The Top Three Things To Consider When Choosing A Home Water Filtration System

Each situation is unique, and the type of filtration that you need for your home will vary depending on a range of factors. In order to ensure you’re on the right track, we suggest looking at the three factors in this article first, but keeping in mind that other considerations – such as your budget – will also play a role in determining what home water filtration system is best for your needs.

1.    Your Main Concern

The first thing you’re going to need to determine when selecting a home water filtration system is the main concern that you’re wanting to combat. This is because physical contaminants require a different kind of filtration to chemical ones, and water that is safe but has an unpleasant odour or taste doesn’t require as much intervention as water that really shouldn’t be consumed without thorough filtration. The main concern you’re looking to address will also impact the scale of the home water filtration system you need, so it’s imperative to lock this down first.

To figure this out, look at the taste, smell and chemical makeup of your water so you can determine whether there are any health concerns that need to be addressed. Figuring out the right system is generally easier if you’re filtering purely to upgrade your water or for sensory reasons, but in many cases, the removal of biological hazards will be what needs addressing first and foremost. A quick water test at your local Irrigear Independent Expert can help with this, so a chat with the team should be your first port of call.

2.    Your Water Source

Once you know what you’re wanting to filter out, it’s vital that you check this against the type of water that supplies your property. This is because different water supplies require different care in order to be of high quality, and, more importantly, safe for consumption.

For example, town water (generally referred to as mains) is almost always safe to drink straight from the tap, even if it can look or smell a little funky at times due to the chemical treatments councils add to their water supplies. Bore and tank water on the other hand, should never be consumed without filtration as they tend to contain organic waste, dangerous bacteria, cysts and viruses.

The Main Threat Your Home Water Filtration System Needs To Handle For Each Water Source:

As noted above, your local Irrigear Independent Expert can assist you in identifying what concerns you’re facing, but as a general rule, each water supply tends to pose the below issues:

Town Water

Chemicals like chlorine – nothing that poses a threat to health, but can present sensory problems.

Tank Water

Organic waste, cysts and bacteria – often hazardous to health if not correctly filtered.

Bore Water

Hardness and salinity issues – can be hazardous to health and appliances if not filtered before use.

3.    The Scale Of The Home Water Filtration System You Want

Home water filtration systems come in two main variants – point of entry, and point of use. Point of entry systems filter water throughout your entire home, meaning you’ll have cleaner, fresher H20 coming out of each and every tap. Point of use systems, on the other hand, focus on treating a specific outlet (often the kitchen sink). The option that is best for your needs will depend on your goals, water source and budget, as well as the type of filtration that you are installing.

Generally, if you’re looking to protect your plumbing and appliances as well as your health, you’ll choose a whole house water filtration system. Alternatively, if you only ever get drinking and cooking water from one tap and don’t have too many issues with sediment, a point of use single tap filtration system could better suit your needs.

It’s also worth noting that point of use home water filtration systems tend to be able to provide a higher level of purity, as they can use smaller micron media and slower filtration processes like reverse osmosis. This means you may want to combine a whole house filtration system with a point of use one if you’re looking to improve all water within your home but also want only the highest quality drinking water.

Choosing a home water filtration system can be confusing, so if you’re at all unsure, your local Irrigear Independent Expert will be more than happy to help. You can find your closest expert via our Store Locator, and they’ll be delighted to design (and install depending on the store) your new home water filtration system.