Benefits of Carbon based Whole House Purification for Municipal (Town) Water
A properly installed and well maintained whole house water purification system should be considered an important part of a smart, proactive approach to wellness & illness prevention. In addition to the vast array of unknown compounds found in municipal water, most municipal water systems are treated with either Chlorine or Chloramine designed to kill all living organisms in our water. This chlorination process has unintended consequences: chlorine disinfectant byproducts or CDB’s which are present at some level in all municipal water supplies. These chemicals, of which over 600 have been discovered, known as Trihalomethanes (THM’s) are many times more toxic than chlorine. According to the CDC, transdermal absorption and breathing of released chlorination byproducts occurs every time we bathe or shower. Some studies have estimated that during a 20 minute hot shower, our exposure is similar to drinking two gallons of chlorinated water. These chemicals are absorbed through the skin and lungs directly into our bloodstream. This is just one example of the importance of having a proper whole house purification system. A whole house system will remove these chlorination byproducts from all the water entering your home, including bathroom/shower. Shower head installed filters simply don’t work as there is not enough “contact time” with the carbon media to remove most chemicals.
Carbon Based Systems for Homes on Municipal (Town) Water
Water purification systems for whole house applications use various forms and types of carbon. The carbon can be in extruded block cartridges, granulated filled cartridges or granulated and loose in floor tanks. Activated coconut shell carbon is the most common and cost effective type used for water filtration. There are hundreds of types of carbon processed to capture specific pollutants such as lead. A single teaspoon of granulated activated carbon has the surface area of a football field. Thousands of chemical pollutants can be captured by carbon based water filtration technology leaving your water purer, fresh tasting and safe to shower and bathe in.
Wall mounted cartridge type systems
Wall mounted cartridge type systems such as our popular Italian made TWQ-3000 Whole House Water Purification System ( shown here ) are designed for general use cartridges as well as a variety of specialized cartridges. With this system we can target specific water contaminants such as lead, chlorine, chloramines. The housings are standard sized and non proprietary 4.5″ X 20″ cartridges. You will avoid single source, proprietary design, replacement cartridges for your water filter system. Because the size is industry standard you will be able to have any company you choose service your system or service it yourself. Proprietary type cartridges always use excessive amounts of plastic to create their product and are far less ” green ” than standard sized non proprietary counterparts. You will benefit not only from more competitive pricing, but also by being able to upgrade your filtration system to improved purification technologies from a variety of makers as they become available.
Backwashable Carbon Filter Floor Tank Systems
For larger homes with high water usage, backwashable floor tanks are often the appropriate solution. Wall mounted systems are less expensive but will restrict the flow of water needed in larger homes. Specially designed for either chemically treated municipal water or well water, these filters contain large volumes of loose carbon media. Tanks are sized to your homes water usage as well as pipe size at the water main. Tanks are usually 2/3 filled with carbon media such as G.A.C. (granulated activated carbon), coconut shell carbon and other types of carbon. Raw water flows downward through the media and up through a central tube to the homes piping system. Automatic timed backwashes are necessary to agitate the media which prevents channeling of water unevenly through the media and lowering its effectiveness. This backwashed iwater is directed to an interior drain or to outdoors. These systems are more complex and require additional plumbing work when compared to wall mounted cartridge systems.
Delivery and Installation
All whole house water purification systems must be installed by a licensed plumber and be inspected by your local plumbing inspector. We can use our own associate plumbers or we are happy to work with your plumber. Our systems are always installed with a bypass valve set up. This allows the system to be taken off-line and serviced without interrupting water to the home. Our systems are typically installed in two phases. First any old systems are removed and properly recycled by True Water Quality staff, then strong, prepainted wall mounting boards are secured. After this all tanks, valves and other components are installed by True Water Quality staff. Next (typically the following day) the new system is tied into your home’s water system by a licensed plumber. Finally, when all work has been completed to code, the town’s plumbing inspector visits the home to inspect all completed work and sign off on the plumbing permit.
At TWQ we pride ourselves on the quality of our installations, all basement installations get properly prepared including pressure treated wood stringers “hammer drilled” to your home’s foundation.
All installations are made secure to ¾ sustainably harvested plywood that is pre-painted with 2 coats of special paint.
No other installer in the Eastern Massachusetts comes close to the level of workmanship in every one of our installations