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Photograph of  this antiquated laundry sink with several unsanitary plumbing violations in view.Treatment Methods for Contaminated Water

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about which type of water conditioner system, water treatment system, or water purifier system you should install - how to choose a residential drinking water treatment method and system

This article describes the various options for correcting unsanitary or unsatisfactory drinking water.

Various water treatment methods for contaminated water are reviewed and the pros and cons of each are discussed.

This series of articles explains many common water contamination tests for bacteria and other contaminants in water samples. We describe what to do about contaminated water, listing common corrective measures when water test results are unsatisfactory.

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Water Treatment for Contamination, Hardness, Odors, Sediment, Etc: choices of systems, recommendations

A comprehensive list of water treatment articles is provided here. We discuss water treatment methods and we also include water testing and water correction measures warnings for home owners and especially for home buyers when certain conditions are encountered, with advice about what to do when these circumstances are encountered.

Article Contents:

See WATER TESTS for CONTAMINANTS for advice on using a private well for drinking water.

When is it reasonable, desirable, or actually necessary to install water treatment equipment:

 

Principal Methods Used to Treat or Purify Contaminated Drinking Water

While we distinguish between having to treat water because it is not potable - that is, the water is not safe to drink, and wanting to treat drinking water because of an aesthetic concern like odor, taste, smell, or staining, it is often the case that the equipment used for one purpose can also address the second set of concerns.

Watch out: few if any water treatment or water purification systems can reliably remove all possible water contaminants that may be present in a water supply or may be contributed by contamination of the building's water supply system & equipment. While a "bacteria test" is a good starting point in checking on the safety of drinking water, a check with local water testing labs (and neighbours) can give critical advice about other contaminants that might be present in your water supply and for which tests should be performed.

See WATER TREATMENT RELIABILTY & SAFETY for details.

 

Water Treatment Safety, Reliability & Chemical Safety Warnings

At WATER TREATMENT METHODS TABLE we point out that few if any water treatment or water purification systems can reliably remove all possible water contaminants that may be present in a water supply or may be contributed by contamination of the building's water supply system & equipment.

While a "bacteria test" is a good starting point in checking on the safety of drinking water, a check with local water testing labs (and neighbours) can give critical advice about other contaminants that might be present in your water supply and for which tests should be performed.

Watch out: disinfecting water by bleach, chlorine, or similar methods will not remove other chemical contaminants nor will it reliably remove Giardia in Drinking Water - a review of the health hazards & typical equipment costs for portable and whole house water treatment to remove Giardia cysts from drinking water.

Other treatment steps such as charcoal filtration may be needed for some chemicals, and other treatment methods including ceramic filters can remove Giardia.

See GIARDIA in DRINKING WATER

Drinking water should be tested periodically, at least annually, especially if there is a known contamination issue - to make sure that the well has remained sanitary, or to make sure that the treatment equipment is working properly. Perhaps also to get lucky and find that treatment is no longer needed.

See BACTERIA LEVELS in WATER, INTERPRETATION

A minimum test is to collect a sample of treated water for this purpose. If you also test water collected ahead of the treatment system you can confirm what treatment is needed.

Watch out: Water treatment chemicals can be highly toxic or caustic and should be kept out of reach of children.

And if these watching outs aren't enough,

Watch out: following area flooding or damage from an earthquake, hurricane or other catastrophe, even if community or private wells are back in operating and providing water, do not assume that the water is sanitary and ok to drink until responsible authorities have said so. Even then, local water pipes in a building may be unsanitary and additional cleaning or disinfection may be needed.

If you are looking for camping, portable or emergency use water purification methods,

see DRINKING WATER - EMERGENCY PURIFICATION for a discussion of various methods used to purify water for hiking, campling, and emergency use as well.

In the article above we discuss water treatment, not water testing.


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Continue reading at WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT DISINFECTION or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS

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