POU technologies treat water at single or multiple taps or for the whole house, and improve water quality in a variety of ways. Unusual taste, color, and odor or water may be corrected by POU technologies, and some POU devices also reduce harmful contaminants. One of the most popular POU technologies is water softening. The more grains per gallon, the harder the water. The U.S. Geologic Survey reports that hard water is found in more than 85 percent of the United States.
Hard water has many disadvantages.
It can clog pipes and appliances, reduce clothing longevity by 15 percent, leave a soapy film on bathtubs and shower tiles, and increase water heating costs by nearly 30 percent while shortening the life of the heater. A water softener reduces the hardness of water, eliminating these problems and resulting in substantial savings. Besides softening, a variety of POU equipment is available for improving drinking water and other special purposes. Each technology is designed to solve one or several different water quality problems. In order to choose the right equipment, it is important to confirm the nature and extent of the problem.