Filtration of water
Water filtration and conditioning systems are designed to remove the chemicals, minerals and other health-harmful impurities found in residential and commercial water systems. These impurities occur in municipal systems, rural systems and even in wells because of chemical runoff, farm effluence and natural minerals.
A water conditioning system that removes these invaders may be a simple filtration device,
it may be a apparatus that softens the water via chemical means, usually salt, or it may even be an electromagnetic attachment to the water lines.
Filtration: A filtering device is placed either on the inbound water line that serves the whole house, or on the line to the particular area of the house where you need the contamination removal the most, like the kitchen. Filtration will remove most of the particulate matter down to a few microns in size, eliminating much of the chemical taste and minerals in your drinking, cooking and washing water. The filters need to be changed periodically to remain effective.
Water Softeners/Conditioners: These devices come in two types - those that use salt as the conditioning agent and those that don't. Softening the water removes much of the chemical and mineral content making the water taste better and it is much better for washing dishes and clothing. Softer, mineral-free water requires less soap for cleansing and leaves clothing with a softer, gentler feel. Conditioned water will usually extend the life of the hot water heater by eliminating much of the build-up that inhibits the operation of the internal sensors that tell the heater when to light the burner. There will also be less mineral staining in bathtubs, showers and sinks.
Salt Systems: The older form of water conditioning systems use salt as the cleansing agent in the system. These devices are usually placed on the inbound main water line, conditioning all of the water entering the house, so whether the tap used is hot or cold, the water has been softened.
Non-Salt Systems: The latest innovation in water conditioning, these devices use magnetism and electronics to suspend the chemical and mineral contamination so it is easily removed from the water system by filtration.
These non-salt systems also claim to eliminate or greatly reduce the build-up of scaling inside the water pipes and hot water heaters..
An alternative to a conditioning or filtering system is to rely on a bottled water solution for drinking and cooking water. This can be a logistical problem and it does nothing to address the problem of chemical and mineral removal in showers, dishwashers and washing machines.
