If you are supplied by properly pre-treated municipal water, or well water which has been recently tested and treated to eliminate all unhealthy contaminants, you may still want a point-of-use device to improve the aesthetic quality of your drinking water. The following chart will help you choose the Niagara+ product that meets your quality and budget requirements.
Click here if you have city or well water of questionable quality.
The handy chart below lists some of the more common problems encountered in municipal (city) and private (well) water supplies, and visually indicates some of the treatment products that Excel Water Technologies offers to remedy them.
What Kind of Contaminants are Present?
Water filters are designed to target specific contaminants. You must choose a system according to which contaminants you are concerned with.
If you have city water, you can request a water quality analysis report from your local water authority. This report should indicate which aspects to consider when choosing a home water filter - for example, hardness, chlorine level, and turbidity. If you have well water it is recommendeded that you test your water for contaminants. You can use any home water test kit or you can have a professional water testing company do the job for you. In both cases, city or well water, these tests should give you an indication of which, if any, contaminants need treating.
Common City Water Problems
Common Well Water Problems
Choose the Device That Will Solve Your Problem
Drinking water filters and treatment units are referred to as point-of-use or point-of-entry devices. Point-of-use units (POU) treat water from a specific tap, while point-of-entry (POE) devices treat all the water that enters your home. For example, a POE device might be desirable if showering and bathing are possible routes of exposure to the contaminant. A POU unit would attach to the faucet, or fit under the sink and treat the water you use for drinking and cooking. Also, stand-alone models can be used on your kitchen counter to treat just the amount of water you want to use at any one time. Water treatment devices need to be chosen for the specific contaminants you want to eliminate. Some water treatment systems get rid of pesticides and industrial cleaners, while others are most effective at removing heavy metals.
Common City Water Problems
- AESTHETIC SUBSTANCES
- Mostly harmless contaminants such as chlorine, sulphur, iron and manganese
that cause taste, color, staining and odor problems.
- SEDIMENT
- Solid particles that settle out over a period of time.
- HARDNESS
- A common water quality problem caused by dissolved calcium and magnesium
(limestone) in water. Hard water causes scaling of pipes and hot water
heaters, plumbing fixtures, etc. It makes cleaning and laundering more
difficult.
- LEAD - Commonly
used in plumbing installation material until the late 1980's. U.S. Safe
Drinking Water Act (SDWA) standards have since set limits on the amount
of lead that may be used in solder materials. Lead has been found to
occur in drinking water primarily due to leaching. Lead exposure has
been linked to learning deficiencies in children and, at higher levels,
has been associated with hypertension in adults.
- ORGANIC CHEMICALS
- A group of chemicals commonly referred to as Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs). There are over 80 VOCs regulated by the SDWA. Typical VOCs include
benzene, trichloethylene, and chlordane. High levels of exposure to
VOCs have been linked to a variety of cancers and organ damage.
- TRIHALOMETHANES
(THMs)
- THMs are the first organic chemicals regulated by the SDWA. THMs are
a byproduct of the chlorine disinfection process. THMs are formed when
chlorine reacts with other organic compounds in water. THMs are known
carcinogens and have been linked to bladder cancer.
- MICROBIOLOGICAL
PATHOGENS - Waterborne organisms that are known to cause disease
in humans. Common waterborne pathogens include fecal coliform, dysentery,
cholera, hepatitis and microbial cysts such as Crytosporidium and Giardia
Lamblia.
- CHLORINE TASTES
AND ODORS
- To ensure micro-biological safety, Municipal Water Utilities employ
chlorine and/or chlorine plus ammonia. These substances can leave a
chlorine "pool like" taste and odor to drinking water.
- RADIOLOGICAL
SUBSTANCES - Radium and its related cousins may be found in groundwater
supplies. They are known cancer causing substances in humans. Radium
exposure is through drinking and cooking while radon exposure is normally
through inhalation. They are both regulated by the SDWA.
- ASBESTOS
- A construction material commonly used in insulation, building materials,
or certain types of water piping. Asbestos is regulated by the SDWA.
However, it has been linked to lung and bladder cancer in humans.
Common Well Water Problems
- AESTHETIC SUBSTANCES
- Mostly harmless contaminants such as chlorine, sulphur, iron and manganese
that cause taste, color, staining and odor problems.
- SEDIMENT
- Solid particles that settle out over a period of time.
- HARDNESS
- A common water quality problem caused by dissolved calcium and magnesium
(limestone) in water. Hard water causes scaling of pipes and hot water
heaters, plumbing fixtures, etc. It makes cleaning and laundering more
difficult.
- COLOR - Yellow
or brown colors by the leaching of decaying vegetative matter found
in soil.
- TASTE AND ODORS
- Musty,
earthy or woody taste and odors found in groundwater.
- SULPHUR -
A naturally occurring objectionable substance which contributes a "rotten
egg" like odor to drinking water and is also known to be very corrosive
to plumbing products and materials.
- ACIDITY AND
ALKALINITY -
Acidity and alkalinity is commonly measured as pH. Neutral pH is 7.0,
while an acid pH is below 7.0 and an alkaline pH is above 7.0. Extreme
ranges in pH may cause water to be corrosive, unpalatable and objectionable.
- TURBIDITY -
Turbidity is suspended matter (particles) found in water that gives
a cloudy or opaque appearance. Sand, silt, clay, colloidal and related
material contribute to turbidity. Heavy turbidity levels are also used
as an indicator of possible sewage contamination.
- TRIHALOMETHANES
(THMs)
- THMs are the first organic chemicals regulated by the SDWA. THMs are
a byproduct of the chlorine disinfection process. THMs are formed when
chlorine reacts with other organic compounds in water. THMs are known
carcinogens and have been linked to bladder cancer.
- MICROBIOLOGICAL
PATHOGENS - Waterborne organisms that are known to cause disease
in humans. Common waterborne pathogens include fecal coliform, dysentery,
cholera, hepatitis and microbial cysts such as Crytosporidium and Giardia
Lamblia.
- RADIOLOGICAL
SUBSTANCES - Radium and its related cousins may be found in groundwater
supplies. They are known cancer causing substances in humans. Radium
exposure is through drinking and cooking while radon exposure is normally
through inhalation. They are both regulated by the SDWA.
- CHLORIDES
- Saltwater intrusion into wells can cause an increase in chlorides.
The water will have a salty taste and is corrosive to pipes and plumbing
fixtures. High levels can lead to hypertension. SDWA safe level is below
250 ppm.
- NITRATES
- Nitrates can get into ground water from the natural ecosystem, runoff from lawns and gardens, intensely-fertilized farm areas, livestock facilities, municipal and livestock waste treatment systems, septic systems, stored chicken litter systems, stored chicken litter and manure and lagoons. Infants under six months of age are most affected by excess nitrates in the water. They may develop a condition called "methemoglobinemia" (blue baby syndrome), which causes a bluish color around the lips, spreads to the fingers, toes and face, and eventually covers the entire body. If the problem is not dealt with immediately, the baby can die.
Now, view our Niagara+ Family
of top quality products for more information or to purchase your choice.
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