Hello everyone,
My wife and I started building our own home last year. A friend pointed out that I need to install a water filtration system for a new build. My question is: Do you have any experience with this? Does the filter have to meet specific requirements? My thinking is: If I have to install it anyway, I might as well do it properly and get a water filter that can really remove all contaminants. (Possibly for future children.) I would really appreciate any ideas, suggestions, or advice!
Greetings from Ostwestfalen,
Christian
My wife and I started building our own home last year. A friend pointed out that I need to install a water filtration system for a new build. My question is: Do you have any experience with this? Does the filter have to meet specific requirements? My thinking is: If I have to install it anyway, I might as well do it properly and get a water filter that can really remove all contaminants. (Possibly for future children.) I would really appreciate any ideas, suggestions, or advice!
Greetings from Ostwestfalen,
Christian
Chris_Steifen schrieb:
that I have to install a water filtration system in a new build.The question is what exactly he meant by that. Because "water filtration system" can mean many different things.hausnrplus25 schrieb:
high installation costs, maintenance costs, salt costsIt is undisputed that these one-time and operational costs accumulate. However, I would immediately question whether they should be considered "high" in the overall context of "house construction" and "operating costs."hausnrplus25 schrieb:
and also affect the water qualityThe softened water must also comply with drinking water regulations. A water treatment system that does not actually alter the water (affecting its quantitative composition) is not a water treatment system.T_im_Norden schrieb:
The water from the utilities mostly comes from groundwater wells and has nothing to do with surface water.Well, to be precise, almost 40% comes from surface water sources; that should not be underestimated at all.hausnrplus25 schrieb:
What kind of “filter” have you installed against limescale? The only really effective systems seem to be water softeners, but those come with high installation costs, maintenance expenses, and salt costs, plus the salt they use impacts the wastewater and also changes the water quality. ...We have a water softener. Purchase and installation cost about 2,000 EUR. Maintenance costs less than 100 EUR per year. In our case, we need about 4 bags of salt tablets per year, each costing 15 EUR. That’s manageable for me. Comparing the faucets in our old apartment in the same area after one year with those we have now, the investment has definitely paid off. Especially in the kettle, at the faucets, and the showerhead, there is a huge difference. Previously, I had to manually remove limescale from the nozzles in the showerhead every three months. Even though a hardness level of 16 was still worse...C
Chris_Steifen21 Jan 2021 14:56Thank you all for your numerous replies!
@T_im_Norden Exactly. We have been drinking only from glass bottles for quite some time now. Besides microplastics, it simply tastes better 🙂
@BauMixx I could live with that too! But is that purely a descaling system without any filtration properties?
I’ve done some research and found a few interesting water filters. These inline filters are not an option for me, but some others look very promising and, above all, straightforward. I’ll keep you updated!
@T_im_Norden Exactly. We have been drinking only from glass bottles for quite some time now. Besides microplastics, it simply tastes better 🙂
@BauMixx I could live with that too! But is that purely a descaling system without any filtration properties?
I’ve done some research and found a few interesting water filters. These inline filters are not an option for me, but some others look very promising and, above all, straightforward. I’ll keep you updated!
T
T_im_Norden21 Jan 2021 15:32You have not yet responded whether you will source your water supply from the water utility.
H
hampshire21 Jan 2021 15:41A few more thoughts:
The drinking water quality in Germany is excellent; no food product is monitored more strictly, and it is not a relevant source of microplastic intake. You have probably consumed more microplastics over the course of a year just by putting your fingers in your mouth during summer after applying creams or cosmetics. Sometimes it helps to put things into perspective. I have friends who swear by a combination of reverse osmosis and effective microorganisms (EM). If you are interested in this topic, you might want to explore that approach. I find it interesting, have done extensive research, and heard some intriguing and even adventurous reports, but somehow it hasn’t felt important enough to act on.
If you don’t use tap water (which makes the question from @T_im_Norden relevant), then it is essential to pay attention to water quality.
The drinking water quality in Germany is excellent; no food product is monitored more strictly, and it is not a relevant source of microplastic intake. You have probably consumed more microplastics over the course of a year just by putting your fingers in your mouth during summer after applying creams or cosmetics. Sometimes it helps to put things into perspective. I have friends who swear by a combination of reverse osmosis and effective microorganisms (EM). If you are interested in this topic, you might want to explore that approach. I find it interesting, have done extensive research, and heard some intriguing and even adventurous reports, but somehow it hasn’t felt important enough to act on.
If you don’t use tap water (which makes the question from @T_im_Norden relevant), then it is essential to pay attention to water quality.