Water Filtration Installation in Charlotte Area

WHY FILTERED WATER? 

If you are like many homeowners, you have grown used to drinking what comes right out of the tap. Whether or not that’s a good thing depends on your personal preference, and a great deal upon where you live. Municipalities have multiple water sources and the quality of water can vary drastically, even in the same town. According to data rankings by the Environmental Working Group, our region was ranked 29th overall and received a “mixed” review on a scale of cities that ranged from “leading in water quality” to “endangered”. 

What does this mean? It means while we are not the worst city in America as far as drinking water quality goes, we certainly are far from the best. Municipalities are responsible and mandated to keep our water bacteria free with chemicals, but you have the option of leaving those chemicals in your water or taking them out. 

Municipal water treatment plants use chlorine to kill bacteria. Ammonia is sometimes added to stabilize chlorine, forming chloramine, which is more toxic but lasts longer. Only catalytic carbon removes both chlorine and chloramine. Since we absorb more chlorine in a 5-minute shower than by drinking water all day, a whole-house catalytic carbon filter is the best defense. Why be the filter, when you can install a filter?

Just because your water is clear, does not mean it is clean. Tannins are the breakdown of vegetation in your water. When you hear or read about TDS – total dissolved solids – those are the contaminants in your water but have been dissolved; therefore, they are still there but the water is clear. Want to know what is in your water supply?

WHAT DO I LOOK FOR WHEN COMPARING WATER FILTRATION? 

Third-party certifications are essential to verify manufacturers’ claims. Look for systems with WQA Certification, which specify specific contaminants a system can reduce under NSF/ANSI standards. These standards fall into aesthetic and health-related categories. Some certifications only cover material safety, while others confirm performance. For example with a softener, NSF/ANSI 61 covers material safety, while NSF/ANSI 44 includes safety, structural integrity, performance, and brine accuracy.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE VARIOUS TYPES OF WATER TREATMENT AVAILABLE?  

If your home is on a well, we highly recommend a water test from an independent lab such as National Testing Laboratories. You will receive a comprehensive report that will ensure you are getting the right setup for your home and not something you may not need or not be getting what you actually do need. Even after selecting and installing equipment based on water test results, it’s important to remember that water testing is a snapshot in time and should be performed annually because environmental factors, such as the rise and fall of the local water table has an impact on the composition of the source water. 

For homes on municipal water, there is a softener for hard water that removes the hardness minerals, a catalytic carbon filter for taste and odor and removing chlorine & chloramine, a combination system that is both a softener and catalytic carbon filter that will provide many benefits for your home, an RO system that removes the chemical contaminants such as the forever chemicals that are now in the water systems throughout the country for purified drinking water and a whole-home protection system that also includes a UV light filter that fully sanitizes the water from bacteria and viruses that can grow in the water system after it leaves the water treatment plant and before it comes out of your tap. 

CHARLOTTE AREA WATER FILTRATION: HOW DOES WATER FILTRATION WORK? 

Most water filters today are carbon filters. A carbon filter works on the principle of adsorption. Because it has such a large porous surface area, it attracts lots of impurities, making activated charcoal such a highly effective process for filtering water. Charcoal filters are used in icemaker filters, under-counter filters, countertop filters, whole-house filters, and more.

A whole-house carbon filter must be at least 1.0 cubic feet to effectively remove most contaminants, including up to 97% of chlorine. Smaller filters are less effective and suitable only for low-flow point of use applications or paired with a reverse osmosis system for better results.

Activated carbon goes through the activation process and produces honey-comb type structures so there is a greater surface area providing Adsorption sites for the contaminant removal. Coconut carbon is the most common carbon used today because it is more easily converted to GAC – granular activated carbon. Catalytic carbon is created by altering the surface structure & is modified by gas processing at high temperatures to change the electronic structure which creates a high level of catalytic activity on carbon for filtering chloramine. This is why you want a system with catalytic carbon and not just granular activated carbon (GAC).  

TYPES OF WATER FILTRATION SERVICES NEAR ME 

A whole-house catalytic carbon filter works on the process of adsorption, which is the adhesion of particles onto the surface that can be flushed out – kind of like a magnet.  There are self-backwashing catalytic carbon systems that will flush out all the contaminants that stuck to the catalytic carbon which allows for the maximum surface area to attract contaminants needing filtering. These units average about 7-10 years for a family of four depending on water quality and usage. 

Whole-house systems can combine softeners and self-backwashing catalytic carbon filters that are rated for 1 million or more gallons and will last 7-10 years for the average family of 4 depending on water quality and usage. For homes without a drain line, there are non-backwashing catalytic carbon filters. Depending on your wants or needs, systems with an RO added can provide purified drinking water at the kitchen tap and add minerals for taste for a Total Home Protection System. Three Way Plumbing can help you choose the best option and professionally install it for you.

