Ask any person in Los Angeles if they want a cup of tap water to drink, and they will all respond with a huge no. There’s a consensus that the drinking water in Los Angeles shouldn’t be drunk. But what exactly is in the water, and what can homeowners do to improve its quality?
From under-the-counter filters to whole-house systems, Monkey Wrench has installed various water filtration systems in hundreds of homes in the region. For nearly two decades, our technicians have helped homeowners understand the importance of water filtration so that an entire household can safely enjoy their drinking water without having to spend on cases upon cases of bottled water.
Most homeowners will agree that some sort of water filter can benefit their homes. We’ll take it a step further and explain the following information.
- The current state of water quality in Los Angeles
- How to see what’s in your home’s water
- Ways to improve water quality
- Types of water filtration available
By the end of this article, you’ll gain an understanding of what contaminants are in your home’s drinking water and how to address them.
Let’s dive in!
What’s in My Home’s Water in Los Angeles?
Based on reported data by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, here’s a list of possible contaminants in tap water throughout the Los Angeles area.
- Chloramines and chlorine
- Dirt
- Silt
- Minerals such as calcium and magnesium
- Volatile organic compounds
- Germs and bacteria
Even though some of these contaminants are lurking in your water, they’re only very small fragments. Despite the presence of these tiny contaminants, the agencies responsible for monitoring them have conducted research to show that the allowed traces of contaminants do not pose a health risk.
Still, drinking water quality is a major concern, which is why the California State Water Resources Control Board and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) strictly regulate tap water in Los Angeles. Although extensive reporting is submitted yearly with information on what contaminants are flowing in the water, there are ways to see specific impurities in individual homes.
Water Quality Test for My Home
It’s hard to tell what contaminants are in a home’s tap water when it’s sitting in a clear glass. The water may appear cloudy, and you may even be able to see some minerals floating around. Fortunately, there are ways homeowners can test their home’s water.
Water quality reports for different communities show what contaminants were found in their area. The report itself can be challenging to read with all the various terms used to describe contaminant quantities, but other sites are more accessible to navigate. The non-profit organization Environmental Working Group (EWG) has a tap water database where homeowners can enter their zip code to see what contaminants are in their water.
Homeowners can also order water testing kits to check the pH level of their water and send samples of their tap water for testing at laboratories. After finding out what’s in their water, homeowners can then start to explore different water filtration options.
What Can I Do to Improve My Home’s Water Quality
The best thing a homeowner can do to improve their house’s water quality is to get a water filtration system. Depending on the specific water filtration system, homeowners in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas can enjoy some of the following benefits.
- Improves taste: Municipal water treatment sites add chloramines to kill microbes like bacteria. Although deemed safe to drink, these chemicals can slightly alter the taste of drinking water. A water filter can remove the chlorine and improve the taste of water.
- Prevent and remove limescale: Minerals like magnesium and calcium produce scale, a chalky substance found on showerheads and other fixtures. Unique water filtration systems can help reduce scale and prevent it from building up.
- Removes weird odors: A rotten egg smell, also known as hydrogen sulfide, is one of the most reported odors by homeowners. With the right water filter, homeowners can eliminate the stench from their tap water.
- Stops physical contaminants: Dirt and other solid pollutants can flow through water, but there are filters designed to prevent these particles from passing through.
- Versatile filtration options: Multiple types of water filters are available so that homeowners can choose between whole-house systems and point-of-use filters, such as an under-the-sink filtration system.
- Increases water drinking habits: With improved water quality, homeowners will start to see an increase in water drinking habits and better hydration overall.
- Can save money: Many homes spend money on cases of bottled water, but with a water filter, homeowners have access to higher-quality water without having to buy it from stores.
All of these benefits can immediately impact a home’s water quality, but they’re only available with select water filtration systems. In the next section, we’ll highlight the different water filter options.
Which Water Filtration System Is Best for My Home?
Homeowners can start searching for a water filter by asking themselves what they plan to get out of it. Do they want improved taste, reduced sediment, soft water, or a combination of all the benefits from different water filters?
To help make that search more simple, here’s a list of the different water filters available and what they’re designed to do.
- Carbon filters: This filtration system is one of the most common types used and seen in refrigerators and popular brands like Brita. Carbon filters help improve water taste by removing chemicals like chlorine.
- Sediment filters: These filters are designed to capture any tiny physical particles roaming in water. They help water look clearer by removing contaminants like silt.
- Water softeners: For homes with hard water, water softening systems are designed to reduce and prevent limescale buildup. They are also the only system able to produce soft water.
- UV light water filters: These water filters use special UV rays to kill viruses, germs, and bacteria that could be lurking in a home’s water supply.
- Reverse osmosis water systems: A reverse osmosis system uses multiple types of filters to help purify water and remove 99.9% of contaminants.
All of these systems are available at different price ranges and cater to a home’s specific water quality needs. It’s also possible to have a whole-house water filtration system that encompasses all of the mentioned water filters.
Wrapping Up Water Filtration for Los Angeles Homes
Even if official organizations state that the water in Los Angeles is safe to drink, homeowners don’t feel confident doing that. Instead, by understanding what is in their home’s water, homeowners can improve their water by obtaining a water filtration system.
When it comes to improving water quality, we at Monkey Wrench have helped hundreds of homes across Los Angeles obtain better water by simply installing a water filtration system. Our technicians receive specialized training from the top water filtration manufacturers so they can better serve the water quality needs of individual homes.
If you’re interested in a water filtration system, click any of the buttons below for more information. You can also book an appointment directly through our water filtration online scheduler.
To expand your knowledge on water filtration, check out this article on the cost of water treatment. It will help you prepare a budget and understand what factors affect pricing.
