Water Treatment for the Home

by: Rebecca Jones

In some homes water treatment is a necessity. Not every home in Canada has access to good, clean water. This is especially true for those living in rural areas and those living in cities with older city water systems. Without home water treatment, tap water can contain an overabundance of minerals, bacteria, or even parasites. Water purification can both soften water for washing or bathing and make it 100 percent safe for drinking. Two forms of water treatment include water softeners and ultraviolet disinfection.

Water softeners are fixtures that filter water, removing hard minerals that can be the cause of several problems. Hard water is not only bad for the hair and skin, but it also makes everyday chores like washing dishes and doing laundry almost impossible. In addition, there are several financial costs involved in having hard water. It is estimated that a family of four can save over $90 each month with a water softener system.

One of the ways water softening will save you money is in soap costs. Soap and detergents fail to create suds and do their job as cleaners in water that is too hard. A water softener can end up saving you up to 70 percent on your current expenditures for soap.

Another way home water softening saves money is in water heating costs. Hard water takes much more energy to heat and it eventually corrodes water heaters, so they have to be replaced much sooner than their average lifespan indicates. Heating costs can be reduced by 20 percent after installing a water softener.

An ultraviolet disinfection water treatment system is a chemical-free way to kill bacteria and other micro organisms that may be contaminating your groundwater. These machines irradiate water with UV-C radiation with wavelengths of 240-280 nanometres. This radiation is deadly to micro organisms as it destroys their DNA. It is also very effective against parasites, even those that are very resistant to chemical disinfectants.

UV water treatment, known as photolysis, is not only effective; it is also very affordable when compared to the cost of other types of treatments. The best part is that you don’t need to do anything. The UV system does all the labour for you.

One of the best companies to deal with for water systems is Water Depot, headquartered in Barrie, Ontario. Their website is http://www.waterdepot.com/, but they can also be found on Facebook as Water Depot and on Twitter as waterdepot1. Become a fan or follow them for water treatment advice and updates.