It is quite logical to suppose that you are always looking for different ways for you and your family to become healthier in Arlington, TX, including drinking more water every day. But, are you absolutely positive that the water in your Arlington, TX home is actually clean and healthy? In many cases, even though your water may look just fine, this may not be the case, and there’s no way for you to know for sure unless you wind up paying a big chunk of change to have it tested at least once a week.
To avoid having to pay money that could be put to better use elsewhere, you should start looking into other alternatives to ensure your Arlington, TX home’s water is clean and free from harmful substances that could damage your health more than it will be helping it. Think about cities like Flint, Brady, and others, where the water isn’t clean and has been proven to be toxic. This is a problem all homeowners should be aware of nowadays to prevent potential health problems in the future. But how can you ensure the water you and your family are drinking in Arlington, TX is actually safe? The answer to this question is simple, and one of several different water filtration systems on the market can give you the peace of mind you need to drink that glass of water without having to worry about it being safe.
Is Your Arlington, TX Home’s Water Toxic?
One of the most common misconceptions is that only water that doesn’t look clean is toxic, but nothing is farther from the truth, and even just having what is known as “hard water” can be hazardous to your health. Having hard water is not only an inconvenience, it represents a lifetime of unwanted expenses because it can damage your home’s water system. But, in the end, hard water isn’t really dangerous to your health, as opposed to other problems you may not know about, including bacteria, waste, and other contaminants, that could cause disease, skin rashes, and much more. As more and more water toxicity issues around the country have surfaced over the last few years, homeowners are choosing to invest in water filtration systems that will neutralize chemicals and other contaminant substances that could represent a health risk to their families. Some of the most common pollutants found in water systems around the country and which are offset by water filtration systems, are the following:
PFC’s or Perfluorinated chemicals – you don’t have to be a chemistry major to know these chemicals are one of the most dangerous contaminants found in the country’s water supplies. If you’ve never heard of them before, these chemicals are normally found in regular household products to make them more resistant to grease and water, and to make matters worse, there aren’t any federal laws that force local governments to maintain low levels of these pollutants in their water supplies. Thankfully, water filtration systems are very efficient for removing these dangerous chemical compounds, as well as bacteria, other chemicals, parasitic organisms and other potentially hazardous pollutants.
Fluoride and Chlorine – Most tap water in the United States contains fluoride or chlorine, which is added to local drinking water supplies to prevent them from becoming contaminated by different organisms that could cause a variety of diseases. It is because of this that people are able to drink tap water in the United States. Unfortunately, many people can react adversely to these chemicals because of the way in which they react to other natural elements in the water. This can result in a variety of health problems including skin conditions, asthma, and even cancer.
Additionally, research has shown that when pregnant women drink tap water that has been chlorinated, their risk of miscarriage is much higher than that of those who avoid chlorine. This is another scenario in which water filtration systems can be beneficial to your family.
There are many reasons why water filtration systems are becoming an increasingly important part of daily life, especially when you consider all the problems that can stem from drinking polluted water and other things that could affect the quality of the water in your home or business, all of which can have consequences on your health.
Hard Water: How It Can Affect Your Home’s Water System
Water is constituted by hydrogen and oxygen, but in some cases, there are other elements that can be found in it that turn it into “hard water”. These elements include calcium, magnesium, Aluminum, and iron, among others. While these elements don’t affect your health and hard water is normally safe to drink, it can cause other types of issues that can lead to costly repairs of your home’s water system.
Some of the most common problems created by hard water are stains and the accumulation of mineral scale that could lead to the breakdown and corrosion of water heaters and pipes. Water filtration systems can include water softeners to help you avoid some of these problems, extending the life of your appliances, making it easier to clean surfaces, dishes, and laundry, and even allowing your water heater to work more efficiently and heat up your water faster.
So, What Is a Water Filtration System?
By now, you are probably wondering exactly what water filtration systems are. Well, they’re basically what their name says, in the most basic definitions, water filtration systems help to remove pollutants of all kinds from the water in your home using different processes, which can be either biological, chemical, or physical, depending on the type of water filtration system you select.
There are many reasons why people decide to use water filtration systems, and all of them provide benefits to their health. Most times, the primary reason why homeowners install a water filtration system is to remove chlorine and other pollutants from the water in their home, including bacteria and other organic and chemical compounds. The result is water that tastes and smells better, while also becoming safe to drink and healthier in all aspects. Additionally, water filtration systems can remove any potential lead contamination from the water right before people drink it, which eliminates the possibility of lead toxicity.
