Water treatment is one of the most important issues anyone who owns a home or a business has to deal with. There are 6 commonly used techniques, and it can be helpful to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
Softeners
The hardness of water refers to the presence of minerals in it. Calcium and magnesium are the biggest culprits, and they can make the water cloudy, cause funny tastes, and make cleaning dishes, clothes, and hair more difficult. They also contribute to scaling inside pipes and drains, eventually causing failures, leaks, and even breaks. Water softeners employ an ion exchange process, and they provide whole-building filtration.
Conditioners
Conditioners are meant only to improve the taste of water. This is accomplished by removing specific chemicals, especially chlorine. They do not treat water hardness.
Reverse Osmosis
Dissolving inorganic solids in water, especially salts, can be accomplished by putting pressurized water through a semi-permeable membrane. If you're dealing with visible particles in water, reverse osmosis is a good choice, but the use of a membrane incurs a high cost in terms of consumables.
Activated Carbon
Carbon has a porous structure that many chemicals want to bond with. By installing a bed of activated carbon at the bottom of a tank of water, you can filter out many bad or strong tastes. Activated carbon also requires the replacement of filters from time to time.
UV Light
Ultraviolet light can be used when there are concerns about the presence of bacteria or fungi in water. The goal is to irradiate the water and kill any harmful organisms that may be in it. UV irradiation is a popular choice when dealing with well water and other natural sources. It does not serve to get rid of minerals or chlorine, though.
Distillation
This approach has fallen out of favor over the last century or so because it is energy-intensive. Distillation calls for heating the water until it turns into water vapor. Solids like salts and minerals are left behind because they don't vaporize easily. Gaseous chemicals like chlorine dissipate into the air. Bacteria are killed by boiling. If you need a can't-fail solution and don't care about ongoing costs, distillation is an excellent choice.
Mixed Solutions
Unsurprisingly, many people use a combination of solutions. For example, mineral problems might be treated with a softener stage while taste issues are addressed using a conditioner system.
Share9 October 2019
When it comes to handling yourself in business, things are easier said than done. It can be hard to keep your cool, especially when you are concerned about keeping your employees on task and protecting your bottom line. I wanted to start a blog about business to give myself somewhere to collect my thoughts, and it was really incredible to see what I could do to make things right. This blog is all about creating a stronger, more sustainable business long term, and being able to ward off common business problems. Check out these posts for great information that can help you to live a better life.