The Impact of Chlorination in Municipal Water

Not only does the quality of water affect its taste, but it also has a large effect on plumbing equipment. Our clients usually obtain municipal water from the City of Newark or Artesian Water. Otherwise, clients obtain their water from private wells. For households with municipal water supplies, the water tends to be somewhat hard (containing calcium and magnesium). Another concern aside from hard water is an excessive amount of chlorination. While chlorine ensures that the water is safe to drink, sometimes drinking water has more chlorine in it than the water found in a swimming pool.

Unfortunately, excessive chlorine in water has negative effects. Even though it eliminates microorganisms, studies have linked chlorine to cancer and other health problems. Additionally, chlorine can be very harsh on plumbing fixtures and pipes, potentially reducing their lifespan. Plastic items (such as the components on the inside of a toilet) rapidly deteriorate when exposed to high amounts of chlorine.

It’s actually rather straightforward to combat high chlorine levels in the water supply. If we were to install a carbon filter in the house, every tap in the entire home would dispense water that tastes like it came from a bottle. Even if you don’t mind the additional cost and environmental impact of consuming bottled water, you might not have considered how easily chlorine is absorbed into your skin.

Every time you take a bath or shower with warm water, your pores open up and chlorine is absorbed with minimal resistance. This may sound unbelievable, but there’s an easy demonstration that we are glad to do whenever someone requests it. By simply taking a small cup of water and testing it with a chlorine strip, we can first show that there is a positive indication of chlorine. Then, a finger is used to swirl the water for around fifteen seconds. When we test the water again, the results will show a negative indication for chlorine.

Where did the chlorine go? Your skin absorbed it. The skin is very porous and chlorine is easily absorbed, so water with high chlorine content can be detrimental even if you choose not to drink it at all. If this water is used for bathing and doing laundry, the household would greatly stand to benefit from installing a carbon filter. The safe chlorinated water from the city is still traveling all the way to the home. Once the water reaches your home, however, the chlorine can be removed with the household filter.

There are many other commercially available products that use the same carbon filtering technology—some are built into pitchers, while others attach to the faucet. Even so, they only provide quality water at the appliance they are attached to. When we install a central system, the entire home gets the benefit of chlorine-free water. This means that all the plumbing fixtures are protected from shortened lifespans. While this technology is similar to other options, it’s applied at a higher level so the entire home will benefit.

If you would like to learn more about installing a carbon filtering system in your home to remove chlorination, give us a call today.