What To Consider Before Installing a Water Treatment System
Water is one of those necessities that everyone relies on for almost everything they do in their everyday activities. It is responsible for doing your plumbing work, feeding your plants, and keeping you healthy. Therefore, it makes sense to want the best quality water you can afford. Luckily, a water treatment system is an achievable goal for those looking to have better quality, better-tasting water. The best part is that it can be quite affordable based on your filter type selection. Even so, before you select what filter you want to get, it is important to know what to look out for in a water treatment system. To help you with this, here are the main things to consider before installing a water treatment system.
Test Your Water
Before you commit to any actions on what treatment type you will go with, it is necessary to test your water. Testing should be done at a state-certified lab, just to ensure the most exact results. Testing your water will help point to the realm of the best treatment plan. It does this by informing you of the various heavy metals and viruses present within your water. This is often exceedingly helpful for picking the right water treatment system, as many interact differently with different heavy metals. In some cases, there will be water treatment professionals that will be able to help you determine which is the best filter for your house. However, in all cases, be wary of the tests that some water treatment companies may provide. These often are inexact and can lead to a lot of errors in missed contaminants.
Whole House or Single Tap Treatment
One of the main questions homeowners are faced with when deciding which sort of filter to get is whether or not to get a whole filter or a single tap treatment filter. Depending on the types of contaminants that you are experiencing (along with the concentration), you will need to decide on which type to get. If the contaminant is only a problem for you when you drink it, you may only need a single tap treatment. However, if the contaminant is also hazardous when you get it on your skin or in your lungs, you will need to treat all the water entering the house. These whole house or point of entry devices are typically installed in the basement or garage next to the water pressure tank. With both whole house filters and under sink filters, many options are available, meaning that in most cases, choosing where the filter will be is a separate task from deciding what kind of filter to get.
Will Your Unit Produce Enough Treated Water To Meet Daily Needs
In most cases, you should be certain that the filter that you are purchasing will produce enough treated water to meet the daily household needs. It is important to realize that the “daily household need” is not an exact measurement of water, but rather just a floating estimate that is different for each consumer. As such, the consumer should calculate their daily and weekly usage of water before going to purchase a water filter. This will help them answer the question of which treatment system will suit their water needs best. Keep in mind that with some units, such as a RO Faucet replacement, the system will inherently use more water in treating it.
Find Out the Total Purchase Price and Maintenance Costs
Before purchasing the unit, it is necessary to ensure that you know the total purchase price plus the maintenance costs. In some cases, filtration companies will try to sneak fees past you for installation, monthly maintenance, and equipment rental. In every situation, it is best to try and get a handle on these costs upfront. This will allow you to have less stress about any hidden fees that you may not know about. If you choose to install your filter yourself, not only will you avoid most of these fees, but you will also get a greater understanding of how your filter works.
What Are the Service Intervals and Costs Involved
Regardless of whether or not the filtration company provides service, there is always going to be a cost for the service they provide. That is why it is so important to ask the seller what the service intervals are and the cost of such things as replacement filters, aggregate, and charcoal filters (just to name a few). Different filters will have a different lifespan, as well as different costs of replacement filters and media.
Expected Lifetime
With your water filter, as with all other appliances, there is an expected lifetime. Knowing the filter’s expected lifetime and having the service dates coincide with this expected lifetime figure will help you ensure that your water filtration unit is kept in the best shape possible. You should also find out the warranty period and what it covers. In the case that you receive a faulty unit, it is pertinent to know these figures to ensure that you are protected.
Potential Secondary Side Effects That the Treatment Has on the Water
The end consumer of any filtration unit should be aware of the potential side effects that some of the filtration units inherently come with. Keep in mind that there are many remedies that one can use, depending on the type of filter being used. In any case, these are usually minimal tradeoffs—with some people considering them an absolute plus!
We hope that this guide has helped you understand what to consider before installing a water treatment system. You have to do very little to set up most systems, not to mention the unending compatibility that many of these filters have with each other. As such, you can be sure that you will find a filter style that matches your needs! Keep in mind that if you are not happy with the filtration system that you end up choosing, you always have the option of replacing it with another one with ease.
