Household Water Management: Ensuring a Seamless Clean Water Supply

Water is a vital resource in the absence of which life becomes impossible, and having access to it is the thing that makes all the difference between communities that thrive and communities that stagnate. Apart from its fundamental role in human health, water is also essential for the energy sector, as well as food production and manufacturing processes. With climate change and global warming becoming increasingly pressing issues, the necessity to conserve water has also become paramount for society. 

With all that in mind, it only makes sense to want to see better water management services overall. And there’s no better place to get started than in your own household. 

Tests 

The best way to start this process is by testing your tap water for bacteria, chemicals, and germs. This isn’t something that you can do all on your own since, although water testing kits do exist, it is impossible to be sure if they are fully accurate. Working with experts such as the OWM Group will allow you to have a much better and more comprehensive view of the quality of your water. If the results come back negative, you might decide to skip on getting a home water system. However, you should know that this device will improve quality overall, even being able to reduce the amount of hardness in your water. 

If the test results reveal that your water is not entirely safe for consumption, you will have to look into the options available to you in order to remove all the risks and be confident that all water operations are perfectly safe for use. The type of system that would be best for you will depend on the findings, as each case is unique. 

Filtration

Water filtration is perhaps the most well-known solution, as the process is fairly commonplace and largely uncomplicated. It aims to either reduce or entirely remove particulate matter from water, including bacteria, algae, fungi, viruses, and suspended particles (the tiny bits of either liquid or solid materials that can potentially become airborne). All other biological or chemical contaminants are eliminated as well, producing water that is clean and perfectly safe to use. 

Filters use a wide range of methods, such as sieving, ion exchanges, biofilms, or adsorption. Compared to screens or classic sieves, the filters are equipped with the technology necessary to remove particles that are much smaller than the holes through which water passes during the procedure. Nitrates are part of this category, as are pathogens. You can find filter housings (containers that can hold filter bags in order to separate impurities from the fluid stream) on owmgroup.com, as well as a wide range of tools like carbon cartridges, membrane filtration systems, and depth filters. 

Microfiltration can remove parasites and is somewhat effective at eliminating bacteria like E. coli and salmonella, but offers no protection against arsenic, lead, norovirus, or Hepatitis A. Ultrafiltration is much more effective when it comes to viruses, but some may nonetheless evade the system. It is also unable to remove chemicals. A nanofilter with a pore size of roughly 0.001 microns will remove most chemicals, but some might still be able to move through. 

Ultraviolet treatments 

US light systems will no doubt seem more sophisticated than simple filtration and, therefore, be understood to be safer. While that is true to some extent, it still depends on which procedure you choose. The systems that filter the water before disinfecting it will always work better than those that don’t provide prior filtration. The ultraviolet lights neutralize microorganisms without altering the taste of the water or adding any extra chemicals to it. When using pre-filtration, you can also be confident that viruses, bacteria, or parasites won’t be found in your drinking water. 

The only downside is that these treatments don’t get rid of chemical contaminants, so if that’s what you’re dealing with, you will require a different solution. However, if bacteria are your primary concern, a UV system will safeguard your health with minimal environmental impact. 

Distillation

Distillation is a process that purifies the water by heating and then collecting it as it cools. The process ensures that the germs and chemicals are removed, as the high temperature separates the impurities from the liquid they are dissolved in. In spite of its simplicity, distillation is an incredibly thorough procedure, being effective against chemicals, bacteria, and viruses in almost equal measure. Some of the chemicals that are known to be vulnerable to the procedure are sodium, cadmium, arsenic, barium, sulfate, magnesium, calcium, lead, nitrate, and chromium. Many carbon-containing chemicals can be easily removed via distillation as well. 

It is not effective against volatile solvents, volatile organic compounds, as well as some pesticides, and while it removes bacteria from water with no issue, bacteria can still grow on the cooling coils while the system is idle. 

Flocculation 

Flocculation is a procedure that uses a disinfectant powder to make dirt particles stick together in larger clumps. This makes removal much easier. It is also a common method of wastewater and stormwater treatment, apart from being used for purification. Powdered ferric sulfate and calcium hypochlorite are typically used, with the former being efficient for the clumping process and the second aiding in germ removal. If water appears cloudy, this is typically the first step used in order to clean it, but it’s important to remember that flocculation has no effect on harmful chemicals, for which a different process will have to be used. 

Solar disinfection

Solar disinfection uses the same mechanism as ultraviolet treatments, killing bacteria and parasites with the use of heat and UV. What makes this process different us that it is entirely portable. It is only effective against biological contaminants like bacteria, protozoa, or viruses, with non-biological impurities like heavy metals requiring a different procedure in order to make the water safe for consumption. 

If you’re looking for ways to ensure the safety of your household water, don’t hesitate to get in touch with a professional service in order to get a better idea of what solutions would be best for you.