A Complete Guide to Water Filtration Systems
When you have a water filtration system installed in your home, the contaminants in your tap water are removed and replaced with clean, fresh, and delicious drinking water.
It is better for your family and can help extend the life of plumbing and appliances that use water, such as your dishwasher, ice maker, washing machine, and coffee machine.
Types of Contaminants
There are a variety of contaminants that can affect a water filtration system. These include sediment, chemicals, minerals, and bacterial contaminants.
When choosing a water filtration system Tampa, you must consider which contaminants are most likely in the water. It will help you narrow down the options for a filtering system best suited to your needs.
Mechanical filters physically separate contaminants from the water using dense or fibrous material. They are available in a range of micron sizes, from 5-100 microns.
Activated carbon is another filtration media used in adsorption filters. Its vast surface area traps contaminants as the water flows through it.
PFAS (perfluorochemicals) are commonly found in water, although the concentrations must be below 70 parts per trillion to be considered safe to drink. These toxic contaminants can cause cancer, congenital disabilities, respiratory issues, and kidney disease.
How a Water Filter Works
Water filters are vital to ensuring your family drinks safe, clean drinking water at home. They protect your health by removing impurities, such as chlorine, disinfection byproducts, and heavy metals, and at the same time, they keep essential minerals in the water.
There are numerous types of water filters on the market, so select one that will remove the impurities you want. Then, read the manufacturer’s instructions to choose the best filter for your home.
Whole house water filters are installed where the main water line enters your home and treat the water that flows through the entire home, including showerheads, sinks, and appliances like dishwashers and laundry machines. Countertop and under-sink filters attach to a specific fixture and filter only the water used in that location.
Maintenance
When you use a water filter system, it is essential to keep it clean and functioning correctly. It can be done by changing the filters regularly.
Filters can get clogged over time, reducing the system’s effectiveness. They also collect dirt and bacteria, which can lead to contaminated water.
Keeping your water filtration system clean and well-maintained is critical for your and your family’s health and safety. Consider hiring a technician to perform maintenance on your system to ensure it is in good working order.
When it comes to residential water treatment technologies, like reverse osmosis systems (RO), whole house filters, and water softeners, a good maintenance schedule can help extend the life of your system. Preventive maintenance is crucial to avoid problems such as leaks, waste power, inefficient filtration, and clogged filters.
Cost
A water filtration system is an excellent method to ensure your home has clean, nutritious drinking water. Depending on the type and size of the filter, it might cost anywhere from $250 to $4,000.
Whole house water filtration systems, which treat the entire home’s water, are usually more expensive than point-of-use (POU) filters that only filter a sink or faucet. Nonetheless, they’re often worth the extra cost.
Well-water-specific filters and reverse osmosis systems are good choices for homes that use well water, which can contain various contaminants. For example, the water may be contaminated with heavy metals and pesticides.
Before buying a water filter, homeowners should have the water tested to ensure it’s safe to drink. It will help them narrow down the selection and only purchase a system that’s too small or too large for their needs. It’s also essential to consider working conditions such as temperature and pressure to which the system might be exposed.