As if the health benefits of water filtration systems weren’t enough, they are also a great way to save money and help the environment, due to not having to purchase large amounts of bottled water anymore.
In a nutshell, water filtration systems are designed to provide protection from water-borne diseases and toxic chemicals and compounds, which leads to improved health. At the same time, because water filtration systems act as a barrier between your body and potentially harmful chlorine and fluoride, their use can reduce the possibility of suffering from a variety of cancers, including colon and bladder cancer.
Water filtration systems aren’t only for drinking water, though, and can be used for a variety of applications throughout your home. This includes brushing your teeth, cooking, and more. Using one of the many different water filtration systems in your home will ensure a reduction in mineral deposits and a more stable pH, making them one of the best ways to increase the quality of the water you and your family use.
Different Filtration Methods
As was mentioned previously, there are several different types of water filtration systems on the market. Each uses a different system to filter the water that goes through it, but they all have the purpose of cleaning the water going into your home to ensure you are drinking water that is safe and healthy. Let’s take a look at some of the most common types of systems:
Activated Charcoal
A filtration system that uses a filter that contains activated charcoal (or carbon) is possibly the most widely used in homes throughout the United States. It works in a simple manner, in which grains of activated charcoal trap any pollutants and impurities found in the water and filter it by absorption. The grains of activated charcoal are very porous and are the result of wood burning in an environment that is low on oxygen.
One of the biggest issues to consider when looking to purchase a filtration system is that not all activated charcoal filters are created equally, and while some are very efficient at removing certain chemical pollutants like lead, mercury, asbestos, and others, others will just get rid of chlorine. Even so, keep in mind that activated charcoal is not very efficient at removing inorganic contaminants from water, including perchlorate, arsenic and fluoride, among others. It also doesn’t work well when you live in a hard water area or with bacteria, so another type of system may be a better choice.
Reverse Osmosis
This type of filtration system uses a plastic membrane through which water is pumped in order to remove impurities, chemicals, and other contaminants. Keep in mind that these types of filtration systems are quite wasteful and will normally use up to 20 times more water than they produce. This means that for every 20 gallons of water a reverse osmosis filtration system uses, it will only produce one gallon of filtered water. Because of this, if you are going to invest in this type of system, your best bet is to reserve it only for water that will be used for drinking or cooking.
Ion Exchange
These types of filtration systems are possibly the best ones on the market when it comes to softening water. They are great for softening hard water to make it more palatable. In other words, this type of filtration system takes contaminated atoms and splits them to produce ions. Then it takes the contaminated ions and releases only the clean ones.
In order to function in this manner, ion exchange filters use beads made out of zeolite, which are, in fact, filters that capture and retain any pollutants, while replacing them with sodium ions. This makes the produced water much softer and more palatable.
Distillation
Distillation is probably one of the best, oldest, and simplest methods of purifying water. Nowadays, the process of distillation includes boiling the water to kill bacteria, then collecting the steam as it evaporates to cool it off back into its liquid form in another containing vessel, leaving all possible contaminants behind. This ensures your water is pure and clean, with a better taste, transparency and freshness.
Different Types of Systems
Have you ever sipped a glass of tap water that doesn’t taste exactly right? Maybe it has a strange smell to it. There may not be anything necessarily wrong with it, but it will definitely be unpleasant. Water filtration systems help you remove not only contaminating compounds and organic matter from your home’s tap water, they also clear up any unwanted tastes and smells, leaving you only with fresh, crystalline, pure water to drink on a hot day.
Thankfully there is a wide range of filtering options for your home that are convenient and efficient, including those you can put on your counter, under your sink, and some that will even filter all the water supplied into your home, even the one you use for showers and washing your hands!
The type of system that works best for you will depend on a few things, especially where you will be using it the most. In this manner, a countertop or under-the-sink filter will work best in your kitchen and will provide purified water for drinking and cooking, ensuring the water you and your family ingest is free from chlorine, lead, heavy metals, organic matter, and bacteria.
If you want a comprehensive filtration system for your entire home, there are point-of-entry and whole-house systems that will do the job efficiently and effectively. Some of these systems include softeners dedicated specifically to helping you solve any hard water problems you may have.
Are You Thinking About Installing a Water Filtration System In Arlington, TX?
Providing safe and clean water to your family in Arlington, TX is one of the best ways to ensure they are healthy and happy. Giving Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth a call today will help you find the best option for your home. We are experts in the most updated and sophisticated water filtration systems on the market today, so don’t hesitate and get in contact with us for all the information you need!