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In our last post we talked about how new regulations are limiting the amount of lead that can come into contact with drinking water and surveyed a wide range of, lead-free circulator pumps, stainless steel pressure boosters and plastic ice machine pumps that can be safely used under the new rules.

But lead is not the only contaminant present in drinking water. Years ago, in an effort to eliminate bacteria and other pathogens from the water supply, municipalities began treating water with chlorine. Today, the long term safety of drinking chlorinated water is under increasing scrutiny.

If your home is served by a public water system, data on the levels of lead and chlorine in your tap water may be available from your local water authority. If your water provider does not post this information, you can call and find out. Be sure to inquire whether your water is being treated with chlorine or chloramine as that information can help you to select an appropriate filtration system, should you decide to install one.

If you cannot obtain information about your tap water from a reliable public source, have it tested. Use that information to select an appropriate water filter, if necessary, bearing in mind that different filters are designed to reduce exposure to different contaminants.

With or without filtration, drink or cook only with water that comes out of the tap cold. Hot water tends to corrode pipes more quickly than cold water, so you may end up drinking higher levels of lead and other heavy metals in hot tap water.  In addition, heated water passes through a hot water heater where sediment and other possible toxins can contaminate the water. If your home is equipped with a re-circulator pump that rushes hot water to your tap, be sure all wetted components are lead free (see Armstrong’s  110223-401, Astro Express 2 SSU Hot Water Delivery System.)

Which brings us to the issue of shower water. The hot water tank that holds the water for your shower can be a place where the elevated temperature effectively deactivates the chlorine supplied to inhibit bacterial growth, rendering the water less sanitary.  So don’t drink the shower water. Bring a water bottle in the shower with you and drink from that.

Our Product Experts are standing by to help you select the certified lead free and stainless steel pumps best suited to your needs.