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. 

If your home is not supplied by a municipal water treatment plant, you may have wondered about the options for water filtration. So, here we’ll explore whole house water filters and how they can benefit a well water home, so you have the details you need to make an informed purchase decision.

The Whole House Water Filter Basics

A whole house water filtration system is installed at the point where your main water line enters the home. This allows the system to treat your entire water supply, so filtered water will be delivered to all the taps, fixtures and appliances in your home, including your water heater. Even if you have multiple water heaters in your home, a whole house filtration system can supply all of them with treated water.

Like point of use filters, there is a wide variety of filter media available or whole house systems including reverse osmosis, carbon, and other filter technology.

The most effective whole house systems include multi stage filtration including pre filters to remove sediment, carbon filters to remove contaminants and blended filters to remove chlorine, nickel, mercury, lead and any other dissolved metals.

The Well Water Home Filtration System

Even if you have a well water supply, a whole house filtration system can offer a number of benefits. The primary uses including improving the clarity and taste of your water and removing or eliminating specific contaminants.

Although all water filtration systems will help to remove or eliminate specific contaminants, there could be different impurity concerns within your well water supply. This is partly why you may need different filtration components in your system.

Most experts recommend private well owners have a water assessment performed at least once per year to test for common pollutants. This testing will include checking for a variety of unwanted items such as volatile organic chemicals, viruses, bacteria, pesticides, inorganic chemicals and any other contaminants that may pose a health risk.

How Contaminants Get into Well Water

When your well is properly sealed, you may wonder how any contaminants can enter your water supply. In fact, contaminants may already be present in the groundwater supplying your well. As water travels through the overlying soil into groundwater supplies, it can pick up contaminants on its journey. Nitrates, fertiliser and other contaminants can seep through the soil from agricultural and farming activities, while industrial processes can allow chemicals and metals to enter the groundwater. Additionally, if your well has been improperly designed or installed, or is older, it may be more susceptible to contaminant infiltration. For this reason, it is crucial to have your well water tested at least once per year, or after any flooding or storms that may have washed contaminated water into your well.

What Can Be Removed From Well Water Supplies?

There are a number of contaminants that can be removed from your well water supplies. Depending on the results of your water testing, your system can remove:

  • Contaminants Causing Bad Odours: If your water has a rotten egg smell, it is likely to be a result of hydrogen sulfide. This naturally occurring substance does not pose an immediate health risk, but the bad smell makes it unpalatable. Additionally, some sources have documented adverse effects and symptoms from higher hydrogen sulfide concentrations. These range from minor issues such as asthma and headaches to more serious problems such as respiratory tract irritation.
  • Parasites and Bacteria: If your water is supplied by a private well, there is an increased risk of ingesting bacteria or parasites from contaminated water. This can cause minor health issues, but can also trigger more serious health problems including abdominal cramps, fever, vomiting, and headaches. The most common form of parasites and bacteria associated with health issues are Giardia and Cryptosporidium, so you will need a filter that can remove any traces from your water.
  • Hard Water Minerals: Magnesium, calcium, and iron can not only cause colour staining on your fixtures, but also contribute to scale. This scale can accumulate inside your pipes, fixtures, and water using appliances to reduce water flow and compromise efficiency. Fortunately, these minerals can be filtered out of your water supply to protect your home.
  • Nitrates: If you live in an agricultural area, your well may be vulnerable to contaminated runoff. This runoff may contain nitrates that can compromise your water supply. Nitrates can be particularly harmful to infants, but it has also been linked to health issues, particularly in those with preexisting conditions.

Choosing a Whole House Filter

There is a massive selection of filtration systems on the marketplace, so you will need to choose the best one for your home. While there are options at Big Box stores, these are rarely tailored to specific water conditions, so it is best to rely on the advice of an experienced professional.

There are a number of factors that will influence which whole house system is the best option for your home. This includes:

  • The Rated Capacity: This determines how much water will be treated at any time. You need to consider how much water your family uses on a daily basis. Remember this includes water for preparing meals, bathing, cleaning and operating your water using appliances. If you choose a system with too low a rating, there is a risk that your new filter will be unable to treat adequate amounts of water, but you’re likely to pay over the odds for a system well beyond your requirements.
  • If You Use Chloramine or Chlorine: These two chemicals are the most common method of water disinfection, but whether you use chloramine or chlorine will influence your choice of water filter. Carbon based filters are designed to remove traces of chlorine, but may not be effective for removing chloramines.

If you’re still unsure about a whole house water system for your home, you should speak to a water treatment specialist. An experienced technician can not only test your water for contaminant levels, but also guide you through the treatment options best suited to your well water.