Problems associated with distillation include loss of beneficial minerals from water and water that may taste flat. Operating costs may be higher than other forms of home treatment. Production of heat from a distiller may be beneficial in the winter but a disadvantage in the summer. Chemical Oxidation Chemical oxidation works by chemically changing the pollutant to a compound that is less objectionable. Chemical oxidants also act as disinfectants by killing bacteria and viruses.
Chlorine is a common oxidant which is added to most public water supplies for disinfection purposes.
There are several strong oxidizers which may be practical for home water treatment of a bacteria contaminated water supply. These include hypochlorite or hypochlorous acid and hypobromite or hypobromous acid. They are available in powder or liquid form. Automatic feeders are used to add the chemicals directly to water in the pipes. They can be either point of use or point of entry systems.