Learn why your home’s water quality should always be clean for your family’s health and safety and the longevity of your appliances.
The global home water filtration market is set to grow at a 15.9% CAGR between 2019 and 2025.
While the water coming into homes is assumed safe to drink, it can contain a range of contaminants that can cause harm to you and your home over time. Filtering water can reduce such contaminants. With a whole house water filtration system, you can be sure that all the water in your home will be as pure as possible.
So what are whole home water filters, and why do you need one? Keep reading to find out.
What Is a Whole House Water Filter?
A whole home water filtration system is placed where your main water line goes into your home and reduces contaminants from the water. This means that the water throughout your home will have much fewer contaminants, providing many benefits.
Some of the most common contaminants that water filtration systems can reduce are:
- Iron
- Sulfur
- Chlorine
- Herbicides
- Pesticides
- More
The exact contaminants present in your water will depend on where that water comes from, and different filters can be better for removing specific contaminants. To find the best one for your home, you need to know what the most common contaminants in your area are.
At Aqualite US, we can provide a whole house water filtration system ideal for your home. With our SimpleLab home water test kits, you can understand the quality of your water, and we can provide you with the best filtration system for your home’s water based on the results.
How Does a Whole House Water Filter Work?
If you are on municipal (town/city) water, the water in your home originates from a natural source such as a river or lake. It then travels through piping underground to a water treatment facility. Throughout this journey, the water can pick up a range of contaminants that can affect its quality.
The purpose of a treatment facility is to clean the water so that it’s safe for use in homes, but they’re not 100% efficient. Water can often leave treatment centers and still contain a lot of particles that aren’t ideal and often contain levels of chlorine used in the water disinfection process. The water also has to travel from the treatment center to your home, and it can pick up more contaminants throughout this journey.
Because of this, water filtration systems at the point where the water enters your home are ideal for helping reduce any excess contaminants that could harm you or your home. An option for safe drinking water is to have filtration systems at individual faucets, and some people will do this by adding one to the kitchen sink, for example. This will ensure the drinking water in your kitchen is fine but won’t do anything for the rest of the water in your home.
Unclean water can cause other issues and affect the longevity of your appliances, so it’s beneficial to ensure your whole home has filtered water rather than just your drinking water.
How Do I Know If I Need a Whole House Water Filter?
Most homes receive water containing contaminants from a well or municipal water supply. But it’s often a small enough amount that a person wouldn’t notice it naturally. High levels of contaminants can make your water smell or taste unusual – a rotting egg smell from water is relatively common.
Hard water can leave streaks on dishes and other kitchenware after you’ve washed it, so keep an eye out for this. It may leave deposits on plumbing fixtures that will build up with time and cause rust and corrosion to pipes and any appliances that use water.
The water coming from your shower can also affect your body. If you notice dry skin or hair after showering, there’s a good chance it’s due to the contaminants in your water.
Undetectable Contaminants
Some people will notice some, or all, of the signs above in their homes, indicating their water supply is highly contaminated. Sometimes, however, you might have a contaminated supply with none of these indicators. Specific contaminants can still be harmful, but don’t give off these easy-to-spot signs.
Arsenic
This toxic substance has no taste or scent. It’s been linked to multiple skin and health conditions after prolonged exposure.
Nitrates
This is tasteless, odorless, and colorless, so impossible to detect yourself. These can cause bacteria to grow in water, and drinking it may increase carcinogen creation.
Lead
Like the others, this is undetectable with the senses. It can cause a range of health issues in long cases of exposure.
PFOS
Perfluorooctane sulfonates are manufactured chemicals that are harmful to your health. They don’t break down easily, so they can build up over time.
Water Testing
Water testing is the best way to ensure you know the water quality in your home. This will help show you any contaminants in your water supply so you can determine whether or not you need to filter your water with a whole-house water filtration system. Using one of our SimpleLab home water testing kits is easy, and they contain everything you need.
You first need to collect a sample, then send it to our lab for testing. The shipping cost is covered when you buy the test. We’ll analyze the sample, then send you a report on the water quality and discuss the results with you over the phone.
This report will have a complete breakdown so you know exactly what contaminants are in your water. You’ll be able to view it through our easy-to-use online dashboard. Based on the results, we’ll then be able to provide you with the perfect water treatment plan.
The Benefits of Whole House Water Filtration
Home filtration systems ensure clean water, but why is this important? It’s pretty evident that you want to ensure the water you’re drinking is clean, but filtered water can provide many benefits beyond this. The more contaminated your water is, the more critical it is to do something about it.
Easier Cleaning
Hard water can leave streaks and marks on dishes, whether you wash them by hand or in a dishwasher. When showering or bathing, it may not be suitable for your skin and hair. It’s also less effective for laundry and may leave your clothes with a bad smell.
Extended Appliance Life
Any appliances that use water will last longer when that water is clean. Dishwashers, washing machines, and water heaters will become less efficient with time and will likely experience failures. This can come from things like corrosion or deposits building up internally.
Cleaner Plumbing System
Much like the appliances in your home, your whole plumbing system can degrade when exposed to various contaminants. Build-ups of deposits can cause clogging in pipes and may lead to corrosion. Plumbing repairs can be costly, so this is something you want to avoid if you can.
Faster Water Heating
This is one advantage of home water treatment that people often don’t think about. Soft water will heat up faster than hard water. This is ideal for convenience and will reduce energy consumption, leading to lower monthly utility bills.
Types of Whole House Water Filters
At Aqualite US, we have a range of whole-house water filters to meet any needs. After you’ve tested your water, we will know which type will be best for your home.
Chlorostatic® Water Softeners
These incorporate a Chloroshield™ Clearless® filter designed to help reduce large amounts of chlorine, chloramine, and water hardness. Such contaminants are common in municipal water disinfectants and can corrode water lines and plumbing systems.
Bacteriostatic Water Softeners
The SilverShield® Protection used in these filters can inhibit bacteria growth and is based on technology developed by NASA. They also have an iGen® valve that optimizes operating efficiency and water quality based on usage.
Water Softener, Treatment & Purification Systems
These are among the most well-rounded whole-house water filters available. They’re effective at removing various contaminants such as iron, sulfur, chlorine, chloramine, HAAs, and more.
No-Salt Water Filtration Purification Systems
This is a low-maintenance option. It requires no potassium, salt, or additional treatment. This filtration system also uses SilverShield® Protection and is one of the greener choices available.
The Right Whole Home Water Filter for Your Home
With the various whole home water filtration systems available, it can be hard to know what you need. The best way to figure this out is by first testing your water for contaminants with one of our test kits.
Once we have the results and you’ve got your report outlining the results, you should better know the quality of your water, and we will know the most suitable filtration system for your home.
If you’re still unsure, have questions about what we offer, or want to get started, click here to contact us today.
