While most cities and municipalities in the United States do a fairly good job of filtering public water, many dangerous contaminants can still find their way into our faucets. With a long list of dangerous chemicals, solvents, disinfectants, heavy metals and human-made synthetics, however, water filtration can be an intimidating topic.
In this article, we will outline some of the most common contaminants that may be lurking in your water, and how to choose a filtration system thatis right for you and your family.
Common Water Contaminants
Water is known as the “universal solvent,” meaning that it’s great at picking up other substances and dissolving them into itself. This is both a good and bad thing–water transmits vital and life-giving minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, and selenium, but it can also transport toxic lead, fecal waste, sickness-causing parasites, disinfectant by-products, volatile organic compounds, and more.
So many contaminants to face can be intimidating, but fortunately there are a wide variety of powerful filtration options on the market to give you and your family peace of mind.
Basic Water Filter Technology
Water filtration works in one of two typical ways: 1) filters that strain contaminants out based on principles of simple physical restraint, like a net catching a fish, or a screen door keeping out flies, are said to work mechanically. In contrast to such “mechanical filters,” chemical filters, such as activated carbon, work on the principle of chemical adsorption, filtering dangerous compounds by dismembering them at the molecular level.
What Filters Do I Need?
Filtration needs can differ quite a bit from region to region, but if you are on city water in the United States, or a country with a developed and well-maintained public drinking water system, then you can almost certainly cover your needs most effectively by covering the basics:
- Sediment filters: nearly any home filtration system ought to begin with a sediment filter. Incredibly cheap, and very easy to replace, sediment filters strain out physical particulates and act as a first line of defense for your filtration system.
- Activated carbon: carbon is king of the filtration game, at least in terms of its historical standing. People have been using burnt wood and charcoal to improve the taste and smell of suspect water since ancient Egypt. Use it–there’s simply nothing better for aesthetic improvement of our drinking water. It’s very effective at removing a wide range of dangerous substances as well.
- Reverse osmosis: a newer form of filtration, RO was developed to desalinate seawater, and is effective at removing dissolved solids down to an infinitesimally small size. The RO “membrane” has incredibly small pores, less than 1,000th the width of a human hair, meaning it can mechanically filter dissolved substances at the molecular level.
When these three elements are combined together, it makes for a powerful 1, 2, 3 punch that will remove just about anything of concern in water. Undersink systems are easy to install and maintain, and offer you peace of mind that you can’t put a price on.
