Your drinking water can be purified and conditioned several ways, including by filters and water softeners. Water purification devices such as filters employ several processes to reach the same result: water free of contaminants such as bacteria, parasites and toxins. What gets filtered out of your water depends on the type of purification system used, as well as what is present in the water in the first place. Devices that condition water, on the other hand, reduce the hardness of your water by chemically replacing minerals such as calcium and magnesium.
Significance
Home water sources contain contaminates that need to removed in order for your water to be safe. You should always keep up on water quality reports in your area so you are aware of any potential concerns. Even if your water is not contaminated, perhaps you just prefer the taste of filtered water. Either condition is reason enough to research water purification devices to find out which is best for you. According to the National Science Foundation, if you have identified a contaminant in your water, look for products that are certified to filter out the particular contaminant you are concerned about. If you are only interested in taste, you might need to try out a few products before you find exactly the result you're looking for.
Features
Both chemical and physical processes are involved in cleaning and conditioning your water with a purification device. A carbon filtration tap device, for example, physically blocks contaminants that are larger than water on a molecular level from passing through the filter and coming out of your tap. One example of a chemical process is that of adsorption. During adsorption, the filtration media causes the contaminates to release their molecular bond with your water and chemically bond with the media instead. Examples of physical water purifiers are screens, filters and reverse osmosis, which is a membrane separation technique. Chemical water conditioning and purification devices include water softeners and distillers.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis water treatment devices use water pressure to reverse the flow of water through a semi-permeable membrane from a more concentrated brine solution to a more dilute solution in order to remove contaminants. Reverse osmosis technology is often used for large scale purification, but home devices are available as well. This form of water treatment is capable of removing fine particles, metal ions and aqueous salts. Most reverse osmosis devices also employ a filter at some point in the purification process.
Water Softeners
Water softeners are different from most other water treatment techniques because they primarily address reducing the hardness of your water. Hard water can be an issue for household appliances, such as a water heater, because of mineral buildup. The minerals in hard water also combine with soap to form soap scum, which makes cleaning with hard water difficult. Water hardness is caused by an abundance of calcium and magnesium ions. Water softeners reduce these mineral ions replacing them with sodium, potassium, or other positively charged ions. You might also hear water softeners called ion exchangers. Softened water is safe to drink, according to North Dakota State University's agriculture department, though you should be cautious if you are concerned about sodium intake for health reasons.
Filter Systems
Filter systems are one of the most common purification devices--they can be found in personal water bottles and filter pitchers, as well as faucet mount and plumbed-in filter systems. With a filter system, your water flows through a filtration media, usually carbon, which retains contaminates and allows the water to pass through. Many carbon filters go through a multi-stage, or repeated, filtration process in order to ensure all contaminates are removed. The carbon may also contain other substances that will filter your water both chemically as well as physically (References 2). Like all water purification devices, water filters need regular maintenance and replacement.
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