Contents (Click To Jump)
- 1 How Much Does Reverse Osmosis Installation Usually Cost in Salt Lake City?
- 2 What Are the Most Common Water Contaminants in Salt Lake City?
- 3 Can Residents in Salt Lake City Benefit From Reverse Osmosis Treatment?
- 4 How Often Should Residents in Salt Lake City Replace Reverse Osmosis Prefilters?
- 5 Do You Need a Water Softener With Your Reverse Osmosis System in Salt Lake City?
How Much Does Reverse Osmosis Installation Usually Cost in Salt Lake City?
A reverse osmosis system can eliminate a number of contaminants in your home’s water, making it safer to drink. While there’s no cost that’s too high to pay for your family’s health and well-being, you do have a budget to maintain. If you’re concerned about your home’s water quality and you’re considering a reverse osmosis system, here are a few factors that will affect the cost:
Cost Factor: Location of the Installation
There are two options when it comes to the installation of reverse osmosis systems. Either you can have the system installed at a faucet, shower, washing machine, dishwasher, or refrigerator, or the system is installed where the water enters your home. Point of service systems are much less expensive than the point of entry systems and easier to install.
Cost Factor: How Hard Is the Water?
While a reverse osmosis system will eliminate many of the water’s contaminants, hard water issues can make the system work harder. If your water has a hardness of more than 3 GPG (grains per gallon), installing a water softener in addition to the reverse osmosis system might be a good idea. This can add a substantial amount to the installation costs, but a water softener will increase the life and effectiveness of the reverse osmosis system.
Cost Factor: Building Permits and Inspections
If you plan on installing a reverse osmosis system and/or a water softener in your Salt Lake City Home, you’re going to need to apply for a building permit. The permit fee is based upon the value of the project that you’re proposing. In addition to the permit, you’ll also need to have the installation work inspected to ensure it meets building codes, which is an additional cost.
What Are the Most Common Water Contaminants in Salt Lake City?
More than 60% of Salt Lake City’s drinking water begins life in mountain streams located in the Wasatch Canyons. During the summer months, the water supply is supplemented by deep wells that are located throughout the Salt Lake Valley. While the water is safe to drink, meeting or even exceeding EPA requirements for purity. Even so, you may be consuming a number of contaminants including:
Arsenic
People who are exposed to arsenic for long terms in their food and drinking water are at higher risk of developing cancer and skin lesions. Arsenic can also cause delayed cognitive development of young children and an increased risk of death in young adults. In addition, arsenic is associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adults.
Nitrate
This fertilizer chemical is a common contaminant found in drinking water. While agriculture and urban runoff are the most common sources of nitrate, they can also be discharged from municipal water treatment plants and septic systems. High levels of nitrates in drinking water can cause oxygen deprivation in babies and it also increases the risk of cancer.
Haloacetic Acids
These acids are formed whenever disinfectants like chlorine are added to tap water where it reacts with naturally occurring organic matter. The health complications that they pose, especially with prolonged exposure, can be quite serious. Drinking water with haloacetic acids causes health issues including severe skin irritations, increased risk of birth defects, and even cancer.
Protozoa
These microscopic single-celled organisms are generally not much trouble for humans. However, certain types of protozoa are known to spread potentially fatal infectious diseases. For example, if you drink water that’s contaminated with protozoa, you can contract Giardiasis which causes diarrhea, cramps, and fatigue. Severe cases of Giardiasis require medical treatment including antibiotics.
Bacteria
Drinking water can become infected with bacteria if it’s exposed to fecal material. Sewage overflows, heavy flow of stormwater, and agricultural runoff are the most common causes of bacteria in Salt Lake City’s drinking water. Bacteria such as e coli, salmonella, campylobacter, and shigella all cause severe intestinal issues like diarrhea, stomach cramping, fever, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
Viruses
Like protozoa and bacteria, viruses are too small to be seen with the naked eye, but they can have a major impact on your health. Your Salt Lake City drinking water may contain viruses such as Hepatitis A, Norovirus, and Enteric. If you’re unlucky enough to contract one of these viruses, you’ll feel awful with stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.