At Three Way Plumbing, we proudly carry the Novo line of water treatment products because Novo is the residential division of Canature Water Group. They are the oldest and largest manufacturers of water treatment products. They are a true manufacturer because every product is engineered, designed and assembled in-house right here in the United States. They do not buy and resell as a private label or pay to put their name on someone else’s product. Novo products have the highest and most comprehensive certifications and continually have their products third-party certified and not just once to claim certification. 

THE BENEFITS OF A SINGLE SOURCE OR POINT-OF-USE FILTER FOR WATER FILTRATION CHARLOTTE NC 

Concerned about what’s coming out of the tap? Tired of spending all that money on bottled water?

Did you know that the average family spends more than $1,000 a year on bottled water?! According to MSNBC, 25% of all bottled water is drawn from municipal water supplies! So much for thinking you were drinking premium, clean water. Not to mention the age old myth that you can boil sink water to remove impurities while in actuality, you’re only boiling the impurities from the water into your food. 

Filtration at a single source, such as under the kitchen sink, provides clean, clear water for both drinking and cooking. In fact, Three Way Plumbing’s single-source filtration device can eliminate your need to ever buy bottled water again.  

It’s easily installed under your kitchen sink and will filter contaminants from your water… contaminants like chlorine and chlorine, particulates and many chemicals or poisons found in treated tap water. Once professionally installed, it’s essentially “set it and forget it!”  

Just that quick, you get to enjoy filtered, odorless, good-tasting, safe and clean water from your kitchen faucet. It’s clearly the best choice for families wanting to kick the bottled water habit for the lowest cost. For even better purified drinking water, we can install an RO system that is certified for forever chemicals under your sink. 

THE BENEFITS OF WHOLE-HOUSE WATER FILTRATION 

To get the same great benefits of filtered drinking and bathing water throughout the house without the need to install multiple units at each faucet, consider a whole-house filtration unit or the combination unit that is a softener plus catalytic carbon unit for even more benefits.  

These units are installed at the source of where your water enters your home and performs all its filtration and/or softening duties right there, delivering fresh, clean, filtered water everywhere throughout your home including the dishwasher, washing machine, water heater, every faucet, and shower head.  

Having a water filtration system extends the life of the equipment in your home since chlorine and chloramine are toxic and corrosive. Once chlorine is used to kill the bacteria in the water, your filtration system will remove it from the water. It also makes your soap and shampoo go further because the increased quality of water means you need less to achieve the same effects. It also helps reduce: 

• Itchy & dry skin and scalp 
• Chances of kidney stones 
• Chances of scarring of the lungs (from breathing in chlorine) 

COMMON HEALTH DANGERS AND THE BENEFITS OF FILTERED WATER 

Filtered water is simply healthier. Reports have indicated that it is very important to remove chlorine and chloramine from our water after it has done the job of destroying all dangerous bacteria from our water supply.  

Chlorine is very volatile and easily evaporates, so in some cases, ammonia is added to the chlorine which changes it to a completely different chemical called chloramine. What is known is that it is responsible for many incidences of respiratory illnesses and perhaps most worrying of all, causes lead to leech out of pipes and fittings.  

Even brass fittings are not immune as they usually contain some lead, making removing chloramines a priority. 

And the problem exists beyond just drinking chlorinated water. If you don’t want to drink it, why would you want to cook with it or bathe in it, or give it to your pets? 

WHY IS CHLORINE SO BAD FOR ME? 

Studies by Dr. K. Thickett of the Occupational Lung Diseases Unit at the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham, England, showed that there was an increase in asthma-related conditions for those working around swimming pools.  

When they moved away from the pools, their symptoms improved or went away entirely. 

It has also been shown that tap water contains the same problems for many people. The U.S. EPA has stated that every household in America on a chlorinated water system has an elevated level of chloroform gas in the indoor air.  

This elevated level is directly related to showering, cooking, washing dishes, clothes, and even flushing toilets with chlorinated water. The fact is that every time you open a waterspout in your home, you are releasing wheezing-causing substances into your household atmosphere.

When choosing a system look for one that uses catalytic carbon with submicron filtering. This will ensure 99.9% of contaminants including chlorine are removed, leaving you with safe, pure water. 

Chlorine or chloramine is necessary for local municipalities to kill the bacteria found in water to deliver safe water to homes and businesses.  

