Have you noticed that everyone is telling you that you should filter your water, but they aren’t talking about why you should filter your water? It can be frustrating not knowing why there is such an insistence on investing in water filtration. In your eyes, your tap water tastes just fine, and you don’t see the need to filter it further. However, we’re here to go a bit deeper and explain why it is such a necessity for your home.
Join us as we show you the many reasons why you should filter your water, plus a filtration system you’ll love.
Where Does Water Come From?
Where you get your water depends significantly on where you live in the country. For millions of Americans, their tap water comes from a public community water system, and that supply gets gathered from surface water or groundwater sources.
Surface water, which comes from streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. It is the most common water source as it makes up approximately 80 percent of our water consumption. In the number two spot is groundwater, which is gathered by drilling wells and pumping it to the surface for collection.
A third water source that gets often overlooked is well water. Also referred to as private wells, this water supply is the best option for people who live in rural areas or places that aren’t close enough to access municipal systems. These owners are often responsible for maintaining their water supplies and making sure it stays contaminant-free. You should filter your water because no matter the water source, you want to ensure you have clean, safe, and great-tasting water in your home. And that’s not always the case.
Why You Should Filter Your Water
It Isn’t as Clean as it Can Be
Although our respective local governments are responsible for providing our communities with safe water for consumption and everyday usage, many have found that our tap water isn’t as safe as it can be. Especially as it concerns our short- and long-term health.
After our water is filtered and disinfected, it often travels through old pipes before making its way to our homes, which can actually lead to recontamination and the addition of other contaminants that weren’t present before. This is one of the most common reasons why you should filter your water.
There Are Contaminants in Our Water
According to water experts, more than 160 different contaminants are lurking in your tap and well water. That fact alone is reason enough for why you should filter your water. These contaminants fall into four different types of contaminants: physical, chemical, biological, and radiological, and pose serious harm to our health and wellness if excess amounts are found in our water supplies.
A thing to note is that the word contaminants isn’t just limited to debris. It is a broad term that also extends to harmful chemicals, minerals, pesticides, and even pharmaceuticals. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cites several ways that contaminants wind up in our water, such as sewer overflow, malfunctioning wastewater treatment systems, local land practices, and naturally occurring chemicals and minerals.
The most common contaminants found in municipal or well water include:
Lead: One of the most dangerous contaminants found in water. Many pipes are made of lead, and as they age, they leach lead into your water source, tainting the water as it enters your home. Its side effects include brain damage, learning disabilities, permanently stunted growth, and more.
Sand, soil, and sediment: This trio is most commonly found in well water. When stirred up, it can negatively affect your water’s taste and feel and is recognizable by its telltale gritty feel and discoloration. It can also damage your appliances and plumbing if you’re not careful.
Chlorine: It is often added to municipal water sources to help kill germs and pathogens, but when mixed with other organic compounds, it creates byproducts that can cause eye and nose irritation, stomach discomfort, and destroy good bacteria needed for our digestive systems, among other things.
Fluoride: Although intentionally added to most water sources by the government to help combat tooth decay, it can have adverse effects when you ingest too much. Children can develop brown spots on their teeth and brain development issues, whereas adults can develop joint and muscle stiffness or pain.
Natural Water Resources Are Under Stress
You should also filter your water because many natural water resources are under a lot of stress from factors like our ever-changing climate, pollution, and America’s growing population, increasing our water consumption needs.
These factors have damaged our water sources and resulted in something called water scarcity, which means that clean and contaminant-free water is not as readily available to those who live in rural areas or cities. This is why you should filter your water. It reduces the stress on our quality water sources by turning “undesirable” resources into useful ones while scientists continue to search for other water supplies.
It Damages Your Home
Perhaps the most cost-related reason you should filter your water is tap water; namely, hard water can damage your home appliances and plumbing. Hard water consists of minerals like calcium and magnesium building up in your water supply. You may know it as scale buildup, that slimy film that is left on your dishes and leaves your clothes, hair, and skin feeling rough and unclean.
Over time, limescale continues to build up, and it eventually damages your plumbing and water-consuming appliances like dishwashers, washers, and coffeemakers. This buildup affects your water pressure and appliance efficiency, results in frequent repairs, and shortens your appliance’s lifespan. We’re sure you can imagine how costly that can be!
How You Can Filter Your Water
The creation of different water technologies has given us many ways to filter our water while keeping our families safe and nourished. Many homes opt for cheaper and simpler filtration systems like pitchers, portable water bottles, and faucet filters. However, if you want to experience the clearest, best-tasting, and contaminant-free water, you should invest in a whole house water filtration system.
Some whole house water filtration systems like those manufactured by Puronics use reverse osmosis filters enhanced by activated carbon to give you high-quality water. Scientists view reverse osmosis as the most efficient way to purify tap water and other untreated water sources. The way reverse osmosis works is water passes through a semi-permeable mesh. Because chemical and other contaminant molecules are larger than water molecules, they are too big to pass through the mesh. This leaves them trapped, allowing for clean water to pass through.
Having a whole house water filtration system is beneficial because instead of being limited to having clean water in only one room of your house, you can reap the benefits in your kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom. We believe that is the top reason why you should filter your water.
The Science of Water
We hope that we were more than able to convince you of why you should filter your water. The case for it is so significant. An additional bonus to investing in a whole house water filtration system is that as a Puronics dealer, our team at The Science of Water can install the perfect filter for your home. The first step is taking one of our free water tests. This will help us learn more about the contaminants that lurk in your water so that we can identify and solve your water issues.
If you want to request a free water test or learn more about our services, contact us at (352) 745-7070 or (904) 580-0000.