Yes, you have a lot of options for home water treatment systems in Bradenton. In fact, you have so many options that it can feel overwhelming. And sometimes being overwhelmed leads to delays in committing to healthier water in your whole home. We don’t want that.
So before we get bogged down in chemical treatments and water softeners and ultra-violet disinfectants, we just wanted to do a thorough breakdown of your basic, traditional, home water treatment system: the water filter.
What is a Water Filter?
As we alluded to above, today’s water treatment options deploy all kinds of science to remove, chemically balance, or disinfect the minerals, chemicals, and microorganisms that clog up your appliances and faucets and threaten your family’s health.
But a water filter is a pretty straightforward concept: It’s basically a sieve or strainer, but on a microscopic level. It deploys a net to catch or trap unwanted contaminants while allowing H2O molecules to flow right on by and into your glass.
Now, the type of net, what it catches, and where it catches the those contaminants depends on the kind of filter you choose.
Where Should Water Filtration Take Place?
You have essentially three options for where your home water filtration takes place:
- Countertop filters, pitchers, or refrigerator dispensers filter the water just after it comes out of the tap.
- Point-of-use filters fit under your sink or attach directly to your faucet and filter the water as it comes out of that one spigot.
- A whole-home filtration system, aka point-of-entry filter, filters water as it comes through the main water line, just before it enters your home.
Of course, we recommend a whole-home filtration system, and not just because we sell, install, and maintain these products every day. Every other kind of water filter allows unfiltered water to flow through at least 99% of your home. That means that whatever contaminants are in your water supply are also in your shower, your toilet, your dishwasher, you water heater, and your pipes. Point-of-use systems don’t protect your faucets or your appliances; they don’t provide better water for washing your clothes or brushing your teeth.
Only a whole-home water filter can protect all the water in your whole home.
What Kinds of Water Filters are Available Today?
Fortunately, in Manatee County, water treatment systems are pretty much unlimited. At Healthy Water, via our expertise, our certifications, and our manufacturer partnerships, we can provide you with a full menu of the latest and best water filters on the market today.
As we said above, the type of net and what it catches varies from filter to filter. Here are your most comment water filtration options:
- Sediment filters use a semi-porous material like polyester, cellulose, or even tightly wound string to trap sediment from passing.
- Carbon block filters use activated carbon to attract and trap sediment as well as chemicals like chlorine and pesticides.
- Did you know that ceramic is actually porous? Ceramic filters have such tiny holes that they trap everything but the smallest molecules.
- Reverse osmosis filters force water through a semipermeable membrane, trapping contaminants on one side. Those contaminants can then be flushed away.
What Kind of Water Filter Does My Family Need?
The best, most effective kind of water filter will depend on the contaminants currently present in your home’s Manatee-Sarasota water supply. While some contaminants are evident from taste or smell—like chlorine or sulphur—the only way to really know what’s in your water is to have it tested for a wide range of possible contaminants.
At Health Water Systems of Bradenton, we offer free water testing first before making a recommendation based on our findings as well as your budget and what works best for you. Give us a call today to learn more!
