With an aging water infrastructure and breakdowns becoming more common, home water purifiers and filters are increasing in importance. You are the last line of defense against contaminated water. Even "safe" municipal systems contain escalating levels of chlorine, which can make you sick, and may contain contaminants that, while safe, have an unpleasant odor and/or taste. If you start using a home water purifier, however, you can spare yourself the worry about problematic water supplies and start supplying your home with inexpensive bottled-quality water.


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Think about this when considering home water purifiers and filters: more and more today, we hear about critical infrastructure problems, like steam pipes in New York City exploding or bridges collapsing. The reason is simple: most of our infrastructure is at least fifty years old, and was not designed to last forever. The problem is, while collapsed bridges and explosions and floods all create news headlines, the creeping dangers of contaminated water is not dramatic, and will likely not gain much media attention until the problem reaches a crisis level. How can you tell? You may notice that your water smells of chlorine more than it once did, or that a glass of water has a thin layer of precipitants on the bottom after standing an hour. These are warning signs, but they won't warn you of everything, like heavy metal contamination or bacterial contaminants.

Chlorine in your water system? If you don't have home water purifiers and filters to take it out, it's a health risk. Chlorine is an acid, and is added to water because it poisons bacteria. In larger concentrations, chlorine can kill people; releases of chlorine gas can literally melt your skin and lungs. The small amount in municipal water systems will not harm you immediately, but no one has seriously studied the effects of, for instance, evaporated chlorine you inhale in the shower over years. Even if it doesn't harm your health, chlorine dries your skin and may damage your hair. When used in very high levels in city water, it can make you sick.

Contaminated water supplies can be a result of several factors. In older cities, the street water supply is still lined with lead. Most cities are trying to replace this old piping, but it's difficult to find all of it. When municipal supplies come from the ocean or you live in a very densely populated area, you may have water supplies contaminated with mercury and other heavy metals; these are not removed by municipal treatment.

If you're starting to wonder about your own water supply, do some testing. You can get a test kit online or, sometimes, from your city water company to check your household water. Even if you don't find a problem, test annually. Our deteriorating systems, fine today, may not be so fine tomorrow. If you discover your water supply is borderline, it might be time to buy a home water filtration system to eliminate contaminants. You'll be able to stop worrying, and you'll save a fortune on bottled water.