Tap water is part of our everyday lives. We use it for rinsing, drinking, washing, showering, and watering. Therefore, this water should be of high quality and not harm us, our pets, or our plants.
There are various methods for treating tap water. You can filter it to remove contaminants. You can also "structure" or "energize" tap water. In this guide, we'll show you everything you can do with tap water:
+ What is tap water and where does it come from?
+ How can I treat tap water at home?
+ How can I make carbonated tap water?
+ Mineral water vs. tap water - the comparison
+ What does H2O Wasserladen offer for drinking water treatment?
+ Conclusion
+ Frequently Asked Questions
What is tap water and where does it come from?
Germany is a country with a wealth of water resources, where water is abundant and can be supplied in treated form as tap water practically everywhere. Drinking water production varies by region and state. Tap water is the water that flows from your tap at home after being treated at various sources. But where does the water really come from?
Sources of tap water
Groundwater: The majority of water used for drinking water treatment comes from groundwater. Groundwater is formed by the accumulation and infiltration of precipitation and river water. The water seeps into the soil and collects as groundwater above a watertight layer in the ground. The surface can be several hundred meters deep, but usually between 10 and 100 meters. Groundwater is generally of high quality and is therefore used throughout Germany as the main source for drinking water production. However, in certain regions, such as Saxony, Thuringia, North Rhine-Westphalia, or Berlin, bank filtration or water from dams may also be more important.
Recharged groundwater: This water is created like normal groundwater from precipitation or other sources. However, this process artificially accelerates infiltration. The goal is to extract more groundwater. Therefore, recharged groundwater can be used for drinking water treatment just like normal groundwater.
Spring water: Water from springs usually originates in high-altitude areas, such as mountains. Just because the water comes from a spring doesn't necessarily mean it's safe to drink. This depends on whether the water comes from deep underground layers or from layers near the surface. Surface water usually requires more extensive and frequent purification than water from deeper layers.
Surface water: Water from dams, lakes, and rivers falls into this category. The difference from groundwater is that this water is extracted from the surface of the body of water rather than pumped up from the depths. Similar to spring water, surface water requires more extensive and frequent treatment to meet the requirements of the Drinking Water Ordinance.
How can I treat tap water at home?
According to the Drinking Water Ordinance, tap water is a safe product, the consumption of which must not pose any health risks. Nevertheless, there may be good reasons for improvement, as the pipes are sometimes long and old, domestic plumbing is not always up to standard, and the quality is naturally only required to the extent technically feasible for the enormous amount of tap water consumed by all private, public, commercial, and industrial users. And only a tiny portion of this (<1%) is actually drunk!
Tap water can be treated in a variety of ways. One way is to remove only the harmful contaminants from the water. This process is achieved using various filtration methods. The other way is to energize or structure the water. This can be done using swirlers or vitalizers. Depending on your water needs, you can choose one of these methods or a combination of both.
Treating water with filter systems:
- Line-connected activated carbon filters: These devices filter water directly at the pipe (e.g., at the faucet). Harmful substances are removed from the water using activated carbon (poured, extruded, or baked into porous blocks) and sometimes additionally with certain filter membranes. Such filter systems can be installed directly at the faucet (countertop), at the cold water line under the sink (undersink), or at the main line at the house entrance (activated carbon domestic water filters). Depending on the material, processing, and additional stages, they filter out impurities such as odor and taste, chlorine, bacteria, drug residues, and many chemicals. Limescale and other dissolved inorganic substances are not removed.
- Reverse osmosis system: This water purification method is even more effective than activated carbon, as the fine-pored membrane also removes 90-99% of all dissolved substances in drinking water. These systems are usually designed for under-counter installation, but countertop units are also available. A reverse osmosis system is somewhat more expensive to purchase, but you benefit from extremely pure and clean drinking water free of any contaminants.
- Pitcher system: A cheap alternative to high-quality filters are pitcher filters, which are quite common. These filter systems contain a small amount of activated carbon granules and some ion exchange resin in a cartridge directly inside the pitcher. However, their filter performance is relatively poor compared to line-connected activated carbon filters, and there is also a latent risk of contamination. Our opinion: Possibly suitable for tea drinkers who primarily need soft water, but not suitable for permanently pure drinking water.
- Distillation : True steam distillation mimics the natural process for purifying water (evaporation, clouds, and rain). The water is heated until steam forms and then condenses on the cold inner wall of the cooling coils. All dissolved substances (except for a very few volatile organic compounds) remain in the boiler residue. While the process is effective, it is also energy-intensive. Household appliances are currently not available in Germany, as they can also be used to distill alcohol.
- Ion exchange : Usually used for water softening, this process involves exchanging charged ions, such as calcium and magnesium (limescale), in drinking water for other ions and replacing them with less harmful ions. In the water softener, the water is thus "softened" through a chemical trick. Since such systems don't actually make the water cleaner, the term "filter" isn't really applicable to this process.
Energize water with swirlers:
- Water vortexes: Water vortexes set the water in motion to – according to the model – shrink and renew cluster structures in the water. In a water vortex, large groups of molecules break down into smaller ones through the special physical-dynamic processes in a whirlpool. This method loosens and renews the internal structure of the water. This is intended to make the water more mobile and thus better suited to the processes in the body. It is also intended to "erase" subtle information such as frequencies from pollutants and chemical processes.
How can I make carbonated tap water?
Tap water can also be treated on a taste and tactile level – for example, to make sparkling water. Mineral water producers have used this process to make the bottled water shelf-stable and hygienically safe. As a result, it has become a trendy gimmick that enjoys great popularity – even though it makes absolutely no sense from a health perspective. In this section, we want to show you what carbonation is and how you can make your own carbonated tap water at home.
