The number of fairly high-profile water contamination cases that have occurred across the country in recent years means that water quality is really something we all should pay more attention to. Your local water treatment plant is obviously supposed to properly filter and treat the water supply to ensure that it is safe to drink. However, the truth is that, despite the best efforts of local governments, drinking water still often contains contaminants. For this reason, it is important that every homeowner understands the signs of contamination as this will make it easier to determine whether or not your home could benefit from a water filtration system.
Does My Home Need a Water Filtration System?
The most obvious and most effective way to determine whether or not your home needs a water filtration system is to have your water tested. In addition to determining whether or not your water is contaminated, a water quality test will also tell you exactly what types of contaminants are present. This is important as some types of filtration systems only filter out certain types of contaminants, such as bacteria, which means that you might need to choose a system capable of filtering out chemical contaminants if this is an issue.
Signs That You Might Need Water Filtration
Although having your water quality tested is always a good option, there are actually a number of other ways that you can easily tell if your water might be contaminated. Therefore, it is important that you also pay attention for any of the following issues.
Bad Smells. Water isn’t supposed to have a smell, which means that if your water suddenly does smell off it could be a sign that it’s contaminated.
Funny Taste. Although the tap water in many locations doesn’t exactly taste great, you’ll still want to be aware for any changes in the taste. In this case, you’ll want to pay special attention that your water doesn’t suddenly taste bitter or metallic as these could be signs of potentially harmful elemental or chemical contamination. If you do notice a taste, stop drinking the water immediately until you can either have it tested or install a filtration system.
Discoloration. Water that is any color except clear indicates that it contains some other contaminants. If your water sometimes turns brown or red, it usually indicates that you have rusty plumbing. However, if you notice any other colors, you’ll need to make sure to immediately seek professional assistance and have your water tested as colorful water is a sure sign of chemical contamination.
Unusually Brittle Hair or Dry Skin. Water treatment facilities use a number of chemicals to treat water and eliminate bacterial and biological contaminants. Unfortunately, these chemicals are not always filtered out properly, in which case they may cause your skin to dry out or your hair to become overly dry and brittle. Therefore, if you suddenly notice either of these issues, it’s a good idea to have your water tested or consider installing a filtration system.
Clean drinking water is one of our most basic needs. Unfortunately, recent events show that you can’t always rely on the government to actually ensure that your water supply is clean and safe to drink. Therefore, it is essential that you pay attention for any of the signs of contamination, and if you do notice any of them, immediately consider having a water filtration system installed.
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