There are few things as important as the quality of water for your home. You use it for drinking, laundry, bathing, and more, so why shouldn’t your water be of the highest quality? Getting a home water treatment system helps to filter out unwanted chemical elements, odors, iron, and discoloration, which improves the natural taste too. But what a filter prevents from entering your water varies depending on the one you get, so it’s important to find a filter that matches the needs of your home’s water. For instance, some filters are best for homes with well water, water-born bacteria, or especially hard water. Let’s take a closer look at a few of the most popular different kinds of water filter systems that help deliver cleaner and softer water throughout your home.
Activated Carbon Systems
An activated carbon filtration system is great for removing chlorine, chloroform, agricultural chemicals, organic substances, sediment, and magnesium from your water supply. To understand how activated carbon works, it’s best to consider the term “adsorption.” As opposed to absorption, where a single material will take in or soak up another, adsorption happens when one material adheres to another when passing through. This is the main way activated charcoal or activated carbon works. Essentially, activated charcoal is made when organic material with high carbon components (like wood or coal) is heated in a distinct way so it does not burn, but rather becomes char. The char is then treated to create a porous material that binds to certain toxins and impurities, thus pulling them out of the water flowing through the system. This type of filtration is very common and typically used in combination with other filtration methods for more complete filtration.
Ion Exchange Filtration
An ion exchange system is a good choice for getting rid of hard water and even radioactive material. Ion exchange filters are made with a material that will exchange one ion for another as water passes through it. For instance, ion exchange will replace calcium ions, which create water hardness, with sodium ions, which don’t. As a result, you get “softer” water. For example, your home may be delivering hard water if its supply leaves stains on washed dishes. Hard usually builds up in pipes, which may also decrease the life of some kitchen appliances.
And while ion exchange helps reduce hard water and some radioactive elements, the filter does not take out organic material, particles, or bacteria as well as other filtration types.
Reverse Osmosis Systems (RO)
RO systems are one of the best for removing a high percentage of toxic elements, such as fluoride, arsenic, nitrates/nitrites, copper, radium, salt, and more. And they’re also one of the most cost-effective filter solutions, which speaks to their extreme popularity. They’re arguably the best filter type for removing lots of contaminants out of your water, even including dangerous waterborne bacteria. RO filters work by sending water through the reverse osmosis membrane of your system. Any contaminants stay on one side of the film while fresh water is sent through to the other side. It’s one of the few filters that can rid water of water-soluble contaminants like fluoride and chromium +6. If a home has a water softener, an RO system will also remove the salt from drinking water. However, the RO filtration process is also slow, causing a decrease in water pressure. That’s why whole-home reverse osmosis systems are rare to find, but not unheard of.
Ultra Violet Filtration
Ultra Violet Filter systems are a perfect choice for taking our bacteria and viruses in your water supply. As an environmentally friendly solution, UV filters are designed to clean water using different frequencies of ultraviolet light. This works because the DNA in microbial cells absorbs the UV light, which basically kills all bacteria and viruses, which is a big step in cleaning your drinking water. It’s crucial to note that UV filters take out bacteria and viruses from your water, so it’s important to use this filter in combination with other filtration types to remove other unwanted elements, like chlorine, lead, and pesticides, all so that you get especially clean, drinkable, and crisp water every time.
After getting a well-functioning water filter or combination of filters, your home’s water will taste fresh and clean, your bathroom routine will feel more pleasing, and your cooking and cleaning efforts will benefit too. Filtered water can also save you money on continuous bottled water purchases. Even your home’s plumbing will be more protected and long-lasting.
If you’re in the market for a new water filter system or want some guidance on the best options for your home, contact Schuler Service today! We have the expertise to help you choose the best system for your situation and install it too! When you choose Schuler, you will be enjoying crisp, clean water straight from your own pipes.
