Water Treatment Tips
Water treatment and filtration is important, especially if you live in an environment where your water supply is prone to contamination by debris, sediment or pathogens. The following tips will help you determine if it’s time to contact a professional for water testing or when it might be time to upgrade your current water treatment system.
Choosing the Right Water Source
Many people rely solely on tap water while others swear by bottled water they can buy in the store. However, the source of your water may not be as pure as you think it is. Bottled water in particular is often derived from the same sources as your tap water. The only difference is that it doesn’t come through any pipes on the way to your home and doesn’t have additional chemicals like chlorine and fluoride added.
However, water taken straight from the ground can also be contaminated. Beyond the simple debris that might make it past the filters in the treatment and processing plants, there’s the issue of oil and gasoline, pesticides, pathogens, and potential gasses like radon finding their way into your water supply through your pipes. You may even be exposed to bacteria or decaying plant matter.
It’s unlikely your drinking water will be contaminated with potentially dangerous pathogens. However, in some cases it doesn’t take much – only regular testing and careful filtration will ensure clean water.
Water Hardness
Many people have hard water, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, depending on the types of metals that make it into the water. However, most metals, even those that are not directly harmful to your family, can cause damage to your plumbing. Iron in your water leads to corrosion and rust on your fixtures, and lead is a carcinogen that causes a number of health problems. Chlorine, arsenic, and nitrates all cause health problems in high enough concentrations.
If you have a baby under the age of six months, have your water tested for nitrates and nitrites. A baby’s digestive system isn’t advanced enough at this age to process even a small amount of these unwanted carcinogens. Proper testing will show how much nitrate is actually in your water and whether it needs to be treated and filtered for the protection of your children.
Selecting a Water Treatment System
Always have your water supply tested before purchasing a new filter. Testing should be done annually to measure things like pH balance, the hardness of your water and bacteria levels. Less regular but equally important testing should be done every 2–3 years for heavy metals and contaminants like chlorine, lead, arsenic, nitrates, and phosphate. These levels do not generally spike quickly, but they will increase over time if left unchecked.
Once you know what to treat, you can focus on finding the filtration and treatment solution perfect for your household. Regular water filtration for the tap water in your kitchen is effective if you have high sediment and debris levels but few, if any, pathogens.
Advanced treatment such as softening or distillation should be used if your nitrate, phosphate, or pathogen levels are high. Along with these advanced steps, it’s important to have your water recalibrated before drinking. A reverse osmosis system does this extremely well, though be aware that these systems can be expensive, especially if you live in a large home.
It’s a good idea to have routine testing done each year to ensure your current water treatment system is working as intended. Filter failure or new contaminants in the system can become problems as time passes.
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