Expert Contributor by Rick Bondurant R.F. Bondurant Plumbing
Curious About What’s in Your Water? Your water quality is crucial to the health of your family, and these days it’s becoming even more of a priority for homeowners. Whether your home has city or public water, or a private well system, the best way to learn about the quality of your water is to have a water sample taken. To treat your specific water concerns, you’ll need to decide whether you want to have a point-of-use system or whole-house treatment. Plumbers recommend you have both to ensure that you’re getting the best water quality for your home.
taste and odor from public water that may have been imparted through the miles of distribution piping and fittings. This type of system basically provides bottle-quality water at every faucet and showerhead, which can extend the life of appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines and hot water tanks from premature failure.
A reverse osmosis (RO) system, which provides drinking water to the kitchen sink, requires a separate faucet and the equipment is neatly stored below the sink. The RO system removes most contaminants, to provide the purest and cleanest drinking water. It protects against lead, arsenic, pesticides and bacteria while also removing fluoride from the water. Typically, an RO system wouldn’t be able to keep up with treating the water for the entire house, so it’s basically used only as a pointof-use solution.
A water softener may be needed if it’s determined that you have hard water. If your water hardness is greater than 7 grains per gallon, then you may want to consider a water softener. Homes in this area often have an average of 10 grains or more. Hard water contains dissolved minerals and metals, which can create ugly stains on sinks, toilets and bathtubs. And mineral deposits such as lime scale can build up on showerheads, pots, glassware, etc. Hard water makes soap and laundry detergent less effective, which can cause clothing and linens to fade and appear dull, along with causing premature wear on fabrics. The minerals found in hard water can also have negative effects on your hair and skin.
A whole-house water filter system filters public water through a bed of granulated activated carbon, to improve the taste by removing the chlorine/chloramine that’s added at the main distribution system, to disinfect and kill germs and protect the water. A whole-house system will remove cloudiness, foul
Quality drinking water is important to our health and well-being, as well as being critical to most items that we purchase and consume in one way or another. It’s definitely a smart idea to have your home’s water tested to make sure you and your family are getting the cleanest, safest water possible.
• Any & All Plumbing Repairs • High Efficiency Boilers • Backflow Protection (Installation & Testing) • Sewer/Drain Cleaning & Repairs
• Video Camera Inspection • Water Heater Replacement • Bathroom & Kitchen Remodeling • Gas Piping
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Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors
July 2022
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