It’s critical that the water you consume and use in your home is as pure and well-conserved as possible. In Massachusetts, there are various options for water testing and treatment. Here’s how to choose the best method and system for your needs and budget.

What’s in Your Water?

When choosing the appropriate water treatment solution for your home, you need to understand what’s in your water in depth. Start by examining the publicly available water quality data in your area. Visit your local water department or browse their website for details regarding water quality and potential contaminants.

While that data is very important, it has one major shortcoming: it only reflects water samples collected at the municipal water treatment plant. In other words, it is not a thorough indicator of water flowing through your pipes and taps. Water from the municipal outlet can pick up many contaminants along the way to your taps, which is why you need to conduct your own testing at home.

Consider working with a qualified plumber to help you through this process. Their water quality analysis will be very detailed because they use up to four different assessment methods to examine the water from various outlets in your home.

Particulate Analysis

The first method is a particulate analysis. It involves determining the level of suspended solids in your water by pouring it carefully through pre-weighed filters with a specified particulate retention size. Large particles will remain on the filter, while smaller ones may pass through. This method singles out contaminants such as sand, silt, and rust particles in your water.

Chemical Analysis

The second method is a chemical analysis. This is where they’ll identify substances such as heavy metals, pesticides, industrial chemicals, and pharmaceuticals that may be present in your water.

Microbial Analysis

The third method is microbial analysis. Your plumber will determine if bacteria, viruses, fungi, mold, and other living organisms are in your water. These pathogens are one of the biggest threats you could have since they can cause serious illnesses, including cancers and gastrointestinal diseases.

Your plumber may also send your water sample to a lab for DNA screening, as you request. This method provides a precise understanding of your water quality by leveraging advanced genomic techniques to identify specific contaminants. Everything else that other tests won’t catch will be detected here.

Water Treatment Options and Systems

Your water treatment solutions will depend on the type of contaminants found. The standard methods include:

Filtration

Pre-filtration is often the first level of water treatment. Plumbers usually install sediment filters to trap suspended solids and other organic materials that contaminate water.

The second level of filtration is membrane filtration. In this process, water at high pressure is forced through small holes, called pores, to remove almost every other contaminant that passes through the sediment filters. The pore sizes range from 0.0001 microns to 0.1 microns. For reference, mold spores are typically 3 to 40 microns in size.

The most commonly used membrane filter system in homes is Reverse Osmosis (RO). RO systems use a high-pressure pump to push water through a series of membranes, eliminating the widest variety of contaminants from water, including single compounds.

Ion Exchange

The ion exchange water treatment method employs charged resin beads to trap pollutants. As contaminated water flows through them, the ions on these beads attract and trap undesirable ions from minerals in the water.

The type of ions attracted will depend on the ion exchange system used. For example, anion exchange uses positively charged ions on its resin to attract negatively charged contaminants, such as fluoride and arsenic. On the other hand, cation exchange relies on negatively charged beads to attract positively charged ions like calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Water softeners are a type of cation exchange system because they attract and trap positively charged hardness-causing ions like calcium and magnesium.

Adsorptive Media Filters

Adsorptive media filters remove water contaminants by binding specific substances onto their surface. A good example is an activated carbon filter.

Activated carbon filters are made of treated carbon in block or granular form. When water passes over the activated carbon’s surface, it pulls specific impurities and traps them in its pores. These contaminants are pulled and trapped because the attraction forces of the activated carbon surface are stronger than the bonds that keep the contaminants dissolved in water.

These filters effectively remove organic compounds such as pesticides, volatile organic compounds, chlorine, and chemicals that affect water taste and odor. However, they are not the best option for inorganic contaminants like fluoride and nitrates, bacteria, and minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Disinfection Technologies

Disinfection technologies address microbial risks in the water. They include chlorination, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, distillation, and boiling.

Chlorination involves adding chlorine to water to kill bacteria, viruses, and parasites. The chlorine can be added as a continuous drip or in large doses at a time. The latter, called shock chlorination, is the recommended approach for stubborn pathogens like E. coli.

Chlorine damages microorganisms’ cell membranes and disrupts critical enzymes. The cell membrane is like the protective skin of microorganisms; if destroyed, it cannot function or reproduce.

UV disinfection works by changing the DNA structure of microorganisms. DNA is what carries the genetic information necessary for all living things to grow, function, and replicate. If you disrupt it, the microorganism will essentially become useless. It won’t replicate or do anything to prolong its survival.

Installing UV lights is typically the final stage of the home’s water treatment system. The light is in a special chamber where water flows through before moving on to your various outlets.

Distillation and boiling water treatment methods are not often used in homes because they are relatively energy-intensive and less convenient for everyday use. Distillation involves heating water to steam, which condenses back into liquid form in another container. The impurities will either remain behind or be destroyed by heat as the water evaporates.

Boiling raises the temperature high enough to kill microorganisms. However, some contaminants, like nitrates, will not boil off, making the water unsafe to consume.

Point-of-Use vs. Whole-Home Water Filtration Systems

Depending on your budget and unique needs, you’ll either install a point-of-use or point-of-entry (whole-home) filtration system. Point-of-use systems attach directly to a tap or outlet and provide treated water at that specific location. They are generally more affordable and easier to install and are ideal for individual sinks, showers, or refrigerators.

On the other hand, point-of-entry systems treat water as it enters your home, which means all water flowing through your pipes and every other outlet is clean and safe. Although the initial installation is more expensive, these systems will protect everything, including your plumbing system, water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines.

Contact Us for More Information

If you suspect that your home’s water quality is compromised, call Efficiency Plumbing today to test and provide tailored treatment solutions, like water filtration systems and water softener solutions, based on your budget and specific needs. You can also call us for plumbing maintenance, replacement and repair, and heating and cooling services.

Call Efficiency Plumbing today for water testing and treatment in Hanover, MA.

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