One of the most common questions we're asked as water treatment professionals is, "Is my water safe to drink?" The answer usually depends on your definition of 'safe' and the specific situations regarding your environment and location.
If you are asking if the water is potable, meaning it meets all Federal standards for drinking water in the United States, then yes, it probably is safe to drink. However, with more than 2.1 billion people lacking safe drinking water in the world, it's essential to be aware of the common issues you can face in your home and how you can ensure you're drinking safe water.
There are many different sources of water issues that can occur at home. While there may be circumstances including broken pipes, leaky faucets, or other severe damages to your plumbing system or appliances, these are not the most concerning problems you might find with the water in your home.
In general, if your home's water smells or tastes bad, poor water quality likely is to blame. Whether you have a private well at home or are on the city system, there are many potential causes of poor water quality.
One of the more common water issues in many homes is bad-tasting or smelling water. While this might be caused by the build-up of sediment or minerals, it can also be due to levels of chlorine being too high in your home's system. Regardless, bad-tasting water doesn't help to encourage you to drink or use your house water.
If your water has a foul or unpleasant smell, it usually means something is wrong with the quality of the water. A rotten egg smell might indicate high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide in the water, leading to serious health problems if consumed over long periods of time.
Depending on where your home is located, there may be a lot of different contaminants in your drinking water. Some common pollutants that might affect the quality of your water at home include:
Lead – While lead contamination has been largely eliminated from our country's drinking water supplies, lead piping and solder remain an issue for many homes. If you have old plumbing or appliances with lead components, it's essential to know that this can cause serious health issues with extended exposure.
Water Hardness – Many areas of the country have high concentrations of minerals in the water, including calcium and magnesium. This is commonly referred to as 'hard' water, which can cause many different problems, including clogged pipes, soaps not lathering, and spotting on your dishes.
Iron – Iron is another common water issue and can cause yellow or rusty-looking staining in sinks and tubs as well as a metallic taste to the water. While large concentrations of this mineral might do more damage than good, many people actually prefer drinking 'soft' water, which has a lower concentration of minerals than 'hard' water.
The biggest problem with water bottles is that it takes up to 450 years for a typical disposable plastic bottle to degrade. And while they are usually recycled after use, many of them still end up in landfills across the country. So while you might use water bottles as an alternative to tap water, the truth is that it takes a lot of natural resources to produce these plastic bottles.
Better And New Way To Ensure You Have Safe Drinking Water At Home
If you're worried about the safety of your water, you're not alone. Thankfully, with the iSpring line of water dispensers, you'll never have to worry about the quality of your water again! With our filtration system, you'll not only get high-quality drinking water but also enjoy other benefits such as greater health for your family and better-tasting food. Here are a few of our new favorites:
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