Two-thirds of the earth may be covered by water, but about 2.8 percent is fresh water. Someone who’s done the math calculates that we can use only 0.3 percent of that total water supply. Of that small percentage, our usage breaks down like this:
- 70% is utility water, where water quality is not the most important concern (irrigation or pools)
- 28% is working water, used for cleaning (bathing, laundry and dishes)
- 2% is potable water, suitable for consumption (drinking and cooking)
Since no new fresh water is being created, thankfully, water is the ultimate recycler. Rain that nourished the earth millions of years ago, still does so today.
While our supply remains constant, it is, however, affected by the environment. As a universal solvent, water absorbs a touch of everything it contacts. In its return to earth as rain, water picks up air pollutants and rust. Once it hits the ground, it dissolves, penetrates and seeps, collecting everything from rocks to pesticides.
Although U.S. water supplies rank as one of the safest in the world, some contaminants still can enter the drinking water after it has left the treatment facility. Installing a water treatment system offers you more control over the quality of your water.
What is Water Treatment?
Water treatment is a process for filtering or chemically treating water. There are two modes of filtering:
1. Point of Entry – utilizes water softeners and whole house filter systems
Benefits of a water softener
- Removes minerals that cause hard water. (Hard water – which means more iron content — uses 50-80% more soaps, detergents, cleaners and soap-related products)
- Uses less detergent and keeps clothes whiter
- Reduces harsh effect on fabrics and skin
- Improves rinsing performance, making things easier to clean because of less soap buildup
Benefits of a whole house filter
- Removes sediment from incoming water source
- Prolongs life of appliances and pipes
- Helps water heaters work more efficiently
2. Point of Use – utilizes products like under sink water filtration including reverse osmosis.
Benefits of reverse osmosis water filtration
- Removes harmful contaminants such as arsenic, lead, sulfate, chlorine, VOCs, rust, sediment and more
- Dispenses healthier, cleaner-tasting water
- Removes odors
- Saves money and eco-friendly. More economic than bottled water with no empty bottles added to landfills
While a carbon filter’s primary function is to remove chlorine and unwanted tastes and smells from drinking water, reverse osmosis water filtration systems are recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and the Environmental Protection Agency as an effective means for treating drinking water. Comprised of a pre-filter, membrane and post-filter, it processes water by using pressure to force the water through a very fine, semi-permeable membrane. Since the process takes time, a small tank stores the purified water until it’s needed. Because of this, reverse osmosis very nearly reaches the purity of distilled water but in a much shorter time and without electricity.
If you have a thirst for an investment that will play dividends for you and your family, schedule a free in-home water treatment consultation. Since water consumption and household size are vital considerations, we recommend our free in-home service, which includes a water test, plumbing audit/fixture count, review of your family’s water consumption and needs and a customized equipment recommendation. For more on installation, visit homedepot.com’s installation services page or your local Home Depot store.
Since I bought a washer/dryer/fridge @ home depot, they insisted to come out and do a water test of our house. I called home depot about the people coming out to my house and they assured me that it would only take 30-40 minutes and they would just analyze the water and answer any questions we may have. well the lady came out and after running the test for an hour and talking, talking, talking… she started to sell the water system. I told her that we will not buy today, that we needed time to think about it. She got frustrated and said told us that “well, water must not be that important to you..” the lady kept on trying to sell us the system without listening to what I had to say.
The water system seems great, but the sales people are very pushy to the point that it makes the “visit” uncomfortable and distasteful. I would have bought the system, if it had not been for the hard selling attempts.
Hi Marcelo! I’m glad you like your refrigerator, but I’m sorry you had to deal with a pushy salesperson. Typically, we try to give customers what they need and not what we want them to have. Hopefully, you won’t experience such a time-waster again. In the meantime, please reach out to customer service at 1-800-466-3337 to voice your concern.
Home Depot’s Rains Soft Salesman just left in a huff. I asked several times before I signed up and when scheduling the appt. and was assured there is no hard selling and they would just test the water and answer any questions we had. Our salesman (last name Morgan?) was supposed to arrive at 11:00 and was a no show. The schedulers called at 12:00 and rescheduled him for 1:30, he finally showed up at 2:30. He was here talking for 2 hours because we were very interested in the product. When we explained that we are not going to make a decision today he started the hard sell. Thirty minutes later he was still trying to talk us into buying today. We told him that we were assured by Home Depot that there would not be a hard sale situation. He got very frustrated, loud, condescending comments, and left in a huff. Because of his behavior we will not buy this product and we question why Home Depot is promoting this program. My husband says we will never allow anyone associated with Home Depot or Rain Soft into our home again!
We are sorry for your frustration. Has your issue been resolved?
i went into home depot and the people in the gardren dept seemed really lazy. there was alot of people in the store and only 1 or 2 avaliable that were helping customers and there was this associate ”caucasian” and a younger kid also ”caucasian” with him and they were just standing there talking and not caring about anybody else, they seemed really lazy and they shouldn’t be working there… very bad service, but the other two guys were very helpfull. i know next time i go in that store who to ask for. and who not to. i will make sure that the store manager gets this message next time i go in….
I’m so sorry for your negative store experience. At The Home Depot we strive to make sure that all of our customers are well taken care of and we certainly do not condone the type of service you described. We really appreciate your business and, again, we apologize for such poor customer service.