Filtered Water Can Be Contaminated If Water Filters Cartridges Are Not Replaced As Recommended

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Filtered water from your own home water treatment could save you money. Beside the environmental hazard of empty plastic bottles, depending on bottled water could be very costly. Tap water has been shown to better than most bottled water. However, disturbing news about certain public water treatment facility practices can make one wonder if drinking water from such treatment facility water is dependable. This was shown in a recent report in Canada and in US that operators admitted to doctoring water quality analysis in order to make the water appear clean. Also, adequately treated water can also be contaminated within the house plumbing systems. To ensure clean healthy water, many people have purchased residential water filters. Wholehouse water filters are point-of-entry (POE) devices to obtain filtered water for the whole house; undersink, countertop, carafe or pitcher, refridgerator water filters are used to deliver healthy water at the point-of-use (POU).   Most of the treatment devices are fitted with filter media like reverse osmosis, activated carbon, or the combination of both filter media in separate housing units. These home water filter systems are designed to remove harmful chemicals in drinking water. But without proper maintenance, treated water from these devices can become contaminated? This could happen as shown in the following explanations. First, scientists say that drinking water can pick up radon in the home. Radon gas is colorless, odorless, and radioactive which can occur naturally in the air by the breakdown of uranium. According to Penn State Agricultural and Biological Engineering, if radon contaminates your drinking water, and the water passes through an activated carbon filter, the filter could become radioactive, making the filtered water even more dangerous. Secondly, filter media in a water treatment device helps reduce contaminants in your drinking water when contaminants are trapped in the filter pores or when they adhere to the surface of the filter media. The filter pores have limited capacity to allow water to pass through them. So, as more water is used the pores can become clogged with the contaminants, or it may accumulate too much on the media surface. If the filter is not replaced according to manufacturer's recommendations, the contaminants on the media surface could become some large that it will eventually fall off and contaminate the filtered drinking water. In some cases, it may even be necessary to change your filters more frequently due to the quality of your water. Thirdly, buying the wrong, non-certified replacement filter could affect the quality of your drinking water. It should not be assumed that one filter cartridge brand will fit another brand even if they look similar otherwise your filtered water may not be what you expect it to be. According to NSF International, "non-certified cartridge filter may look similar in size and even appear to fit inside the housing of a water treatment system, even the smallest difference could allow water to go around the cartridge rather than through it. It is therefore recommended that you should check the radon level in your home after you have installed a water filter.  Some new water filters often come with extra replacement cartridge filters or you can buy one when you first purchase your water filter.  Some water filter manufacturers have a reminder program to remind you when your filter needs to be replaced.  This will ensure consistent filtered water from your treatment device. In the absence of this reminder program, it is important to follow the manufacturer's recommendations for water filter replacement cartridges. Even a self cleaning water filter needs to be properly maintained to ensure healthy filtered water. Do not buy any replacement filter just to cut cost.  While regular water filter cartridge replacement is good, it is also good to choose the right replacement filter cartridges to ensure that you have clean filtered water.