Trends: Water Filtration SystemsClean and Clear: Residential treatment systems offer control over water quality and the opportunity for increased profits.

The desire for pure, tasty water is evidenced by the popularity of bottled drinking water and after-market filtration products. And it's a growing craving that savvy builders and remodelers can profit from.

According to a Water Quality Association survey, 64 percent of Americans are concerned about the quality of their drinking water, and 72 percent believe that bottled water is superior to what flows from the faucet.

"The need for water treatment is becoming more and more real," says Gary Battenberg, technical director for Hague Quality Water. "People aren't willing to settle for just plain old tap water."

Substances that may be commonly found in both municipal water supplies and individual wells have a variety of effects on taste and performance. Chlorine, for example, imparts an unpleasant taste. More harmful substances such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium cysts and lead can cause serious illnesses. Furthermore, hard water–which contains dissolved minerals that contribute to scale buildup in water-using appliances–can decrease their efficiency.

"[Residential] water treatment provides consistency, improves quality, and improves safety," says Peter Gorr, director of marketing for Everpure. "Water is important to people, and most are motivated to do what they can to ensure it is of the highest quality."

Many technologies are available to treat residential water and remove the vast array of contaminants that may be present. However, most consumers are unaware of how the technologies work–what substances they remove and which ones they don't.

The types of contaminants and their levels vary from region to region. Because some contaminants are not found everywhere, one solution doesn't solve all quality problems.

Water treatment for the home falls into two categories: filtration and softening. Both are available in point-of-entry and point-of-use systems.

Filtration systems most commonly employ either activated carbon filters or reverse-osmosis (RO) membranes. Activated carbon filters make water look, taste, and smell better by removing substances like chlorine or hydrogen sulfide.

Reverse-osmosis systems solve flavor and odor problems as well, but also reduce dissolved minerals and salts by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane. Then the liquid moves through a series of secondary carbon filters before it is stored in a reservoir tank. In addition, some remove cysts, bacteria, and viruses.

Point-of-use filtration products are installed where they will be used, such as at the kitchen sink, and typically minimize sediments and turbidity. Point-of-entry oxidation/filtration systems also remove iron and manganese in an oxidation and filtering process.

Unlike water filtration, softeners/conditioners decrease levels of water hardness by exchanging sodium or potassium ions for the calcium and magnesium present in the liquid. Reducing water hardness diminishes scale buildup and calcium deposits in plumbing pipes and fixtures as well as in water-using appliances. Most water-softening systems are installed at point of entry, but some are available for point-of-use application.

"Whole-house [point-of-entry] systems are generally used to soften the water, adjust pH, treat iron and manganese, and treat other more serious contaminants," comments Kurt Kaiser, product development manager/marketing for Pentair/American Plumber. "Point-of-use systems are best used for the reduction of chlorine taste and odor, lead, and volatile organic compounds."

Determining Treatment

The first step to determining whether a home requires a treatment system is to obtain a copy of the local utility's Consumer Confidence Report or a similar type of water-quality report. If the dwelling's water is supplied by a well, test the water supply for hardness, bacteria, metals, chemicals, and other substances. A water treatment professional can help interpret the test results.

"It's very important that [builders] align themselves with a professional whose field staff is trained in water quality issues, knows how to the test the water, and knows how to install the equipment correctly," says Frank A. Brigano, group vice president of research and development for Culligan. "What you'll find is that the water specialist in any given area is an expert on water quality in that area."

While a water treatment system can be a desirable addition to any home, it is important not to make the homeowners unnecessarily nervous. "It's not about being scared of the local water supply, but about getting the best water for your home," says Andrea Williams, director of marketing for product at General Ecology. BP

This story first appeared in Custom Home magazine.

Culligan

Culligan. The Culligan Good Water Machine point-of-use filtration system uses a reverse-osmosis membrane to reduce dissolved substances in water such as radium, lead, and arsenic, the maker says. The membrane combines with a sediment filter to screen out particles down to 5 microns, a carbon filter to reduce elements that cause unpleasant tastes and odors, and a second carbon filter to remove any remaining impurities. The unit dispenses filtered water at any sink through its faucet, which includes lights that indicate when to change the filter. 800-285-5442. www.culligan.com.

General Ecology

General Ecology. Providing a high flow rate of up to 26 gallons per minute, the Spark-L-Pure microfiltration system removes chlorine taste and odor as well as fibers, visible dirt, scale, and other particulate contaminants such as chemicals from bacteriologically sound water supplies, the firm says. Although the system is designed to treat a home's entire water supply, its compact design allows point-of-use installation as well. 800-441-8166. www.generalecology.com.

GE

GE. The Merlin reverse-osmosis water filtration system reduces up to 95 percent of water contaminants such as bad tastes, odors, and other matter. Operating on line pressure, the Merlin's tankless, continuous-flow design provides an on-demand supply of filtered water with a flow rate of 1/2 gallon per minute. Eliminating the reservoir tank of conventional RO systems minimizes loss of line pressure and eliminates the need to wait for a reservoir to fill once depleted, the maker says. Multiple dispensing locations can be supplied by one system. 866-439-8272. www.gewater.com.

Everpure

Everpure. Utilizing an exclusive pre-coat filtration design, the H-1200 reduces up to 99.99 percent of particles 1/2 micron and larger in size, including Cryptosporidium, the manufacturer claims. In addition to removing volatile organic compounds, MTBE, and 99 percent of lead, the 1,000-gallon-capacity H-1200 also reduces asbestos fibers, dirt, chloramine, chlorine taste and odor, and mold and algae that may be present in water supplies, says the firm. 800-323-7873. www.everpure.com.