Home water treatment systems are plentiful to choose from. But, some of the water treatment products on the market are just a waste of money. Here are 5 things you must know to choose the best home water treatment system.
1. Price
Price may not help you compare water treatment products. Some of the most expensive devices will not remove chlorine or other chemical contaminants that plague our waterways.
But, just as a point of reference, you can get effective whole home water treatment systems for less than a thousand, a kitchen purifier for less than $125 and a showerhead system for less than a hundred.
2. Impurities
What does it take out? What's left behind? That's what you need to look at. As an example, let's look at a product I will call Brand X. (Contact author for actual name).
The under the sink unit costs over three hundred dollars. It removes chlorine, lead and cysts, but it does not remove chlorination byproducts (CBPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), pesticides, herbicides, benzene, TCE or MTBE.
Water treatment products like this are not providing complete protection. CBPs are more dangerous than chlorine. Exposure to them causes hundreds of new cancer cases per year, per country. TCE and benzene also cause cancer. TCE is one of the most common surface and groundwater contaminants.
You should look for a multi-stage home water treatment systems that remove all of the contaminants mentioned here
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3. Environmental Concerns
The most expensive water treatment products on the market include a reverse osmosis (RO) step. This creates gallons of unusable wastewater, something that the planet cannot afford. It is possible to purify practically every drop of water that comes through your system.
Both RO and distillation devices require the use of electricity. So, more of our natural resources are wasted, when it is totally unnecessary. Your current water pressure is enough to allow for proper purification.
4. Mineral or Electrolyte Content
Home water treatment systems like RO and distillation remove all of the minerals that are naturally present in our surface and groundwater. Researchers have concluded that we get some of our necessary daily mineral requirements simply by drinking water.
Without proper electrolyte intake, our body cannot maintain its homeostasis. In other words, it won't stay properly hydrated.
5. The Healthiest Choice
Selective filtration devices remove impurities, but not minerals. The best water treatment products removes lead and traces of other metals through a process called ion exchange.
This process catches metallic ions and replaces them with ions of the most important electrolytes; sodium and potassium. So, it actually enhances the electrolyte content and that's the healthiest thing that you can drink.
The step also balances the pH level, so that is neither too acidic nor too alkaline, but just right for the digestive system. In addition, if you have excessive hardness, it can take care of that as well by balancing mineral content.
Only the best home water treatment systems include ion exchange and enough other steps to counter and remove the things that are bad for our health, while providing something that tastes good to drink. Take the time to compare as I did to find the best home water treatment system.
