Ever wonder what the professionals use for water filtration for their families? Well, today I’m inviting you into my family's home to take a tour of my own water filtration system. Along the way, I’ll be explaining what I have installed, what I don’t have, and why.
WELCOME TO MY HOME!
My wife and I live in cottage country, about 100 miles north of Toronto, on beautiful Georgian Bay. Well water is our home water source.
Unlike water from a municipal source, well water has not been treated. Since water is a natural solvent, it absorbs whatever minerals it comes into contact with while in the ground. This makes the water hard which, in turn, makes your home much more difficult to keep clean and far less efficient than with soft water.
If you've been following along for some time, you know that I ALWAYS recommend having your water tested before doing anything else so you know what you're dealing with. Here's what's in our water!
In our home, we have a Sulphur smell in our water... which is more commonly known as that "rotten egg smell".We also have a hardness of 13, iron at 0.8 ppm, a pH of 6.9, and our Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) are 324 ppm.
Other things to consider when thinking about water treatment equipment are what concerns do the home’s occupants have? How many people use the water at that location?
Since we are empty-nesters, there are only two of us here. Our requirements will be different than a family of 4 or 5, which is why this is important to know.
We actually purchased our home from one of my customers and when I spoke to the previous owners, they had staining from hard water and iron, as well as that horrible rotten egg smell. They also wanted better-tasting drinking water.
When we purchased the house, I wanted to make sure the water would always be bacteria-free. Also, having equipment that is made in North America is very important to me.
This is what we have installed in our own home!
So starting from the pressure tank, we have an older technology Chemical-free Air Birm type system to get rid of the sulphur smell and oxidizing the iron out of the water. It uses a Mazzei and bypass valve to oxidize the water before the pressure tank, then the pressure tank and off-air tank give it contact time and release some of the air before going into the media tank.
I choose this system because it is a well-proven technology that lasts a long time. When it was installed about 9 years ago, it was the best way to get rid of both iron and sulphur.
For new installs, we now recommend FOB/FOC/FOK Chemical-free systems as they are better units and newer technology. This being said, it’s not worth replacing our current system yet because our current system still works great!
Just after the pressure tank, we have an essential Flo by Moenleak detection and water monitoring system. This is something you will hear me talking about on repeat as we went through a huge tornado insurance claim 10 years ago and know the serious damage flooding can have on a home or business - we experienced it first-hand and it was devastating. Since that event, I have made it my mission in life to ensure I do everything possible to minimize the chances of ever having to go through a claim again!
I would highly recommend the Flo by Moen to anyone who is a homeowner, landlord, or property manager. This smart system ensures peace of mind protection against flooding whether you're at home or away and tracks water usage in your home, among other great features.
Learn more about the Flo by Moen system here.
We then have a standard-efficiency HUM Water Softener.Again, no extravagant bells or whistles necessary - just choose a great Made in North America system with the Clack Valve that is super reliable and will last a long time.
From there it goes on to our Made in Canada HUM Water Care Safe Water Ultraviolet disinfection system. This is a 3-stage system removing not only sediment from our water but also herbicides and pesticides. This is important as the UV kills any bacteria in our water. We have a solenoid kit attached to this system so if ever the bulb failed, or power was off, the system is shut down and water is prevented from flowing through the UV until power is restored and the UV light is back on.
Our HUM Water Saver Reverse Osmosis (RO) drinking water system is Made in USA and is a high efficiency 75 gpd because we drink a ton of water! It’s a very high flow system that was chosen since we use lots of water, not just for drinking and cooking, but also in a portable humidifier in the winter. Our RO system has the second tank directly under our kitchen sink with a T that connects to our fridge so we get to enjoy crystal clear ice cubes as well!
Outside the house, all of our outdoor water faucets are untreated water which we use for watering the lawn and gardens. The only exception to this is the faucet that goes into my garage which has treated water that I use for washing my car so we don't get any dreaded water spots!
So that’s my house... what's in yours?
Whether you are on well water or municipal water, choosing the right system can be hard. That's why we're always available to help! Send us an email with all of your questions, concerns, and even the results from your water test, and we'll respond quickly with the best options for your unique situation.
To learn more about water filtration for your family, click up here and I’ll see you there!