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.
Many city dwellers make the assumption that their drinking water is clean. But, a water treatment plant cannot catch every contaminant, and some just slip through the cracks. These are often literal cracks and breaks in the water delivery network that allow contaminants to enter your drinking water. It’s a great idea to play things safe and install a water treatment system in your home as a last line of defense. When you take control over the cleanliness of your water, you may be surprised at how much better it tastes.
What Contaminants are Found in Tap Water?
Most of us understand that rural areas typically have contaminated water sources that require special treatment. But, even though most urban homes are not connected to a well water system, they can still experience contamination. The government monitors urban water treatment plants to ensure that they deliver safe drinking water to local residents. The water is cleaned to a basic standard, but many contaminants are simply not removed, and breaks in the lines can affect the water quality. Depending on the water contamination present in your area, these contaminants could include lead, nitrates, sulfates, arsenic, bacteria, corrosion, heavy metals, detergents, and pharmaceutical residue.
How Do These Contaminants Affect our Health?
The human body is mostly made of water. We rely on a regular supply of water to simply survive. So, it should come as no surprise that the water delivered to our homes will affect us when we ingest it, touch it and even breathe it in. Everyone is aware of the health impact of something toxic, like lead, mercury, or arsenic. But, another hidden problem is chlorates that are used to disinfect our water supplies. This has been effective for many years, but the byproducts have been linked with serious health issues, including cancer. More research is needed, but many people don’t like chlorine anyway because it smells and tastes like a “swimming pool.”
Another key problem is the introduction of bacteria, viruses, cysts, and pathogens in our water supply. As we mentioned earlier, even if the water is clean when it leaves the plant, these microorganisms can enter the water later. Waterborne illnesses can vary in severity from a simple tummy bug to a visit to the hospital. Some typical health issues related to poor quality water include Salmonella, E.Coli, Cryptosporidium, and others. Although the quality of water from your water treatment facility cannot be guaranteed, you can take charge of your own water quality.
How to Remove Contaminants from Your Water Supply
There is nothing more empowering than taking your health and safety into your own hands. Let’s face it, despite the protestations of other parties; nobody is ever going to care about your family’s health more than you. This is why many people are now installing their own home water treatment systems to act as a final barrier for their homes. This will help you to catch any contaminants before they reach your drinking glass.
Point of Use (POU) or Whole House?
There are two general approaches that you can take to secure cleaner water for your family. They are POU and whole house.
Point of Use: A POU system is a simpler format that can be attached to a single tap in the home. This is typically located at the kitchen sink where residents can use cleaner water for food prep, cooking and to fill a drinking water jug that’s usually kept in the refrigerator. It is also possible to install this type of system in a refrigerator to provide cool and pure water on demand. This system is more limited than a whole house solution, but it’s cheaper to install and a reliable way to get cleaner water for drinking and eating.
Whole House: As the name suggests, this system treats all of the water coming into the home. Every tap and plumbing fixture in the home will be supplied with cleaner water for drinking, cooking, showering, bathing, cleaning, and anything else that you can imagine. This may seem excessive but scientific studies have shown that a lot of contaminants can be absorbed through the skin when showering. Another issue is the fumes generated by chlorine infused water that can cause lung damage when breathed in. A whole house system is a comprehensive solution, but as you might imagine, it is more expensive to install.
3 Types of Water Treatment Explained
There are many ways to treat your incoming public water, and each of them has pros and cons. The exact method that you choose will depend on the common contaminants found in your local area. If you have very bad water, you may need to install multiple systems to remove a range of contaminants. But, in most cases, one or perhaps two systems will be enough to make your water healthier. Let’s take a closer look at three of the most effective systems in common use.
- Iron Removal Systems
Ingesting excessive quantities of iron can affect your health, but that will not be the first thing that you notice. Elevated levels of iron in your water supply will lead to staining on your dishes, laundry, and plumbing fixtures that’s hard to remove. There are dedicated iron removal systems, or if you have a hard water problem, you can install a water softener that can remove iron and kill two birds with one stone.
- Reverse Osmosis (RO)
Water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane under pressure leaving the contaminants on the surface, and the water passes through. This is a highly effective method that doesn’t add any chemicals to the water. The water is then further conditioned with additional filters to deliver a clean and pure tasting water that’s easy to use around your home.
- Ultraviolet (UV)
An UV system uses a specific wavelength of light to disinfect microorganisms by damaging their DNA. This prevents replication rendering them benign and making the water pure and safe to drink. This type of system only deals with microorganisms, so it’s best used alongside another water treatment system. This is an easy system to install, maintain, and use on a daily basis and when the bulb runs out, simply replace it like any other light bulb.
If you’re interested in cleaner water for your family, contact a local water treatment specialist for expert help and advice today.