Your Guide to Choosing Home Water Filtration Systems
Your home water filtration system is your first defense against harmful contaminants. The quality of your drinking water has an enormous impact on your health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently acknowledged that this is one of the primary causes of preventable disease in the United States today.
Suppose you want to protect your family and keep them healthy. In this case, there are a few different home water filtration systems that you can investigate further.
While you may be hesitant to invest money into a new piece of home hardware, these systems can improve your quality of life.
Research and planning will help you find the perfect water filtration system for your needs.
Keep reading to learn more about standard water filtration key features and how they can benefit you and your family.
How Does Home Water Filtration Systems Work?
Water filtration is the process of removing unwanted substances and contaminants from your water supply.
A variety of different types of water filtration systems are available. The type of system you choose will depend on the contaminants you need to remove from your water supply.
In most cases, water filtration systems remove harmful bacteria, chemicals, and minerals. Some systems remove specific water contaminants, while others remove a wide range of pollutants.
Water filtration systems are typically installed on your water supply line. This happens before your water reaches your drinking water source.
These systems either use a physical barrier to trap contaminants. Chemical methods also kill bacteria and other microorganisms.
Different Types of Water Filtration Systems
There are many different types of water filtration systems. Here's a list of some of the most common types of water filters and their features:
Activated Carbon Filters
Carbon filters are among the most common and affordable of the numerous home water filtration systems. Carbon filters trap and remove harmful minerals and chemicals from your water supply.
The most common types of carbon filters use granulated activated carbon (GAC) to remove harmful contaminants. These filters trap and remove chlorine, chemicals, pesticides, and pathogens.
You can also find carbon filters made from coconut shells and coal. While these carbon filters can remove some contaminants, they don't work as well as GAC filters.
Carbon filters are great for improving the taste of your water and removing chemical odors. However, they may be unable to remove heavy metals or minerals from water.
Reverse Osmosis System
Reverse osmosis filtration systems are among the most advanced filtration technologies available.
They can remove nearly all contaminants from your water. Those contaminants include bacteria, heavy metals, and radioactive particles.
Reverse osmosis filtration systems force water through a semipermeable barrier. This allows water molecules to pass through while blocking larger contaminants.
The water that passes through the barrier is then sent through a separate filtration system.
And this is to remove impurities, such as chlorine and fluoride. Reverse osmosis filtration systems are ideal for those living in poor water quality areas.
Or this filter type is perfect for those with health conditions exacerbated by contaminants in their water.
Ultraviolet (UV) Filtration
Ultraviolet (UV) light filtration systems work by passing water through a UV light source. This UV light source kills bacteria and other microorganisms in your water.
UV light filtration systems can remove bacteria like E.coli and Salmonella from your water supply.
In addition, some UV filtration systems remove heavy metals and chemicals from the water. In contrast, others remove specific types of contaminants.
These water filters are perfect for people who want to kill pathogens in their water.
But they don’t want to extract too many minerals from their water supply. UV filtration systems are the most affordable filtration system on this list.
Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)
Granular activated carbon (GAC) is typically made of coconut shells that have been washed and crushed. It is soaked in sodium hydroxide and calcium hydroxide solution until it becomes a fine powder.
From there, the powder creates charcoal filters that can go inside your home’s plumbing system.
There are a few advantages to using granular activated carbon when filtering your water.
One significant benefit is that it can reduce the amount of chlorine that ends up in your tap water. GAC can also lessen any tastes or odors that may be present in your tap water.
It is beneficial for people who are sensitive to certain chemicals. Adding granular activated carbon to your home’s plumbing system helps remove harmful substances from the water.
These harmful substances include bacteria and other impurities.
Activated Alumina (AA)
The activated alumina (AA) water filter is an excellent choice for those who want to reduce the number of chemicals in their drinking water.
It does this by passing along only the present minerals and removing all remaining chemicals.
The activated alumina is porous, letting water pass through it quickly. As the water moves through the filter, the minerals are held in place by special stabilizing agents.
These agents, known as “adsorbers,” are responsible for trapping and removing toxins such as fluoride, chlorine, lead, and other heavy metals.
These are often present in tap water as a result of pollution.
So with an activated alumina water filtration system, you can enjoy clean water without worrying about harmful chemicals.
What Type of Water Filter Works for Your Household?
There are a variety of home water filtration systems on the market today. There's a type for every different need.
While all water filters will remove impurities from your tap water, the kind of filter you choose will depend on what contaminants you want to keep.
Berkey Clean Water is here to help you decide which water filter works best for your household. We're available 24/7. Contact us today.
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Marie – I would go with the Big Berkey. That’s the size most families in a mobile home get.
my mobile home park is going from well water to the city piped in water.
what whole house water filter is the best?