Treating My Drinking Water:
Where should I start?
by Adam Sigler and Jim Bauder
Research Assistant and Professor, Respectively
This article is the second"Water Quality FAQ," in a new online monthly series produced by the MSU Extension Water Quality Program. |
In recent years, drinking water treatment systems for homes have become increasingly popular. The 1999 National Consumer Water Quality Survey found nearly two thirds of Americans use bottled water, treated water, or both. People have many different reasons for deciding to treat their water including health concerns, taste and appearance concerns, and mechanical problemss with pipes and appliances. If you have decided to treat your water here are some guidelines to help you with the process.
Categories of Treatment Devices:
Point of Use (POU) treatment devices are installed on one faucet to treat a sufficient volume of water for drinking and cooking.
Point of Entry (POE) treatment devices are installed on the supply line and treat all water supplied to the house. These systems treat more water than POU systems and generally cost more.
Four Steps to Choosing a Treatment System:
1) Determine what you want to remove from your water.
There is no single best treatment system for all applications. It is important to determine what you want to remove before selecting a type of treatment.
Click here for a table listing some different contaminants and how to recognize them.
2) Find out what is really in your water.
Before investing in a system to treat your water it is important to have a water test done. You can do this yourself through a certified lab or alternatively, some treatment professionals will do a test for you if you are considering purchasing a system from them.
Click here for a list of certified labs in Montana.
Click here for questions about testing private well water quality.
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3) Select the correct type of system.
The table on the right lists the major types of treatment technologies available. Click here for a table listing some of the contaminants each of these systems can remove.
The following two links are to online lists of treatment systems which have been tested and certified.
NSF International Treatment System Certification Page
Water Quality Association Treatment System Certification Page
4) Find a treatment specialist.
Find a treatment specialist to install or consult on installation of a system. The Water Quality Association (WQA) website has a list of companies who are members of the association and have agreed to abide by a set code of ethics. For each company there is also a highlighted list of professionals who have completed additional training and taken certification exams related to water treatment skills. It is important to work with a professional who is farmiliar with your specific type of water quality issues to determine the appropriate equipment for you and to inform you about the required service and maintenance on the system.
