Everyone wants cleaner, safer, great-tasting water for their family’s health and their own peace of mind. But you may have more questions than answers about water quality issues and how they might be affecting your home. You’ve likely thought about:
- How can I tell if I have hard water?
- What are the differences between water softeners and water filters?
- How can I tell what kind of solution will work best for my home?
The Water Man of Knoxville is here to answer these important questions for you.
WHAT IS HARD WATER?
Hard water is water that has a high concentration of calcium and magnesium. If you have noticed water spots on your glasses or utensils, soap scum in your tub and on shower doors, or a filmy residue after you wash your hands, these are all indications of having hard water.
Soap reacts with the high level of calcium and magnesium in hard water to produce the water spots and residue that you see and feel. When your home has hard water, you need to use more soap or detergent to get things clean. And while hard water isn’t dangerous, it can create frustrating inefficiency with whatever you’re trying to get clean—and that can prove wasteful and costly.
Mineral deposits also can form when hard water is heated, as with your home water heater. This can “reduce the life of equipment, raise the costs of heating the water, lower the efficiency of electric water heaters, and clog pipes,” the U.S. Geological Survey notes.
WHAT DO WATER SOFTENERS DO?
Water softeners use salt to modify the properties of water, which removes the calcium and magnesium minerals that are the causes of hard water. By eliminating excess calcium and magnesium from your water, softeners can improve the efficiency of your appliances and help you save time and money on cleaning supplies. Not only are you likely to see cleaner dishes and coffee pots, but your whole family will feel better hydrated skin and softer hair as well.
WHAT DO WATER FILTRATION SYSTEMS DO?
While water softeners target the minerals that cause spots on dishes and buildup on appliances, a water filtration system aims to remove a wider array of contaminants and carcinogens. These can include:
- Metals such as arsenic, lead, copper, iron, cadmium and hexavalent chromium
- Industrial and pharmaceutical byproducts such as pesticides or hormones
- Chlorine and chloramine
- Perfluorooctane Sulfonate and Perfluorooctanoic Acid
- Sediments and particulates
The most popular water filtration options are as follows:
A whole-home filtration system addresses water quality and flow throughout your entire home. These systems are designed to reduce sediment, chlorine and other contaminants, leaving you with cleaner, safer, fresher-tasting water. Whole-home filter systems also can neutralize acidity in water, which can reduce costly corrosion of plumbing fixtures and appliances.
A drinking-water filtration system reduces contaminants in your drinking water. Under-sink options as well as countertop systems are available, depending on filtration preferences and space needs. Many drinking-water filters use multi-stage filtration to first remove sediment and then filter out other contaminants, including chlorine, that affect water taste and quality.
You may have heard about reverse-osmosis water filtration, an advanced, multistage process that can remove up to 99% of total dissolved solids in water. Reverse osmosis (RO) filtration relies upon a semi-permeable membrane that removes dissolved salts and other unwanted materials such as lead and fluoride from water.
WHICH WATER TREATMENT OPTION IS RIGHT FOR ME?
Deciding whether water softening or water filtration is best for you depends largely on what’s in your water and the problems you want to address. If spotty dishes or dry, irritated skin are chief complaints in your household, you’re likely dealing with hard water, and a softener can alleviate your frustrations. If your water (or coffee, or tea) tastes or smells strange, or if you have concerns about the chemical contamination in your drinking water supply, a filter will likely be the more effective choice.
WANT BETTER WATER IN YOUR HOME?
For a free water system analysis and further guidance on water softening vs. filtration options, call The Water Man of Knoxville at (423)556-7689 to guide you through your home’s water test results so you can select with confidence the right softening and/or filtration solutions for you and your family.