6 Signs You Need a Home Water Purification System
Not all tap water is equal. Anyone who has lived in a few different neighborhoods even in the same metropolitan area has no doubt realized that the tap water that comes out of one home tap can be very different from the water in another home. Your tap water is affected by the minerals in your local soil, the run-off from local industries, and the treatment policies established by your city or municipal area. Some homes pull water from a private well instead which is also affected by local groundwater effects but tends to at least be free of chlorine and fluoride. Some water tastes sweet, some tastes a little salty, some has an oddly bitter aftertaste and this is all perfectly normal from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Unfortunately, diversity of water taste and small mineral variations aren’t the only things that differ in tap water between one home and the next. Sometimes what is coming through your tap can be dangerous or unhealthy. There might be a decaying pipe along the way dumping metal particles into the water, your city water supply could be using too much chlorine, or there could be minerals or microbial life forms that can make your family sick. The answer to all these problems is a home water purification system. The question is, how do you know if you need one?
1) Your Tap Water Tastes “Off”
All tap water tastes different but your body knows what is healthy and what is not. Your taste buds don’t just tell you when something is delicious, they are tiny chemical sensors that are attuned with your health. You’ve probably tasted dozens of minor flavor variations in water that did not set off your ‘something is wrong’ alarms. But if the water in your home makes you not want to drink more, your taste buds are probably detecting a health risk.
2) The Water is Not Completely Clear
Water out of your tap should be perfectly clear plus a few little bubbles from your aerating faucet. If you can see color through a clear drinking glass, then that means there is something unpleasant in your water that shouldn’t be there. Light orange to red means that it is probably rust. Yellow could be organic material or sediment. If you see little black flecks, this means a gasket is breaking down somewhere along the line.
Water residue is something many of us are very familiar with and is usually the result of hard water. This is when there is an excessive amount of minerals in your water that are usually native to the rocks in your region which make up the natural aquifers. Hard water is not usually dangerous to drink but it wreaks havoc on your hair, skin, and the time it takes to clean everything.
4) Your Garden or Houseplants are Unhealthy
If there is one clear sign that there are unnatural and unhealthy additives in your water, it’s the response of your houseplants and flowerbeds. Plants are very sensitive to what is in their water and sometimes even normal ‘safe’ city water can hurt them due to excess chlorine and fluoride. However, if a white crust is forming on top of the soil or even your heartier plants are showing signs of unhealth, it’s time to consider a filtration solution.
5) Your Children Don’t Want to Drink It
Just like your taste buds, your children are also able to subtly detect when something is unhealthy for them. If your kids normally drink bottled water or water from other locations without complaint but for some reason won’t drink your home tap water, this is a very clear sign that something is wrong. Like plants, children’s smaller growing bodies are more sensitive to unhealthy water contents and their refusal should be a clear signal that you should at least get your water tested.
6) Family Health Problems Since You Moved In
Finally, remember that if you have recently moved into a home within the last year, new health problems in the family could easily be a result of the new environment. Headaches, allergy problems, rashes, itching, and even mood disorders can result from environmental factors. The two most common causes for a sudden wave or growing collection of shared family health problems are mold in the walls or contaminants in the tap water. Get your home tested for both in order to take swift protective action.
Does your home need a water purification system? If your taste buds, eyes, houseplants, or children are showing clear signs of something amiss with your tap water, the answer is most likely a resounding “Yes”. For more information about installing a whole-home filtration solution, contact us today!
