By now most of us are aware of the fact that lead can be very bad for our bodies as well as our homes. With that being known one of the primary concerns that any homeowner might have is how to remove lead from our tap and drinking water. The answer is easier, and yet more complicated than one might think.
The first concern would be whether or not we are consuming the lead into our bodies and how to prevent that. The first step would then be to test your water and see whether or not it contains trace amounts of lead. Of course, the most reliable way of doing this is to have a professional water test done. Following that, if lead was found in the water, one would want to prevent themselves from consuming it. This could be accomplished by “point-of-use” filters installed at the exit point of the water into the house like faucets and refrigerator water spouts. Assuming you used the correct filters for the job this would prevent the consumption of lead contaminated water. However, lead can be damaging not just to your body, but your home as well.
When lead is in the water traveling through the pipes and appliances in your home it can cause a great deal of damage to your pipes leading to damages and oftentimes very expensive repairs. The best way to prevent this would be to purchase a “point-of-entry” filter instead. These filters condition and purify the water before it ever reaches the pipes inside of your home thus both preventing damage to your property, and more importantly, preventing damage to your body.
Of course, not all filters are created equally and different water filters are designed to purify and condition different contaminants. If the incorrect filter is purchased it may not be effective at removing lead from your water thus rendering the purchase ineffective against the contaminant that you are trying to remove from your home water supply.
Luckily there are a few agencies in charge of certifying and approving water conditioning equipment before it can be sold to a customer. It is important to always check for certifications from either the WQA or the NSF before purchasing any filter or conditioner. It is also very important to check and make sure that the filter or conditioner you are purchasing is certified for the specific contaminants you are seeking to remove from your water.
Of course the most reliable way to select equipment is to have a recommendation from a professional. It is always wise to have a water test performed to see if there is any lead in your water and if so, to what extent. Following that the person performing the test, should they have the correct licenses, will be qualified to recommend a good system for filtering the lead or other continents from your water.
