It is a good idea for your health and safety to install some form of water filtration system in your home. Waterborne diseases can cause severe and sometimes life-threatening ailments like gastrointestinal illness, respiratory illness, or infection. Some of the most common water-borne diseases are dysentery, cholera, and giardia. These are just a few diseases you can get from bacteria in water, but there are other contaminants to worry about as well. Chemicals, metals, and dirt can also find their way into your drinking water. With a water filtration system, you can have peace of mind that the water you are drinking from the tap is safe.

Particle Filtration

You do not want visible particles floating in your water. That is why a particle water filtration system is very common. They remove large particles like sand, dirt, rust, and metals. These come in different micron ratings which mean different levels of filtration. The lower the micron rating the better the filtration but that usually also means slower flow rates. These filtration systems do not cost much and are simple to replace. They are great for those on well water.

Activated Carbon Filtration

This water filtration system is good for removing tastes and odors from your water. They are made from carbon powder that filters out chlorine in your water. You can get an activated carbon block which is carbon powder bound together. Or you can have granular activated carbon which works on the same principle of attracting the contaminates and absorbing them. One downside to these systems is that they cannot filter out viruses or soluble minerals

Distillation

This is an old and trusty water filtration system. This starts with boiling the water in a boiling chamber. Boiling will kill any bacteria in your water. Water is then captured in a condensation chamber which separates it from other microorganisms, sediment, or minerals contaminating your water. The boiled water turns from a gas to a liquid as it cools in the condensation chamber and is then stored in a storage tank finishing the process. You do not need to change the filter, but this process does take a lot of time and energy.

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis filters water by forcing it through a membrane. This is good for separating many minerals and contaminants from your water. However, water-soluble contaminants like chlorine or pesticides may get through. With this water filtration system, you may want to consider a pre-filtering option to go along with the RO system. The system is very effective but takes a while and creates a large amount of wastewater.

Ion Exchange

Ion exchange is a method of softening your water by trading undesirable mineral ions like magnesium calcium that make your water hard, with another ion. Usually, this other ion is sodium. Hard water that does not undergo ion exchange can cause spots on dishes and clothes and feel strange on skin and hair. They also do more costly damage by shortening the life of your appliances that use water. This system should not be used alone for filtering drinking water because it cannot filter out sediment or microorganisms.

Getting your water tested can help determine what is contaminating your water and what kind of filtration is best for you. If your water tastes funny or has a distinct color or smell to it, you should get it tested as soon as possible to ensure you are not ingesting anything harmful.

At Valley Fire Protection & Plumbing we can help you install the water filtration system that you need to stay well.

Related Topics: Residential Plumbing

By: Tom Hartel

I acquired my expertise by directing day-to-day operations of the business for over 20 years. Continuous hard work helped me become a nationally recognized speaker and expert on fire protection, fire sprinklers, special hazards, and plumbing systems. In this blog, I share my knowledge that will hopefully help you make better decisions for your projects.