How to choose a home water filtration system?
Figuring out what kind of Water Filter For Home you need can be complicated. Thinking about and answering these five questions can help you decide which system is right for your home.
- Drinking water filter for the whole house or under the sink?
There are basically two different types of water filtration systems installed in the home:
Point-of-Use (POU) systems, such as a reverse osmosis system installed under the kitchen sink.
Systems for treating contaminants entering the home, such as a UV water filtration system.
Just decide whether you want to treat the drinking water from the kitchen faucet or ALL the water entering the house. Often the best solution is a combination of whole-house water filtration (a dehumidifier to remove hard water and a UV filter to remove viruses and bacteria) and a Water Filter For Home under the sink for drinking water and food preparation. Find out more about these options.
- City water and private well water when choosing a water filter
While our public water supply is relatively safe, there are hundreds of contaminants that are not regulated by the EPA. We often have to boil our water, but that is also annoying. In the US, cities and water districts issue around 658 boil water warnings every day for contamination or burst pipes.
Those with private wells face their own problems. Studies show that 40% of private wells invariably contain E. coli and/or coliform bacteria.
How dangerous is your well water?
At any time. UV water purification systems can protect against harmful micro-organisms in all homes. Depending on the degree of contamination of the water, there are different treatment methods, including sediment filtration, water softening, etc.
- How many bathrooms are there in your home?
Some water purification systems are designed for the maximum flow of water through your home. For example, a shower may be running in the morning, a toilet flushed, a dishwasher and a washing machine on at the same time. How much water flows through your home when water use peaks? The number of bathrooms in a house is often a quick and easy way to determine the size of the water purification systems needed.
- How many people live in your house?
Some water filtration systems sized base on the average daily water consumption of a household. How much water used in your home in a typical 24-hour period?
If you know how many people live in your home, you can often get an idea of how much water used in your home and therefore the optimal size of your filtration system.
- What is in your water?
Knowing what is in your water is very important to assess your water treatment needs. For example, if your water contains lead, an ESP water specialist can help you find a system that removes lead.
How to choose a drinking water system
The EPA requires all municipal water systems to prepare and submit an annual water quality report, also known as a Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), to consumers. The Consumer Confidence Report is available on the EPA website. We also recommend that you have a more detailed water test to better analyze your water or well water. Here is a list of certified water testing laboratories by state.
Which water filtration systems are best?
Some of the answers to these five questions are simple, others are more complex. We have been in the water treatment industry for more than 20 years and have hundreds of top-quality stainless-steel water filters, RO filtration systems and UV disinfection units.
