Why Older Homes Benefit from a Water Filtration System
An old home can have a lot of charm. Vintage kitchens, warm wood tones, and traditional styles are all great appeals. They even can lead us to choose an older home or favor homes in old neighborhoods for this welcoming sense of charm. Of course, old homes also come with their fair share of challenges. They are often stocked with old appliances that will soon need to be replaced, and they may have long-waiting roof or foundation issues to contend with. Many old homes have ongoing maintenance concerns, from creaky steps to rusty pipes – leading us to a natural concern for home water quality.
While you’re enjoying a cozy kitchen, you should also be concerned with the quality of water coming out of the taps. Old homes, and even old neighborhoods, add a few extra risks when it comes to the clarity and safety of the tap water. Old pipes corrode, are more easily ruptured by landscaping, and are also more prone to clogs and damage from careless use. In many cases, installing a water filtration system is one of the best things you can do for both your family’s health and the long-term care of your historic plumbing.
Today, we’re spotlighting why water filtration has an increased benefit for homes that are already several decades old.
Take Care of Old Pipes by Preventing Clogs
If you love old houses (as many of us do) or one old home in particular, you know that it takes a little extra care. Just as you may polish the old wood with oil soap and avoid overloading the old wiring, you also need to take care of those old pipes – or replace them entirely. Older pipes tend to be more brittle, more prone to corrosion, and also more likely to clog. We’re not just talking about drains, which clog for obvious and snake-able reasons. We’re also talking about the pipes that run fresh water from the water main to your cold tap, or to the water heater and then the hot taps.
Anything in your water from the municipal water supply or pipes along the way can then catch and build up on the inner walls of your old pipes. This is an especially high risk if you live in a hard-water region, which is around 90 percent of the US. By installing a water filtration system, you are clearing out most of the local contaminates – both from the water supply and the pipes running from the water processing plant to your home.
Filter Out Rust from Corroding Pipes
Older pipes tend to rust or, if they are not just iron, corrode into other oxides as well. As metal corrodes, it becomes flaky and porous. Those flakes break off and float in your water, increasing the levels of iron and other oxidized metals in the home tap water. We often talk about how water filtration is the ideal solution for excess iron in water, but not where that iron comes from.
In older neighborhoods, rust and other corrosion in your water usually comes from the pipes. Not just the pipes in your home, but also older pipes laid underground throughout the neighborhood. The older the pipes, the more likely it is that they are providing some of the contaminant particles in your family’s drinking water.
With a home water filtration system, you can filter out those particles immediately – before your water from old pipes becomes family drinking water.
Just-in-Case Filtration Versus Dangerous Old Pipes (Lead)
Finally, remain acutely aware of the risk of lead pipes somewhere along the line. Lead is a semi-soft and extremely durable metal that was thought ideal for plumbing for a very long time. Even ancient Romans thought that lead was the best metal for pipes. Unfortunately, lead is also a heavy metal that leaches over time, meaning bits of lead wind up in the drinking water and can cause long-term lead poisoning damage for families that are not careful.
Most home pipes are not lead. But, there might be a few lead pipes buried under your neighborhood and further up the water supply network. To keep your family safe, it helps to have a water filtration system, just in case there’s some un-replaced lead piping up the line.
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Considering installing a water filtration system in your home? Contact us today to consult on the right model, size, and installation plans for your home’s water filter installation.
