The AquaCera HCS stainless steel counter-top drinking water filter system with a CeraUltra filter is a free-standing, single-stage filter system. Its compact size and superior performance make it a good choice for your home, but it's also great for apartments, boats, RVs and second homes. And it's an excellent alternative to costly bottled water, reverse osmosis, distillation or ion exchange technologies.Constructed of attractive stainless steel, the filter housing holds a single replaceable filter element and comes with a CeraUltra filter element. The AquaCera CeraUltra water filter is a silver impregnated ceramic micro-filter element, and the inclusion of silver gives the filter element bacteriostatic properties and is self sterilizing. The 0.5 micron micro-filter removes essentially all turbuyity and pathogenic organisms. And a carbon block is added to the core of the ceramic shell, the addition of which allows for removal of most lead, mercury, VOCs, chlorine, chloramine, insecticides, herbicides, PAHs, THMs and heavy metals.The HCS counter-top drinking water filter system allows filtered or unfiltered water to be drawn from your existing standard kitchen faucet. It connects easily to your standard kitchen faucet via an included diverter valve with no tools, and it requires no electricity or permanent modifications to your plumbing.To obtain filtered water, you simply turn the knob on the diverter valve to direct water through the filter and filtered water is delivered through the attached spout. When you turn the diverter knob back, unfiltered water will flow again from the faucet into the sink.