What is the water quality?
When you turn on the faucet in your home, you expect to get clean, clear, drinkable water. With all the modern technology we have available to us today, you would think proper and thorough water treatment would be the standard to give us the best water quality possible. Unfortunately, that isn’t necessarily the way it is in many places, and especially in other parts of the world.
The definition of “water quality” is the description of the water including the biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of the water regarding the suitability for a described intention. Meaning, that even though scientific measurements are utilized to define water quality, it doesn’t mean that it can be determined whether water is good or bad without clarifying what the water will be used for.
If it is to be used for washing cars, it may be perfectly suitable. However, if it is to be used for bathing, cooking, and drinking, it may not be the best quality. It is that proper and thorough water treatment becomes necessary.
Why is it important to purify water?
For our everyday living, as we know it today, clean water is essential. We bathe in it; we cook with it; we drink it and wash our clothes in water. There isn’t a day go by that your life isn’t touched by water in some fashion. Therefore, water treatment is important. Because water makes our lives healthier and fulfill our hygiene needs.
Water is a limited natural resource that needs to be chemically treated to remove many types of harmful bacteria and viruses. So, while the tap water that is supplied in our homes may seem clear, it can, and possesses many different health-affecting bacteria and viruses that water treatment removes. Among those bacteria and viruses that need to be removed are:
- Chlorine
- Fluorine Compounds
- Lead
- Mercury
- Pesticides
When water is consumed without proper water treatment and supply to remove those things, it can start serious health issues, individually and in masses. We have known contaminated water to cause the following:
- Cholera
- Diarrhea (estimated over 500,000 annually dies from this!)
- Dysentery
- Polio
- Typhoid
What are the 4 steps of water treatment?
In America, we are fortunate to have safe drinking water, mostly. There are some areas of the country that they have found issues with the water, but overall, most us have safe water, thanks to water treatment policies and procedures.
With the chemicals and toxins we live with these days, that can change, contamination can happen at the source and in the water distribution system. The Federal government has established laws that they require local governments to follow when it comes to making sure our water stays safe. There are minimum requirements for water treatment and accessories and processes used to make sure the water is safe, which we have a general recap of water treatment process here:
Step One: Coagulation & Flocculation
Coagulation is the process of introducing aluminum, ferric sulphate, poly aluminum, and other positively charged chemicals to the water. This neutralizes the negative charges that clay, dirt, dissolved organic products, and solid hold. One this is complete, the micro-flocs form from the small particles binding with the added chemicals.
Next, flocculation occurs, a gentle mixing, which causes the micro-flocs to collide then bond, forming suspended particles. The flocs, which are those particles, grow with extra mixing until they have reached an optimal size and strength before step 2 takes place.
Step Two: Sedimentation
Now the pathogens and suspended matter settle in the bottom of a container, the longer it sits, the more of those solids will give way to gravity and fall to the bottom. Because of the coagulation, the sedimentation process is more effective due to the heavier and larger particles, thus why they sink. This process of sedimentation must continuously happen in large sedimentation basins. This step is low cost and simple, but necessary as a pre-treatment before the next two stages of filtration and disinfection.
Step Three: Filtration
With the floc particles settled to the water supply bottom, the water is clear and ready for filtration. This step passes the physical particles, which comprise bacteria, chemicals, dust, parasites, and viruses.
Charcoal, gravel, and sand are commonly used with sand being used for over 150 years, to remove bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal disorders. This slow filtration blends biological, chemical, and physical processes all at one time.
Step Four: Disinfection
This last stage entails adding a disinfectant to the water supply, such as chloramine or chlorine. The chlorine used in the process of water treatment is not like the chlorine used in swimming pools. It is mono chloramine and has been since the late 1800s and used to eliminate organic matter and oxidize to stop bacteria, parasites, and viruses from spreading through the drinking water. This process also protects the water from germs that it may be exposed to while being distributed through the pipes.
Why is it important to treat the water before sending it to homes?
Water treatment eradicates contaminants and unwanted components or diminishes their strength so that the water is safe to be used. If not for water treatment process, the water could be harmful, even deadly sometimes, to humans.
What is the process of water filtration?
Water filtration is water treatment and separates suspended solid matter from the water bypassing the water through a porous material like asbestos, cloth, cotton-wool, glass-wool, paper, sand, slag-wool or unglazed earthenware.
It is important to understand the difference between water treatment vs water softener, so there is no confusion about what you’re getting when you install a water softener or a water filter system in your home. Water filters remove the contaminants from the water that you’re getting your water supply source (for most of us it is city water or may be from a water co-op).
Water softeners, on the other hand, remove the minerals that cause the water you get from that same source that makes it hard because of minerals and deposits that happen from going through pipes and into your home. Many of the minerals and contaminants come from the water heaters in our homes.
For home use, choose a system for water treatment without salt to get the best results. A salt-free water treatment system crystallizes the calcium and can’t adhere to the water pipe insides. This reduces the buildup of scales in the plumbing. Flow King Rooter can help you find the best water treatment system for your home in St Louis, MO. Call us today at 314-348-7503!