At a municipal treatment center, water purification goes through five stages: coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection. However, your household water purification doesn’t go through the exact same process. Whether you’re on a well or just need cleaner water, there are a few simple steps that your water goes through before it is completely purified.
How Water Purification Can Help Your Home
Without water purification, the water you drink would contain chemicals, bacteria, and suspended solids. Before modern water purification existed, people routinely became ill from contaminated water.
Thankfully, very few people get sick anymore from bacteria and contaminants in their drinking water. Depending on your home and personal needs, you may want to invest in water purification systems for a range of different reasons.
- Better taste and smell
- Fewer contaminants
- Improved health or digestion
- Chlorine elimination
- Reduced need for bottled water
How Whole-House Water Purification Works
The type of system that is installed inside a home is different from the kind of water purification that a municipality might use. Typically, homeowners will install whole-house water filtration to clean all of their drinking, cooking, and bathing water. Water is cleaned in three simple steps.
The Pre-Filtering Step
In this step, water enters your home and is sent through a pre-filter to remove any impurities, contaminants, or particulates. Because this step focuses on larger contaminants, it only filters out things that are at least five microns in size. For comparison, a red blood cell is about this size.
The pre-filter essentially functions like a sponge. Before water can enter your home, it absorbs dirt, rust, and impurities.
Your plumber will most likely recommend that the pre-filter cartridges get replaced every two months or so. This timeline can vary based on the sediment in your water and your water quality. As your filter gets close to when it needs to be replaced, it will change from white to a darker color. You may also notice a lower flow rate right before the filter gets changed.
The Activated Carbon Filter
At most municipal water plants, chloramines and chlorine are used to treat water. These harsh chemicals can remain in the tap water after it has been treated. It can show up in the water you drink and the steam you breathe in your shower.
With activated carbon, you can reduce the amount of chloramines and chlorine in your drinking water and improve your well-being. These filters can also remove chromium, copper, mercury, and pesticides.
Activated carbon is an incredibly popular filtration method because of its convenience. Organic materials, like coal, wood, or coconut shells, are heated to create charred material. This material is then used to make activated carbon filters. It is able to bind with impurities, allowing it to pull contaminants from the water.
Reverse Osmosis (R/O) Modules
While each filtration system is different, the next step typically involves sending water through an R/O module. Basically, water gets pushed through small pores in a membrane. This means only clean water can end up on the other side, and impurities are left behind.
The Second Carbon Filter
Some home systems send water to a storage tank after it passes through the R/O module. In other systems, the water goes straight to the final step. Before you can fill your glass with water, your water is filtered a final time through a second filter.
Typically, the second filter contains layered mesh screens that remove any final contaminants. While there are very few impurities that reach this stage, the final filter is an extra layer of protection.
How Do Large Municipalities Filter Water?
In many ways, municipalities use the same system as you use at home. However, the size of these operations and the cost can affect the type of filtration and purification they perform. In a large system, water passes through the coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection processes.
Coagulation
During this step, chemicals are added to the water that have a positive charge. Because dirt and dissolved particles have a negative charge, this causes them to bind with the chemicals. Often, water treatment plants will use aluminum, iron, and salts as coagulation chemicals.
Flocculation
With flocculation, water is gently mixed with heavy particles that are known as flocs. The water treatment plant may also add chemicals to help flocs develop in the water.
Sedimentation
Sedimentation allows solids to separate from the water. Because the flocs are heavier, they can drift to the bottom of the water. The remaining water can then proceed to the next step.
Filtration
Water filtration can happen in different ways. Typically, clear water goes through filters that are made out of different materials, like gravel, charcoal, and sand. Because these materials have different particle sizes, they can easily remove bacteria, dust, and chemicals. Like a home water purification system, many municipalities use activated carbon filters.
Disinfection
Finally, the water is treated with a disinfectant, like chlorine or chloramine. This kills any bacteria, viruses, or parasites that could remain in the water. The chemical level will be kept as low as possible so that households aren’t drinking water with high levels of chemicals. However, the level is high enough to continue killing any bacteria or viruses that are present in the distribution pipes.
Depending on the treatment center, a final water purification step may happen. Ultraviolet (UV) light or ozone can disinfect water before it leaves the treatment plant.
Why Do I Need a Home Purification System on Top of the Filtering My Municipality Performs?
Coagulation, flocculation, disinfection, sedimentation, and filtration are generally quite effective at removing contaminants. However, many homeowners prefer getting whole-home purifiers for an enhanced level of purity. While municipalities do a good job treating water, some contaminants can still remain.
In particular, many homeowners don’t want to drink the chlorine that remains in the treated water. Even if water gets perfectly cleaned at a water treatment plant, it could still pick up impurities as it makes its way to your house.
How to Improve Your Water Quality
While water purification is a popular way to improve your water quality, there are other methods you can use. At Half Moon Plumbing, we can inspect your system, test your water, and see which types of filtration methods you can use.
1. Identify the Underlying Problem
First, a professional plumber will help you determine the underlying problem in your system. For instance, rust residue on your glasses could indicate a limescale issue. If you dislike the taste of chlorine or are concerned about the safety of your water, you may need a water purification system.
Even though water municipalities have extensive filtration and purification systems, contaminants can still get through. Almost every single contaminant is legally allowed in quantities higher than 0%. Additionally, there are other contaminants, like pesticides and pharmaceuticals, that aren’t tested for.
2. Discuss Your Options
Next, a plumber can talk to you about your concerns. They can assess your home, test the water, and see what type of equipment you may need.
3. Install a New System
Water contaminants, hardness, and chlorine are the three major problems affecting municipality-provided water. Once you’ve narrowed down the cause of your problem and learned your options, you can get a whole-house purification system installed.
Learn More About Water Purification
Water purification is important because there can still be contaminants in the water. If you want to enjoy soft water and healthier showers, you need your own whole-house water purification. Because impurities and hard water can damage equipment, a purification system can also help your appliances and plumbing last for longer.
If you want to install water treatment systems in your home, Half Moon Plumbing can help. Our team can also handle your water heater installation, sewer pipe lining, sewer replacement, and household plumbing services. To learn more, contact our team today.
