How to Choose a Home Water Treatment System
The government regulates water impurity levels, but tap water often includes other ingredients such calcium or mineral deposits. Similarly, chlorine and fluoride are often added to public water systems. Although chlorine and fluoride levels are considered safe, hard water caused by high levels of naturally-occurring calcium creates a "hard-water" film that can accumulate in showers or faucet heads. Additionally, hard water is difficult to rinse even with soap or shampoo. Fortunately, home-water treatment systems can filter unwanted chemicals and minerals from the water. Once you know what to look for in a home-water treatment system, selecting the best one for your family's needs is easy. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
-
Instructions
-
1
Determine the type of mineral, chemical, or other pollutant you want to filter from your water. Specific treatment systems, such as chlorine distillers, work against specific contaminants, such as chlorine.
-
2
Determine which treatment technology you prefer. Filtration units use various types of filters to treat the water. Of all the filtration units, carbon filter systems are the most common. Softening units, however, use a chemical process to "soften" hard water. Distillers don't use filters or chemicals. Instead, distillers boil water, then recapture the water as the steam condenses.
-
-
3
Determine how much of your water you want to treat. For instance, point-of-entry systems (POE) install on a home's water pipes, and filters the entire water supply before it enters the house. In contrast, point-of-use systems (POU) are self-contained units that treat a single source of water. Bottled-water dispensers and faucet filters are two types of point-of-use systems that provide a specific source of treated water, but leave the rest of the home's water untreated.
-
4
Make sure your water treatment system is independently certified. There are a variety of third-party agencies that keep statistics on the effectiveness of home-water treatment systems. Make sure the home water treatment system you select gets high ratings.
-
5
Evaluate the warranty of your home-water treatment system. Some companies guarantee their systems for life. Other companies only guarantee a water treatment system for a few years.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Make sure the home water treatment system you select does not introduce harmful chemicals into your water. Some non-certified systems have been known to do this.
-Make sure you maintain your home water treatment system. Old filters, for instance, can become clogged with contaminants. Once a filter expires, it can actually pollute your water.
