Clean water can directly affect your health and that of your entire family. Today, most people drink chlorine-treated water from their city’s water system. This water is treated to meet federal and state drinking water standards, but it can still contain trace amounts of chemicals, disinfection byproducts, and other contaminants, and it can pick up more on its way through older pipes to your tap.
You deserve water you feel good about. Your children do too. It makes a difference what quality of water you put into your body, so it’s worth learning your options.
Reasons to Get a Water Filtration System
Low-quality water can be unpleasant to drink and may carry contaminants you’d rather avoid, while high-quality water makes it easier to stay hydrated and feel confident about what your family consumes.
Here are three great reasons to get a water filtration system in your home:
1. Reduced Exposure to Contaminants
Even treated tap water can contain trace contaminants from agricultural runoff, industrial sources, aging pipes, and the treatment process itself. For instance, when chlorine reacts with natural organic matter in water, it can form disinfection byproducts such as trihalomethanes. The EPA regulates these byproducts because long-term exposure above legal limits has been linked to an increased risk of cancer. The right filtration system can reduce many of these substances, as well as chlorine taste and odor. If your home has older plumbing, a filter certified for lead reduction adds another layer of protection.
2. A Cost-Effective Choice
A water filtration system is a smart investment in your home and health. First, you’ll spend less money on bottled water, which can become a steady expense for a busy household. You’ll also cut down on the plastic waste that comes with it. Filtered water straight from the tap is convenient for drinking, cooking, coffee, and filling reusable bottles.
3. Better Water Throughout the Home
A whole-home water filtration system treats all water entering your home, not just what you drink. You’ll enjoy better-smelling showers, less chlorine odor, and cleaner-tasting water at every faucet. When paired with a water softener, it can also mean less soap scum and mineral buildup in the bathroom.
Types of Water Filtration
When the time comes to invest in a water filtration system, know that there are multiple types of available units for your home. For instance, you could choose from:
- Activated carbon: One of the most common and cost-effective water filtration solutions, activated carbon is often installed underneath the sink or as part of a whole-home system. It’s effective at reducing chlorine, many organic chemicals, and unpleasant tastes and odors.
- Cation exchange: Also known as ion exchange, this is the technology behind most water softeners. It swaps positively charged hardness minerals like calcium and magnesium for sodium or potassium ions, which helps reduce scale.
- Reverse osmosis: One of the most thorough home filtration methods, reverse osmosis uses water pressure to push water through a semi-permeable membrane. Many dissolved contaminants are left behind and flushed away. RO systems are usually installed at the kitchen sink for drinking and cooking water.
Point-of-Use vs. Whole-Home Filtration
A point-of-use system treats water at a single tap, usually the kitchen sink. It’s a good fit if your main concern is drinking and cooking water. A whole-home (point-of-entry) system is installed where the main water line enters the house, so every faucet, shower, and appliance receives filtered water. Many North Dallas families combine the two: a whole-home carbon filter or softener for general water quality and a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink for drinking water.
Water Quality in North Dallas
North Dallas suburbs get their water from several different utilities and sources, so quality varies from city to city. A few common themes stand out:
- Hard water: Many homes in the area deal with calcium and magnesium buildup on fixtures and in water heaters.
- Chlorine and chloramine: Utilities use disinfectants to keep water safe, which some families notice in taste and smell.
- Older plumbing: Homes built before 1990 may have galvanized steel pipes that corrode over time and can affect water color and taste.
- Seasonal changes: Hot summers and changes in lake levels can affect taste and odor at times.
Your utility publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Report that lists what has been detected in your water. It’s a great starting point for deciding what kind of filtration you need.
Signs Your Home Could Benefit From Filtration
- Your water smells or tastes strongly of chlorine
- You buy bottled water because your family won’t drink from the tap
- Your water looks cloudy or discolored at times
- You live in an older home with original plumbing
- You notice white crust on faucets, showerheads, and glassware
How to Choose the Right System
- Test your water. Knowing what’s actually in your water helps you avoid paying for treatment you don’t need.
- Identify your goals. Better taste, contaminant reduction, scale prevention, or all three?
- Look for independent certification. Choose products certified to NSF/ANSI standards for the specific contaminants you want to reduce.
- Consider maintenance. Every system needs periodic filter or membrane changes. Factor that into your decision.
- Get professional installation. A whole-home system involves cutting into your main water line, so proper installation matters.
Keep Your System Working
A filtration system only works as well as its filters. Replace cartridges on the schedule the manufacturer recommends, and sooner if you notice lower water pressure or a return of off tastes and odors. Reverse osmosis membranes and pre-filters also need periodic replacement.
Healthy Water Means a Healthy Home
Healthy water means a healthy home. Talk with the licensed plumbers at bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of North Dallas about testing your water and finding the right solution. We install whole-home water filtration systems for homeowners who want clean, great-tasting water year-round, and we serve Frisco, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, and the surrounding area with upfront pricing. Give us a call to get started!