Can Residents in Salt Lake City Benefit From Reverse Osmosis Treatment?
If you’re concerned about the safety of the drinking water coming into your Salt Lake City home, you may want to consider having a reverse osmosis system installed. These systems filter out all those nasty, illness-causing bacteria, viruses, and other contaminants listed above, but that’s hardly all. A reverse osmosis system will also eliminate other potentially harmful compounds in your water, making it safe for your family to consume including:
- Phosphate — Excess phosphates in water supplies feed growths of algae. In turn, these algae release toxins into the water that are harmful or even fatal to other lifeforms. Ingesting phosphate can lead to stomach cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting.
- Lead — When found in drinking water, lead can lead to developmental delays, birth defects, and a variety of other serious health issues. Those at most risk of lead poisoning include babies, children, and pregnant women.
- Mercury — Inorganic mercury compounds are used to produce batteries, paper manufacturing, and in the chemical industry. When mercury makes its way into drinking water at high levels, it can cause irritability, nervousness, and memory problems.
- Fluoride — Added to water supplies to help reduce the number of cavities children encounter, fluoride is supposed to be beneficial. However, recent research has shown that excess levels of fluoride can actually cause dental problems, bone issues, and even damage to brain and nerve cells.
- Cyanide — This poison can have serious health impacts including heart issues, seizures, and coma. Cyanide gets into the drinking water system through some metal mining processes, the chemical industry, iron and steel plants, and manufacturers, as well as wastewater treatment facilities.
- Ammonia — Like chlorine, ammonia can be used to remove other contaminants from your drinking water. If, however, there are extremely high levels of ammonia, it can cause ammonia poisoning if you drink it. Ingesting water that’s got a high ammonia content for long periods can lead to damage to your internal organs.
By filtering out harmful chemicals, bacteria, and viruses, a reverse osmosis system provides your family with clean, healthy water. Your risk of gastrointestinal issues, cancer, and other health complications will be greatly reduced with this simple addition to your Salt Lake City home. And, you’ll also notice an improvement in your hair and skin as you bathe with more pure water that’s free of contaminants that cause irritation.
How Often Should Residents in Salt Lake City Replace Reverse Osmosis Prefilters?
Regular maintenance is the key to keeping your Salt Lake City’s home in good condition. The same holds true for your reverse osmosis system. In order to ensure that your system is properly filtering the water, the prefilter needs to be replaced regularly. If your water has a particularly high chlorine content, you’ll want to replace your prefilter every 6 months or so. However, for most homes, it’s only necessary to swap out the filter once a year.
In addition to replacing the prefilter annually, you’ll also want to change out the post filter on an annual basis to ensure proper filtration. The membrane also needs to be changed on occasion. It should last somewhere between 2 and 4 years if you have hard water, and up to 7 years if you have soft water.
Do You Need a Water Softener With Your Reverse Osmosis System in Salt Lake City?
The drinking water in Salt Lake City is known for its unusually hard water. But, what does that mean? Hard water is simply water that has a significant volume of dissolved minerals in it. Minerals like calcium, magnesium, and lime build up inside your plumbing pipes and fixtures which can cause a variety of issues. Hard water can cause your skin to feel dry and itchy and your hair might dry out and become brittle. Spots will form on your glassware and your clothes won’t be as bright and white as they could be. A water softener will eliminate many of these issues.
Softening your water before it goes through your point of service reverse osmosis system will help your system work more efficiently. Since the water softener effectively neutralizes the hardest minerals in your water, your reverse osmosis system won’t’ have to work as hard. In fact, we think that a water softener is essential. That’s why we highly recommend that all of our Salt Lake City clients have a water softener installed before the installation of a reverse osmosis system.
