The Truth About Chlorine: Why Your Fort Myers Water Needs a Whole-Home Filter
When you turn on the tap in your Fort Myers or Cape Coral home, you expect clean, safe water. Thanks to municipal water treatment facilities, the water flowing into your house is indeed disinfected and free of harmful bacteria.
The unsung hero (or often, the villain) of this process is chlorine.
While chlorine is essential for making water safe, once it leaves the treatment plant, it becomes an unnecessary guest that affects the taste, smell, and even the longevity of your home's systems. If you're tired of water that smells like a swimming pool, it's time to understand the truth about chlorine and why a whole-home water filter is the ultimate solution.
Why is Chlorine in Our Water?
The reason for chlorination is simple: safety. Chlorine is a powerful and affordable disinfectant that kills bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens as the water travels through miles of underground pipes from the treatment facility to your home. This process is necessary and mandated for public health.
However, once the water reaches your property, the chlorine has done its job—and its lingering presence starts to cause problems.
💦 The Three Major Problems Chlorine Causes
The chlorine that keeps your water safe during its journey can become a daily irritant and a silent threat inside your home.
1. Poor Taste and Odor
This is the most obvious complaint. If you notice a distinct, chemical, or "bleach-like" smell and taste when drinking tap water or brewing coffee, you are smelling the residual chlorine.
The Solution: Filtering the water at the tap (like a pitcher filter) only solves the drinking water issue. A whole-home filter eliminates the odor and taste from every faucet, ensuring all your cooking water, ice, and beverages are clean and refreshing.
2. Damage to Skin and Hair
When you shower, the warm water opens your pores, allowing your skin to absorb the chlorine. Additionally, the steam from a hot shower turns chlorine into a gas (chloramines) that you inhale.
The Result: Chlorine strips natural oils from your skin and scalp, leading to:
Dry, itchy skin and increased irritation for those with eczema or sensitivity.
Brittle, dry hair and accelerated fading of hair color.
3. Premature Wear on Plumbing and Appliances
Chlorine is a corrosive chemical. While it takes time, the constant presence of chlorine in your pipes can contribute to the slow degradation of plumbing components, seals, and rubber gaskets within your water-using appliances.
The Result: Your dishwasher, washing machine, and especially the internal components of your fixtures and faucets can wear out faster, potentially leading to leaks and costly replacements down the road.
The Whole-Home Solution: Activated Carbon Filtration
A specialized whole-home water filter, typically utilizing a high-quality activated carbon medium, is the most effective way to eliminate chlorine and dramatically improve your water quality.
Here’s how a whole-home filter works and why it’s better than an under-sink model:
Point-of-Entry Treatment: The system is installed where the main water line enters your home. This ensures every drop of water—from your kitchen sink to your washing machine and shower—is treated.
Adsorption: As the water passes through the large tank of activated carbon, the chlorine and other organic compounds are trapped and removed from the water through a process called adsorption.
Comprehensive Improvement: Not only do you get great-tasting, odor-free drinking water, but you also protect your family's health during showers and protect all of your expensive appliances from chemical corrosion.
If you are already dealing with hard water (limescale issues common in Fort Myers), a whole-home filter can be paired seamlessly with a water softener to give you the highest quality water possible: softened (for appliance protection) and filtered (for taste and health).
Don't settle for water that smells and tastes like a pool. The professionals at Affordable Air & Plumbing can test your Fort Myers or Cape Coral water and install a customized whole-home filtration system that delivers clean, pure water to every faucet in your house.
Ready to eliminate the chlorine? Contact us today for a water quality consultation!
