Category: Water Quality

Why Whole Home Water Filtration Is So Important

Posted on | by American Eagle Plumbing

chemicals, minerals, and microorganisms. And it can be difficult – or downright impossible – to detect some of the most harmful substances that can contaminate water. Read on to find out how every home can benefit from a water filtration system.

Filtered Water Tastes and Smells Better

One benefit of filtered water is that it holds nothing to give it a strange flavor or funky odor. Some people may have had the unfortunate experience of filling a glass from the tap and taking a sip of salty or metallic-tasting water or taking a shower and being overwhelmed by a foul odor of mildew or rotten eggs. Fortunately, in most cases, it’s not quite so extreme. But even a faint taste or smell of something strange in the tap water is enough to kill someone’s thirst. Usually, the presence of minerals or bacteria is responsible for the unpleasantness. A quality filtration system can remove these pollutants and make the water fresh, crisp, and deliciously clean.

Get Rid of Chlorine and Lead

Not all pollutants have much of an impact on the taste or smell of water, but they can still be harmful if ingested or if they come in contact with skin. Chlorine or other disinfectants are often added to a municipal water supply to make it safe for drinking. While it is safe to ingest in low concentrations (4 milligrams per liter is the maximum), chlorine can mildly affect the flavor and smell of water, dry out skin and hair, or even cause irritation. Lead is an even more dangerous contaminant, especially because it’s odorless, flavorless, and invisible to the naked eye. Due to its serious health risks, not even the tiniest concentration of lead is considered safe to drink. The metal most often winds up in a water supply due to outdated plumbing fixtures and pipes, but other circumstances can cause contamination.

Guard Against Harmful Bacteria and Other Pollutants

Residential water supplies may contain other contaminants from various sources. Pesticides and hazardous waste can be carried by runoff water and end up in a water supply. Harmful chemicals can make their way into groundwater and pollute community wells. Certain parasites, viruses, and bacteria can survive the best efforts of water treatment facilities. Utility companies and water systems operators do their best to protect water supplies and perform frequent tests to ensure all municipal water is safe. But they can’t always catch everything, and there’s always a risk of an unexpected contamination event. A quality water filtration system is a home’s last line of defense and makes for a safer, happier household.

About American Eagle Plumbing

American Eagle Plumbing, Inc. has served the Round Rock, TX community with pride since 2009. As a family-owned and award-winning local business, they put safety and service above all else and always provide honest, up-front pricing and personalized solutions. They also provide financing, membership perks, and a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Call now for water filtration service!

What Tap Water Filter Is the Best?

Posted on | by American Eagle Plumbing

Why Should You Get a Tap Water Filter?

Do you really know what is in your drinking water? Most people are largely unaware of what kind of pollutants can actually be found in their water. There is a certain number of particles allowed by the government within tap water, and without a tap water filter, you will be consuming these small amounts of pollutants.

Over time, they can have health effects on you, such as fatigue and headaches from drinking impure tap water. There is also an increased risk of contracting waterborne diseases through bacteria and viruses in the tap water if you do not have a water filter. This article is going to share some tips about tap water filters from plumbing experts.

Pros and Cons of Undersink Water Filters

You can install a water filter under your sink and have a constant flow of clean water whenever you need it. A lot of people prefer under-sink water filters because they are more out of your way than other types of water filters, such as a pitcher filter or a filter that is mounted on the faucet.

Under sink water filters work well in a lot of homes given that there is ample space beneath a counter for the placement of the water tank and purifier. One of the benefits of this system is that you get a lot of clean water at once unlike with a pitcher.

Other benefits include that the installation process for these systems is not terribly complicated and does not take a lot of time, nor will it take up a lot of space when it is done.

Benefits of Faucet Mounted Water Filter

For clean drinking water whenever you need it, a lot of people turn to faucet mounted water filters. These types of water filters can often snap on fairly easily to any existing faucet. The ease of installation, lower price of the filter, and the labor are probably what draws so many people to go with a faucet-mounted water filter for their water purification solution.

One of the negative sides to having a faucet-mounted water filter is that it will sometimes be in the way as you try to do other tasks in the sink. A water filtration system can often have a negative effect on the water pressure of your sink, which is one reason why faucet mounted water filters can be handy. A lot of them allow you to switch back and forth between a filtered and non-filtered flow of water so that you can still have a high water pressure flow for cleaning up in the sink or washing your hands.

The Best Result: Whole Home Water Filters

There are also certain types of water filter systems such as reverse osmosis that are used to treat the water in the entire home. A common problem with the water in many people’s homes is what is called “hard water.”

Hard water occurs when there are too many minerals dissolved in the tap water. Mineral buildup on faucets and spots on dishes are some warning signs of hard water. The effects on human health are mostly cosmetic but can include such symptoms as itchy skin, dry skin, dry hair, and dry scalp.

Hard water can even damage your clothes in the laundry. A whole-home water filter will purify the water at the source for the entire house so that you will never have to struggle with the effects of hard water again.

About American Eagle Plumbing

American Eagle Plumbing offers plumbing services to the residents of Round Rock, TX. They have qualified technicians to help you with any plumbing concern including water filtration systems.

