Water Treatment Systems – Types and Uses

Many types of treatment systems are available to address a variety of water issues. Some treatments deal with hard water only while others actually purify contaminated water to make it safe for human consumption. Following are some common water treatment methods and the problems that they correct.

[photo by: darkpatator]

Water Conditioners – Addresses hard water only. Prevents lime scale without adversely affecting the drinkability of the water. Improves the efficiency of soaps. Improves heating efficiency and extends the life of appliances that use water. Water conditioning systems, such as ScaleWatcher, are inexpensive to own and operate.

Water Softeners – Also prevents lime scale but water may not be suitable for drinking. Water softening systems are expensive to own and operate, and cumbersome to maintain.

Activated Carbon (AC) Water Filters – Removes organic contaminants and chlorine but does not filter out microbes or soften water. May remove heavy metals, depending on the system.

Ultraviolet (UV) Water Filters – Kills but does not remove most bacteria and viruses. Also does not remove other contaminants.

Water Distiller – Produces nearly pure water but at an extremely slow rate and high running cost.

Reverse Osmosis – Removes salts and mineral as well as other causes of unhealthy or unappealing water. Most of the water that enters the system is wasted, however, and the storage unit must be disinfected regularly to prevent bacterial growth.

The appropriate type of water treatment depends upon the type of problem to be corrected. To purify water for drinking, a combination of methods may be required. To treat simple hard water, however, a water conditioner is usually all that is needed.