How to Choose the Correct Water Drop By Drop 02

POE equipment typically takes care of health contaminants such as Volatile organic compounds (VOC) and provides water softening. POUs generally treat health contaminants like lead and aesthetic contaminants such as sulfur, explains the WQA. A variety of technologies provide filtration solutions, but no one device treats every problem. Facility managers should pick the most cost-effective solution for the type of water problem at the facility. Also, be sure to choose a product or system that has been tested by an independent regulatory agency such as the National Sanitation Foundation.

Like bottled water dispensers, POE/POU systems require regular maintenance, including sanitizing the cooler and changing the filters; manufacturers provide detailed information. We recommend using an appliance with a pressurized system and no reservoir-and changing the filters regularly to prevent bacterial growth.While it may seem like a daunting project, all it takes is a little research and some expert advice to tap into safe, clean drinking water.Common water problems, according to the WQA, include Aesthetics (harmless contaminants that affect taste, color, and odor) Hardness (excessive levels of calcium and magnesium that shorten the life of plumbing and water-using appliances and decrease the efficiency of water heaters) Lead (linked to learning disabilities in young children and hypertension in adults) Biological pathogens (waterborne organisms which can cause minor intestinal disorders or can pose a significant threat to the immune impaired)


Nitrates (can interfere with the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood, and are linked to high incidences of miscarriages) Heavy metals (can cause physiological damage to the body, especially the central nervous system) Low/high pH (can be corrosive or cause aesthetic problems); and Other items linked to cancer (e.g., radium/radon, volatile organic compounds,etc)The most common water treatment technologies are Carbon/granular activated carbon filters (absorbs or screens chlorine, sulfur, iron, manganese, lead and other heavy metals, radon, some pesticides and fungicides, volatile organic compounds,etc) Reverse osmosis or RO (forces pressurized water through a semi-permeable membrane to get rid of organic compounds, ferrous iron, chlorine, fluoride, nitrate, heavy metals, and unpleasant odors and tastes) Distillation (heats the raw water to steam and then condenses it back into water to eliminate heavy metals, nitrates, some pesticides and fungicides, some organic compounds, and some bacteria); and Ultraviolet (particularly effective on bacteria and micro-organisms, most common in developing countries).