Water Treatment Comparison

This page shows a summary of various water treatment methods and their relative advantages and disadvantages. If you are unsure which system you need, perhaps you should take a look at the problem pages.

Method		Advantages		Disadvantages		Costing		Suppliers
Water Conditioners		Output water is suitable for low sodium diets Prevents Limescale, water utilizing appliances last longer Increases heating efficiency Improves soap efficiency Calcium retained, good for diet Low running cost		Won’t treat anything but specific hard water problems		Small Property – $146 (£95) Typical System – $244 (£150) Large Residential / Industrial – $511 (£95315)		Water Improvements Limited
Water Softeners		Prevents Limescale Increases heating efficiency Lengthens lifespan of clothes		Output water may not be suitable for drinking Expensive to install and maintain		£400 ($765) 35,000 grain capacity £460 ($869) / 48,000 grain capacity		Plumbing World
Activated Carbon (AC) Water Filters		Effective in removing organic contaminants from water, will also remove chlorine		AC filtration does not remove microbes, sodium, nitrates, fluoride, and hardness. Assume that it wont remove lead or other heavy metals unless specified by the manufacturer		Point of use system – $50+ Whole house system- $550+		Big Brand Water Filters
Ultraviolet (UV) Water Filters		Generally kills 99.9% of bacteria and viruses High Filtration Capacity (10 Gallons per minute)		Only kills bacteria, doesn’t remove the dead cells and won’t remove other contaminents		approx $500		Quality Water Treatment
Water Distillers		Mimics the natural water cycle process. Distilled Water is almost completely pure, free from all forms of contaminent		Low Filtration Capacity (6 Gallons per day!) High running cost (25 cents per gallon)		$250 – $1700		The Water Site
Sand Filters		Removes most bacteria, and turbity. High Filtration Capacity Generally best used for swimming pools and ponds.		Take up a lot of space Sulphates and Calcium generally not removed		$300+		Swimming Pool Store Barry Pool Company
Reverse Osmosis		Removes substances that would otherwise cause the water supply to be unhealthy or unappealing, for instance foul tastes, smells or colours. Removes Salts and Minerals (lead/mercury)		Typically, reverse osmosis systems will only recover about 5% of the water that passes through them, the remainder of which goes down the drain as wastewater. The storage unit for treated water will support bacteria growth unless regularly disinfected.		From $259 (comes self assembled and ready to install) Replacement Membranes $5-$130		PurePro Plumbing Supply