Do I Need to Install a Water Softener? 

Posted on | by American Eagle Plumbing
Do I Need a Water Softener?

So, you were told that hard water ruins your home appliances and this makes you wonder “Do I need to install a water softener?” Well, it is no doubt that the chemical attributes of your home water have significant effects on the condition of your plumbing system, your appliances, and your body.

No matter the area of the country you’re living in, hard water can become an issue. It can not only cause stubborn stains on your kitchen and toilet fixtures but it can considerably raise your utility bills. So, let’s see how hard water affects your home appliances and how you can mitigate this problem by installing a water softener.

Why Do You Need to Worry About Hard Water?

Water, in addition to being wet and soft to touch, has mineral constituents that it absorbs as it flows from the surface into aquifers. Water from all sources does have dissolved solids including calcium, magnesium, bicarbonates, and some sulfates to a certain degree.

Water can be soft and hard depending on the amount of these minerals. According to the US Geological Survey, the amount over 61 mg/L of minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, the water is classified as hard.

A lot of homeowners don’t even care whether water is hard or soft until they face an expensive plumbing repair down the road. Minerals and constituents of hard water are predominantly abrasive and thus they cause stains and spots in almost everything that gets wet. You can find wearing spots on windows after washing with hard water and even you can see them on the dishes. Now that you’ve found that hard water is a thing to worry; let’s see how it would be going to impact your home and appliances.

How Hard Water Impacts Your Home & Appliances

Although hard water doesn’t cause any health issues it is disastrous for your home, plumbing, and appliances in a number of ways. So, let’s explore how hard water impacts your home and appliances:

If you love lather while you take shower than the bad news is hard water takes a lot of shampoo or soap to generate forth. When the hard water minerals react with soap they produce soap scum which inhibits suds. So, you need twice the amount of soap to generate deeper and more suds for cleaning solutions.

Hard water is a nuisance and takes a toll on your home’s plumbing system. It can cause scale deposition on plumbing fixtures that over time results in a plumbing disaster. The scaling restricts the water flow into your home’s plumbing system. Overall, hard water can make your plumbing system less efficient and you may have to undertake more repairs over time.

Hard water will let your clothes to wear out faster reducing life expectancy. The high concentration of calcium and magnesium minerals will prevent the soap and detergent from being properly rinsed causing its buildup on your laundry. Your clothes will feel scratchy and most colors will become faded as a result of hard water.

All your water-consuming household appliances including washing machines, water heaters, dishwashers, toilets, and faucets can have reduced life expectancy. There would be scale deposition in machine parts that not only will reduce the work efficiency of the appliances but will cause repetitive breakdowns and malfunctions.

The most costly problem caused by hard water is escalated electricity and gas bills due to elevated usage of water to get desired results. Due to scale buildup and clod pipes, the water heater has to work harder to push the hot water through. So, due to the reduced energy efficiency of your boilers and water heaters, you can face increased utility costs.

Benefits of Water Softener

plumbing benefitNow that you know how the water less-appealing characteristic – hardness would be going to impact your home and appliances; you can readily cater to this problem wisely by installing a water softener.

So; if you’re annoyed by stubborn stains on your sinks, toilet, and bathtubs; and have white scaly deposits around your faucets then it is the time to soften up your water. Going soft will repay in the long run due to less consumption of soaps or detergents and reduced energy intake.

Water softeners treat hard water through a process called ion exchanger by removing the calcium, magnesium, and other minerals from water. Whole-house water softeners are of different types and sizes that will eliminate all your hard water issues.

The resin beads in the softener trap of water softener exchange sodium or potassium ions after trapping calcium and magnesium ions. After the resin beads become full of calcium or magnesium, a highly-concentrated salt or potassium solution removes calcium and magnesium from the resin beads. From there, the resulting chloride solution goes down the drain as a waste stream.

Water softeners work like an anti-scale system that transforms calcium ions into calcium crystals that are stable and won’t attach with plumbing pipes and surfaces of hardware and other fixtures. These crystals are harmless, neutral, and are so small that they are easily rinsed by water flow. Water softeners not only make your skin smooth and clean but you won’t get any hair dryness after a bath. It reduces the soap scum and increases lather that eases up your entire cleaning housework. With soft water, you won’t get that dingy gray clothes fabric and it increased the overall life expectancy of your laundry.

Installing a water softener is not a DIY project; it’s a specialized job that requires thorough knowledge of the manufacturer’s instructions. Improperly installed water softeners can cause corrosion issues in your appliances and plumbing. The softener has to be adjusted on the basis you’re the hardness of your water supply.

Properly installed plumbing fixtures and connections require thorough checking of your water supply. If the water supply is not disinfected prior to bacteria and fungi can potentially grow on the surface thereby reducing the overall effectiveness of your softener.

The Bottom Line

It is no doubt that hard water won’t harm your physical health. But it does deteriorate your possessions and decreases the life expectancy of your home’s appliances and plumbing system. Anyhow, with properly installed water softeners you can not only combat these issues but you can pocket savings in terms of reduced utility and energy bills.