Treatment Systems
Installing a drinking water treatment system will make your well water aesthetically pleasing and safe to drink. You should consult with a water treatment company to see which type of system is best for your water quality issues at your home or business. Below you will find information describing drinking water treatment systems that are available on the market.
For each water treatment system to remain effective, it must be installed, operated and maintained as instructed by the company that makes the system. In water treatment, there are no shortcuts!
Uses: Kills all microbes by heat.Removes heavy metals and nitrates. Often used in combination with activated carbon filters.
Limitations: Can remove only chemicals (e.g., fluoride, iron, nitrate) with a higher boiling point than water.
Comments: Needs regular de-scaling and weekly disinfecting with bleach or heat. Can concentrate chemicals (with boiling points lower than water) in distilled water (e.g., ammonia).
Uses: Kills bacteria and viruses.
Limitations: Needs filtration to remove microbes embedded in dirt particles, including parasites.
Comments: Needs very fine (5 micron pre-filter), slow water flow, and UV lamp must be kept clean.
Uses: Kills bacteria and viruses. Can be used to remove some forms of iron, as long as water is filtered after chlorination.
Limitations: Needs filtration to remove microbes shielded or embedded in dirt particles, including parasites.
Comments: Needs careful handling of chlorine, testing of chlorine levels, and maintenance of dosing pump.
Uses: Kills most microbes, but not cryptosporidium. Removes organic compounds, including pesticides. Can be used in combination with activated carbon filters.
Limitations: Needs filtration to remove microbes embedded in dirt particles, including parasites.
Comments: Varies in effectiveness depending on application and manufacturer. Contact local public health unit for more information.
Uses: Remove small amounts of some chemicals. Used for removing tastes and odours, and reducing trace levels of organic chemicals (e.g., pesticides).
Limitations: Are not suitable for removing minerals, or larger amounts of chemicals.
Comments: Must be replaced regularly but hard to know when contactors are exhausted. Can become a dangerous source of bacteria and taste and odour problems.
Uses: Use ceramic candle filters to remove bacteria and parasites, but not viruses. Use other filter types to remove sand, sediment, rust and particles. Use specially rated filters to remove very small particles.
Limitations: Need chlorination in addition to ceramic candle filters to remove viruses.
Comments: Need regular maintenance and replacement for proper operation.
Uses: Removes moderate amounts of iron and manganese.
Limitations: Is unsuitable for removing microbes.
Comments: Is not easy to operate or maintain. Needs regular backwash and periodic reactivation with permanganate solution and/or bleach.
Uses: Removes nitrates, sulphate, hardness, most microbes, dirt particles and small amounts of some pesticides.
Limitations: Can result in plugged membranes due to hard water.
Comments: Is costly because of need to replace membrane. Needs prefiltration and softening of hard water.
Uses: Reduce hardness that produces lime deposits on dish-washed items, and gives a starched effect on laundry.
Limitations: Are not suitable for removing microbes or most chemicals. Increase sodium concentration in treated water.
Comments: need periodic replacement of softener salt and disposal of concentrated salty water.