Whole house water-quality problems
■ Hardness
■ Iron
■ Manganese
■ Arsenic
■ Tannin
■ Bad tastes
■ Foul odors
■ Chlorine and harmful chlorine by-products
■ Turbidity
■ Acidic water
The continuous water cycle
Nature intended us to have high-quality water. This is why we have the continuous water cycle, whereby water from our oceans, rivers, lakes and streams falls to the ground as rain or snow and becomes filtered as it seeps through the earth’s surface. As the water works its way through the ground it picks up minerals by dissolving limestone, causing water hardness. Water may also come into contact with Iron, Manganese, Arsenic and other contaminants, which cause additional water treatment problems.
The chart below lists typical whole house water quality problems and indicates which equipment effectively corrects any problems you may have in your home.
| Water Quality Problems | Symptoms | Recommended Equipment |
| Hardness | Mineral deposits on dishes and glassware; stiff, dingy laundry; high soap usage and need for fabric softeners; dry, itchy skin and scalp; unmanageable hair; extra work to remove soap curd on bathtubs and shower stalls; high energy costs due to scale build-up in pipes and on appliances. | Water Softener. |
| Chlorine, foul odors and tastes | Chlorine taste; foul odors; damage to hair; itchy skin. | Back washing filter using activated carbon. |
| Iron & Manganese | Unpleasant metallic tastes; rust particles; staining on plumbing fixtures; red water; odors. | Iron filter. |
| Turbidity | Cloudy water; sediment, sand, silt and rust particles. | Media filter. |
| Acidic water (low pH) | Green stains on bathroom sinks and other porcelain (surfaces; blue green water. (Acidic water may cause corrosion of pipes & plumbing fixtures.) | Acid neutralizer using Calcite. |
| Tannin | Brownish, tea colored water; musty odors. | Tannin filter. |
| Arsenic | A naturally occurring element found in ground water, Arsenic is a carcinogen at high concentrations, and the EPA reports Arsenic may cause adverse health effects in low concentrations. Testing for Arsenic is highly recommended. | Arsenic Reduction System. |
| All of the above | All of the above | Reverse Osmosis System. |