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We all want to buy a home. But regardless of whether you’re a first-time homeowner or moving into a new place, the joy of getting a new home only lasts so long. While buying a new home can be an exciting process, you can quickly develop tunnel vision. For this reason, you must ask about the water supply and the safety of the water to protect your family’s health.
Do not obsess only about the features or facilities of the new home. Doing so hoards your focus from the other important decision points. This leaves you ignorant of the nitty-gritty details that are rarely in focus during the home-buying process.
Consider investing in a borehole water filter system to ensure consistent clean water supply. It’s an overlooked detail that can significantly improve your new home’s water quality.
Use the information you collect to fix the house accordingly before moving in. This includes questions about water quality in the home, a more critical concern than its mere availability.
Water is very crucial in a homestead. Usually, the taste, safety, and quality of water determine its subsequent uses. It is, therefore, too risky to use unsafe water. A borehole water purification system can help ensure the water from your private borehole is safe for consumption.
And dangerous water is not fit for laundry, showering, drinking, and more. For these reasons, making a new house your ideal home should start with seeking guarantees on the safety and quality of water. Asking the following four questions will help you understand both aspects of your home’s water supply.
The most critical water factors to understand when purchasing a new home include the following:
• Where is the water coming into your home coming from?
• How is the water getting there?
• What is the quality of the water?
• Is there any form of water treatment currently happening to the incoming water?
• What do I want to do with the incoming water?
1.) Where is the water sourced? It helps to know where your water is coming from. Knowing your water source enables you to understand the safety, quality, and potential risks to your domestic water supply on a microscopic level.
The water in your home typically falls into two categories. But whether it’s municipal or borehole, it is essential to understand the appropriate treatment needed to make the water safe for your family.
South African laws dictated that domestic water from municipal sources should meet the prescribed standards for drinking water quality and safety. As a result, a municipal water supply undergoes standardized treatment at a local water treatment facility, making municipal water relatively safe.
But even these guidelines still leave room for potential water safety problems. For example, not all contaminants are regulated, with such emerging concerns as “forever chemicals” PFOA/PFOS is a prime example.
A common concern, however, is that treated municipal water is still contaminated after leaving the central treatment plant.
Private Borehole Water Borehole water requires regular testing and borehole water filters to enhance safety and quality. Having a private borehole reduces the post-treatment water contamination risk. But it also demands a better understanding of your water quality since municipal agencies do not regulate boreholes.
Consider water purification systems for home use to ensure that your borehole water is safe for daily use.
Water from boreholes can still have quality issues that alter its color, clarity, taste
and smell. It is also more likely to have major health-related concerns.
These concerns include the following:
• High amounts of magnesium and calcium in the water
• Iron, which causes rusting of sinks, and bathtubs and stains clothes
• Hydrogen sulfide, which causes a rotten egg or sulfur smell in the water
2.) Is the area known for any water issues? Is your would-be new home known for having water issues? If so, it is prudent to address these concerns as soon as possible. Though most water safety issues can be managed, an area with contaminated water sources is not ideal for a new home.
You need to know everything potentially affecting your domestic water supply, including those that can be fixed easily. Having a water filter is one way to mitigate these issues.
We’ve already noted that hard water is common in many areas of South Africa. Buildups in your water reservoir tanks, containers, plants, and animal bodies can be very damaging. Such minerals and salts make the water hard and unsuitable for critical home use.
The water affects appliances like dishwashers, water heaters, and washing machines. Your utensils become stained, while faucets and showers bear scales. Unsafe water also affects humans, causing hair and skin issues.
If the previous homeowner cannot give the answers you need, your realtor or prospective neighbors are great sources to identify the water quality in the area.
3.) Are there any water treatment systems installed in the home? Therefore, it is prudent to find out whether your would-be home already has a water treatment system installed. If so, you should know all water treatments enabled in the system.
If already installed, a quality water treatment system is an excellent feature in the home. It guarantees quality and safe water for the homestead, providing cleaner water to users. This protects their health and water-using household assets that add to the home’s value.
Standard domestic water treatment systems include water softening, under-counter reverse osmosis, and home filtration systems. Ask when each water system was installed in the home, their respective brands, how well they’re working, and the history and schedule of maintaining the systems.
4.) What’s the best local resource for getting my water tested? Being proactive will help guarantee a safe water supply to your home. Learn about local sources of water. Details on chlorine content, dissolved solids, water hardness, and acidity, among others. And conduct tests on each. This ensures you can be on track to owning a house with cleaner, safer water. It helps to know what you’ll do with the information beforehand.
Conduct all testing with the help of a local water treatment specialist (contact us today). If they know your community and its water well, that is a welcome advantage. The expert will also know the best treatment for your location.
A safe home starts from the tap. And the journey of buying a new home can be daunting, but taking the time to ask the right questions can ensure that your new home environment is something you can be proud of.
Not sure where to start? Click here, and you’ll find all the information you need to make an informed decision on how best to find a water treatment solution that best suits your needs.