Municipal water treatment systems are required to provide safe drinking water for customers, but you can install a drinking water system in your own home. A home water treatment system can often remove the chlorine taste from tap water as well as protect against contaminants that could come from leaking or damaged pipes. Many types of water systems are available, but they usually consist of a few common features.
Activated Carbon Filter
Most home water treatment systems include an activated carbon filter. Manufacturers treat carbon with oxygen to form granules with lots of nooks and crannies. According to an article in Boston.com, a single gram of activated carbon can have up to 1,500 square meters of surface area. When water flows over activated carbon, it attracts impurities in the water to adhere to its surface in a process called adsorption. Activated carbon is excellent at removing chlorine, organic compounds, and other substances that can alter how your water tastes and smells.
Ultraviolet Disinfection
A water filter can remove many types of suspended particles from your drinking water, but filters are generally not fine enough to remove bacteria or viruses. An ultraviolet disinfection system can ensure that any biological contaminants in the water supply cannot reproduce and quickly die off. Heavy doses of ultraviolet light sterilize any microorganisms in the water, and their short life cycle quickly renders the water sterile and safe to drink.
Reverse Osmosis
Another popular type of water treatment system is reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis units work on the principle that water will cross a semi-permeable barrier according to the density of dissolved particles. Naturally, water flows from the side with fewer contaminants to the side with more, balancing the solutions on either side. By applying pressure, a reverse osmosis system forces water in the opposite direction, trapping contaminants on one side of the barrier. Reverse osmosis units can remove a wide variety of contaminants, but cannot treat large volumes of water quickly and require holding tanks to provide large quantities of water on demand.
Water Softener
Some water treatment systems also include a water softener. When water passes over minerals underground, it can pick up particles that affect its characteristics. Particularly, calcium and magnesium ions make water "hard," which makes it difficult for soap to lather and can leave scaly deposits on water fixtures. A water softening unit uses charged resin beads to attract these ions out of solution, replacing them with either sodium or potassium.
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