However, water filtration is also necessary to remove the chlorine and chloramine since it creates its own set of issues along with all the other organic properties found in that water. Did you know that you can breathe in more chlorine in a 5-minute warm shower than you ever could possibly drink in a single day? 

FAQ: ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS ON WATER SOFTENER SYSTEMS IN CONCORD & CHARLOTTE, NC 

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HARD WATER AND SOFT WATER? 

You’ve probably heard people refer to “hard water” or “soft water” before, but have you ever really wondered what exactly those terms mean? Well, let us explain. Hard water is water that contains microscopic (parts per million) of inorganic compounds like calcium, or magnesium, or even chalk!  

These compounds are picked up and deposited in the water as the water runs through rock and soil and the end result is that the water becomes very alkaline. The more of these compounds that are contained in the water, the “harder” the water is. One “symptom” of hard water is that your soap or your shampoo does not produce a lot of sudsing action because of these compounds contained in the water.  

By contrast, “soft water” refers to water where these compounds are not present. Hard water plugs up showerheads, dishwashers, fills up water heaters with rock/sediment, increases the amount of detergents needed for washing machines and dries out the skin. If you see any streaking on shower doors, then rest assured it’s on your dishes as well. Only 1 grain of hardness is needed to take effect, and the higher the hardness the quicker it happens, Water must maintain a pH balance within a normal range.

To soften hard water, a water-softening system performs a cat ion exchange. Water flows through resin beads in a brine tank, swapping calcium and magnesium ions with sodium ions. When the beads are saturated with calcium and magnesium, regeneration occurs. Systems that don’t use salt for ion exchange are Not water softeners. In 2020, the Water Quality Association updated its glossary to prevent misleading consumers of “salt-free water softening” claims. Testing water before and after passing through a salt-free system shows no change in hardness at all.

To test if softening is actually occurring, perform the “suds soap test”with your “softened water” and see if mixing the water produces suds or not.

Some signs of hard water are:

• Spotting on glasses and silverware 
• Soap scum on the shower doors 
• Scale build-up in pipes, water heater, dishwashers and washing machines 
• Soaps are not producing a lot of suds
• Hair is dry and brittle
• Water heater is not as efficient and cost of heating water continue to increase

Water softener systems will eliminate or drastically improve many of these conditions. They are, for the most part, low maintenance and can last for many years. 

The brine tank is where the salt is stored for the water softener process. With the exception of making sure there is an ample supply of salt pellets in the brine tank, maintaining the water softer is easy and not at all time consuming. 

There are many myths and facts about water softeners and once you understand them, the questions then becomes what are the benefits? For example, water softeners do not add salt to your water. You cannot taste salt in the water unless the softener is not working or regenerating properly. Salt is sodium chloride. Only the chloride is used in the ion exchange process and the sodium is washed away.  For comparison, 1 teaspoon of ketchup contains 204 mg of salt, 1 slice of white bread contains 161 mg of salt, 1 hotdog contains 610 mg of salt, and the softened water contains 20 mg of salt. 

WHAT IS THE BEST SALT TO USE IN A SOFTENER SYSTEM? 

You can purchase up to 50lb bags at any of the big box stores, but the best type to get is “solar salt.” Different brands bag it such as Morton’s (just like the table salt, but do not use table salt!) Why is solar salt better than softener salt?  This is because solar salt is naturally crystallized and doesn’t have binder additives like softener salt. These binders create a crusting called bridging. When this occurs and you look in the softener, it looks like there is still plenty of salt, but it is only a layer of the crust you are seeing and the salt may actually be fully depleted.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO INSTALL A FILTRATION SYSTEM? 

Most whole-house water filtration systems take anywhere from 3-6 hours to install, but a single-source water filtration system takes less time. Before leaving your home, we ensure that our water filtration services are effective and properly filtering your water. 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A WATER FILTER INSTALLED? 

Installing an entire house water filtration system can be quite the undertaking because of the wealth of options available, and can cost between $400 and $5,400 depending on factors such as: 

• Does it backwash, thereby removing any impurities that were filtered? If so, how often? 
• Is there a sediment filter that self-backwashes as well to remove trapped sediment or does it rely on paper filters needing to be changed monthly? 
• How many gallons of water is it rated for? 
• Does it have an Iron filter, UV light or softener?  
• Is it a canister with a pleated filter? (These need to be changed monthly at minimum) 
• Is it simply a point of use under your kitchen sink? 

An under-the-sink water filtration installation is more affordable, with costs averaging between $200 and $800, but it only filters the water from that specific sink.  

When it comes to wells, each water table has different needs, so we recommend starting with a comprehensive water analysis like one from National Testing Laboratories. A fully comprehensive one can cost approximately $300; however, then money isn’t wasted on putting in a filtration system that may not be needed or not having one that you do need. Depending on the needs, a well water filtration system can cost between $400 and $5,400 for installation.  

