Life's Gift - Considerations for Water Filtration Systems |
|
Submitted by Teo Graca
| RSS Feed
| Add Comment
| Bookmark Me!
Ever worry about the quality of the tap water you drink or use to wash? I have documented our research below on the primary issues, the most effective two systems you can get for your home, and the least expensive way for you to get these into your home. 
There are a wide range of water filters, purifiers, and other treatment devices available on the market today and no single filter or treatment will eliminate every contaminant from your water. Many technologies target only a specific type of contaminant and may be completely ineffective against others.
Typically, most higher-end systems use a combination of filter technologies to achieve the best results, but it is nevertheless important to choose a system that specifically targets the known or potential contaminants in your personal water supply.
Note that the primary water concerns are marked with * for the whole-house system and ** for a drinking water system.
The primary water concerns are:
- Sediment*
- Bad Tastes & Odors*
- Chlorine*
- Radon*
- Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC's)*
- Arsenic**
- Bacteria and Viruses**
- Fluoride**
- Hydrogen Sulfide**
- Heavy Metals**
- Nitrates**
- Iron**
*WHOLE HOUSE SYSTEM: One very inexpensive whole-house system that effectively removes Sediment, Bad Tastes & Odors, Radon and VOC's. You can get the filter housings for around $40 US and the filters currently cost less than $20 per 12,000 gallons - these prices have been fairly consistent for the last few years. You can also get a plumber to install it at your water source for a couple hours of labor.
Note that the activated carbon filters also significantly reduce Hydrogen Sulfide*** and Heavy Metals, but if your water has significant levels, consider getting a Reverse Osmosis (RO) filter.
**DRINKING WATER SYSTEM: Drinking water filtration can be filtered in just the locations where this water is tapped. Fluoride, Arsenic, Heavy Metals like mercury, Nitrates, Iron, Bacteria and Viruses can be handled by just one RO filter strategically located. Although RO handles most of the Bacteria and Viruses, if you want to go the extra mile, you can add an Ultraviolet (UV) feature with your RO filter. Although a RO system is relatively expensive compared to the above mentioned whole-house system, you can add a counter top version for less than $200, or less than $300 with the UV filter feature.
Advantage of Using Both Systems
The whole house system is easy to maintain and the filters are readily available and very inexpensive. It can also extend the life of your more expensive RO filters. Using these two systems together will provide the most effective pure water system for your home that you can get today. Testing your water is generally recommended, but these two systems together cover most contaminants!***
Distillation
We also researched water distillation, but it is generally expensive and not viable as solution to whole-house systems, and if you go for the cheap solutions, you will find that the energy required to make just a few gallons of distilled water is very expensive compared to the above mentioned systems.
Counter top distillers use about 3 KWH of electricity for each gallon of water that is distilled. You can find your personal cost per gallon by multiplying 3 times the KWH rate in your area. This generally costs between 20 and 40 cents per gallon.
Distillation systems are not as effective as you may think.
Issues:
- It's expensive because it requires a significant amount of energy to produce small amounts of water.
- It takes significant time to distill water.
- Bacteria and Viruses are NOT removed unless the distiller heats the water to at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100C) for a sufficient amount of time.
- Distillation does NOT remove chemical contaminants.
- Other more effective systems are available that cost less and use much less or no energy.
*** Hydrogen Sulfide is a colorless, very poisonous, flammable gas with the characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs in large concentrations. It often results from the bacterial breakdown of organic matter in the absence of oxygen, such as in swamps and sewers (anaerobic digestion). It also occurs in volcanic gases, natural gas, and some well waters. Each of these two recommended systems significantly reduces hydrogen sulfide from your water, but If your water contains very high levels of Hydrogen Sulfide, plan on adding a Kinetic Degradation Fluxion (KDF-55) or Iron Water Filter.
Consider This!
Your municipal water systems are highly regulated and your water is generally well treated, except for the addition of fluoride, which has absolutely no public health value and is poisonous. The chlorine used to treat your water is also a problem. Water used in the making of soda's, beer and other canned or bottled drinks is not currently regulated, and much of the bottled water you buy is just tap water. If the companies that make these drinks make a claim of using pure water, you can at least know they care enough to make the claim, but most don't even do that.
One more thought on Flouride
The SKIN is the largest human organ. Removing fluoride from your drinking water doesn't address the issue when you bath in it - you absorb much more fluoride from a bath or shower than drinking it.
Resources:
Click for Details --> Life's Gift <--
|
