I don’t know about anyone else, but when I move into a new place, the first thing I do is replace all the old and well-worn mechanics of the house, whether that’s old air vents, poorly fitted doors, or the 70s-style wallpaper in a basement. Some are quick fixes, and others are not. One of the more serious fixes to consider is whether you want to switch out the old water filtration system. There’s plenty of types of water filtration systems in homes, and each one has its own pros and cons.
Sediment Filtration
The most common filtration system you’re going to find in a home is a sediment filter. This filter is best for ridding your house’s water of particles such as silt, rust, sand, and heavy metals.
The Good
Sediment filters have been so ubiquitous because of their low installation cost and their reliability at catching those common sediments in your water. The filters are easy to replace, and they come in many different variations, depending on what you’re looking for.
The Bad
They’re great for basic filtration needs, but sediment filters do normally need the aid of other filters to catch certain contaminants, such as chemicals and sediments smaller than one micron.
Ultraviolet Purification
One of the latest methods of home water purification, UV purification utilizes ultraviolet light to decontaminate your home’s water. The UV lights kill up to 99.99 percent of harmful bacteria in your house’s supply of water.
The Positives
There are many benefits to UV decontamination; a few of those benefits include the low operating cost and less frequent maintenance. This method is also energy efficient, and it kills nearly all bacteria without the use of possibly harmful chemicals.
The Negatives
UV purifiers have almost the opposite problem of sediment filtration. They’re great at killing bacteria, but you’ll need another system to properly filter out the sediments in the water.
Activated Carbon Block Filtration
This filtration method uses blocks of positively charged carbon to separate out chemicals and sediments. The block absorbs sediments larger than the pores on the carbon, and chemicals that contain negatively charged carbon interact with the positive charge of the filter. This interaction of positive and negative carbon eliminates the odor and taste of chlorine and other harmful chemicals.
Advantages
Carbon blocks are very resistant to bacterial growth, so you won’t need to remove them from the system. The filter itself has a long life span and utilizes green technology.
Disadvantages
Due to its design, the carbon block can’t achieve a very high water flow rate. And, as with many common types of water filtration systems in homes, it requires the addition of a separate sediment filter.
