Drinking water might be considered as the most essential basic living necessity in a human’s life. It’s not a luxury to have it non-contaminated, safe to drink, it is the top priority to have. You might think it’s because of common conditions rooting from lack of consumption, such as dehydration, but that’s not all. Deaths due to contaminated drinking water have more cases than those rooting to all forms of violence. The side effects can be as mild as the stomach flu at best but can lead to more serious conditions, like lead poisoning.
On that note, it’s important to make sure you’re safe from any of these scenarios. It’s feasible to find a lot of things in your private well or public water pipes, and most of them are unpleasant to both body and taste. The government is slow to respond to water crises, and even the most dedicated municipal groups don’t identify the problem until it blows up. That is to say until many residents have already been exposed to the contaminant.
To avoid that, you can get a personal water filter that can keep out the most harmful and toxic minerals and substances from your sink, bath, or any other faucets. However, if you check the market now, there are several different filters on sale, and each of them keeps out different kinds of contaminants! Luckily, this article will help you choose a type of filter as well as how to find a good company involved in the industry.
What’s A Contaminant?
Mostly minerals and sediments that can be either harmful or harmless to you. We will only be focusing on those causing a negative effect on the biological human body.
Generally, there are two groups of contaminants to be found, and they are divided between acute and chronic. Acute, as its name directly conveys, happens when the substances only cause problems with short-term exposure. On the other hand, chronic effects are due to longer exposures.
Acute effects can be mild to severe, and depending on how much the ingested substance is, can cause illness and death. Poisoning can fall into this category if the user drank enough of the substance to pass the toxicity threshold.
On the other hand, chronic effects happen due to long-term exposure to certain substances. It will not pose a problem at first, but the moment it does, they are more severe and oftentimes irreversible. These can be liver and kidney problems, neurological defects, reproductive issues, and even cancer. Other situations don’t even involve sediment but involve radiological (e.g plutonium) and biological (e.g viruses and bacteria) elements and these have different sets of issues that happen to the body.
Examples of the most dangerous inorganic material that can be traced using laboratory sets are as follows: Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Pesticides, Barium, and Silver.
Types Of Filtration
1. Sediment Filters
Perhaps the most common and used type of filter, sediment filters are used widely in many residential, commercial, and even industrial settings. It usually has sediment filters that block microns 5 and larger, such as sand, rust, heavy metals, and other substances with large particles.
It’s cheap and can be easily replaced without a professional. Most filtering system companies, as seen here: https://www.aquaoxwaterfilters.com/whole-house-water-filter/, have this type sold in their marketplace since it is the most accessible, convenient, and easily installed. However, it has the weakest filtering power and might need the help of other types of filters to provide full protection from contaminants.
2. Activated Carbon Block
As named by the element it possesses inside of the cylinder, ACB is made up of held together with carbon with the help of a binding agent. It’s great for eliminating chlorine taste, odor, other chemicals, and reducing substances like lead. It also reduces bacterial growth due to the smaller pore size it offers.
3. Reverse Osmosis
The most efficient type according to scientists and experts, reverse osmosis works with a semi-permeable membrane that keeps out most contaminants, bacteria, and sediments. It is known to produce the cleanest drinking water, eliminating 99.9% of contaminants, including minerals, chemicals, and microorganisms. Check here to learn more about reverse osmosis.
However, the disadvantages found in this type of filter also balance out its efficiency. It’s one of the most expensive types in terms of installation and the unit itself. It also has a very slow filtration rate, which can be a hassle when trying to use it extensively. In this way, reverse osmosis is only suggested for drinking water purposes, and not necessarily for bathing and cleaning dishes.
Tips In Finding The Right Company
Tip #1: Choose A Local Company
You’ll want a company that is just within the city of your hometown to have their services even in a jiffy. The most important thing to remember when facing an emergency is who is present to solve the problem with your filtering system. Especially if its purpose is to provide drinking water, immediate and swift repair should be done.
Tip #2: Choose A Water Treatment Specialist
A specialist is vastly different from a plumber. For one, the former studies plumbing and water chemistry on top of it. They also have a separate certification/license exam that comprises plumbing codes and connections as well as contaminants and the technology behind water filtering systems.
Tip #3: Certification
The company must have a certification from the Water Quality Association, which thoroughly assesses the work they have done in households, as well as the quality of filters, for over a decade.
What Are The Benefits?
You’ll Avoid A Water Crisis
If you’re using a municipal water source, then chances are if a problem arises on their end, it will also affect you. If this problem includes water poisoning, then having no filter will render you 100% vulnerable to the side effects. Having one or more filters that specialize in several different materials will help you prevent, or at the very least mitigate effects.
Cost-effective and Eco-friendly
Having your drinking water is more practical than buying bottled water in the supermarket. This is thinking about long-term use and not just a month or two. To add, you can save the planet by reducing your carbon footprint and plastic usage.
Better Tasting Water
Having a filter can improve the taste better than when it was just bare from the tap. This is because of the elimination of certain minerals and other contaminants that affect the taste and odor, like chlorine.