Carbonic acid is carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) dissolved in water, which in turn…
… is a colorless, non-toxic gas consisting of carbon and oxygen
…like nitrogen and oxygen are natural components of the air.
… is one of the most important greenhouse gases and causes the greenhouse effect.
Carbon dioxide can be produced in various ways, such as combustion or mixing of elements. Carbonic acid is formed when carbon dioxide combines with water. To create fizzing bubbles, the CO2 content in the water must be supersaturated, which can only be achieved under high pressure.
How can I make my own sparkling water?
If you absolutely must drink sparkling water, you can purchase a CO2 maker with glass bottles (a carbonator) for your home. The required carbon dioxide is contained in replaceable pressure cylinders, which are available commercially.
Mineral water vs. tap water – the comparison
You essentially have three options for obtaining drinkable water: drinking water from the public supply (tap water), commercially available mineral water in glass or plastic bottles, or natural water (rainwater, spring water, or stream water). The latter is certainly romantic, but not practical for most people in everyday life. Therefore, in this section, we compare tap water and mineral water and try to give you tips on which type of water consumption is better for you personally.
Mineral water : Bottled water from so-called mineral springs is usually sold in plastic or glass bottles and by the case. Mineral water may only be de-ironed; otherwise, it must be of natural origin and not further "treated." The advantage is that sources suitable for human consumption have been selected. Bottled water can also be differentiated between different "sparkling" levels, i.e., the degree of added carbonation – for example, still, medium, or sparkling. In addition to mineral water, supermarket shelves also sell so-called "spring" or "table water." These products do not have to be of natural origin, and their hygiene quality is less strictly regulated.
One disadvantage of bottled water in general is that plastics may be released from the packaging and consumed along with the water. In addition, bottled water is considerably more expensive than tap water, and finally, bottled water has a huge ecological footprint due to exploration, bottle production and cleaning, bottling, marketing, and long transport routes.
Tap water with a filter : Tap water is safe, but as described above, it can definitely be improved, since it's only about the 1-2 liters you actually drink each day. Using a high-quality filter, you have security and control over your desired quality. The tap water is purified and freed from all kinds of pollutants such as plastic particles, heavy metals, and drug residues. Furthermore, tap water is considerably cheaper than purchased bottled water, which must be repurchased regularly. This also significantly reduces the amount of waste associated with tap water. And because tap water is treated and filtered locally by a water treatment plant and then piped to our homes, it is much more environmentally friendly than bottled water.
So if you are environmentally conscious and want to do less shopping, invest in a water filter that perfectly treats your drinking water directly from the tap.
The advantages and disadvantages of mineral water and tap water summarized:
Mineral water: large selection - good taste after selection - possible plastic contamination - expensive - not sustainable - not environmentally friendly
Tap water with filter: Still water in any quantity - perfect taste - pollutant-free - very affordable - convenient from the tap - environmentally friendly
What does Wasserladen offer for drinking water treatment?
Drinking water is vital to us humans and our source of life. Therefore, it's important that the quality of the water we consume is also high. At H2O Wasserladen, we work to make this quality available to you. We offer various drinking water treatment products:
Water filters: Water filters remove any contaminants and, if necessary, other undesirable substances from tap water, making it the perfect elixir of life that water should be for humans. Our range of water filters includes the CARBONIT activated carbon filter, reverse osmosis systems from ROWA and Hurom, and, of course, all accessories and replacement filters. You can find our full selection of water filters here .
Swirlers: Water swirlers set water in motion and "enliven" it through natural, dynamic physical phenomena. Drinking tap water treated in this way can have positive effects on many health aspects, improving your well-being and quality of life. You can find our selection of swirlers on our website.
Vitalization: We refer to all other processes for the physical treatment of drinking water as water vitalizers. Similar to swirlers, they are intended to bring "fresh air" into the water and change its structure so that tap water becomes more mobile and "vital." You can find our range of products for vitalizing tap water on our website.
You can contact us at any time with questions or suggestions. We're happy to take the time to listen to you and advise you.
Conclusion
Our tap water comes from a variety of sources and, after treatment, travels a long way to reach our homes. Despite strict regulations, contaminants can still be found in the water from our taps: small amounts that are tolerated to avoid exceeding technical feasibility, or those that only appear in the home's plumbing. To avoid health risks even after decades of drinking, it's worth treating the water for drinking and cooking. There are several different methods you can use to achieve this. You can install a high-quality water filter with tested contaminant retention, or you can energize the water with various devices.
We will be happy to support you in your decision and advise you on our wide range of products.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is tap water harmful to health?
Tap water usually finds its way to our homes via long and complex pipes. Various factors can play a role in why tap water isn't necessarily ideal for our individual health needs. The TVO (German Water and Wastewater Authority) monitors the limit values for most pollutants in our tap water, but some pollutants are so diverse and present in so small concentrations that complete removal is simply impossible. Furthermore, the supplier only guarantees the required quality up to the front door. From there, the homeowners or we ourselves are responsible for the quality. Therefore, small amounts of real pollutants such as lead, fertilizers, or pharmaceutical residues can ultimately escape from our drinking water taps. The safest solution is to install a filter at home that reliably removes all pollutants.
How do I make pure tap water at home?
Water can be purified and treated in a variety of ways. You can use various filters, such as activated carbon block filters or reverse osmosis systems. These filters primarily remove contaminants and make the water as pure as possible. However, you can also energize and structure your water with the help of turbulence filters.
Which water is good for my baby?
Babies are even more sensitive to water than we adults. Therefore, you should always pay attention to the ingredients in your tap water. Especially if heavy metal or nitrate levels are elevated—even if the amounts don't yet exceed the legal limits—you should always use filtered water. The effects of such contaminants can be harmful to infants.