At Three Way Plumbing, we can help with your home water filtration system installation. If you are interested in a water filtration system in Charlotte NC, the Good Guys at Three Way Plumbing can help with a water filtration system service. 

CAN I INSTALL MY OWN WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM? 

If you have a moderate amount of plumbing experience, you can probably do your own water filtration system installation as long as you have knowledge of water and drain lines and the materials they are made of along with the type of fittings needed for your own under-the-sink water filtration installation compared to doing your own water filter system installation throughout your entire home.  

WHY SHOULD I INSTALL A WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM? 

A whole-house water filtration system installation protects your entire home, which is why we recommend this type of Charlotte water filtration. If you decide on this option, you are best off letting the experts at Three Way Plumbing help with this water filtration service, as it is too complicated without significant plumbing experience.  

Installing a whole-house catalytic carbon-KDF water filtration system can reduce 1000s of contaminants such as chlorine, chloramine, hydrogen sulfide, and organic matter that may be in your water. Some systems are easy to install, while others, like self-backwashing systems that are set it and forget it or combination units are best left to experts like Three Way Plumbing. These systems last for years and handle over 1 million gallons.

WHAT IS AN RO SYSTEM AND WHAT DOES IT DO? 

An RO System provides purified drinking water to your kitchen sink. The osmosis process is the natural movement of liquid from an area of low solute concentration, through a membrane, to an area of high solute concentration when no external pressure is applied. Solute is a solution containing both water and dissolved solids. A common osmosis practice is gargling with salt water. 

The reverse osmosis practice is pressure is used to force water containing dissolved solids through a semi-permeable membrane. The dissolved solids are retained on one side of the membrane, allowing highly filtered water to pass to the other side. Normally 85-99% of the dissolved solids are removed through the reverse-osmosis (RO) process.

If you are dealing with any type of health concerns, only use an RO that is validated NSF/ANSI 58 for the specific contaminants in question. For example, the Novo QCRO we keep in stock is NSF/ANSI 58 and CSA B483.1 certified for the reduction of PFOA/PFOS (forever chemicals) and other harmful contaminants from the water such as arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium (+6 and +3), copper, fluoride, hexavalent chromium,  lead, radium, selenium, TDS, Trivalent chromium turbidity. Want to see what is in your water that you cannot see? 

Why is it important to choose a system that is specifically certified for the forever chemicals – PFOA and PFOS?  Forever chemicals are found everywhere; but as they build up in our bodies , they cannot break down and remain in our bodies and the levels keep increasing as we get older. Anything that is made to prevent sticking like non-stick pans, wrappers around fast food and some butters – anything that is shiny basically, leaches these forever chemicals into our foods. They are found in many beauty products as well as shampoos, plastic water bottles and many other day-to-day items we use daily.  Some of the health effects of forever chemicals are:

• Testicular, liver and pancreatic cancer
• Liver damage
• Increase in cholesterol levels
• Increased risk of thyroid disease
• Decreased antibody response to vaccines
• Increased risk of asthma
• Increased risk of decreased fertility
• Endocrine disruption

99% of bottled water contains microplastics. It’s when the plastic compound leaches into the water from the bottles in sunlight (like the cases stacked up in front of the gas station) or temperature fluctuations (warehouse-truck-shipping-store-etc.) Microplastics build up and are now being found in men’s reproductive organs as well as in newborn babies passed to them from their mothers. 

The QCRO-4v50 is a 4-stage system with a remineralizer and pH booster. It improves the taste of RO water by adding minerals back in the 4^th canister. Unlike typical RO systems that waste five gallons for every gallon of good water, the QCRO only wastes two gallons down the drain, which is the water that contains everything that was removed from the water. Maintenance involves changing the four filter canisters and sanitizing the system periodically, with the schedule depending on the water quality. The rule of thumb is change all 4 canisters annually at the latest unless the taste begins to change earlier.

If you are concerned about any water going down the drain at all, we are able to offer an RO system that has no waste water as it keeps the water recirculating and is NSF 58 certified for TDS reduction but not forever chemicals. 

When clean and purified water is desired for drinking and cooking, an RO System is a great option. Car washes us RO water for a spot-free rinse. Greenhouse growers, restaurants and coffee houses are just a few of the commercial establishments that use RO water. 

Give us a call at Three Way Plumbing if you have any questions about any of the water treatment and water filtration options available, and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have and help determine what the right option for you, your home and your budget is. We also offer 0% financing if you choose to have it done now and pay over time.