“My girl and me just bought a new place but the water well it sucks. Got white buildup and other colors of stuff building up in the sinks and the water kit we bought, that sensafe one on your site, says we got all sorts of problems like metals too. A friend says we need a filter and a softener but I don’t know if they make a all-in-one type filter softener thing… but my girl says we gotta do something, so can you help?”

Thank you for your question Marquis and it sounds to us like you and your girlfriend have a real mess on your hands when it comes to the quality of your water.

Question: Well water or city water?

If well water, then we suggest looking in the phone book for a certified well contractor and having them come out to look at the condition of your well.

If city water we suggest contacting your local water department and requesting the latest copy of their Consumer Confidence Report, an annually published document that discusses how good (or bad) a job the department did at keeping its water quality readings in line with Federal Guidelines.

In either case, certainly get your water tested by a qualified water testing laboratory before investing – and yes, we said investing – in a water filtration and/or water conditioner for your home. Otherwise you may run the risk of purchasing the incorrect unit for your specific water remediation requirements.

In other words you may buy the wrong tool for the job… and that could mean a whole lot of wasted money and continued water quality troubles.

Cost of combination water filter & water softener

Definitely not cheap, but if you have drinking water in desperate need of improvement then investing in a whole house water filter & water softener system such as the Whole House Filter and Anti-Scale Conditioner Combo made by Crystal Quest may make sense.

With pricing for the Whole House Filter and Anti-Scale Conditioner Combo (CQE-WH-02136) starting at around $2,900 you really, really, really want to make certain you 1) Need a water filter; 2) Need a water softener; 3) Know for sure that the unit will correct the specific water quality issues that you have.

Moral of the story?

Not all water treatment options will work in every application so before you plop down your hard earned money, get your water tested by a qualified drinking water testing laboratory. If you cannot locate a local laboratory we suggest you consider using the testing services of an accredited mail-in water testing laboratory such as National Testing Labs.

Interested in removing potential contaminants from your travel-time faucets? We’ve found a device that may come in handy. The Countertop Portable Water Filter touts itself as “ideal for those on the go! Whether taking your family on vacation or going on a business trip, you can enjoy safe and great tasting water anywhere.”

Making use of four separate filter stages to remove unwanted contaminants, the Countertop Portable Water Filter from Crystal Quest claims to remove (or significantly reduce) contaminants including such things as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, chlorine, iron, hydrogen sulfide, lead, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, copper, zinc, organic contaminants, such as chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer (THM’s, benzene) pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC’s), PCB’s, MTBE’s, and many others.

How could a portable unit like the accomplish all those tasks?

Simple: Use ion exchange resin that meets standard NSF/ANSI 61 & 42 and bears the WQA Seal. Then, use GAC (granular activated carbon) and KDF filtration media that meets standard NSF/ANSI 42… and throw in pre and post one micron pads from ISO 9001 approved manufacturers for good measure.

Our opinion? For well under $100 this device should make a great addition to any Summer fun location whose water could use a little… improvement.

How can you tell if your Summer fun spot’s water could use a little improvement?

Simple: Test the water. Did we REALLY have to tell you that? 😛

Some people live in older homes where the plumbing may still contain copper and/or lead pipes. If the water entering those residences has a low pH value, meaning the water is acidic, the possibility definitely exists that the water may corrode the piping and pull dissolved and potentially dangerous amounts of metals into itself.

Maximum Contaminant Levels

For copper, the USEPA suggests that people ingest drinking water containing no more than 1.3ppm (mg/L) of free dissolved copper. Health officials have determined that short term exposure to high levels of dissolved copper in drinking water can cause gastrointestinal distress and that long term exposure can result in liver and/or kidney damage.

When it comes to maximum contaminant level for lead in drinking water, the USEPA set the limit at 15ppb. Routinely ingesting higher quantities of lead in water may result in delays in physical or mental development and in infants and children. Problems with attention span have also resulted. In the case of adults ingesting higher than acceptable amounts of lead in drinking water, kidney problems and high blood pressure have resulted.

Acidic Water Causes Other Problems

Not treating, or correcting the pH of, acidic water can result in costly corrosion problems in plumbing and it may also drastically shorten the life expectancies equipment that uses water such as dishwashers, washing machines, hot water heaters, etc.

Treating Acidic Water

If you have acidic water and wish to treat it, installing a device such as a Whole House Acid Neutralizing Water Filter will help to keep your water’s pH level in an acceptable range.

The Acid Neutralizing Water Filter works by slowly dissolving calcium carbonate into water with a pH level below 6.8. The dissolved calcium carbonate acts as a pH increaser.

According to the manufacturer of this unit, Crystal Quest, the calcium carbonate media in the tank will last approximately 2 to 3 years and the system has a backwash feature to help prevent compaction which would impede the flow of water through the system.

For more information on the Whole House Acid Neutralizing Water Filter manufactured by Crystal Quest, visit the FilterWater.Com web site.

In simpler terms this means we ALWAYS suggest that consumers test their water, or have it tested, before making a purchasing decision.

Consumers have two options when it comes to drinking water testing:

1) Call the Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791 for a list of state-certified drinking water testing laboratories in their area. ( EPA SafeWater Project )

2) Obtain a home drinking water test kit such as the WaterSafe City Water Test Kit drinking water test kit or the SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit from a local retailer or a reputable online vendor such as the Water Test Kit Store, FiltersFast.Com, or FilterWater.Com.

Important Note: While at-home water quality test kits provide reasonable piece of mind when it comes to monitoring the safety and purity of your drinking water, if you have serious reason(s) to suspect your water may have gotten contaminated you will definitely want to have your water tested by a certified drinking water professional.

Common types of water filters?

For most people (on municipal/city water sources) one of three types of water filters will handle their water filtration needs: 1) Carbon block; 2) Sediment; and 3) Multi-Stage.

Conveniently, companies like Crystal Quest, a leading manufacturer of home and drinking water filters manufactures a full line of filters in styles that include countertop, undersink and whole house — each designed to address specific water improvement needs.

Therefore it certainly behooves homeowners to test their drinking water prior to purchasing a water filtration system. Otherwise they run the risk of purchasing too much filter for your drinking water (i.e. wasting money!) or not enough filter for your water quality situation (i.e. still having water quality issues!).