Water Treatment

Have problem water? You’re not alone.

Both municipal and well-water systems can have issues which need to be treated.

For well-water systems, it is important to get your water tested yearly at the health department, to ensure there is no microbiological contaminants.

Need treatment? We can help with that.

The first test is a visit to determine your concerns, and to take a water sample. The water sample is sent away to a professional lab for analysis. Once we have the results back, we can make recommendations. Some of our recommendations might include equipment shown below.

Leaving problematic water un-treated can affect your plumbing fixtures. Toilet flushes become weak, pressure at taps lowers, hot water tank efficiency is reduced, and scale starts visibly building up.

Water Treatment Devices

  • Photo of a canister-style filter used to filter particulate or address taste and odor concerns.

    In-line canister filter

    This is a whole home water filter which is installed where the water comes into the home. There is a replaceable filter inside, which needs to be changed periodically. The type of filter will depend on the treatment plan. Particulate filters will not allow sediment to pass through. Carbon filters will improve taste and odor concerns. Filters get changed at a fixed interval, or when you notice a decrease in water pressure / return of taste or odor, whichever comes first.

  • A two tank and a cabinet style water softener from Watergroup.

    Water softener

    A water softener is also installed where the water enters the home, and is used to treat hard water. Hard water is caused by minerals which are dissolved in the water, and a softener creates a space to do an ion exchange which removes the problematic minerals from the water. The system requires periodic maintenance, mostly in the form of adding salt to the bin and sometimes doing a resin treatment. New high-efficiency filters can reduce how often this maintenance has to be done. We do have access to some specialty softeners which can treat a secondary condition with a single step.

  • A Watergroup BIF filter, used to filter out sulphur, manganese, and iron.

    Whole Home Water Filter

    There are a variety of other water conditions which may require treatment, particularly on a well system. Some common treatment conditions are iron, hydrogen sulphide, tannins, manganese, and chlorides. The equipment we recommend for treatment of these conditions will depend on the water test results that we get back. The pictured filter is a chemical-free BIF filter, which can treat iron, manganese, and hydrogen sulphide.

  • A UV light system from Aquaflo (WaterGroup) which treats microbiologically contaminated water.

    UV Sterilization

    If your water has been deemed microbiologically unsafe by your yearly health department water testing, a UV light should be installed to make your water safe for consumption. Water flows through the silver cylinder which contains a UV lamp inside of a quartz sleeve. The light from the lamp sterilizes any biological contaminant in the water. The light inside needs to be changed yearly. The light is contained inside a quartz sleeve, which needs to be changed if it gets fouled.

  • A reverse osmosis system which is installed at point of use. Final filtration for excellent drinking water.

    Reverse Osmosis

    A final stage in a water treatment system is treating drinking water for any residual concerns not addressed by any previous stage of whole home filtration. This is accomplished with either a reverse osmosis system, or an ultra-filtration system. Both of these systems have some level of customization, depending on your final requirements. It is installed at the point of use - usually the kitchen sink.

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Water Treatment Servicing

The piston from a filter unit showing scoring and damage. One reason why maintenance is important.
The injector screen of a filter which is gummed up with deposits and needs cleaning.
A cartridge filter completely clogged and ringed with clay silt. This one was long overdue for a change.

Water treatment systems are not maintenance free. The above pictures are examples of items in the water treatment system which required maintenance. Periodic servicing and filter changes are required to maintain the integrity of the system. If you need assistance with maintaining your system, we would be happy to help.

We can assist with changing most in-line filter cartridges, and UV light and / or sleeve changes. The cartridges need to be changed every 3-6 months, or when you notice a change in water pressure or quality, whichever comes first. Your water quality may require changes more frequently than recommended. UV lights are changed yearly, and most systems have a countdown timer showing when that change needs to be performed.

For the appliance-style filters, we only service units from Watergroup. The specialty filters have a recommended service interval of one year for a deep cleaning, and internal parts replacement if excessive wear is detected.

Sample Installations

  • Water treatment system containing a cabinet upflow softener, sediment filter, UV light, and carbon filter.

    Treatment system with cabinet softener, two filters for sediment and carbon, and UV light

  • Water treatment system with a two-tank softener and carbon filter.

    Treatment system with two-tank softener and carbon filtration

  • Installation of water treatment for a well water system. A pre-filter followed by an IronGuard Softener, then carbon filtration followed by a UV light.

    Treatment system for well water with sediment pre-filter, IronGuard softener, carbon post-filter and UV light.

  • Water treatment system consisting of multiple canister filters, a softener, a BIF, and UV light.

    Treatment system with sediment and carbon filters, softener, BIF filter, and UV lamp

  • Softener installation

    Treatment system with softener