Water Purification Systems - The Three Most Common Technologies Compared

Fresh water is essential to our health and comfort. Not only do we rely on it to stay hydrated, we use it in many other ways including bathing, cleaning and cooking food, and laundering our clothes. Fresh water has long been a concern of both public communities and private individuals, and several different water purification systems and treatment technologies have been developed to help ensure that tap water is safe for human consumption. But how do these different technologies compare?

Whether you get your water from a well or a city system, water sources can become contaminated by bacteria, runoff, and improper treatment. Even if water isn’t contaminated, it may contain iron and other hard minerals that cause discoloration and can build up in the body, or chlorine that leaves an unpleasant odor and taste. Consequently, many people choose to treat or filter their water to improve flavor and protect against contaminants.

Chlorine is commonly used by municipal water treatment plants and is effective in killing many different bacteria. However, it is not effective against some organisms such as Cryposporidium and Giardia. Both of these organisms can be found in lakes, rivers, and ground water and can cause serious intestinal illness.

As mentioned, many people feel that chlorine leaves an unpleasant taste and smell. In addition, there have been numerous cases where the city water supply became contaminated despite the fact that it was treated. People with city water supplies often use other water purifiers and home water filters to ensure that their water is pure and tastes good. The three most common options are carbon filters, reverse osmosis water filters, and ultraviolet light water purification.

Each of these technologies uses a different approach to treat water, and they each have different levels of effectiveness against various contaminants. One may work well to remove chemicals but be completely ineffective against bacteria, and vice versa.

In reality, there is no single filter or treatment that will eliminate every contaminant from your water. The best approach is to have your water tested for contaminants and then purchase a home water purifier that guards against the particular contaminants that cause you concern.

Another option is to combine treatment technologies. Most higher-end systems use a combination of carbon filters and one of the other treatment technologies to achieve the best results. Let’s look at the different technologies to see where each is effective.