What is a Water Filtration System (and Does Your Home Need One)?

A water filtration system is any system that filters unwanted particles or pollutants out of your water. If you’re in the market for a new filtration system for your home, you’re likely looking to remove unwanted contaminants such as sediment, bacteria, and chlorine from your drinking water.  While most municipal water supplies are safe to drink, water filtration systems still bring huge benefits.  Chlorine, for example, is a necessary evil that ensures the safety of your drinking water but can leave an unpleasant aftertaste and cause skin irritation. Minerals like magnesium and calcium can also accumulate (see our article on hard water), making your home vulnerable to limescale damage. The good news is, a water filtration system can combat all of the most common water purity issues we face here in WA. To understand more about the types of water filtration systems available—and how they work—read on as we explain all.

Types of Water Filter Systems 

Water filtration systems come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with prices to suit any budget. This makes installing a water filtration system for your home simple, but the challenge is determining which is best for your needs. Popular home filtration systems include reverse osmosis systems, undersink filters, rainwater filters, countertop water filters, and whole house filtration systems.  Aside from their form factor, each of these filtration types differs in how they filter the water. Let’s break those filtration methods down a little further. 

1. Reverse Osmosis 

Reverse osmosis systems are perfect for drinking water, offering an incredible 99% purity level by removing calcium, chlorine, magnesium, fluoride, dissolved solids, mineral salts, bacteria and other unwanted contaminants.  Reverse osmosis systems work through a naturally occurring process—osmosis. Water is forced through the microscopic pores of a semipermeable membrane, which is small enough to prevent the majority of bacteria from passing through, leaving you with incredibly clean drinking water.  Some customers worry that reverse osmosis systems remove too many minerals (the type that are actually good for us). As a result, we created our own reverse osmosis filtration system with a remineraliser to reintroduce the optimal percentage of these minerals back into the water.

2. UV Sterilisation Filters 

UV sterilisation is another incredibly effective water purification method. As the name suggests, these systems use an ultraviolet light to remove contaminants from untreated water, with electromagnetic radiation killing a whole host of bacteria and other materials.  Here at Complete Home Filtration, we use UV sterilisation in our rainwater tank systems. This provides a chemical-free water treatment solution for homeowners who have their own water tanks rather than relying on town water. While offering an effective solution to kill contaminants (hence its popularity for treating both well water and surface water), UV disinfection doesn’t actually remove the inorganic compounds themselves, requiring a secondary filtration system. However, these UV systems compensate by being simple to maintain and providing a cost-effective, long-term solution for cleaner drinking water

3. Activated Carbon Water Filters

Another common home filtration method is activated carbon. Activated carbon filters work by binding together toxins within the water, absorbing any contaminants to rid your water of chlorine and other harsh chemicals. Carbon filters are effective at reducing odours, bad tastes, and other particles in water because they are porous and have a large surface area. Consider them like a parking lot, with each pore serving as a parking space for any contaminants that pass through. The more contact time the water has with the carbon filter surface, the more effective the filtration.

A solution for every home 

Whether you choose to go with a small filter or a larger, whole-house unit, there are water filtration systems to suit every home—and every budget.  When it comes to keeping your system working as efficiently as possible, proper maintenance is always key. Your filtration supplier will offer specific advice to care for your specific model, but generally, you should make routine filter changes every 6 to 12 months. However, this may be more frequent if you live in an area with hard water, or if there’s more sediment and particles in your water. To find out more about our water filtration systems and choose a size, price, and filtration method that suits your needs, contact our team today!