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