Improving Your Water: Better For You And Your Home
“Water is something many take for granted until it isn’t available or the quality of the water isn’t acceptable.” Ken Clark, of Culligan Total Water in Madison.
Water quality can be a big issue because as a natural solvent, it breaks down a small amount of everything it comes in contact with. That can cause problems.
The source of the water you have provides insight into what issues you may have to deal with. For example, when it rains,water falls to earth and either goes into a surface location (lake, river, stream) or filters through the ground into an underground location (an aquifer).
Raw Surface water tends to be lower in Total Dissolved Solids (dissolved rock such as calcium and magnesium) and higher in organic content due to living organisms like fish and plant life. Raw Ground water that filters through the earth and ends up in an aquifer is normally just the opposite; it is higher in Total Dissolved Solids, because it travels down thru the layers of soil/rock, and lower in organic content. In either case, the water normally requires treatment before consumption.
Dane County Water
In Dane County, and most of south central Wisconsin,water is primarily raw well water. The well water is pumped up from an aquifer for use in homes and businesses. Treatment is required to deal with problem water characteristics like softening to reduce hardness or a reverse osmosis drinking water system for nitrate removal. Raw well water should be tested periodically for nitrates, bacteria etc.
Potable municipal water, treated to meet the EPA safe drinking water standards, often has chlorine or chloramines added to control bacteria and fluoride for your teeth. This type of water is generally referred to as tap water provided by the responsible municipality.
Common Water Problems Include:
? Hard water problems (dry skin, spots on dishes, scale buildup, problems with plumbing fixtures)
? Iron may cause color and taste problems (rusty water, metallic taste, plumbing issues)
? Hydrogen sulfide odor problems (rotten egg smell)
? Acidic water with a low pH (corrosive to metal)
? Alkaline water with a high pH (taste issues, white scale)
? Bacteria problems that may affect the immediate health of the resident
? Nitrate/Nitrite issues which may cause immediate and long term health problems
There are two types of faucet treatments that can improve water quality. They are:
? Reverse Osmosis (RO) water is purified by reversing natural osmotic pressure to remove, on average, 95% of the total dissolved solids, organic and inorganic compounds in the water. Reverse Osmosis (RO) quality water is by far the most consistent in quality and is available bottled or may be produced in your home for less than a dollar a day.
? Filtered water is either spring water (shallow ground/surface water) or ground water (filtered well water) that is filtered to remove particulate matter that may be aesthetically unpleasing and/or chlorine due to unpleasant taste and odor issues. Filtered water is also available bottled or some variation may be produced in your home.
Reverse Osmosis systems can remove more than 95% of particles and soluble minerals and chemicals. Picture above illustrates RO filter progression — from left to right: a sediment filter to clear water by removing particles; a membrane to reduce dissolved substances such as radium lead arsenic & nitrates; and finally a carbon filter to remove unpleasant taste and smell. Because of the speed of the filtering process, RO systems utilize a storage tank (pictured above), while charcoal filters can be used at the tap to remove organic and non-organic particulate matter. Testing your water allows you to understand the issues you may have to deal with. With the proper treatment you can help ensure your water is safe, great tasting and not harmful to your appliances and plumbing fixtures.
