Every household deserves access to clean water. Dirty water is unfit for daily home needs like drinking, bathing, laundry and cooking. Despite how vital clean water is, many homes are still plagued by dirty water.
Our water can be affected by contaminants like microorganisms, heavy metals, chemicals, minerals and sediments. Most of these water contaminants change the smell, taste and color of the water, while some do not give off obvious signs but cause health problems.
If you deal with dirty water in your home, there are simple ways to fix that.
This article will explain ways you can handle contaminated water supply in your home.
Tips for Ensuring Your Home Water Supply is Clean
A home can either have a public water supply or a private one. If your home uses a public water supply, this would mean that water gets treated by the authorities before it reaches your home.
On the other hand, homeowners using private water supplies are responsible for their water quality. If you use a private water supply (like a private well), you can add chemicals such as chlorine, which kill the microorganisms (bacteria and viruses) present in your water. The recommended chlorine concentration is 0.2 to 0.5 mg per liter of water.
Water filters also keep your water clean by removing water impurities. Choosing a water filter depends on the particular water problem you have in your home. Still, general water filters like activated carbon filters remove a wide range of impurities.
You can get a water test done to know the current state of your water. You can also test your water by using a do-it-yourself test kit or sending samples of your water to a professional lab. Homes supplied by a public water supply might not necessarily need a water test; the annual water quality report serves this purpose. An annual water quality report tells you the state of your water. You should test your water quality as often as you can because home water quality often changes.
How to Get Rid of Contaminants in Your Water
Some water contaminants cannot be removed using a general method and need unique water treatment options. Water filters are excellent water treatment options available in different types, handling different impurities. If you want to install water treatment devices in your home, here are some good options to choose from, depending on your water’s contaminants.
Activated Carbon Filters
Carbon filters are used in many homes. They get rid of many water impurities, including chlorine. Chlorine is used to kill microorganisms present in water, but when water treatment facilities use it in high amounts, water becomes contaminated with excess chlorine. Chlorine contamination can be problematic to your health. The activated carbon in carbon filters binds to chlorine-contaminated water and removes chlorine from water.
Granular Carbon
Granular carbon is ideal to improve drinking water taste.
Block Carbon
Block carbon is designed to also remove solid particulate matter.
Sediment Filters
Sediment filters are used to remove large suspended particles like dirt and debris. Smaller impurities like microorganisms and chemicals cannot be removed using a sediment filter, so you should combine a sediment filter with other filters for better water quality.
Iron Filters
If your water has a metallic taste and reddish-brown color, you are most likely dealing with iron contamination. Iron filters effectively remove ferric iron, which is rust, and ferrous iron from water. They contain a media bed that is made of an oxidizing agent. This oxidizing agent binds to iron and converts it to an insoluble form, which is easily filtered off.
Water Softeners
Hard water is a threat to our homes. If you notice scale deposits in your appliances or scum on your skin after taking a bath, then you have hard water. The scale buildup caused by hard water destroys home appliances and shortens their lifespan. Treating hard water is a necessity. Water softeners treat water hardness by removing hardness-causing minerals from water. Water softeners contain resin beads that are charged with sodium ions. When hard water passes through a water softener, the resin beads bind to calcium carbonate completely removing and replacing it with sodium ions.
Ultraviolet Filters
UV filters are great at removing microorganisms from water. They are best combined with sediment filters. The sediment filters remove particles that block the UV light from reaching the microorganisms and killing them.
Whole House vs Point of Us
Water filters and water softeners can be installed either as whole-house water filters or point-of-use water filters. There are different prices of water filters and water softeners available, and depending on your budget, you can get one to make your water cleaner. Read more to find out which water treatment option fits your budget.
Paying Close Attention
Paying close attention to the water quality in your home goes a long way in ensuring that your water is safe and clean. When you notice unusual changes in your water’s color, smell and taste, you should be concerned– but do not panic. The water treatment options mentioned in this article are very effective in handling impurities that make your water dirty.
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