For consumers interested in clean, mineral-enriched drinking water, bottled water has been the traditional go-to solution. However, with growing interest in conserving resources, homeowners are increasingly considering alternatives such as point-of-use water filters and whole-house water purification systems.

Pointing your clients to these systems will help reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, 3M points to WebMD-published statistics stating that out of the 50 billion plastic water bottles purchased annually in the U.S., approximately one in four are recycled, leaving 2 million tons of bottles to populate the landfills.

Alternatively, one Pentair Everpure cartridge is said to eliminate 7,800 bottles of water, while one 3M full-flow drinking water system replaces almost 45,443 bottles every year.

These systems effectively save the oil, energy and waste disposal resources needed to produce bottles of water while addressing growing concerns about the healthfulness of all water sources, including municipal water, according to Matt Walloch, technical training and customer engagement manager, Pentair Water Purification, Milwaukee.

Evaluating the Issues
In general, water purification systems are either installed at the point of use (such as under a sink) or at the point where the water supply enters the house.

Knowing what system to recommend and install requires understanding the client’s priorities and the water supply’s particular issues. Sometimes there is a valid concern over a suite of possible contaminants; other times there is just one specific problem, such as too much iron. Sometimes it’s literally a matter of taste. The chart on page 53 shows the most common contaminants found in municipal and private water supplies. In any case, a water quality test is a good place to start.

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