Your municipal water supplier does a good job cleaning the water before it reaches your home. But it may have a chlorine smell and still be full of minerals that make the water hard and taste slightly metallic. Home water filtration systems are available in all price and capability ranges to give you softer, safer water free of disease producing organisms. Here are some of the options when you're ready to do some additional clean up the water coming into your home.
Carbon Filters
This is the simplest water filter and it can come in the form of a pitcher that sits in your refrigerator or a device that attaches to the kitchen faucet. Water passes through carbon granules where large particles, chlorine and pesticides are removed. Carbon filters are so effective that they are often included in other filtration systems. Maintenance is easy and done by changing the carbon granules in the filter periodically.
Ceramic Filters
In this filter, the water passes through a ceramic sleeve containing tiny pores which trap smaller particles, parasites and some minerals. Some softening of the water occurs because of the minerals removed. The ceramic sleeve must be scrubbed periodically to clean clogged pores. This filter may also be used with a carbon filter.
Ultraviolet Light Filters
Ultraviolet (UV) light kills some bacteria and viruses. In this system, the water flows around UV light tubes to kill harmful microorganisms. Since no other filtration is done in this system, it is used with a carbon and/or ceramic filter to remove small and large particles, minerals, chlorine and pesticides. The UV tubes fade over time and need to be replaced to maintain the effectiveness of this filter.
Copper and Zinc Filters
These filters use copper and zinc granules to create a chemical reaction that removes heavy metals, bacteria, parasites and chorine. A carbon filter can be added to remove even more contaminates. You'll have fresher smelling and tasting water that is softer and free of disease-producing microorganisms. Maintenance of these systems requires refreshing the copper and zinc when they become less effective.
Water Softener Units
An additional water softening unit can be added if your water is full of heavy minerals that aren't removed completely by the other filters. These units contain tiny resin beads that use salt to produce electrically charged ions. These ions attract minerals in the water to them resulting in mineral-free soft water. These systems must be refreshed regularly making a softener salt delivery service a convenient resource to make sure your system is always working at its most optimum.
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