Do you need a water filtration system? If you get your household water from a municipal water utility, you can ask for a water quality report that identifies local levels of common pollutants. In most cases, municipal water meets broad, general standards for purity. The question then becomes, are those broad municipal standards stringent enough and are all potential pollutants and possible health issues taken into account in the testing process? You may decide that the answer is no.
Home water filtration systems raise the general standard of purity to a higher caliber as well as allowing you to more precisely target certain contaminates for filtering. This can address specific health concerns or sensitivities of individuals in the household. If you opt to add water filtration in your home, youandrsquo;ll have two general choices to make:
Point-of-Use
These are individual filters installed at various fixtures in the house such as kitchen and bathroom faucets and showerheads. Point-of-use also includes common options such as water pitcher filtration and countertop filters. More complex point-of-use systems utilize reverse-osmosis filter modules typically installed in an under-sink cabinet.
Whole-House
A whole-house (or point-of-entry) filtration system is installed where the main water line enters the house. Therefore, all water in the entire house is filtered — not just individual points of use. A whole-house system can accommodate multiple specialized filters that target specific chemical pollutants, hard water sediment or other particulates that are of concern in your locality. Whole-house systems can also integrate optional technology such as an ultraviolet light chamber that exposes incoming water to disinfecting properties of UV light, neutralizing germs and viruses. Whole-house filtration system may also be incorporated in a water-softening system.
Another benefit of a whole-house system that distinguishes it from point-of-use filters is that the filtration isnandrsquo;t limited solely to drinking water. Filtering all water is helpful to remove chlorine and other chemicals that may be inhaled in an aerated state during a shower, or remain as residue in clothes after laundering in the household washing machine.
Contact Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical for more information about water filtration options for your home.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the South Bay Peninsula and Santa Cruz areas of California about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).