NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Regular filters that purify or soften water in homes could soon be useless as the saltwater wedge makes its way upriver to the City of New Orleans.
“This is your typical water softening system. This is not going to benefit you in any shape or form because the parts inside are not saltwater protected. The only fight we have against that is reverse osmosis,” says Bloodline Plumbing Repairs owner Tony Monvoisn.
The experts say the saltwater will definitely be a problem for your plumbing.
“It could potentially start to pit the inside of your copper or attack your starter joints. It will attack the weakest parts of our old plumber systems. Ice makers refrigerators, tankless heaters, washing machines,” says Monvoisn.
Reverse osmosis systems for your home are available. Monvoisn explains how they work.
“These are your cartriges that are going to be replaced and changed out for routine maintenance. As it pressurizes through filters there is a discharge, you are losing seventy-five percent of the water that you are making to produce drinking water,” says Monvoisn.
There are two types of home systems, under the sink and the whole house. Yet the price difference is substantial.
“The under-the-counter system is roughly in the five hundreds. Whole house systems are the only thing that’s going to protect your piping and appliances. Those things range anywhere from seventy-five hundred to eighteen thousand,” says Monvoisn.
If you want to weigh your options, Culligan Water is one place where you can find reverse osmosis systems for under-sink filtration for drinking water. For showering and other water uses, you’d need a reverse osmosis unit for each and they cost several hundred dollars.
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