10 Best Alkaline Water Machines 2024 in the US

You probably remember using litmus paper in school. Out of the box, it would usually be orange. When you put it into an acidic solution, such as lemon juice, it would turn red or pink. And if you put it in lye or soapy water, it would turn blue. Litmus paper is an indicator to tell you approximately the pH of a substance. “pH” stands for “potential of hydrogen”, with a pH of 7 being neutral. Substances with a pH below 7 are acidic (fewer hydrogen ions), and those with a pH above 7 (more hydrogen ions) are basic.

What does this have to do with alkaline water? Well, an alkaline solution has a pH greater than 7. The higher pH indicates that it has more positive charges (hydrogen ions, or protons), while an acid’s low pH indicates that it has a surplus of negative charges in electrons. An alkaline solution will become pH neutral when exposed to a source of electrons, such as an acid. When you exercise, your body produces lactic acid--with a surplus of electrons. Drinking alkaline water will help your body neutralize that acid, and become pH-neutral again. 

There are several devices on the market nowadays for making alkaline water. There are pitchers which run the water through several layers of minerals--this adds important minerals and ions to the water, and removes heavy metals and impurities. There are also devices that work on electricity that perform electrolysis to separate the water into an acidic and an alkaline part. They can be programmed to get exactly the pH that you want. 

This buyer’s guide will look at the advantages of alkaline water, and which devices are out there to prepare it. The information will help you:

• Choose the right type of alkaline water machine,

• See useful tips about that type of alkaline water machine,

• Read reviews of different brands of alkaline water machines, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of alkaline water machine, and 

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Pitcher Ionizers: These will look like a regular water filter pitcher--but here the filter does the work of making alkaline water. There may be one or two filters, to increase the pH and the negative ORP of water. An example is the pH Restore Alkaline Water Pitcher Ionizer. It has two filters that you can insert. The first filter is the PH001, which uses 1) activated carbon to remove pollutants and heavy metals from the water, 2) Tourmaline, 3) Maifan Balls, 4) Far-Infrared Balls, 5) Zeolite, 6) a Micronet to remove impurities, and 7) Polypropylene. It will increase alkalinity, reduce the ORP, make the water softer, and even add minerals to your drinking water. The second filter is the PH002, with a fine filtration membrane which can remove fine particles from drinking water as well. 

pH Restore Alkaline Water Pitcher, with the PH001 filter

• Electric ionizers with filtration: These usually combine filtration with electrolysis. After you run water the filter, it creates alkaline water by running a current through the water. There is a positive and negative electrode in the water. The positive electrode will produce alkaline water, while the negative electrode will produce acidic water. It’s recommended to use the alkaline water for drinking, and the acidic water for washing (it has an oxidizing effect that kills bacteria). An example is the Grassair Water Ionizer Purifier Machine. It has several settings, for three levels of alkalinity, one just to purify the water, and one acidic setting.

Grassair Water Ionizer Purifier Machine

• Electric ionizers alone: Other devices perform only electrolysis without a filtering feature. You should use only filtered water or mineral water in such machines. An example is the FairyAqua 2-liter Hydrogen-Rich Alkaline Water Kettle. 

FairyAqua 2-liter Hydrogen-Rich Alkaline Water Kettle

• Don’t use the pitcher for storing water: After you filter the water through an alkaline water pitcher, it’s advised to either drink the water immediately, or store the filtered water in another container. The reservoir of the pitcher is not designed to hold water for extended periods of time. 

• Preparing the filter: The filter on an alkaline water pitcher should be prepared--otherwise, it may leave carbon particles in the water. The filter should be soaked in water for 2 minutes, after which you run water through it. You should then invert the filter and shake it vigorously. If you don’t plan to use the filters for more than 48 hours, you should store it in a Ziploc bag to keep it from drying out entirely.

• ORP: Besides the pH, another useful statistic is the ORP (= Oxidation-Reduction Potential). The number tells you whether a liquid will donate or take electrons. It’s measured with an ORP meter--a device that is used by wine and beer makers, to determine when there is no more fermentation, or by pool owners, to see whether your pool has enough chlorine. It gives you a reading in millivolts--if the number is positive, it is an oxidizing agent, trying to gain electrons; if the reading is negative, it’s a reducing agent, trying to reduce its number of electrons. You want to get water with as low an ORP as possible--that will mean that the water is alkaline, and will work as an antioxidant.

• Features in Alkaline water Machines: An Alkaline Water Machine, such as the L&QQ Water Ionizer, will allow you to produce water of a specific pH. But they have other features as well. They will also have a self-cleaning function, to make sure that impurities will not accumulate on the electrodes, and will extend the filter’s lifetime. Its filter will last for a year, and let you filter as much as 6000 liters of water!

• Saves money on buying bottled water: If you use an alkaline water filter pitcher or machine, you will be spared the effort of having to buy bottled water. The pH Restore PH001 filter will process 1500 cups of water before it needs to be replaced. That’s around 360 1-liter plastic bottles! And the PH002 filter will only have to be replaced after 8,300 liters of water! Making your own alkaline water is economical and better for the environment, by avoiding all that plastic waste.

• Do-it-yourself alkaline water: In principle, you can reproduce the effects of alkaline water with things that you’ll find in your kitchen. For example, you can make water alkaline by just adding baking soda to it! Baking soda dissolved in water raises its pH--and the solution is a well-known homemade remedy for heartburn since it neutralizes stomach acid. The only drawback here is that it has sodium--so it might not be good for people with high blood pressure. Another method is by squeezing a lemon in water and drinking it. Even though lemon juice itself is acidic, when digested, it produces alkaline by-products in the body. The end result will be just as if you drink alkaline water directly!

• Filter can add healthy minerals: If your drinking water is fluoridated, check if the alkaline water machine (or pitcher) will let your water retain its fluoride. The Restore Alkaline Water Pitcher will remove fluoride and chlorine, as well as lead, aluminum, cadmium, mercury, tin and other metals. It will also infuse the water with beneficial minerals: iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, selenium, lithium, iodine, and more!

• When alkaline water can definitely help: There are many bombastic claims on the market that Alkaline water can help reverse the effects of aging, or even help fight cancer! The theory is that alkaline water reduces free radicals in the body. Free radicals are theorized to cause aging and cancer--so, anything that gets rid of free radicals must be effective against aging and cancer! Needless to say, conventional medicine casts many doubts on these claims. But, one instance where alkaline water can definitely help is for people with heartburn, or GERD (=Gastroesophageal reflux disease). Since alkaline water can neutralize acid, it will help minimize the symptoms of excess stomach acid, which causes heartburn and acid reflux. Also, it can help reduce levels of lactic acid that builds up during exercise. That way, alkaline water can help athletic performance as well.

• Ph Restore makes a water filter pitcher that can both purify water and add healthy minerals. Their device also employs a digital gauge to tell you when to replace your filter. 

• Olansi was founded in 2006 in Guangzhou, China. They make air purifiers to remove dust and other particulates. They also manufacture machines for purifying, ionizing, and disinfecting water. They make water filters for home and industrial use.

• Augienb is a subsidiary of Hong Kong Tinghui Ltd. They are makers of air and water purifiers, air quality detectors, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, water ionizers, lighting solutions, and other home appliances.