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Filtered Water vs. Tap Water: What’s the Difference?

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From the tap water at your kitchen sink to the fanciest flavored mineral water, you have a lot of choices when it comes to hydration. However, that doesn’t mean it’s an easy decision. Even with commercial bottled water brands, you may be left guessing about what’s in your drinking glass.

For many, the answer is filtration. Standard tap water is either unfiltered (if it’s private well water) or treated by the city (if it’s municipal water). However, given some limits within municipal water treatment and the common usage of well water across North America, many homeowners choose to add secondary layers of filtration. With the right filtration system, you can take control of your water quality no matter the source.

Here’s what to know about filtered vs. tap water and why it matters.

Option #1: Tap Water

When people say “tap water,” they generally mean water that comes directly from the faucet. However, the real story is a little more complicated than that. Here’s what to know:

What is Tap Water?

Tap water is the water that’s piped directly to your home. It may come from the city or a private or community well. However, it all originates from the same sources: surface water and groundwater.

Surface water includes lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs. Technically speaking, oceans are part of this category, too — but because of the high salt content, they’re not a direct source of tap water. No matter the type, surface water is generally fed by precipitation.

Groundwater, on the other hand, exists underground. It often collects in natural storage tanks called aquifers, which are filled with water that filters down through layers of soil and rock. (However, this isn’t considered a type of “filtration” like reverse osmosis or activated carbon.)

Both water types are exposed to additional elements like mineral content from rocks, organic matter from plants and even nearby human activity. While city water is treated in municipal facilities before reaching your home, well water moves straight to your faucet if you don’t have your own treatment system in place.

Is All Tap Water the Same?

Tap water quality can vary by location and over time. Even two people on the same street using the same water system can see variations. There are several reasons for this:

  • Geographical location: Local conditions — from plant, animal and agricultural activity to native rock formations — lead to differences in water quality across North America.
  • Water source: Two treatment centers in the same city may draw from separate water sources, meaning there could be varying levels of mineral content or contaminants. Treatment process also can vary.
  • Home piping: No matter its source, water must flow through your home’s plumbing, which means it can be exposed to different kinds of impurities depending on the pipe material and condition.

This is why many people consider the tap to be unfiltered water: While it may be treated at a municipal facility, potential quality issues can remain.

What Contaminants Could Be in Tap Water?

Because there are so many variables between the original water source and your drinking glass, the reality is that tap water can have a variety of quality issues. Some are noticeable — like iron, which can cause metallic tastes and rust-colored stains, or hydrogen sulfide, which makes water smell like rotten eggs. Many others can’t be seen, tasted or smelled, including lead, mercury and harmful chemicals like PFAS (also called “forever chemicals”).*

Is Tap Water Safe To Drink?

Thanks to decades of research into municipal treatment facilities and well structures, modern water systems in North America have overcome many safety concerns. This means that, while tap water may not be free of every possible contaminant, you often don’t have to worry about any immediate, significant health risks if the water meets EPA primary drinking water standards.

How Is City Water Treated and Is Well Water Different?

Public water utilities must follow specific regulations for drinking water quality. These rules vary between the U.S. and Canada; furthermore, each city may use different treatment methods (often including some combination of reverse osmosis, chlorination and ultraviolet disinfection). However, the main idea remains consistent: Municipal tap water is treated, tested and regulated to address a broad variety of potential contaminants that could impact human health.

The same can’t be said for private wells. Regulatory bodies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Health Canada do not regulate these sources, nor does this water run through municipal treatment facilities. That means well users rely on untested, unfiltered tap water unless they take action themselves. That’s why annual water testing – and in most cases, water treatment – is recommended for private well users.

Option #2: Filtered Water

Filtered water often feels like a more reliable choice because you know exactly when, where and how it was treated. Here’s a closer look:

What is Filtered Water?

Broadly speaking, filtered water is water that has gone through at least one type of filtration process. However, even water that is technically considered “filtered” is not necessarily problem free. The biggest reason for this is that different types of filtration solutions address different issues. Some, like reverse osmosis systems, are very comprehensive, while solutions like basic pitchers or refrigerator filters may not be. Additionally, city water is filtered by the municipality— but it also travels through your home’s pipes, which can cause copper or lead contamination. The same is true of bottled water: Although most brands talk about filtration or purification methods, that water is then placed in a plastic bottle that can introduce new contaminant types.

That’s why many want to add another element to their own definition of filtered water — timing. Filtration occurring at or just before the point of use helps prevent additional impurities and is probably what you’re looking for when you say you want “filtered water.”

What Kinds of Filtration Are There?

There are many types of filtration, including:

  • Reverse osmosis (RO)
  • Activated carbon
  • Mechanical
  • Sediment

Each filtration type has its strengths and weaknesses. The most thorough home water filters often use more than one filtration method in a single system. While a basic activated carbon filter may be effective for certain contaminants, other multi-step solutions are more comprehensive and can target a wider range of impurities.

Do Filtration Systems Help the Environment?

One of the biggest benefits of home filtration is that it eliminates the need for single-use plastic water bottles. Filtering tap water puts you in charge of quality, taste, amount and more, which means you don’t have to waste all that plastic. You also save money by taking those bottles off your shopping list.

Tap Water vs. Filtered Water: Differences, Similarities and Benefits

Now that you know what we’re talking about when we say “tap water” and “filtered water,” it’s time to decide which is the better choice for your home. To do that, you’ll need to compare them in a few key categories:

Quality

Tap water quality can vary depending on where you live, what’s happening at the water source, municipal treatment methods used, the material of your home plumbing and more. Even treated city water may still contain potentially harmful chemicals and other impurities that either aren’t yet regulated or haven’t yet been integrated into treatment methods.

Filtered water, on the other hand, has more reliable quality. A filtration system is equipped with different methods and materials to handle variables from plant matter in the water source to emerging contaminants like forever chemicals.

Control

When it comes to tap water, you don’t have much control. For example, you can’t tell the city to add less chlorine because you’re sensitive to the odor; similarly, you can’t change the source of your well water if it’s prone to problems like hydrogen sulfide.

That’s where filtered water comes in. With the right filter system, you can take control of the taste, odor, flavor and quality of your water, targeting specific impurities that cause the biggest problems. Plus, you don’t have to wait for someone else to make those decisions and implement the necessary changes.

Aesthetics

The aesthetic qualities of tap water can change depending on a variety of factors. For example, if a specific kind of plant is in bloom by the lake that supplies your city’s water, you may see discoloration when you turn on the tap.

Fortunately, filtered water has a more uniform quality because the comprehensive treatment methods are designed to address multiple variables at once. That means you won’t have to worry about unpleasant tastes and odors. Some filter systems even allow you to add mineral cartridges that boost your water’s flavor based on your preferences.

Hardness

Some city treatment methods include steps designed to address hard water, which occurs due to a buildup of minerals like calcium and magnesium. However, most cities are more focused on regulated contaminants that could impact public safety — and hard water doesn’t come with significant health concerns – just unpleasant (and often costly) impacts to your home as well as your hair, skin and nails.

It’s important to note that filtered water isn’t the same thing as softened water– filtration and softening are separate processes. However, the good news is that a home filter system can often complement a water softener, giving you more options for treatment and control.

The First Step in Every Water Decision

Although it’s easy to turn tap water into filtered water with the right system, you still need to know what problems you’re facing and how best to address them. A professional water test is the first step in the process, identifying contaminant levels and providing customized recommendations for your home. That way, you’ll know how to get the filtered water you’ve been looking for.

Get started today. Schedule your free, in-home water test and consultation to learn more about your water quality.

*Contaminants may not be present in your drinking water.

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