Often overlooked, home water treatment is a serious matter. Treating and purifying your home’s water is an integral part of ensuring contaminant-free water for both you and your family.
There are several home water treatment options available to consumers, so how do you know which one is right for you? Choosing the right water filtration system depends on what you want and need it to do, and what type of home you have.
This article will explore some of the most common types of home water treatment and provide guidance on which one will best suit your needs. We’ll help you understand everything you need to know about home water filtration, making your final purchasing decision a whole lot easier.
Why Do You Need Home Water Treatment?
The water that comes out of your taps, while clean, may still contain contaminants that can be harmful in high doses. Even municipally-sourced water that is safe to drink can contain chemicals and microorganisms that are best avoided for some people. Bacteria, organic and inorganic chemicals, and even just dissolved minerals in the water (hard water) can cause issues. Luckily, however, these problems can be easily dealt with by home water treatment.
Different Home Water Treatment Systems
Your home water can either be treated at the point of entry, i.e., when it arrives at your house or the point of use, i.e., when it comes out of the tap. Whole-home water conditioning systems treat all the water in your home, while systems like faucet filters, countertop filters, or under sink water filters just filter the water when you need it.
Overall, whole home water conditioning tends to be more relevant for reducing water hardness, while point-of-use systems improve the safety, quality, and taste of water for drinking.
Different Types of Home Water Treatment
Reverse Osmosis
The Pros
Reverse osmosis filters contaminants from water using a semipermeable membrane. This method is one of the most effective available, filtering up to 99% of pollutants, including minerals from water. Standard RO systems, however, do not have the capacity to filter out chlorine, soluble volatile organic compounds, or some pesticides.
The Cons
Reverse osmosis is more expensive than other methods, filters slowly, and produces a lot of wastewater. It also requires a separate pressurized tank to hold the water once it has been purified.
Distillation
The Pros
Distillation is an age-old purification method that is still effective and useful today. Water is boiled, evaporated, and then captured as steam and condensed back to water. The vaporization process removes contaminants and minerals, leaving pure distilled water. It doesn’t require replacement filter cartridges and eliminates the majority of water impurities.
The Cons
Distillation does not remove organic compounds with boiling points lower than 100℃. It also is a slow process and only produces a limited amount of filtered water. Because the process removes both essential and harmful minerals, filtered water can also taste weird and flat.
Carbon Filtration
The Pros
Carbon filtration, whether using an activated carbon block (ACB) or granular activated carbon (GAC), is a great way to remove chlorine, chemicals, and volatile organic compounds. Carbon filtration is a very cost-effective system and removes a high level of contaminants in water. It doesn’t affect the water’s PH level, doesn’t require additional power, and allows a good water flow.
The Cons
You do need to change the carbon filters eventually, and carbon filtration works best when both ACB and GAC are used. Carbon cannot get rid of viruses in the water and will struggle with dissolved minerals and solids.
Ultraviolet Disinfection
The Pros
Ultraviolet technology is usually used as an extra added layer of purification, used to kill viruses, bacteria, and microorganisms rather than act as a filtration system on its own. It is highly effective in this role, destroying 99.99% of microbiological contaminants like e.coli, typhoid, and cryptosporidium.
The Cons
However, UV disinfection does not remove minerals, solids, chemicals, or contaminants and should not be used as a water treatment method on its own.
Salt Softener
The Pros
Salt softeners convert hard water full of minerals and salts into soft water using a reaction known as ion exchange. The system forces water through a resin bed which exchanges salts like sodium and potassium chloride for minerals like calcium and magnesium that cause hard water. Salt softeners are extremely effective at combating limescale and mineral deposits.
The Cons
However, it should be noted that salt-based water softeners are not generally considered environmentally friendly. They can also be expensive to install and require regular maintenance.
Picking a home water treatment is all about what you need to filter out of your home water supply, so the choice is yours. We hope this article has given you a head start in making your decision. But if you’re still at a loss for which one might best suit your needs, get in touch with us! Our friendly team of experts will be more than happy to assist you with your purchase and installation. cu