In most homes, you can enjoy clean, safe water right from the tap. However, many homeowners don’t know much about the process that their water goes through. Understanding more about water filtration and purification will help you feel more confident about the quality of your home’s water supply.

How Water Filtration & Purification Works

1. Physical Screening

The first step for water coming from a river or other natural body is to remove any large debris. This process happens when water passes through a screen with minuscule openings so that solids cannot get through.

2. Coagulation & Sedimentation

Next, water treatment plants add chemicals like alum to the water. These attract other metals and suspended solid particles so that they all stick together and settle at the bottom. The water then passes into a sedimentation tank which removes the solids from the rest of the water.

3. Filtration

Water then needs to make it through a few more layers of physical filtration. It goes through gravel, sand, and charcoal, which remove any other solid particles that did not settle to the bottom during the coagulation process.

4. Chemical Disinfection

From there, treatment plants add chlorine or other disinfectants to the water to kill any bacteria or germs present. The water then sits in a tank until the municipality distributes it to home water systems.

While municipal water filtration is crucial and brings water up to safety standards, a home water purifier will improve the taste and appearance of your water even more. Affordable Water Treatment in Gig Harbor, WA, offers a wide array of water conditioning and filtration options for homeowners and businesses throughout Western Washington. A family-owned and operated business for more than 50 years, the company is known for giving personal attention to every customer, so they’ll help you develop a customized plan to fit your exact water filtration needs. Call (253) 858-7644 to request service or learn more about the options available online.