An Insight into Residential Water Purification (Guest Post)

Although drinking water undergoes a series of tests before it reaches your home, you can never be absolutely sure whether it’s has been completely purified from bacteria or some other contaminants. Additionally, drinking water requires additives in order to be safe – chlorine is the most widely used disinfectant that often gives water a particular taste or smell.

Luckily, you can easily get rid of the taste of additives by installing water filters, while simultaneously ensuring the maximum quality of your drinking water. However, before heading to a store, you need to research the market, inform yourself about different types of water filters and decide which one is for you depending on your needs.

Why Should You Get a Water Filter?

Authorities in charge of water purification use sufficient amounts of disinfectant to ensure that the drinking water is safe and without harmful concentrations of chemicals. However, this often results in the unpleasant smell or taste of the water or its cloudy look, which consequently leads towards spending money on buying bottled water. Not only does this affect your budget, but it also has a negative impact on the environment.

Health concerns are another important reason why you should get a water filtering system for your home. If you have your own water supply, or you’re getting it from a smaller supplier who doesn’t have enough resources to ensure the highest safety of your drinking water, then installing water filters is a simple, yet efficient safety measure. They will eradicate bacteria from the water pipes or the viruses that might survive even after the use of disinfectant, thus providing you with the clean and safe water.

Recognizing the Problem

Numerous problems can indicate that your drinking water has been contaminated and that it’s high time you obtained water filters. Usually, most of the contaminants found in drinking water can’t cause a health issue unless they occur in high concentrations, except for lead and microorganisms. Here’s how you can recognize signs of possible contamination:

• Iron, manganese and copper can cause stains on your plumbing or clothes – red or brown for iron, black for manganese and green or blue for copper.
• Bacteria that feed on iron can cause brown-reddish slime in the water and pipes.
• Hydrogen sulfide, manganese, iron and different types of acid in water can result in its discoloration.
• Hydrogen sulfide, low levels of pH, zinc, copper, lead and iron can cause unusual smell or taste.
• Corrosive water can be caused by copper, pH and lead, and you will recognize it by deposits and the pitting of plumbing.

Types of Water Filters

Depending on your needs and from which substances you want to purify your water, you can choose different filter mediums. Each of these filter mediums, or a combination of several ones, can be used within a filter system. In order for your system to function properly, you need to maintain it and change filter cartridges on a regular basis.

• Softeners will reduce the amount of minerals in your water that can cause a problem with hard water – you can recognize it by build-ups in your bathtubs or sinks.
• UV treatment is suitable for relatively clear water, since it uses ultraviolet light to disinfect it. If the water isn’t clear enough, the light won’t penetrate sufficiently.
• A quality reverse osmosis system will purify your water from a variety of different contaminants by passing water through a thin membrane. It uses high pressure to block the contaminants and then it washes them away.
• Distillation boils the water and removes contaminants by collecting the condensing water. However, it often requires a lot of energy and doesn’t remove all the contaminants.
• Adsorption usually uses carbon to make contaminants stick to its many pores.

By opting for a water filtering system, not only will your drinking water be tastier, but it will also be much healthier. Once you evaluate your needs, you can get an efficient filter that will ensure the highest quality of your water.

Author Bio: If one thing is true about Lillian Connors, her mind is utterly curious. That’s why she can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of green living/home improvement projects and spread the word about them. She cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out on LinkedIn.

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