Home filtration refers to a whole-house water filter or a point-of-entry (POE) tap. A POE water purification system operates between your home’s plumbing and main water line whether you have well or municipal water. All the water coming into your home first flows through that filtration system. The system has a series of filter media stages. Each stage has a role in improving water quality before that water flows from your faucets. Let’s explore why you should invest in one of these water filtration systems for your home.
Improved Water Quality
Water quality is a top concern for many U.S. homeowners. Each year, millions of Americans schedule water testing to ensure that their drinking water is safe. The potential problem with water testing is that water quality issues come and go. The only way to have full confidence in the quality of the water you’re drinking right now is to have a filter that eliminates the substances you want to avoid.
For many, chlorine and chloramine, which is a chlorine alternative, are a top concern. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), chlorine and chloramine are nontoxic to humans. Despite that, they still smell like bleach and often leave behind a residue. In high enough volumes, chlorine can lead to stomach and intestinal issues. The EPA has also advised water utilities to switch from chlorine to chloramine to produce fewer disinfection byproducts.
Another concern is fluoride. The United States has long added fluoride to its municipal water supplies to help prevent tooth decay. Many people worry that this is unsafe. Some argue that even though it does help with dental health, we use too much. There may some merit to that argument based on actions taken by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The HHS reduced maximum fluoride levels in public water to 0.7 milligrams in 2015. In the decades prior, many municipal water supplies added as much as 1.2 milligrams.
Those are just substances we know should be there. There are also substances that shouldn’t but often are. Agriculture often leads to pesticides in groundwater. Lead gets into drinking water due to outdated pipes that are now corroded. The EPA has found microbial contaminants, such as bacteria and viruses, on multiple occasions. Protozoa in drinking water can lead to gastrointestinal distress and illnesses. There can also be high levels of nitrates, nitrites, arsenic and other chemicals. These are all substances that the right water filtration system can safely and consistently remove for you.
Reduced Reliance on Bottled Water
Americans consume about 16 billion bottles of water a year. Bottled water is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and it’s only getting bigger. Some of this is certainly due to marketing and convenience. Those aren’t the main reasons. Multiple surveys show that the main reason Americans buy bottled water is that they dislike the taste of their tap water. The second reason is that they’re concerned about its quality.
There are a number of big environmental concerns when it comes to bottled water as well. Bottled water consumption leads to at least 25 million tons of plastic waste in landfills a year. Worse yet, that number continues to go up. The other issue is that bottling water wastes water. In fact, it takes about 1.4 gallons of water to manufacturer just one single-use water bottle.
Lowest Water Filtration Cost Long Term
Another consideration is that you’ll actually save money switching from bottled water to water filtration. Consider that the average cost of producing 2,000 gallons of filtered water at home is $2. The average cost of a 20-ounce bottle of water is $1.50.
Whole-house water filtration isn’t just cheaper than bottled water. It’s cheaper long term than point-of-use (POU) water filtration, such as countertop and under-sink canister filters. It’s also cheaper than the delivery services that provide a dispenser and bring 5-gallon water jugs to your home.
Enhanced Taste and Smell
Perhaps the best reason to get a water filter is to improve the water’s taste and smell. If you don’t enjoy your drinking water, you’re going to avoid it and not drink enough of it. The good news is that it doesn’t require a great deal of sophistication to improve water taste and smell. All you need is an activated carbon filter, which almost every water filter on the market has. It’s an extremely absorptive substance that removes chlorine, organic compounds and many other substances that affect water’s taste.
This matters when cooking as well. When you cook with water, you reduce it. That leaves behind all those unwanted substances, but now in potentially higher concentrations. It can affect food and drink taste and smells in unpredictable and unpleasant ways. It can it also make it more difficult to get consistent results from your recipes.
Increased Convenience
A downside to a POU water filter is that it provides filtered water only from that one fixture. You have to use that particular faucet or refrigerator. With a POU system, you can go to any faucet or water-dispensing appliance in your home and enjoy filtered water.
Better Showers and Improved Skin and Hair Health
Another option with water filtration is water softening. Water hardness refers to the presence of calcium and magnesium in the water. Water softening removes that hardness. It’s important to note that not all water filtration systems remove minerals like that. Ion exchangers do. Reverse osmosis (RO) systems do as well. You also have the option of pairing your water filter with a discrete water softener.
One reason to do this is showers that feel better. Showers in hard water feel unpleasant because there’s a coating of minerals on your skin. That’s also not great for skin care. It makes skin dry and scaly and moisturizing less effective. Hard water affects hair health and leads to bad hair days. It also makes it harder to clean clothes and dishes and causes you to waste detergent.
Enhanced Appliance Efficiency and Lifespan
Other reasons include your plumbing and appliances. Filtered and softened water is far less likely to corrode and gunk up your pipes. This will extend the life of your plumbing, make repairs less likely and lower your long-term costs.
Filtered water also makes a big difference for appliances. Water heaters heat water slower with hard water, which can also accumulate on the inner wall of the tank and heating element. That can lead to 15% decreased efficiency or more. Hard water reduces water heater life expectancy by about two years and even more if it’s a tankless system. It also reduces the life expectancy of dishwashers by about 25% and that of washing machines by about 40%.
Your Local Plumbing Pros in Port Charlotte
Titanz Plumbing & Air Conditioning has served Port Charlotte and all of Southwest Florida for over 15 years. If you want to improve your home’s water, we install water filtration and softening systems, including RO systems. Our plumbers are available for emergency plumbing services. We pipe and repipe gas, water and sewer lines and indoor plumbing.
You can call us for appliance hook-ups. We also install toilets and other fixtures, including tank and tankless water heaters. We do leak detection and backflow prevention, too. Our HVAC technicians specialize in all manner of ducted and ductless heating systems. They also specialize in indoor air quality, including whole-house fans, air purifiers, dehumidifiers and humidifiers. We are here for you from the surrounding areas of North Port, Englewood, Punta Gorda, Cape Haze, Venice, Deep Creek, Harbor Heights, and more.
Contact Titanz Plumbing & Air Conditioning today to schedule an appointment or get more information on our plumbing solutions.