Many people receive water that tastes fine; it probably has no discernible odor and it is colorless when it comes out of the tap which is perfectly normal. But, some of us receive drinking water that tastes bad. It may have an unpleasant odor and it could make our skin itchy after showering. Specific water quality issues, such as hard water can even damage plumbing pipes and water using appliances too. When the water quality is poor, it can have a dramatic effect throughout the entire home. In this article, we will explore this topic in more detail to help you make informed choices.
A Brief Water Treatment Primer
Sadly, there is no one-size-fits-all water treatment system. Some systems, such as reverse osmosis (RO) can remove a wide variety of contaminants, but they are less effective when it comes to hard water issues. When homeowners are receiving poor quality water, it’s natural to consider a water treatment system to deal with the problem. But, in most cases, there are multiple problems to solve and it may be necessary to install multiple systems to solve them.
This is equally true for both private well water and public water users. If you receive municipal water, it will be cleaned to a basic standard, but breaks in the water delivery infrastructure and other issues can degrade the water quality. A private well water user will typically have more problems to solve and they are solely responsible for the cleanliness of their drinking water supply.
The best way to determine which water treatment system you need is to carry out water testing. There are basic water testing kits available, but they are not accurate enough to make serious decisions on water treatment. Getting your water tested by a certified lab is the best way to determine which contaminants are present and their various concentrations. This will give you all the data you need to choose the best water treatment system(s) for your home.
5 Water Treatment Systems Explained
Let’s take a look at five tried and tested water treatment methods in more detail. They are:
1. Water Softeners
Hard water contains an elevated concentration of dissolved mineral content including calcium, magnesium, and iron. These minerals can cause a number of problems in the home, such as pipe corrosion, appliance damage, dry skin, and more. The most reliable way to remove these dissolved minerals is an ion-exchange water softener. The incoming water passes through a tank that contains charged resin media balls. The mineral ions are attracted to the surface of the media and an ion exchange takes place. The mineral ions are replaced with salt (sodium or potassium) ions that are more benign in nature. A slightly salty taste is added to the drinking water, but most people don’t notice the difference.
2. Water Filters
A water filter can remove specific impurities from water, such as iron that can cause reddish stains on fixtures and appliances. Many water filters use Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) which has a larger surface area to trap contaminants. This can remove chlorine, sulfur, and other contaminants to improve the taste, odor, and aesthetic appearance of your drinking water. But, a GAC or charcoal filter cannot remove hardness or many other types of contaminants.
3. Water Conditioners
These systems can filter iron, remove manganese, alter the pH level of acidic water, and even soften the water to a basic standard. But, the efficacy of this approach is questionable and this is especially true in “salt-free” or “saltless descaling” systems. Any hard minerals are not actually removed, but their state is changed to prevent them from adhering to appliances, fixtures, and fittings to reduce scale. A water conditioner may be effective in certain scenarios, but water testing and professional advice are advisable.
4. Reverse Osmosis (RO)
At the heart of the RO filtration system is a semi-permeable membrane filter with tiny pores that prevent a wide variety of contaminants from passing through. This is usually a four stage system with early stages to remove sediment and chlorine that could potentially damage the membrane filter. A final GAC filter stage restores some character to the purified water to make it more palatable for drinking and cooking.
An RO filter system can remove some serious contaminants including arsenic, lead, fluoride, heavy metals, nitrates, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and many more. The RO filtration process takes time so this isn’t a truly on-demand system. To overcome this hurdle the RO filtered water is stored in a tank for ready access when you need it. There are point-of-use (POU) that are installed at a kitchen sink and whole-house systems available for installation. The benefit of the latter is that exceptionally clean water is supplied to every fixture in the home. But, even adding a POU RO filter system in the kitchen can give users access to exceptionally clean water for drinking, cooking, and food prep. This is a purely mechanical filtration method, no chemicals are added and the trapped contaminants are simply flushed into the drain.
5. Ultraviolet (UV) Purification
Microorganisms that are harmful to human health cannot be seen with the naked eye. Only water testing can confirm their presence after a serious illness caused by ingesting them. Some common harmful microorganisms include Giardia, E. Coli, Cryptosporidium, and other bacteria, viruses, and cysts. The main threat posed by these micro organisms is their ability to replicate and spread quickly in the host body. The purpose of UV purification is to destroy the DNA of these micro organisms to remove their ability to replicate. This renders them harmless and the health of the drinking water is improved. The incoming water is exposed to a UV-C light which is protected from damage in a quartz sleeve. Some prefiltration is carried out to prevent microorganisms from hiding in sediment and debris that can be present in the water supply. This is an excellent water treatment method because no chemicals are added to the drinking water.
If you’re considering a water test and water treatment system installation for your home, contact your local water treatment specialist.