Your Guide to the Different Types of Residential Water Treatment

The path to high quality water for your loved ones can involve different equipment and treatment methods. The most common forms of residential water treatment are filtration, water softening, and reverse osmosis.

• Healthier, better-tasting drinking water
• Cleaner dishes and clothes
• Extended appliance lifetime
• Ingredient-quality water
• Removes need for bottled water and plastic waste put in landfills

WHAT IS FILTRATION?

Filtration – either mechanical or chemical – is the most common form of water treatment forms make water cleaner, but through different means and for varying types of contamination reduction. It is generally accepted that the best quality of water is produced by using them together.

Mechanical Filtration

• Does not alter the chemical composition of your water; it uses a porous material to filter suspended solids out of the water.
• Filters are rated according to the minimum size of particle they remove, the smaller the pores the more they filter out.
• Antunes Water has pioneered the VZN Ultrafiltration System, which uses innovative technology to removes particles as small as 0.015 microns and reduces sediment, particles, microbial cysts (like Giardia and Cryptosporidium) and cloudiness.

Chemical Filtration

• A specialized filter is used to reduce dissolved contaminants from the water such as chlorine or chloramines, greatly improving safety and the taste of water.
• Chemical filtration changes the chemical composition of your water.
• This method of filtration reduces a wide variety of dissolved contaminants at the microscopic level by absorbing them into the filter.

WHAT IS WATER SOFTENING?

• A residential water softener is usually installed where water first enters your home to treat all of the incoming water.
• Water with greater than seven grains per gallon of calcium and magnesium minerals is considered hard.
• The softener reduces the minerals in water by using resin to exchange ions and regenerates about once per week using a brine solution.
• Hardness can make it difficult for soap to properly clean, leaving behind residue on skin, hair, dishes and clothing.
• It can cause deposits of calcium carbonate to form on heating surfaces causing scale build up and leading to malfunction and failure in appliances.
• Hardness can even clog pipes, valves and screens over time.

WHAT IS REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO)?

• Reverse osmosis is the process of applying pressure to force water through a semi-permeable membrane to reduce contaminants.
• Most reverse osmosis systems include carbon and sediment filters to pre-treat the water by reducing contaminants that could clog the membrane, along with a water storage tank.
• RO is capable of removing up to 95% of the dissolved solids in the water, resulting in extremely pure water on the molecular level.
• Many RO systems will then have one final post-membrane carbon filter to polish the water before it is used.
• Reverse osmosis systems are installed under your counter and the ideal choice for supplying extremely pure, healthy, and better tasting water for drinking and cooking in your kitchen.

Antunes Water now offers VZN Ultrafiltration, a residential five-stage Reverse Osmosis System as well as Water Softener Systems. To achieve the highest level of water quality for you and your family, it is recommended that all three types of water treatment systems be utilized.

To ask the water experts about the best way to treat your water, contact us today.