottom. Nothing on this site constitutes medical advice.
Corrections
If you find an error — a wrong NSF certification number, an incorrect EPA limit, a broken link — please report it. The goal is accurate information, not the appearance of accuracy.
Contact: About WaterAnswer.com
Last updated: February 2026