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
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)556-7689to 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.
Choosing a water filtration system can be a daunting task. If you’re not sure what you need, answer the questions below to help you narrow down your choices. These questions will help you determine which system is right for your home. These systems work by purifying water in a variety of ways, including using Reverse osmosis, UV light, or Activated carbon.
Reverse osmosis
A reverse osmosis water filtration system can help you improve the quality of your drinking water. The process removes impurities and chemicals, but it’s not the only benefit of this water treatment system. This technology can also help reduce water consumption. Usually, municipal water is treated to kill microorganisms. However, dirty pipes can bring them back into the water. To prevent this from happening, it’s recommended to install a UV filter after installing a reverse osmosis system.
The most common type of reverse osmosis system is the under-sink model. It removes up to 99 percent of common contaminants, including lead, chlorine, copper, fluoride, and bacteria. It also has double carbon blocks for enhanced performance. One disadvantage of this system is that it doesn’t contain a remineralization filter, so your water may taste flat.
To install a reverse osmosis system, you’ll need to install some PVC piping and cut a hole in the pipe. You can then slide the spout through this hole. Make sure that the hole in the pipe is not too big, or the spout will leak. A better option is to install a spout that has holes on both sides of the pipe, since this can add additional filtration. Then, you can cement the PVC piping to the spout, and let it dry overnight.
A reverse osmosis water filtration system relies on the principles of size and charge. It rejects anything larger than 200 molecular weight or has a higher ionic charge. This ensures that the water produced from your water filtration system is as pure as it should be.
Activated carbon
Activated carbon water filtration systems are one of the most effective ways to remove contaminants from water. The process involves adsorption and catalytic reduction. Adsorption removes contaminants by binding to them, while catalytic reduction removes residual disinfectants and organic compounds. Both processes are important for the health of people and the environment.
Activated carbon has a much larger surface area than other types of carbon, which makes it more effective for water filtration. In fact, one gram of carbon has a porous surface area equal to one tenth of a football field. This surface area is large enough to allow water to pass through while trapping hard chemical contaminants. This makes it the ideal choice for water filtration systems.
Activated carbon water filtration systems remove many chemicals, including chlorine, dioxin, and pesticides. Some models even remove lead. Activated carbon filters are also cheaper than other types of water filtration systems in Crowley, TX. They are also effective at removing turbidity and particulate matter.
Activated carbon water filtration systems are effective in removing specific contaminants, but they may reduce filtering capacity. Inorganic solids and heavy metals can pass through activated carbon, which can also be contaminated with bacteria. Reverse osmosis filters, on the other hand, work by passing water through a membrane. Reverse osmosis filters can remove organic materials with molecular weights greater than 300 daltons, which equals 1.6605×10-24 grams.
UV light
If you’re looking to disinfect your water supply, consider the benefits of UV light, an environmentally friendly method of disinfection. UV light disinfects water at the point of contact, leaving no residue for contaminants to accumulate. For this reason, UV light treatment systems are best installed close to the point of use. You should clean the water downstream of the UV treatment unit to eliminate any possible contaminants.
When choosing a UV water sterilizer, choose a model that comes with an automatic sensor to shut off the lamp when not in use. This feature extends the life of the UV lamp and saves electricity. Additionally, the UV system should have an indicator light that lets you know when it needs to be cleaned. Some UV systems require annual maintenance, while others are low-maintenance and can last for years without bulb replacement.
When choosing a UV water filtration system, be sure to choose a unit that can handle the flow rate of your home. Otherwise, the UV light won’t have enough time to disinfect the water effectively. You can test the flow rate of your water in your home by using a bucket. If the flow rate is not high enough, consider a system that is 20% higher. This will account for external factors that can cause your water to flow at a faster rate than usual.
A UV water purifier can eliminate viruses, cysts, bacteria, and other microorganisms in your water. The light from these UV lamps kills 99% of all harmful pathogens. UV water purifiers also have a flow sensor, so you don’t have to worry about manually turning them on and off. These systems come with easy-to-follow instructions.
Bacteria are everywhere in our environment, including our tap water. However, some bacteria are particularly harmful to human health, causing illnesses such as flu and diarrhea. The EPA has set limits on the levels of bacteria in the public water supply. If your water is contaminated with pathogens, you should consider switching to purified water.
Your taste buds are also important, and can detect toxins in your water. If you notice a metallic taste, this is a sign of excess iron or copper. Rusty pipes can release these metals into your water supply. Another warning sign is water with a low pH. You should contact your local health department if you suspect that your water is making you sick. By reporting your illness, you will help public health officials identify outbreaks of waterborne diseases. This will prevent other people from becoming ill. The health department can also provide you with tips on how to prevent your water from making you sick.
Many contaminants are not tested for in public water, which can cause health problems. While the Environmental Protection Agency has set limits for over 90 potential chemicals, many of these go undetected and can cause serious illness. They can enter your water through faucets and pipes, so you should be careful where you get your water from.
Heavy metals in your water are another concern. While traces of these are harmless, large amounts can cause metal poisoning. The symptoms of this illness vary depending on the type of metal. To protect yourself from these harmful metals, consider installing a reverse osmosis filter or a whole-house filtration system.
If you feel nausea after drinking water, you should consult a doctor. You may have an undiagnosed disease that causes the symptoms. You may also want to consider consuming healthy foods and drinking plenty of water. You can also make lifestyle changes to prevent the nausea from happening again.
There are many tests available to determine if your tap water is safe to drink. In addition to lead contamination, some chemicals in your tap water can affect your kidneys and cause cancer. Some of these tests are free or extremely inexpensive. Contact the local water authority to request a free lead test kit and analysis of your water.
Drinking purified water can reduce the amount of bacteria in your tap water. There are other contaminants, such as pesticides and herbicides, that can be harmful. If your water contains these chemicals, it may also be best to consult a doctor. It’s important to avoid drinking contaminated water if you want to prevent long-term health problems.
If you have a private well, you should also test it for contaminants. You may want to boil it for a minute or two to kill any active bacteria. If you think your well is contaminated, you should consult a water quality expert immediately.
Reverse osmosis is a process that purifies water by using high pressure to change the osmotic pressure in water. This process is not thermal in nature and doesn’t use any energy. It uses brackish water, which is a bit saltier than fresh water but less salty than seawater. The process uses between 200 and 400 pounds of pressure per square inch (psi) to remove the contaminants. This process can be used to purify up to one gallon of water per hour, and requires a small tank to operate.
Reverse osmosis is a type of filtration process that removes the majority of contaminants from water. The process involves forcing water through a thin membrane with a very specific pore size. The membrane allows only water molecules to pass through, while the larger contaminant particles are trapped and removed. The result is a pure drinking water. There are several different kinds of reverse osmosis systems.
Reverse osmosis water systems are made up of three to five stages of filtration. The first step is a sediment filter, followed by a carbon filter. The second stage is a postfilter. The prefilter is used to remove contaminants like chlorine, sediment, and dissolved solids. The final step is the reverse osmosis membrane. Reverse osmosis filters also use other types of filtration, including distillation and reverse osmosis.
Another benefit of reverse osmosis water is that the minerals removed during the purification process aren’t harmful to humans. They can be replaced by foods and supplements. Furthermore, drinking reverse osmosis water is a safer alternative to drinking water that has been polluted with pesticides and heavy metals. Intake of polluted water can lead to significant health complications.
Reverse osmosis is an excellent water filtration system. It filters the water by forcing it through a semi-permeable membrane. This semi-permeable membrane removes many contaminants and other materials from water. The process also improves the taste and odor of water.
