If you’re installing water softeners to tackle hard water but not talking about whole-home carbon filtration, you’re leaving your customers with unwanted chlorine, chloramines and disinfectant by-products in their water. Homeowners typically decide they need in-home water treatment based on what they see, smell or taste. The effects of water hardness are easy to see around the home: limescale on plumbing fixtures, cloudy spots on dishes and glassware, dry hair and skin, soap scum in baths and sinks, and dull, stiff laundry. When it comes to bad smell or taste, the problems they detect can almost always be attributed to chlorine or chloramine. Chlorine and chloramine are used by municipalities as water disinfectants and—unless removed by a treatment system in the home—remain in the water.

Chlorine has been used by water treatment facilities to kill bacteria, viruses and harmful organisms in water for more than 100 years. It has almost eliminated waterborne bacteria and disease in water supplies worldwide. According to Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality Technical Document – Chlorine (2009), data collected from nearly 3,600 Canadian drinking-water facilities in 2005 showed that 78 % used sodium hypochlorite (bleach) for disinfection, followed by chlorine gas (19 %) and calcium hypochlorite (bleach powder) by nearly 2 % of facilities.

More recently, water treatment systems have also started using chloramine—a combination of chlorine and ammonia—as a disinfectant to protect the water from microbiological re-contamination or bacterial re-growth during the distribution process. Chloramine provides longer-lasting disinfection as water moves through pipes to consumers.

Health effects created by water-treatment disinfection are generally attributed to the disinfectant by-products (DBPs)—the reactions between chlorine or chloramine and the organic matter in raw water—more than to the chemicals themselves. Two of the most common types of DBPs found in chlorinated drinking water are trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Experts agree that long-term exposure to DBPs in drinking water is a health concern.

Chlorine and chloramine can also have costly and unwanted effects on homes.

• Corrosion of Pipes and Fittings: These disinfectants can corrode certain metals, including copper and galvanized steel. Chloramine can cause pinhole leaks in copper pipes and corrode lead and brass components.
• Degradation of Rubber and Plastic Components: Chlorinated water prematurely degrades rubber seals, gaskets, O-rings and water-softener resin.
• Shortened Appliance Lifespan: The corrosive properties of these disinfectants can lead to costly repairs or early replacement.

In-Home Filtration Solutions

For homeowners who want to remove chlorine and chloramines from their water, the first step is deciding on their filtration goals. Do they want chlorine-free, chloramine-free water throughout their home or just for cooking and drinking?

The benefits of whole-home filtration are:

• Great-tasting, healthy drinking water
• Protects plumbing and water-using appliances
• No chlorine/chloramine exposure from showering or bathing

Drinking-water or point-of-use filtration systems can be the right solution for homeowners who want a lower upfront investment or want the added security of membrane filtration for their drinking water. These systems can also be simple for the homeowner to maintain if they offer quick-change cartridges.

Choosing the Right Whole-Home Solution

To remove chlorine or chloramines from water, the contact time required between the incoming treated water and the carbon bed, the home’s water-flow rate, and the type of carbon are all crucial considerations in choosing the right solution. Granular activated carbon is the most widely used media for chlorine removal, and catalytic activated carbon is the most effective for chloramine removal. Choosing a system that is third-party certified to NSF/ANSI 42 is also important.

Whole-home carbon filters are best placed before a water softener to remove chlorine or chloramines. Chlorine levels of about 1 ppm can cut the life expectancy of water-softener resin in half. Some systems offer softening and carbon filtration in a single unit—either through dedicated carbon and softening-resin tanks or as a mixed-bed unit. If you’re recommending a mixed-bed unit, be sure the carbon bed offers enough contact time to effectively remove the chlorine or chloramines for the whole home, and take the time to understand whether the carbon media and softener resin have different replacement lives. For example, if the carbon needs to be replaced in two years but the softener resin should last ten years, your customers could end up re-bedding their softener resin far more often than necessary or relying on carbon that is no longer working.

Another consideration is choosing between backwashing and non-backwashing carbon filters. Backwashing filters cost more upfront but can handle higher flow rates than non-backwashing filters. They also extend the life of the carbon by preventing it from packing. Non-backwashing filters are well-suited to customers looking for upfront affordability but tend to have a shorter carbon-bed life, so the media will need to be replaced more frequently. Smaller, cartridge-based whole-home carbon filters are also available. While they have a lower upfront cost, frequent cartridge replacements can result in a higher annual expense over the life of the system. Warranty and certification differences between all units being considered should always be presented to the customer before purchase.

Point-of-Use or Drinking-Water Solutions

Customers who have decided that they only want filtered drinking water have three options:

1. Reverse Osmosis (RO) – membrane filtration with the most comprehensive contaminant removal
2. Ultrafiltration (UF) – hollow-fibre membrane filtration with microscopic contaminant removal
3. Carbon-cartridge filtration – affordable filtration that is effective for chlorine and chloramine removal

Reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration both offer comprehensive contaminant removal. RO is the best option for homeowners who are sensitive to chlorine or chloramines (in which case they will also want a whole-home carbon filter) or who want the best possible removal of contaminants from their drinking water. Before installing an RO system, ensure the homeowner understands that a separate drain line is required. Ultrafiltration offers a very high level of filtration without needing a dedicated drain line. Again, checking that the system you recommend has third-party certification for chlorine and/or chloramine removal is the only way to ensure that the system will deliver on its claims.

When recommending a cartridge-style point-of-use filter, ensure the carbon media matches the chemical (chlorine vs. chloramines), that it’s properly sized for the flow rate (so contact time is sufficient), and that the homeowner understands how often the cartridge(s) will need to be replaced. While these systems are the most economical upfront, their annual maintenance costs can add up.

Which System Should I Recommend?

The answer depends on the homeowner’s goals and the water composition. Whole-home systems suit homeowners who want chlorine-free or chloramine-free water throughout their home, have sensitivities to these chemicals, prefer minimal annual maintenance, or consider lifetime cost more important than upfront cost.

Homeowners primarily concerned about ingesting high-quality water—or looking for an affordable way to remove chlorine or chloramines—will be most interested in point-of-use filtration like RO, UF or cartridge systems.

Helping your customers find the right carbon-filtration system for their home will build your reputation as a water expert and help your customers feel good about the water they use every day.