Throughout much of Arizona, homeowners receive water that contains high mineral content. From dry skin and hair to scale deposits in pipes, hard water can cause many issues in your Lake Havasu City home. There are, however, numerous solutions that can reduce the mineral content and provide you with softer water. Reverse osmosis systems are among the most effective options. If you want to reduce your water’s mineral content, consider whole-home reverse osmosis systems.
Understanding Hard Water
Homeowners don’t always need to install reverse osmosis systems to receive soft water. However, most of Arizona has high mineral content, such as calcium and magnesium. If the hardness of your water is higher than 300 ppm, you’ll likely experience the effects of high mineral content.
The signs of hard water include mineral stains on your clothes, low water flow from your pipes, and soap scum after you wash your hands. You may also notice that your skin and hair aren’t as fresh even after you take a shower. You can mitigate these effects with a whole-home reverse osmosis system.
What Is Reverse Osmosis?
Reverse osmosis is a type of filtration process that applies pressure to the water to push it through a semipermeable membrane. Most of the contaminants in the water will be captured by the membrane, which ensures that only clean water remains. The impurities will be flushed away via a waste stream.
Contaminants Removed by Reverse Osmosis Systems
Reverse osmosis systems are among the most effective water filtration solutions on the market. They can filter out everything from dissolved solids and salt to PFAS and chlorine. Most whole-home systems are also outfitted with carbon and sediment filters that can help remove smaller contaminants.
You can get rid of magnesium, calcium, and other hardness minerals with a reverse osmosis system. Keep in mind that filtering water with high mineral content will put more stress on the equipment, which means that regular maintenance is necessary. The only contaminants that reverse osmosis systems don’t remove from the water are viruses and bacteria.
How Reverse Osmosis Systems Work
The amount of contaminants you’re able to remove with a reverse osmosis system depends on the types of filters you use. Every system is equipped with a semipermeable membrane, a sediment filter, and a carbon filter. You can also outfit the equipment with pre-filters and post-filters.
If your whole-home system uses pre-filters, they should be able to remove some of the larger contaminants in the water, such as organic matter and sediment. The remaining filters can get rid of chemicals and dissolved salts, which should improve the taste and smell of your water.
Once contaminants are collected on the filters, they will move out of the system through drainage pipes and a flow restrictor. In most cases, a gallon of purified water results in three to four gallons of wastewater. Depending on the setup of your whole-home system, the wastewater can be collected and retreated.
The clean water will be kept in a storage tank until you request it in your home. If your system contains a post filter, it will polish the water to further improve its taste.
Benefits of Reverse Osmosis
There are many advantages associated with the water that passes through a reverse osmosis system, the primary of which is that most of the mineral content will be removed. Since most contaminants will be taken out of the water, you might experience health benefits from drinking it. Eliminating the potential for scale deposits and other water hardness issues can also extend the longevity of your home’s plumbing system.
If you use a reverse osmosis system in your home, you won’t need to buy as much bottled water, which should promote environmental health. These systems can also help you maintain the efficiency of any appliances in your home that rely on water. You can protect your coffee maker, refrigerator, and dishwasher from damage.
The lack of hard water in your home will be most noticeable when you take a shower or wash your hands. Hard water usually contains a high concentration of calcium, which can increase the dryness and irritation of your skin. If you have dermatitis or a similar skin condition, using hard water raises the potential for a flare-up. Soft water is more beneficial for your skin. It also improves the effectiveness of your soap and detergent, which means that you should be cleaner after taking a shower.
When you use hard water in your home, the minerals might stick to your dishes and clothes. If your dishes aren’t fully clean after you run the dishwasher, hard water is likely the cause. A reverse osmosis system eliminates this problem. Once it’s installed, it might also increase the value of your property. Soft water offers many advantages that could compel potential buyers to offer more. If you properly maintain your reverse osmosis system, it can last for 15-20 years.
Differences Between Whole-Home and Point-of-Use Systems
There are numerous types of reverse osmosis systems that are available for residential homes. If you choose a whole-home system, it will be installed in the area right before the water line reaches the interior of your home. Any water you request through your faucets or showerheads will already be filtered.
In comparison, a point-of-use filter is typically installed under a sink or on the counter. These systems can only filter the water that comes through a single faucet. The purpose of a whole-home system is to treat all the water that enters your home, which means that it will also benefit your washer and other appliances. Small countertop or under-sink filters mainly treat the water you cook with or drink. They won’t limit scale buildup in your plumbing system.
Why You Should Choose a Whole-Home System
There are numerous reasons why you should select a whole-home reverse osmosis system. It’s the most effective type of filtration system if you want to get rid of the high mineral content in your home’s water supply. Whether you use well water or city water, a whole-home system can remove any contaminants before you need to take a shower or do the dishes. The reverse osmosis process can effectively remove around 99% of contaminants, which include everything from calcium and magnesium to lead and asbestos.
Do you believe a whole-home reverse osmosis system is right for you? At Air Control Home Services, our professional plumbers know how to efficiently install any brand of reverse osmosis system. If you haven’t selected a system for your home, we can perform a diagnostic to identify the specific types of contaminants in your water supply. With this information in hand, we can help you identify the reverse osmosis system that’s suitable for your property.
We’ll then connect the equipment to your home’s plumbing system. Our team also offers a wide selection of plumbing services, which include everything from drain cleaning to water heater installation. Call Air Control Home Services today to schedule a reverse osmosis installation for your Lake Havasu City home.
