Raising the Standard Episode 53
On episode 53 of Raising the Standard, we are focusing on all things water quality and how to make sure your water is healthy. We cover solutions for getting rid of rust in your water, the best options for filtering pollutants out of the water, and what to look for to diagnose poor water quality in your home. Listen to the podcast above or read more below for water treatment tips for your home.
Well Water vs. City Water Filters
In West Michigan, there is a pretty even mixture of homes that have well water and city water. It doesn’t matter whether you have well water or city water, you should always have a water filter in your home to ensure your water is as healthy as possible. Moreover, there are actually different types of filters your home requires depending on what type of water you have.
City Water Filters
For city water, you need a carbon filter. Basically, city water is treated by adding chlorine to the water to protect it. Let’s use a simple analogy to help homeowners understand how city water is treated. Pretend the chlorine molecule is like a banana peel. And then the banana is the water molecule. So the chlorine is protecting the water as it travels through the pipes to your home, and a simple carbon filter strips that chlorine off as it comes in because you definitely don’t want to drink chlorine in your home. This improves your water quality immensely so you’re able to have healthier water.
Well Water
Depending on where you live, who really knows what is in your well water. There could be some pretty undesirable pollutants in there if you don’t use a filter. Personally, my filter is constantly brown because I pump water out of my backyard so it needs to be changed every month or so. My yard is very sandy so I’m filtering out a lot of sand that comes through my well pump. No matter what type of particles you’re trying to filter out of your well water, most homes using wells water require a simple string filter. A string filter pushes all the water through a string that’s wound around a small plastic tube. It catches all the bigger particles before it goes into your water system.
What Can You Do About Hard Water?
You know you have a hard water issue when you look at your tub and around your faucet and see brown build-up. Another symptom of hard water is if you get water spots on your dishes or if you take a shower and feel dry and itchy afterward. These are all clear indications of mineral deposits in your water. If your water is tinted brown, you probably have an iron problem in your water, which can be filtered out with a simple string filter. However, if the issue is bad enough, then you might want to seek out an iron reduction system. The combination of a filter and a water softener will also help with an iron problem on smaller levels.
How Does a Water Softener Help?
A water softener is fantastic for hard water problems because it uses resin to resolve the issue. With a water softener, you have a tank of salt that refreshes the resin beads that are in the softener. It works its magic by taking all those hard minerals out of your water. So you will notice your suds are more bubbly. Additionally, it takes care of your appliances better. When you’re running hard water through your coffee machine, fridge, etc., it can prematurely cause damage to those appliances. So having a water softener extends the life of your appliances in addition to making your water quality better.
Older Homes: Should You Rip Out Galvanized Piping to Help with Water Quality?
The short answer: Yes, you should replace your galvanized piping in your older home if you haven’t already. If you have galvanized piping, it’s pretty much a sure-thing that you have rust in your water passed on from rusty pipes. Personally, I wouldn’t drink the water out of a galvanized pipe because I took my galvanized pipes out of my home and saw what was inside of them. I actually cut them in half to see what was inside, and they were halfway rusted closed with about half of the diameter consisting of rust buildup. That’s why these types of pipes are outdated and no longer installed.
Is My Water Heater Contributing to a Rust Problem?
An aging water heater that hasn’t been flushed regularly often has rust and sediment build-up in the bottom of it, which does, in fact, contribute to a rust problem in your water. Water heaters should be flushed annually to prevent this. Essentially, to flush your water heater, you run water through it and push some air through it to get that sediment out of the water heater to improve water quality. Here is a great article we wrote that details how you can flush your water heater easily: https://thebossservices.com/extend-the-life-of-your-water-heater/
Benefits of Tankless Water Heaters
At BOSS Services, we provide tankless water heaters that never run out of hot water, preventing cold showers completely. These are also called on demand water heaters, which ensure that you’ll never run out of hot water throughout your whole home. Moreover, we can actually install a point-of-use tankless water heater under your sink so you can get instantly hot water at that sink. For instance, in some homes, the water heater is on the opposite side of the house as the kitchen. This means you could be running your hot water in the kitchen sink for about a minute before you get any hot water. By installing a tankless water heater so close in proximity to your sink, you can get instant hot water and resolve that issue of having to wait for it to get warm.
Questions About Water Quality in Your Home?
Are you unsure about how healthy your water is in your home? At BOSS, we can easily perform a water quality test to see what exactly is in your water and give you custom solutions for how to counteract those problems. Just call us at 269-468-6682 to schedule an appointment. We serve all of West Michigan from as far south as Niles, Michigan to as far north as Grand Rapids as well as Greater Kalamazoo. Thanks for reading – talk to you next week!
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