How a Water Filtration System Can Protect Your Home’s Plumbing
Your home’s plumbing system faces a number of threats due to the potential presence of various minerals and chemicals in the water. A popular solution is to install a water filtration system. However, you might wonder whether filtration is worth the investment to protect your home’s plumbing.
The good news is that a water filtration system, especially a whole-house solution, is a great way to address such problems. However, homeowners do need to understand the specific challenges and how they align with particular solutions.
What Damages a Plumbing System?
By some estimates, 85% of American homes face plumbing issues related to filterable things in their water supply.
The most common culprits are:
- Mineral buildup
- Chemical corrosion
- Sediment abrasion
- Combined effects of these three problems
Mineral Buildup
You may have heard the term “hard water.” When people refer to hard water, they’re talking about mineral buildup. All water supplies contain minerals from various sources. Many regions of the country have specific minerals that are common in the naturally occurring fresh water supply. Here in Pompano Beach, FL, for example, we often find calcium and magnesium in our customers’ water supply due to the geographic region’s considerable limestone formations.
Even in regions that have soft water, there are still minerals present. These minerals collect along the walls of your plumbing system’s pipes. As they do, they tend to narrow the pipes. This constriction changes your home’s water pressure. It can also eventually cause pipes to blow out, especially if they already suffer from corrosion.
Minerals in water affect taste, too. Many minerals impart a cloudiness or color to the water that’s unpleasant. Dissolved and invisible minerals even affect how water performs for cooking. Some minerals prevent detergents from working as well, keeping your clothes from getting as clean as possible.
Chemical Corrosion
Chlorine and chloramines are common in municipal water supplies. On balance, this is a good thing because it prevents outbreaks of nasty pathogens that cause diseases like cholera, dysentery, and typhoid fever. These are diseases that people in developed countries think of as things of the past, thanks to chlorine in municipal water.
However, the cost of chlorine in the water supply is that it encourages pipes to corrode. Copper and steel pipes suffer particularly. However, even plastic pipes suffer damage to seals, O-rings, and flexible supply lines.
You will also see similar damage to:
- Toilets
- Faucets
- Washing machines
- Dishwashers
- Water dispensers
Sediment Abrasion
Fine sediment in water comes from sand, silt, rust, and dirt. These are present in main water sources, but they also come from the insides of municipal water pipes and even your home’s plumbing. Over time, sediment abrasion triggers microscopic leaks in pipes and fixtures. Sediment can also clog aerators, reducing efficiency.
Combined Effects
Combined effects from minerals, chemicals, and sediment can accelerate plumbing system damage. For example, corrosion may develop inside a pinhole from sediment abrasion. This can cause a microscopic crack to widen quickly, leading to a potentially major leak. The result might be thousands of dollars in water damage.
Understanding Types of Water Filtration Systems
Some filtration methods react to things in the water. Others simply collect particles. Also, certain systems work better for handling specific problems.
Water Softeners
A water softener removes calcium and magnesium from the water. A tank with resin beads coated in sodium ions attracts calcium and magnesium ions based on their charge. This sequesters the minerals in the tank, allowing you to remove them when you replace the exhausted beads.
Physical Filtration
Physical filters trap sand, silt, rust, and dirt particles in a mesh. This keeps sediment from abrading your home’s plumbing system. More aggressive systems use fine membranes that can filter very small particles.
Activated Charcoal Filters
Activated charcoal is a good way to remove chlorine and many other chemicals from water. This is the method present in most drinking water pitchers with filters, for example. Activated charcoal is a good way to remove many chemicals that cause unpleasant odors or tastes in your drinking water.
Point-of-Use vs. Point-of-Entry
The placement of a water filtration system determines how much it protects your home’s plumbing. For placement, there are two options: point-of-use and point-of-entry.
A point-of-use filter only protects the systems immediately connected to it. The classic example would be an under-the-counter filter for your kitchen sink. It protects the faucet and cleans your sink water. However, it doesn’t protect any of the incoming plumbing lines.
Generally, point-of-use is best for households with limited issues. If you don’t particularly like the taste of your home’s water, then a point-of-use system might be best.
Point-of-entry filtration provides the broadest possible coverage. A point-of-entry system usually sits at the main water connection, just past all the water company’s gadgets that handle pressure regulation and metering. Consequently, everything past that point has protection.
The point-of-entry approach is especially desirable for homes that have water quality issues that affect pipes, water heaters, or multiple appliances. If you want the maximum protection for your plumbing system, this is the answer.
Point-of-entry filtration is a superb way to ensure that your plumbing system operates as efficiently as possible, too. Reducing buildup tends to keep washing machines, dishwashers, and water heaters in better shape for longer. This saves you money by reducing utility bills.
Benefits of Water Filtration
Water filtration reduces repair costs by keeping fixtures, pipes, and appliances working longer. Likewise, filtered plumbing systems generally have fewer emergencies, and that reduces the risk of very expensive repairs. Scale-free systems are more energy efficient, too. Many appliance warranties and even some home insurance policies won’t cover damage from hard water or corrosion, either.
Testing
Testing is critical to match your water filtration to your home’s needs. Our plumbers can test your water to see what issues are present. We can then recommend specific filters to address all your concerns. In some cases, a multi-stage filter may be necessary to remedy several co-occurring issues.
Rely on Pensacola Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
If you believe your home requires a water filtration system, Pensacola Benjamin Franklin Plumbing can help you find the right solutions and help maintain your system . We are known as the punctual plumbers. If there’s any delay, it’s YOU we pay. Contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing right away to learn how to add a water filtration system to your Pensacola, FL, home.
