Rosie on the House: Making Your Own Pure Water

Lots of habits have changed during this time of social distancing as many Arizonans are working and schooling from home. One of the positive changes we see is lots more people out and about walking and running, riding bikes and just taking a break from being at home.

Are you having trouble drinking enough water?

One of the changed habits that might be concerning is that you and your family are drinking less water. If you don’t like the taste of your water at home or there are floaties in your glass, you might find yourself drinking less than you should.

Good, drinkable water is a necessity for overall health. Staying hydrated helps with focus and energy throughout the day. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, cloudy thinking and headaches. No one questions how important water is and most of us know we should drink more!

So, what are solutions for good quality water in your home?

Maybe you are used to buying water bottles from the store. And, maybe now that you are home with the family, you are seeing the amount of waste that empty water bottles contribute to the recycle can. Not only are water bottles wasteful, they are expensive as well. The average person drinks 167 water bottles a year with an average cost of $1.45 per bottle. That is a whopping total of $242 for only a portion of water that a person requires. In addition, it is often unclear where the water in bottles is sourced from. Disposable water bottles do not offer the best option.

We are fortunate in Arizona in that we have few reports of unsafe water out of the tap, and homeowners can consider their water to be safe. But, if your family is struggling with the taste factor or the floaties and desire water that is purified, it might be time to consider water treatment.

Water Purification

To improve the taste of Arizona water, consider reverse osmosis drinking water systems to provide high quality drinking water. These units that fit under the kitchen sink will supply water to a holding tank and in some cases will connect to a refrigerator. Water goes through a sediment filter which removes large particulates (known as floaties) and then goes through a carbon filter to remove organic material, chlorine and the bad taste. It also goes through a semi-permeable membrane to remove inorganic ions of salts and metals. This type of unit under your sink will provide you with pure drinking water.

John Owens of Kinetico Az, a Rosie Certified Partner, says that Arizona’s water comes from a variety of sources which increases the sediment in the water. He recommends a purification system that has reverse osmosis to remove flakes, activated carbon charcoal to remove chlorine and to remove biological content that can deliver to your tap.

Best Practices for Choosing Water Treatment

The world of water treatment can be hard to navigate. Rosie offers these tips for vetting water treatment companies in his consumer guide for water treatment.

There are many good systems out there and some with questionable performance. If you want the best for your family, start with the research!

• Look for treatment systems certified by the Water Quality Association, a nonprofit trade association that represents the water treatment industry, or NSF International.
• Ask to see the NSF performance data sheets for comparing different systems.
• Make sure that the system is the right size and is suited to your home. The system should consider the hardness of your water, the size of your plumbing system, the size and configuration of your home, and your estimated usage of water.
• Find out what the manufacturer’s warranty is for the system you buy. Can you rent your system, or do you have to buy it?

Helpful resources:

Arizona Registrar of Contractors: AZROC.gov

Arizona Water Quality Association: AZWQA.org

Download Rosie’s Guide here or call us at 1-888-767-4348 for a free copy mailed to you.

For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert since 1988, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8 to 11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790AM) in Tucson and from 7 to 10 a.m. on KGVY-AM (1080AM) and -FM (100.7FM) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348 with questions!