Filtering Out Water Treatment Types

Getting fresh, clean-tasting water from your tap should be a no brainer. No one wants to drink overly-chlorinated concoctions with extra minerals and toxins! Using filtration equipment at home will help clean out all of the bad and leave you with delicious water that’s safe to drink. But with so many options to choose, from a manganese removal system to activated charcoal, it can be difficult to choose what’s best for your needs.

Filtration Breakdown

City-supplied water comes into your home or office already filtered to a limited extent. Usually, this involves removing particulates like sand and gravel as well as bleaching the liquid with chlorine. This doesn’t get rid of all possible contaminants, though. Depending on the water coming out of your pipes, there are several possible filtration systems to use:

• Distillation: The impure solution is passed through a membrane that only water can pass through, leaving larger molecules behind. This method is useful in removing lead, nitrates, pesticides, organic compounds and fluoride. 
• Ion Exchange: Excellent for removing hard water, these filters trade charged magnesium and calcium ions for those of sodium. This method can also remove radium, barium and dissolved iron as well as improve taste and smell.
• Manganese Removal System: Manganese can cause black and brown staining on clothes and in dishwashers. Passing water through this system causes the manganese to solidify and is left behind. Later the unwanted chemicals are backwashed down the drain, cleaning the filters.
• Disinfection: Using chlorination, UV rays or ozonation, this method is used to kill bacteria and some viruses and may also remove some pesticides, iron and even manganese.
• Carbon/Activated Carbon: Using charcoal or porous carbon, gasses, pesticides and organic compounds are filtered through the device.

These are only some of the filtration methods available to homeowners. Check with a professional and have your drinking water analyzed to determine which system will have the most effect. Once you’ve tasted clean water right from your tap, you’ll wonder why you waited so long to make the call!