Before water gets to your taps, it has stuff in it, like sediment and bacteria. To make water potable and safe, the city treats it to make sure it won’t make people sick. And if you’re on well water, your water passes through a screen (at the very least) so you don’t end up with sediment in your sink.
But safe drinking water may not taste good, smell good, be good for washing, or treat your plumbing well. It may leave stains in your sinks and toilets, taste metallic, or leave your hair feeling brittle and your skin dry. This is why exploring water treatment options, like whole-house filtration or water softening, is important.
Water Filtration Systems
Water filtration systems remove contaminants from your water. There are a variety of different filters to remove bacteria, chemicals like chlorine and pesticides, and heavy metals. Water filtration systems also remove particles such as sand and silt from your water.
Whole-house water filtration systems are a great option since they filter water as soon as it enters the home plumbing system, instead of relying on filters fixed to individual taps.
If you’re worried about paying to filter water that’s going straight to the yard, your technician can install a bypass system for outdoor water use.
Water Softening Systems
Our lead plumber, Travis Justice, says the water in Thurston County has high levels of iron that can cause red stains in your sinks, toilets, and tubs. High iron levels can also, over time,
damage copper pipes by causing pinhole leaks that shorten the life of your plumbing. Some of our water also has high levels of manganese, which is responsible for the sulfur (“rotten egg”) smell of some water and black stains on ceramic and other surfaces.
A water softener can correct these problems by drawing these metals and others, like magnesium and calcium, out of the water (elements that make water hard) and replacing them with sodium. This helps your plumbing last longer, decreases further staining and scale buildup, and makes your water smell and taste better. Water softeners also correct the water pH, which makes water gentler on hair and skin and significantly decreases the amount of soap and detergent you need for bathing, laundry, and dishes.