With more than 30 years’ experience in the residential and commercial water treatment space, Mark Nelson is a Class 1 Drinking-Water Operator and a CBWA (Canadian Bottled Water Association) Certified Plant Operator. As founder and president of Nelson Water in Ottawa, Mark focuses on dealing with challenging water treatment system designs for problem water. He also heads the largest water bottling plant in the city of Ottawa with a delivery network throughout the Valley.
Water quality has become a major concern for many people in recent years. With cases of water contamination reported throughout the country and reports about our aging infrastructure causing water quality issues, if you’ve considered how you can protect yourself and your family, you’re not alone. When you start looking at the various types of water purifiers on the market, it can appear a little daunting. After all, you’re making a significant investment for your home, so you want to be sure that the system you choose will provide you with great quality drinking water. So, here we’ll explore some questions to ask before you make your final purchase decision.
Why Are Water Purifiers Important?
Some insist that water purifiers and water filters are a fad that is not that important in a first world home. These people believe that while water quality is a problem in other areas of the world, as a first world nation, with water treatment facilities, there is no need to purify our tap water. Even if your local water treatment facility is highly effective, your water supply needs to travel many kilometers to reach your home. During this journey, the water can pick up contaminants including metals, bacteria, and other potentially harmful particles.
Your water quality can also be affected by factors inside your home plumbing such as residue inside your pipes, or local conditions if your water is supplied by a private well. Unfortunately, many contaminants do not change the aesthetics of your water, so while it may not taste, smell or look different, it may be harboring potentially harmful bacteria or other contaminants.
How is the Water Purifier Certified?
The Standards Council of Canada has specific ANSI/NSF regulations to certify the best water purifying systems. There are six standards for water purifiers, and each relates to distilling, softening and purification systems and treatments. The Council has three authorized certification bodies: NSF International, CSA International, and Underwriters Laboratories to certify specific systems and devices. CSA International is specifically authorized for certificate issuing relating to health and aesthetic effects of drinking water treatment units.
Although there are many water purifier systems and devices, only those properly certified to provide the best products. Any lesser products will fail to provide you with the desired benefits, and it is not likely to hold up under ongoing use.
Will Mineral Supplements Be Necessary with a Water Purifier?
There are some who believe that you need to buy and take mineral supplements if you have a water purifier or filter installed in their home. There is a logic behind this belief is that if the minerals in the water are removed, then you end up deficient. In fact, most of the minerals in water are not bio accessible, and you’re more likely to get most of the minerals and vitamins you need from your food.
If you’re following a balanced diet, removing the minute amounts of healthy minerals that are in your water will make no difference to your mineral intake. What will actually happen is that you will no longer be ingesting the contaminants in your water that may interfere with your body’s ability to absorb minerals from your food effectively.
Are These Devices Hard to Maintain?
Another area of concern for homeowners is whether these devices are hard to maintain. Fortunately, many water purifiers and filters require very little maintenance. Once they have been installed by an experienced and qualified technician, they will be calibrated to suit your water characteristics and requirements. This means that apart from annual maintenance to ensure that it is still operating efficiently, you won’t need to do very much to keep it running. An exception to this is if you have a water softener, where you will need to periodically replenish the salt levels to recharge the system. Providing you follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding the changing of the filters, your system will continue to work perfectly.
Point of Use or Point of Entry?
You will also need to consider whether you would like to install a point of use or point of entry system. As the name suggests, point of use refers to the water being treated at the point of use, such as under your kitchen sink, and point of entry systems treat the water where it enters your home. The primary difference between these two systems is that a point of use system will only deliver treated water to one location, while point of entry systems provide treated water throughout your home. Your decision will likely be based on the contaminants affecting your water quality. For example, if you have hard water supplies, the minerals can accumulate to create scale inside pipes, fixtures, and water using appliances, to impact bathing, washing dishes and laundry. This scale can also compromise appliance performance, efficiency, and lifespan. On the other hand, if your water supply has a purely aesthetic quality issue that only impacts drinking water, a point of use system installed under your kitchen sink is likely to be sufficient.
Are Systems Expensive?
There are upfront costs associated with the installation of a water purifier. The actual cost will depend on the type of system you choose and whether it is under sink or a whole of house system. It is important to note that while you can expect some running costs, these are likely to be far less than the cost of buying bottled water. Additionally, there are financial benefits associated with a whole of house system. Removing hard water minerals will prolong the lifespan of your water using appliances, reduce the amount of detergents used for dishes and laundry, and can even alleviate skin irritations, negating the need to buy costly lotions. Removing these contaminants may also boost the energy efficiency of your water using appliances, so you could see your energy bills dropping.
If you are considering a water purifying system, it is important to speak to a water treatment specialist, who can guide you through the options best suited to the characteristics of your water supply.