How to Compare Water Treatment Systems
Water treatment systems purify the water coming through a home. This can be used to improve the taste and safety of drinking water and its effectiveness for cleaning. Different treatment systems have differing effects on the water. Some focus mostly on destroying bacteria, others more on filtering dangerous minerals and heavy metals and still more on shifting the water to a more neutral pH level.
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Instructions
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Contact the municipal agency that monitors your local water supply. All are required by federal law to produce freely available annual reports about water quality. Determine if the water in your area falls within safe levels for consumption as determined by the Environmental Protection Agency. View the references below for details about allowable contamination levels for drinking water.
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Test your water for impurities. Merely because the water in your area may be certified as safe does not mean that the water in your home is. Impurities can be introduced through well water, area ground contamination or through issues with home plumbing. Water-testing kits including instruction can be found online or through a hardware store.
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Consider contacting a laboratory for water-testing services. It may come directly to your home to collect the test or request that you mail it a sample from a kit provided by the company. These tests may be more accurate than those that can be conducted through a home kit.
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Compare water treatment systems if your drinking water shows unsafe levels of impurities. Depending on the most significant water contaminants in your home and your budget, different treatment systems will be preferable.
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Look for water treatment systems certified by NSF International, a global nonprofit organization supervised by the World Health Organization. Certifications are not required for filtration systems to be put on the market, but those tested by the NSF are independently verified for effectiveness.
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Learn more about the various filtration systems available. Some, like ultraviolet treatment systems, are effective at eliminating bacterial contamination but are energy expensive and less effective if the water is sediment-heavy. Distillation systems destroy bacteria, but leave behind heavy metals. Chemical treatments are effective but may lead to odd tastes and must be refilled regularly. Simple gravity-based filters are inexpensive but need to be changed regularly and may not take care of all contaminants.
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Consult with a professional about the best filtration system for your home. In most cases, a filter attached to a single faucet will be sufficient to provide clean water. In other situations in which the water is significantly contaminated, a more comprehensive and energy-intensive filtration system may be necessary to provide clean water.
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Resources
- Photo Credit spierzchala, Flickr
