Tap into clean water

Thirst quenching options available for treating residential tap water

Intelligencer Journal

Published: Jul 25, 2008
01:00 EST

Lancaster

By ROXANNE McROBERTS, Editor

With building green, living green and thinking green a priority in practically all aspects of our lives, almost any topic can be examined.

When it comes to bottled drinking water, the bottom line is that people use the water bottled in plastic personal-size containers because it's convenient, believed by some to be safer than water straight from any tap or the ground, or thought to taste better.

But more people are adopting the mindset that tasty, clean, healthy drinking and cooking water is found at home. Let's all just hang a "Home Sweet Home" sign on our faucets and be responsible for our own water bliss.

"I see the future of home water treatment going further than carbon filtration. People are making the move to treating their own home's drinking water, whether it is public or well," said Carol Russell, owner of Water Treatment and Accessories, a manufacturer wholesaler for ultraviolet systems, 2045 Rockvale Road.

Apparent by the dozens of listings in telephone directories and oodles of Web sites promoting, explaining and selling water treatment and filtration systems for residential use, there are several options for both public and well water residential customers.

The debate can go on and on, and it will. However, a quick analysis of the cons against using bottled water includes the cost of the water per ounce versus public water, the millions of tons of plastic waste and the amount of oil used to produce the bottles in the first place.

Like many people, not too long ago I thought, overlooking the obvious inflated price for the bottled water, that the little recycling emblem and number on the bottom of the bottle meant it was someday going to be recycled into something else. I must not be hurting the environment when I loaded up our recycling bin every week with dozens of bottles.

Reality check. Apparently, the majority of those bottles end up in landfills or in oceans.

In recent months, it's been reported that some of the plastic used in the bottles is unsafe. And even for those plastic bottles that are deemed safe, the safety of reusing those bottles is doubtful. Glass containers are safe but heavy, so it seems lightweight stainless steel is the way to go for hydration on-the-go, according to www.lighterfootstep.com.

Do the literal and environmental math: When you use an approved container and fill it from your own tap, minimize the hit to your pocket and the environment by finding out which water treatment or filtration system will work best for you.

CARBON FILTRATION
If taste and odor are a concern, carbon filtration is the first step. Public water has chlorine in it and the taste is offensive to some people.

Wendy Moser, a contractor for A Better Water Co., 1599 Columbia Ave., said the reason most people with public water opt for a carbon filtration system on their tap water is to eliminate the taste of chlorine. She said a whole-house carbon filter system runs about $150, and can be installed by a homeowner with basic plumbing knowledge, like how to cut a supply line, or install a couple compression fittings.

The principle is the same with all carbon filters. Moser suggests a point-of-use installation, in which the filter housing is installed in the supply line just where it's needed, usually on the cold water supply to the kitchen (Make sure that the supply line for any water dispenser and icemaker in a refrigerator/freezer is included in the area being filtered.).

 The housing is about the size of a half-gallon jug, according to Moser. She likes the Ametek brand that she installs because it fits all standard filters.

For homeowners with well water, she suggests at the least installing a water treatment unit where the water enters the house. The filter will remove chlorine and dirt from the water.

Russell agrees that chlorinated water needs to be treated for uses other than drinking and cooking.

"If I had public water, I'd have a whole house carbon system because chlorine is a gas," she said, adding that even breathing the chlorinated water in a shower has been proven to be generally unhealthy.

WATER QUALITY
Municipal water is regulated by the Clean Water Act of the 1970s, according to John S. Kassees, president of American Testing Laboratories, 784 Flory Mill Road.

"All public water is under the scrutiny of the DEP (Department of Environmental Protection), so it must maintain a definite quality," he said. At American Testing Laboratories, they test water to verify the absence or presence of coliform bacteria.

Kassees notes that well water is another story.

"Well water is water that you draw from the ground without control, and can be susceptible to contamination of bacteria and other chemicals," he said. Well water should be tested periodically, especially if there is a smell, taste or cloudiness.

REVERSE OSMOSIS
If you want to go a step past a carbon filter and remove TDSs (total dissolved solids), Russell said there are reverse osmosis (RO) systems for either both public water and well water.

An RO system clarifies water and removes nitrates, which are a real health issue monitored by the Department of Health.

In the three-phase system, there is a sediment filter, a permeable membrane and a carbon absorption filter. According to Russell, it's the permeable membrane that does the real work by rejecting the TSDs, solids that won't dissolve in water. There is also a treated water storage tank and a separate delivery tap for the treated water.

Russell said chlorine is very aggressive, and the membrane is the expensive part of a system. Filtering more water before it reaches the membrane protects that component. The additional phases in four- and five-phase systems are filtration units that geared to protect the membrane.

Untreated public water can still have a high TDS level, and softened water usually has an even higher TDS level. While softening does other desirable things to water, the TDS level should be offset with a RO system, according to Russell.

She compared having an abundance of TDSs to the white sediment that remains after using unfiltered ice in a beverage, or the milky-looking water left after boiling pasta.

A reverse osmosis treatment system is installed as a separate faucet. Moser said it takes her about two hours to complete because it requires a piercing valve to tap into the water line, a hole for another faucet at the sink location, unless there is a knockout space still available next the main faucet on the edge of the sink, and a hole for the septic.

A disadvantage of such a residential system is that a large majority of the water that runs through an RO unit is wasted and goes directly back into the household system.

"You can buy a decent point-of-use reverse osmosis system for just a little over the price of a whole house carbon system," said Russell.

With any filtering system, it's imperative to change the cartridge when it's exhausted. The frequency depends on the number of people in the home and the amount of water being used.

Russell singled out one manufacturer, Kinatico, for creating a metered RO system that actually shuts down when the filter needs to be changed.

GOING ULTRAVIOLET
Russell said ultraviolet disinfection purifies water.

"Five years ago, our market was primarily (homes with) wells because public water is supposed to meet acceptable levels for consumption. But, within the last five years, we're seeing an amazing increase in the home ultraviolet system that handles the potential for E-coli bacteria and other major contaminants," Russell said.

Because each household's water supply can differ, whether from a public or well source, Russell suggests homeowners contact a certified water specialist for testing, evaluation and recommendations. Besides, most professional water treatment dealers will offer a free water test, with the exception of E. coli testing.