Removing Chlorine from Your Water and What Comes After

July 3, 2019

Chlorine is one of the most prevalent chemicals found in drinking water. It’s added into municipal water systems as a means of disinfecting the water and killing off germs and bacteria. A high chlorine count could affect the taste of water, though, so some people like to remove the chlorine from their tap water using various types of water filtration in Scottsdale, AZ.

Chlorine addition is one of the later phases of water treatment in municipal systems. There are several steps the water will go through before it makes it to your taps. Chemicals get added into the water to neutralize the negative charges found in many of the common contaminants found in water. After adding those chemicals, the dissolved particles in the water sink to the bottom of the water supply, which makes it easier to filter the water and remove dust, bacteria, parasites and various other chemicals, such as chlorine. That chlorine then kills off any remaining bacteria or parasites that exist in the water, and protects it from germs while traveling from the community into your home.

The levels of chlorine used in municipal water are small enough that there are no concerns regarding negative side effects for your health. However, it can still result in an unpleasant taste or odor, which is why some people choose to filter it out.

Filtering out chlorine but maintaining clean water

One common concern people often have about filtering chlorine out of their tap water is whether or not removing the chlorine will make the water more susceptible to infection by bacteria or parasites. However, it’s important to remember two things: one, the chlorine stayed in the water all the way up until it reached your home, so the water has been protected by that chlorine up until then, and two, the filtration methods you use to remove chlorine have added effects that ensure protection against additional debris, bacteria and infestations.

A granular activated carbon (GAC) filter, for example, is made with raw organic materials like coal, wood or coconut shells. Heat activates the carbon in the filter, which increases its overall surface area. That larger area, combined with the porous nature of carbon, makes it an outstanding filter for trapping natural organic compounds, as well as odors, tastes and synthetic chemicals.

Carbon block filters take a similar approach to GAC filters, but have an even larger surface area, allowing them to trap even more contaminants inside the filter.

One final type of filter you might consider is a polyphosphate filter, which features particles that dissolve around chemicals and coat them to make it easier for them to be filtered out of the water.

With both of these types of filters, they’re implemented at the point of use, often right at the tap itself. This means you don’t need to be concerned about the loss of chlorine in the water, because the filtered water is going directly into your glass, dish or other application.

For more information about filtering chlorine out of the water and the most effective ways of accomplishing this, we encourage you to contact WES Water today about water filtration in Scottsdale, AZ.

Categorised in:

WES Water