When you are considering purchasing and installing a whole house water filtration system, you need to consider what benefits and risks it may pose. Water filtration systems for your house are a long term investment, so they should be made with some caution and research taken into account.
The use of a water filtration system can bring you and your family significant benefits, but also comes with some risks.
If you are in the market for a water filtration system, but are not sure what to consider before buying, then this information will help you make an informed decision.
Benefits
1. Better Tasting Water
Simply put, a water filtration system will help your drinking water out of a tap taste better. Unfiltered water from taps are delivered from bigger filtration sites, which use calcium and other minerals in their water, which gives it a metallic or chemical taste. Filtration systems remove this and instead use sodium for the water, which tastes much better, and provides better nutritional value too.
2. Cleaner Clothes
Cleaning your clothes with a water filtration system means that the water will be of higher quality. Much like the way it improves water by removing heavy mineral content, this will benefit your clothing. The washing machine will produce much less dingier looking clothes, as the water is thinner, and softer.
3. Easier On Appliances
Softer, filtered water means less strain on your appliances. Heavy water can create build ups in the pipes from calcium deposits, which puts stress on the pressure needed to deliver water to and from your appliances. Another benefit is that installing these systems are quick, and do not interfere with the functions of your appliances during the installation process. The dishwasher and washing machine benefit as they can operate much better with softer water flowing through the pipes, and the filter removes any potential blockage, allowing for a normal water pressure level.
4. Less Cleaning
Similar in theory to cleaner clothes, a water filtration system will create much better water for your home, which means that you will need to vigorously scrub down surfaces because the hard water is not bonding well with soaps. Soft water from filtration systems are much easier to clean with, and leave very little soap residue, or unsightly streaks on dishes and shower tiles.
Risks
1. Cost
Unfortunately, a whole house water filtration systems are more costly than other alternatives. Depending on the extensive needs your house presents, like water well-source water or older homes, the costs can increase from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Even with that in mind, it is important to note that unclean water can cause serious health problems over prolonged periods of time, so it is good to understand that cost-to-value is an important calculation to make.
2. Installation
The odds that you know how to install a whole house water filtration system is pretty slim, that is why it should not be done alone. The risk for installation of these systems is that they are complex, with little room for error, so they require some serious professional help. Paying the installation fee on top of the cost of the system makes this a length project, and definitely not a do-it-yourself afternoon fix.
3. Physical Space
The requirements for the space is another consideration you will need to take into account. Whole house water filtration systems are large units, often installed in basements or other utility rooms that need a lot of space. Some people need these filtration systems because of problems with their water, but sometimes they do not have the necessary space. The trade off for good, clean water is that you have to allocate rooms to fit it, which may mean renovations. Not all filtration systems are large, though, so it depends on how much filtration needs you have.
As you can see, there are significant benefits to owning a water filtration system. Some of the ways it can improve your life are small, like the taste and nutrition of your tap water, while others are much bigger, like having good water that does not hurt your house’s pipes or appliances.
Similarly, whole house filtration systems do have some risks associated with them as well. If you need to install one, but are not sure, it is good to know that these cost decent money, need to be installed with professional help, and require space.
It is good to remember that a whole house water filtration system is a big investment for your health and money, so it does not hurt to go into it with more information, good or bad, than you expected to find.
