How 5.1 GPG Water Affects Your Family
While municipally treated water is safe to drink, its mineral content impacts your daily routine. The minerals in moderately hard water react with soap to form a residue that doesn't easily rinse away. This can lead to:
- Dull, brittle hair and dry, itchy skin or scalp.
- A feeling of film or residue on your skin after showering.
- Worsening of conditions like eczema for those with sensitive skin.
For families, using filtered water when preparing baby formula is often recommended to ensure consistency and avoid introducing unnecessary mineral content.
Filtration Guide for Levittown
For water with moderate hardness like Levittown's 5.1 GPG, a whole-house water softener is generally not a sound financial investment. A softener costing around $1,500 would take nearly 27.8 years to pay for itself through its modest annual savings of $54. The better approach is targeted filtration:
- For Drinking Water: A quality pitcher filter (like Brita or PUR) or a faucet-mount filter is sufficient to improve taste and remove chlorine and some minerals.
- For Better Performance: An under-sink reverse osmosis (RO) system will provide purified water for drinking and cooking, completely eliminating the $600-$900 per year many families spend on bottled water.
- Whole-House Option: A whole-house system is overkill for this hardness level. Stick to point-of-use filters for the best value.