The Importance of
Clean Water
Water basics: In general, tap water is perfectly safe for human
consumption. However, sometimes you may notice a funny color, odor
or taste. These often come from otherwise harmless contaminants like
chlorine, sulfur, iron and manganese. You can get rid of these
problems easily by using a conventional activated carbon filter,
available at many retail stores and even supermarkets.
But if your water contains dangerous levels of other pollutants,
you'll need to choose a water treatment technology that is
appropriate for eliminating the toxins. For the sake of discussion,
it's easiest to group toxic pollutants into four categories: organic
chemicals, inorganic chemicals, radio nuclides and microbiological
organisms.
Organic chemicals include solvents, pesticides, synthetics, resins
and other manmade chemicals; many are known as volatile organic
chemicals (VOCs). Inorganic chemicals include nitrates and nitrites,
asbestos, fluoride and metals such as arsenic, mercury and the most
notorious lead. Many of these occur as natural mineral deposits.
Some, such as copper and lead, leach into water as it travels
through pipes; treatment by your water utility doesn't remove them.
Radon gas, the most common radio nuclide, occurs naturally in a
number of regions, including Western mountain states and parts of
the Northeast. Microbiological contaminants, including protozoa,
bacteria and viruses, are normally killed by chlorinating and other
treatment.
These dangerous pollutants are rare, but the water filter industry
often plays up fears to generate sales.
If you have any questions about your water's safety, call your water
supplier or health department and request copies of water treatment
reports. Less than 10 percent of the water produced by public
systems is used for drinking and cooking. The vast majority of our
tap water is used by business, industry and for purposes such as
bathing, washing clothes, etc. While our public utilities provide
water that is safe to drink, it is neither practical nor
cost-effective for them to produce high-purity water, since most
uses do not require this level of quality. Impurities in your water
can be broken down into four categories: sediments, chemicals,
dissolved solids and microbiological organisms. Sediments include
dirt, rust and particles of plant or animal matter that are
suspended in water.
Sediments: Sediments are the largest water-borne impurity, although
most are too small to be seen. Sediment problems include cloudy,
unappealing water and clogging of water passages in appliances.
Chemicals are molecules, or groups of atoms. The most common of
these are chlorine compounds which are added to tap water to control
the growth of bacteria and algae. Chemicals can cause bitter, oily
tastes and unpleasant odors. Some, including trihalomethanes, as
well as many pesticides, herbicides, and industrial solvents are
regulated by the government. Dissolved solids (atoms) are extremely
small, usually less than 8 ten thousandths of one micron in size.
Some dissolved solids (e.g. hardness minerals, alkalinity, sulfate,
etc.) are harmless but may cause objectionable taste and scale
problems normally associated with hard water. Others, such as lead,
nitrate, sodium, fluoride, arsenic, mercury, etc., can be harmful.
The amount of these contaminants allowed in drinking water is
limited by government standards. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) refers
to the overall amount of all dissolved solids found in any one tap
water sample.
Disease-producing microbiological organisms are rare in water that
comes from the ground. The earth's aquifer filters out such
organisms as giardia, e-coli and cryptosporidium. However these
organisms are more common in tap water that comes from the surface.
Filtering: If you are buying a filtration system, consider filtering
all incoming water instead of just putting a filter on the tap. Why?
Hard water is the most common problem found in the average home. It
contains dissolved hardness minerals like calcium, manganese and
magnesium which dilute water's natural ability to wash things.
For instance:
You use only 1/2 as much soap when you clean with soft water.
Hard water and soap also combine to form "soap scum" that can't be
rinsed off, forming a 'bathtub ring' on all surfaces and leaving
unsightly spots on your dishes as the water dries.
When you heat hard water, the hardness minerals are re-crystallize
to form hardness scale. This scale can plug your pipes and hot water
heater, causing premature failure, necessitating costly replacement.
The soap scum remains on your skin even after rinsing, clogging the
pores of your skin and coating every hair on your body. This crud
can serve as a home for bacteria, causing diaper rash, minor skin
irritation and skin that continually itches. Built-in water filters
utilize several different technologies to clean water. Some filters
only use one of these methods, while others take advantage of two or
more in order to combat a wide range of contaminants.
Water softeners: Water softeners reduce the mineral content of hard
water, substituting sodium for minerals such as calcium, magnesium
and iron. This also reduces mineral buildup in pipes and appliances.
But because they add sodium salt, a potential health hazard to
water, it's smart to install a softener only on the hot-water side
of a water supply system so it won't affect the drinking water.
Filters: A reverse osmosis (RO) filter removes nearly all
contaminants, particularly when combined with carbon filtration.
Installed beneath the sink and connected directly to plumbing, an RO
filter forces water through a membrane that permits only pure water
molecules to pass.
A carbon prefilter connected to most RO filters removes sediment and
some contaminants that the membrane won't catch. Carbon postfilters
attached to some RO filters are used to "polish" the taste of the
water. A popular choice for many people today is to have distilled
or filtered water delivered to your home. Many companies offer this
service.
If you are interested in more, please
check out our
Preventive Maintenance Plan,
and you won't have to worry about at thing. |
