What Are You Drinking?Water Quality

Water: It's colourless, clear and pristine. Interestingly, though, it's never pure. By its very nature, drinking water contains a variety of chemicals and minerals, such as fluoride, calcium and iron. Although the levels found in drinking water are not harmful (and, in some cases are actually beneficial to your health), they can affect water's taste, odour, colour and hardness. (Take note, higher harmful levels of these minerals and chemicals can be found in some natural bodies of water.) Here are a few common tell-tale signs that your water may contain too much of a good thing.

The issue: Lime residue on bathroom fixtures and scale in kettles
Soapy scum on glasses, lime residue on bathroom fixtures, mineral build-up on showerheads or in dishwashers and scale in kettles are all signs of hard water. Hard water is the result of too much calcium and magnesium in water. When water hardness is reduced, less soap, shampoo and detergent are required for bathing and laundry. Skin feels cleaner and clothing is softer. Plus, water pipes, appliances and bathroom fixtures work more effectively thanks to less mineral build-up.

The solution: Water softeners or ion exchangers. They work by exchanging calcium and magnesium ions with ions of potassium and sodium, making water softer. Distillation systems, which are designed to remove impurities from water, are another possibility as they also eliminate calcium and magnesium.

The issue: Rusty stains on fixtures and laundry
When you see red or brown stains on kitchen or bathroom fixtures or you find them on laundry, you may have too much iron in your water supply. If your water has a metallic taste, that's another clue.

The solution: Distillation water treatment systems can eliminate the problem. Certain water filters and water softeners are also made to reduce the amount of iron in your water. (If your water comes from a private well, chlorination, greensand and aeration-filtration are also options. FYI: According to Health Canada, greensand filters are designed primarily to remove iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide from water. And according to the government of Alberta, aeration is accomplished by spraying water into a ventilated storage tank to reduce hydrogen sulphide.)

The issue: Lack of clarity or grittiness
If your water is cloudy or gritty, there are two possible causes. If the water becomes clear after a few minutes, then the culprit could easily be air bubbles. However, when water remains cloudy, murky or gritty, the cause is generally mud, silt, clay or sediment in the water. (Be aware that even if your water seems to clear after a few minutes, the sediment could have just settled creating the look of cleaner water.)

The solution: Reverse osmosis systems, which are designed to force water at high pressure though a plastic membrane, eliminate sediment and other particles from water. Many water filters are also designed to improve water's appearance. (For those who own private wells, sediment filters are another possibility.)

The Issue: Odour
Various factors, from chlorine and metals to hydrogen sulphide, can affect the odour of water, whether faintly chemical, or musty.

The solution: Water filters are designed to eliminate chlorine and also remove other odours from your water.

The added bonus with all of these water-treatment products is they not only remove the naturally occurring minerals and chemicals mentioned above, they also eliminate impurities, including heavy metals such as lead. Which means, aside from making water softer, or more sparkling or sweeter smelling, they make it safer too.