Water Filtration: Do You Need It?
Regardless of where you live, it is crucial to have access to clean, usable water within your home. To achieve this, it is often necessary to have some level of water filtration installed. This filtration system becomes even more important when you live in an area with a particularly hard water supply, such as Las Vegas.
The Las Vegas Valley is situated between many beautiful mountains, however the minerals contained in these rocks drain off into the water supply. These, combined with high levels of numerous chemicals, create an extremely hard water. With this being a well-known fact, you would think that most people (if not all) in the valley would have home water filtration systems already in place, however, 97% of these households don’t!
WHAT IS HARD WATER?
Simply put, hard water is any water supply that contains high amounts of minerals and chemicals. These include chlorine, fluoride, herbicides, pesticides, and calcium. In addition, hard water can also be higher in bacteria counts than filtered or even softened water. In Las Vegas, there have been 23 contaminants found, 10 of which exceed health standards and 13 of which are simply present in samples.
HOW HARD WATER AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH
The chemicals that exceed the health guidelines are: bromoform, chloroform, chromium (hexavalent), dibromochloromethane, dichloroacetic acid, radiological contaminants, total trihalomethanes (TTHMs), trichloroacetic acid, and hormones. Of these ten contaminants, nine of them are known carcinogens. In addition to having the potential to cause cancer, these chemicals can cause many other health issues, and even affect the quality of operation of your vital organs, sometimes contributing to heart disease.
HOW HARD WATER AFFECTS YOUR HOME
Hard water can affect more than your body and well-being. It can also take a toll on your plumbing and pipes. An excess of minerals and chemicals within your water can lead to buildups and blockages over time. These can cause clogs in your pipes, making your toilets and sinks less efficient, even to the point of overflowing. These buildups and blockages can slo break off from the pipes and cause abrasions on the interior of your plumbing.
WATER FILTRATION BENEFITS
Now that we’ve explored some of the effects that hard water can have on both your health and your plumbing, it’s pretty easy to see that filtration systems may be beneficial. One of the most noteworthy benefits of having filtered water is being able to avoid these potential health problems, as well as improving your well-being as a whole. Filtered water contributes to you being happy and healthier in general. It also helps to prevent some of the potential plumbing issues that we went over, and can improve the quality and appearance of your tap water.
There are many benefits to water filtration for both your home and your household. If you’re curious about water filtration and want to know your options, contact the experts at Active Plumbing & Air Conditioning! See how filtered water can benefit you today!
