Average adults need between 11 and 15 cups of water per day. With such a large intake, any contaminant within the liquid can impact your health. Fortunately, water filters help remove impurities to leave you and your family safely hydrated. Here's a closer look at some of the most common elements the systems remove from drinking water.

What Contaminants Do Water Filters Remove?

1. Sediment

Water's natural filtration process involves moving through soil, bedrock, and sand. As a result, it usually ends up carrying microscopic particles of these elements. With private well systems, larger sediment pieces can also seep in when the water table is low, making the contamination visible. Luckily, even the most basic filters are typically designed to remove sediment particles.

2. Minerals

Water picks up a variety of minerals as it makes its way through the ground. Unfortunately, many of these elements cause adverse side effects. For example, if the water is carrying too much iron, it can create a metallic taste and cause metal elements, such as water heaters, to rust.

An automatic water system with a carbon filter is ideal for removing minerals that impact taste, including iron and sulfur. For harder elements, such as calcium, a two-part system that features both a filter and conditioner is ideal.

3. Chemicals

Along with natural contaminants, drinking water is also exposed to chemicals. One of the most common is chlorine, which many public water supplies use for disinfection, though it's also known to cause skin irritation and respiratory issues. Other potential risks include pesticides and arsenic that enter water through run-off from farms and industrial sites. Carbon-based filtration provides the most significant treatment power for most chemical pollutants.

Find the right water filter for your home with the help of Holmes Water Treatment in Wentzville, MO. This local business serves the water treatment and filtration needs of residents across St. Charles County, including the communities of St. Peters and Warrenton. Review their wide selection of system setups online, and book a water test today at (636) 327-6404.