It can be a little difficult to understand the difference between purified water and tap water. The toughest part is determining which one is your best option. In this article, we’re going to look at both types of water and their real differences.
Tap Water
Tap water is water that is supplied to a facet or tap. It can be used for drinking, cooking, flushing of toilets, and general cleaning activities. In most countries, the municipal council controls the tap water.
In already developed countries, tap water is usually assumed to be safe for drinking since it undergoes purification methods, through the use of water treatment plants that provide clean water to homes, businesses, and public buildings. However, in developing countries, water quality problems aren’t rare.
This brings us to the question – is tap water safe for drinking? Well, water hydrates you, powers you through your workouts, and up to 60% of your body is water! Water is basically the most vital nutrient to the life of every cell in our bodies. For this reason, we must be informed about our water sources.
It’s not just lousy plumbing that could be junking up your tap water’s flow. The municipal councils don’t just control tap water; it can be piped from rivers, lakes, or even boreholes. Some of these sources are polluted by high levels of natural compounds like human-made chemicals, arsenic, and agricultural run-offs, such as fertilizers and pesticides.
The water treatment plants equipped to remove these contaminants may not always operate up-to-par since most still use the old technology. Also, sometimes, residents aren’t immediately informed when contamination issues are found.
Below are a few steps you can follow to determine if your tap water is safe for drinking:
- Stay informed.
Reading your water reports is important. You can do this by merely requesting the form from your local water utility. The reports will help you identify if there are any issues with your tap water or faucets.
- Know your city’s pipes.
Your city water department can tell whether you have lead service lines leading to your house. In case you have lead pipes, it’s important to leave your tap water running for about 30 seconds to reduce the percentage level of lead. Water running from lead pipes may not be safe for drinking. Clean your faucet’s filter screen every once in a while.
- Test your water.
You might as well buy home test kits, especially if you drink from a private well. However, the most reliable results come from state-certified labs. Therefore, you should have your water analyzed every once per year.
Purified Water
Water purification is a way of reducing or removing anything you don’t want in your water. The process helps to remove all contaminants and pollutants from your drinking water. Distilled water used to be the most common form of purified water. Now, there are many other processes used to purify water. They include carbon filtering, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and many more.
It’s the purification methods involved, and not the source of purified water, that makes it the safest choice. Unlike distilled or spring water, purified water undergoes more purification steps, thus making it purer.
While both purified and filtered water might sound like the same thing, the two are different. Purified drinking water can actually originate from any source – could be tap water, spring water, or even groundwater. But then, as mentioned earlier, it undergoes stricter purification and filtration process that makes it very safe for drinking.
The process eliminates not only all traces of contaminants, but also all harmful chemicals from your drinking water.
Many known companies offer bottled purified waters, as well as home water dispensers that can be used as water purifiers. Also, there are sites such as homefixworld.com that provide guidelines related to drinking water for buyers. It’s recommended for customers who always like to stay informed and healthy.
