FAQs About Water Treatment Products & Solutions
As abundant and necessary as water is for all aspects of life, when it comes to drinking water, not many people know the details on where it comes from or how best to optimize its quality. And while we here at Water Products & Solutions strive to be Sheridan’s go-to provider for water treatment solutions, we also wish to be an informative resource in our community. Here on this page, you’ll find straightforward answers to help you understand the essentials of water testing, treatment options, and how our services can improve water quality in Sheridan and beyond. Whether you’re curious about the benefits of water softening, need guidance on iron removal, or want to learn more about UV disinfection, we’re here to provide the information you need to make the best choices for your home or business. Dive in to learn more about how we ensure clean, safe water for our Sheridan community. Call our experts at 307-672-7606 or reach out online.
How Is Water Tested?
Water tests vary depending on the specific properties you’re testing for, but generally fall under three categories: testing for physical contaminants, testing for bacterial contaminants, and testing for chemical contaminants. At Water Products & Solutions, we offer a FREE, basic, 7-point water test for residents and business owners throughout the Sheridan area that examines the following properties and components of your drinking water supply:
- Number of dissolved solids
- Iron
- Chlorine
- pH
- Level of hardness
- Hydrogen Sulfide (sulfur)
- Tannins
And while this test is not necessarily comprehensive, it gives us a good starting point. However, certain instances indicate the need for further testing, such as those who rely on well water. Because our basic test does not measure bacterial levels, Sheridan residents who utilize a personal well should consider having their water tested for harmful microorganisms that might be present.
Why Should I Schedule a Water Test?
You should schedule a water test for a few reasons:
- It’s free! The reason we offer a complimentary water test to homeowners and business owners throughout the Sheridan area is so that people will take advantage of the service. We understand how important water quality is for the health and well-being of your family or employees, and we want to provide accessible solutions for those looking to enhance their water supply.
- It outlines next steps for treatment solutions. Water quality impacts more than just your physical health. Poor water quality can negatively affect your plumbing and water-dependent appliances, wear down your clothes, and cause staining on faucets and sinks. A water test will help determine the biggest aggressors so that you can speak with a water professional and determine the best treatment solution for your needs.
- You ensure that your water is safe and suitable for drinking. The truth is, without a professional water test, you can’t be too sure what is or is not present in your drinking water. Scheduling a water test verifies that your water supply is contaminant-free and as healthy as possible, or if it’s not, you learn what steps you must take to get there.
Do I Need a Water Softener (or Other Treatment Solutions) if I Have City Water?
If you want to improve your water quality, investing in a water softener or investigating other treatment solutions could be beneficial. While city water undergoes specific treatment to meet safety standards, it likely still contains traces of minerals like calcium and magnesium – two of the biggest contributors to hardness.
Additionally, city water often contains residuals of chemicals like chlorine, and other contaminants that could impact your water’s appearance, taste, or smell. In these cases, treatment solutions like reverse osmosis or other filtration systems can remove those impurities and enhance your overall water quality.
Ultimately, whether you need a water softener, a purification or filtration treatment system, or both, depends on your specific water supply which can vary from household to household – even within the same region. The only way to get a clear picture of the factors affecting your drinking water is to have it professionally tested.
Are You Affiliated With Culligan Water?
We are not. While we once worked closely with Culligan, as of 2005 Water Products & Solutions has been our own distinct company.
What Is the Difference Between Water Filtration & Water Purification?
While both water filtration and purification are methods to improve water quality, the physical process is different:
- Water Filtration: Utilizing filters made from different materials like ceramic and activated carbon, water filtration aims to remove particulate matter from a water supply by trapping larger impurities. These contaminants often include things like sediment, dirt, rust, chlorine, and more. Filtration is good for improving water properties like taste, odor, and color, but does not eliminate things like harmful microscopic organisms or dissolved solids.
- Water Purification: Purification, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive process that is designed to remove a wider range of contaminants including bacteria, certain chemicals, dissolved substances, and viruses. Purification methods like reverse osmosis and UV disinfection target microorganisms and contaminants that filtration alone might miss, rendering it an effective treatment option for instances when a higher level of water safety is required.
