How to Choose the Best Method of Water Treatment

The market is literally flooded with water treatment options. Reverse osmosis systems, water filters, and distillers all promise sparkling, clean water, but how do you know which one is really best? With a little research, you can find the ideal water treatment system for you.

Steps

1. Find out the source of your home's water. If you are receiving water from a well on your property rather than municipally treated water, your needs will be much different. You may want to purchase a distiller or reverse osmosis system to remove tough bacteria.
2. Learn about specific water contaminants in your area. A lot of this information can be found out through the EPA. Also, each year your city should produce a water safety report, discussing the incidence of specific contaminants in your city's water.
3. Find out about the use of pesticide chemicals in your area. Water in Midwestern states is much more likely to contain chemicals from pesticide runoff.
4. Determine if your city receives its water from surface water or groundwater sources. Groundwater is much cleaner, overall, and may need only mild treatment with a home water filter. However shallow wells or dug well can be contaminated by pesticides, petroleum spills and animal droppings.
5. Find out if your community fluoridates its water. Fluoride can be particularly damaging to the elderly and has been linked to cases of Alzheimer's disease.
6. Evaluate the needs of your family. If anyone in your family is prone to asthma or respiratory illness, you will want to cut down on chlorine fumes in your home with the use of a whole house water filter or other point-of-entry filtration system.
7. Learn about your home's plumbing system. Many homes built before 1998 contain lead in their pipes that can corrode into drinking water. If you have lead pipes, you will definitely need a point-of-use water treatment system.
8. Recognize that some believe that distillation is the only method in which water can be purified. The thinking goes that the only real definition for pure water is "H20" with a complete absence of any contaminants. Distillation mimics the hydrologic cycle of evaporation (boiling to steam), precipitation (precipitation in a aparatous, normally a condensing coil), and condensation leading to rain (water cooled usually by a fan and and drips into a sterile container).
9. Take all of the above factors into consideration when researching and purchasing a water treatment system. Water filters are best for municipally treated, chlorinated water while reverse osmosis systems and distillers are best for treating well water. The EPA recommends that if you have a well it should be tested annually for bacteria and other impurities. A Ultra Violet light sterilization unit might be a better way than a Reverse Osmosis system to eliminate bacteria. Keep in mind that Distillation systems are expensive and Reverse Osmosis systems might not produce the water rate you desire for your water needs. Remember that not only do you drink water but you brush your teeth and wash your fruits and vegetables and dishes in water that could be contaminated. Testing is the only way to determine if your water is suitable for drinking and other uses. It is best to have the test performed by a chemist or a certified laboratory. The best water solutions are designed by technical people with access to scientists. There are many variable to be considered. Before you purchase a system be sure that you are satisfied that the system seller understands your water source and uses for the water.