City Drinking Water - Treatment Options
The main choices for treating city water are carbon filtration or reverse osmosis. Some water treatment providers may also offer deionization systems, distillers, or ultraviolet systems in combination with other purification systems. Currently, for houses on city water in the Front Range area of Colorado, we consider carbon filtration and reverse osmosis to be the alternatives which are most cost effective; thus, we focus on these, though we do service and occasionally sell deionizers, distillers, ultraviolet systems, and other small drinking water devices for customers on city water. Please inquire.
| The Choice - Carbon Filtration or Reverse Osmosis | ||
| * Filtration can also be accomplished with one filter, as in the Countertop Carbon Filter. The levels of effectiveness (percentage of reduction) with a Dual Carbon Filter are higher than with single carbon filters. | ||
| Dual Carbon Filtration * | Reverse Osmosis | |
|---|---|---|
| Reduce Chlorine | Yes | Yes |
| Reduce Chlorination By-Products | Yes | Yes |
| Reduce Giardia and Cryptosporidium | Yes | Yes |
| Reduce Lead | Yes | Yes |
| Reduce Viruses | No | Yes |
| Reduce Fluoride | No | Yes |
| Reduce Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) (everything that is dissolved in the water) | No | Yes |
| Reduce Aluminium | No | Yes |
| Reduce other metals (% depends on the metal) | No | Yes |
| Reduce nitrates and nitrites | No | Yes |
| Cost (approximate installed price) | ~$250 | ~$760 |
| Maintenance (change filter cartridge, clean and sanitize) | yearly | yearly |
| Filter Replacement Cost | ~$35 | $25 - 65 |
Dual Carbon Product Links
- Carbon Filtration Product Pictures and Summary Information
- Dual Carbon Maintenance Information
- Dual Carbon Self-Servicing Procedure
Reverse Osmosis Product Links
- RO Product Pictures and Summary Information
- RO - More Detailed Information
- RO Maintenance Information
- SQC3 Self-Servicing Procedure
- SQC4 Self-Servicing Procedure
- Generic RO Self-Servicing Procedure
