A variety of water treatment processes are available to the homeowner, differing in the types of chemicals removed, location within the home, and operating and maintenance requirements.

• Point of Use (POU) systems are installed near where the water will be used-normally in the kitchen at the end of a faucet, plumbed in-line under the sink, or placed on a countertop. These systems typically treat the 3 to 5 gallons per day that an average family uses for drinking and cooking.
• Point of Entry (POE) units are usually placed near where the water enters the home. They treat all or most of the water as it enters the home, generally excluding water service to outdoor taps.

No system is capable of removing all possible contaminants, but several processes are available for home water treatment. Please see these UNL Extension NebGuides PDFs for information.

• Activated carbon filtration
• Water softening (ion exchange)
• Reverse osmosis
• Distillation
• Sediment filtration
• Continuous chlorination
• Shock chlorination

Certification of treatment products is available through independent entities such as NSF or the Water Quality Association (WQA). Testing provides assurance of the effectiveness of devices designed to treat water for both aesthetic and health benefits. Homeowners interested in a particular treatment system can determine if it has been certified by NSF or WQA for the use intended.

Physical (Magnetic or Electrical) Water Treatment Devices

There are a variety of devices that claim to manage hard water scale using primarily magnetic or electrical technology. Manufacturers generally claim the devices utilize energy to alter the behavior of compounds or elements within the water. They do not claim water chemistry is altered. In fact, the hardness of the water before and after treatment is not changed. This complicates assessment of their performance. While protocol has been established to assess the effectiveness of ion exchange water softeners (NSF/ANSI 44), at this time, no recognized agency in the U.S. has established protocol to assess the effectiveness of physical water treatment devices. Therefore, questions remain as to their effectiveness.

Information presented within the drinking water section of this Water Web site has been reviewed by University of Nebraska - Lincoln Drinking Water Team members Bruce Dvorak, Sharon Skipton, Wayne Woldt, David Shelton, Rachael Herpel, and Jan Hygnstrom.