In short, filtration improves basic water quality by removing larger particles and enhancing taste, while purification provides a more thorough cleansing by eliminating potentially harmful pathogens and dissolved contaminants. Depending on your needs, you might choose one or both methods to achieve the desired water quality for your home or business.
What Are the Signs of Poor Water Quality in My Home?
Poor water quality can present in a variety of different ways, but usually impact the water’s physical properties like smell, taste, and color. If you notice any of the following signs, you might have poor water quality:
- Unpleasant Taste/Odor: Water that tastes or smells metallic, bitter, salty, or like rotten eggs is a huge indicator that your water quality is substandard and might contain certain contaminants or mineral imbalances.
- Cloudy or Otherwise Discolored: If your water is looking murky, cloudy, or tinted, it might contain sediments, rust, or other organic matter contaminants.
- Residue or Scale Buildup: Hard water contains high levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium that build up over time and create mineral deposits. These can present in the form of white spots on clean dishes, chalky film on faucets and drains, and limescale buildup on appliances.
- Brittle Hair and Dry Skin: Water with high chlorine content or certain minerals can leave skin feeling dry and itchy and make hair feel dull, brittle, or unmanageable.
- Staining on Sinks or Laundry: Reddish, brown, or blue-green stains in sinks, tubs, or on clothing can signal the presence of iron, manganese, or copper in the water.
How Effective Are Whole-House Filtration Systems?
Whole-house filtration systems are incredibly effective and an excellent way to have complete control over your entire water supply – not just for cooking and drinking. By installing a whole-house treatment system such as a water softener, you don’t have to worry about things like your pipes and plumbing or water-dependent appliances suffering from excessive mineral buildup or staining in or around your bathtubs, sinks, toilets, and more. As long as you maintain your water system and ensure it receives regular service and filter changes, a whole-house water filtration system is an excellent investment.
However, to receive the best quality drinking water, point-of-use filtration and purification systems are a great supplement. While a whole-house system can soften hard water and remove some of those bothersome minerals, a point-of-use system can further reduce impurities and improve water’s taste without needing to travel through the whole house first.
What’s the Difference Between a Whole-House Water Filter & a Point-of-Use System?
Like the names suggest, a whole-house water filter is a treatment system that is installed at the source of your water supply – be it municipal or well. Whole-house systems are designed to treat all water that comes into a home, not just that which you plan to drink.
Alternatively, a point-of-use system is installed where people dispense water intended for drinking, such as the kitchen. This kind of water treatment ensures you have safe, enjoyable, and refreshing water to drink, but does not treat the water that flows through the rest of your house.
Can Different Water Products & Treatment Methods Be Combined?
Absoltuely. Water treatment is not a one-size-fits-all solution and often to receive the best quality, most refreshing, and healthiest water possible, more than one system is needed. This is especially true because different products and treatment systems address different problems.
If you have well water, for instance, and a water test shows that there is bacterial presence in your supply, the best way to ensure all harmful microbes are eliminated is through UV disinfection. However, while this method does a great job at killing off microorganisms, it does not remove other contaminants like chemicals, sediment, and other larger particles. Thus, to make sure your water is the cleanest and safest it can be, you might also consider something like reverse osmosis or an activated carbon filtration system that work to eliminate those other impurities.
Can I Install a Water Softener Myself?
We don’t recommend it. Though it may seem like a simple procedure, ensuring everything is in the right place and set up the the right way is often much more complicated than it looks. And with something as important as the water that flows through your home, it’s best to leave the installation and setup of all water treatment systems to the professionals. Not only does that give you one less task on a to-do list, you can rest easy knowing that everything will be properly installed and ready to use from the start.
Water Products & Solutions: Sheridan’s Trusted Partner in Water Treatment
We hope this FAQ page has answered at least some of your questions about water quality and treatment solutions. At Water Products & Solutions, we’re dedicated to providing Sheridan residents and businesses with safe, reliable water through customized treatment options and expert guidance.
Whether you’re dealing with hard water, need advanced filtration, or want to ensure your family has the cleanest water possible, we’re here to help. If you have additional questions or are ready to explore treatment options tailored to your needs, reach out to our team today. Let us partner with you in achieving the best water quality for your home or business
The team here at Water Products & Solutions has been serving the Sheridan area for over 30 years; experience our premier services by calling today.