Maine Arsenic Treatment
Does your home need an Arsenic system? If you’ve been looking into the costs for a whole house Arsenic treatment system, there’s a good chance “sticker shock” decided to show up and pay you an unwelcome visit.
In this article we’ll talk about exactly what options your family has when it comes to point of entry Arsenic systems. We’ll also offer our thoughts on the most affordable options for keeping your home safe.
Whole House Arsenic Protection
I’m guessing if you are reading this article, and your home is in need of an Arsenic treatment system, there’s a good chance you’re already leaning towards “whole house” treatment. In this article we won’t spend a great deal of time discussing the differences between point of use and whole house.
Just in case you’re still unsure of the differences, the easiest explanation I can offer is as follows.
Point of Use Treatment: Generally speaking, point of use refers to a small system designed to be used for one location in a home, such as a kitchen sink or bathroom lavatory. In most cases, only the cold water is treated. Separate faucets spouts are sometimes required, depending on the type of system that’s installed.
Point of Entry (whole house) Treatment:
Whole house systems are typically installed at the well water entry point of a home- in most cases directly after your home’s pressure tank (for more on pressure tanks, check out Pressure Tank Problems or Water Pressure in your Home).
Whole house systems are designed to treat ALL water throughout the entire home, both hot and cold.
“Whole House” Options for Maine Arsenic Treatment
Although there are several secondary means of water treatment that will in fact remove Arsenic from a home’s water, to keep things simple, there are really only 2 reliably appropriate options that will work in most situations.
- Reverse Osmosis
- Absorptive Mineral
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse Osmosis Systems are wonderful pieces of equipment. They’re incredibly 
versatile systems that capture a very wide array of health related contaminants. They also do a great job of making water taste and smell great.
If you don’t believe me, just ask my wife…in our previous home, I think our RO system might have acted as an impromptu marriage counselor! Well, I might be exaggerating there just a bit, but I do know she was extremely happy with me once our system was installed!!
RO systems use a membrane that can capture particles so tiny (like Arsenic & Uranium), that most other kinds of filter systems or forms of mineral just simply can’t do the job. This they do a terrific job of accomplishing.
RO systems are produced in both point of use and whole house versions. Over the years we have installed countless numbers of both applications, pending our customer’s needs.
Reverse Osmosis Costs
Considering what point of use RO systems are capable of accomplishing, these systems are an incredible value when compared to other types of equipment. A typical POU Reverse Osmosis system installed by a professional water treatment company, will generally cost a homeowner anywhere between $1000 and $1500.
The real shock usually arrives, for most homeowners, when they decide they would love to take advantage of the benefits of Reverse Osmosis, but for their entire home.
Whole House reverse Osmosis systems are expensive-both in their upfront costs as well as their continual upkeep. This is as direct, up-front and honest as I can be with you.
Depending on the scenario, most homeowners should be prepared for a whole house Reverse Osmosis system to cost somewhere in the range of $10,000 to $12,000 (including all needed peripheral equipment), by the time they are completely installed and running properly. This was not a typo…ten to twelve thousand dollars!
Right now you might be saying something like: “What are you kidding me?” or maybe “Are you trying to talk me out of a POE Reverse Osmosis System, or something”. The answer to the latter question, in a great many cases, is yes.
Now don’t get me wrong- I love point of entry RO systems…I’m a huge fan of what they can accomplish, especially under the proper circumstances. Once we have completely installed one of these systems for a client, we always feel a lot like a proud parent, sitting back in awe of what was just accomplished.
Although I have a lot admiration for these whole house systems, I never want to recommend a system to a customer that is either A. out of their practical budget or B. way overkill for their particular situation.
If you need to remove Arsenic from your home’s water at the whole house level, there is a much simpler and more affordable alternative than whole house RO.
The Alternative | Absorptive Arsenic Systems
Finding an alternative for relatively affordable Maine Arsenic treatment, at a whole house level, can be achieved in most any home. The solution: Absorptive Mineral Treatment.
Absorptive Arsenic mineral, for all intents and purposes, is a lot like it sounds; it basically absorbs Arsenic from a home’s water.
The simplest and easiest way for me to describe what absorptive mineral does, is to ask you to picture a filter tank filled with millions of little beads of mineral, that are in many ways like tiny sponges.
Absorptive mineral is a resin. It’s a man made product. It has been designed by purposefully incorporating all kinds of cracks and channels directly into the inside of the resin when it’s produced. If you could look at a bead of Arsenic mineral under a microscope, it would look a lot like a piece of round coral.
Thousands of minuscule cracks, nooks and crannies allow the interior of the mineral to absorb arsenic as well as on its surface. Why? So it can absorb much greater amounts of Arsenic, therefore lasting a lot longer. This saves you, the homeowner, money.
Cost Savings
Arsenic mineral systems, by comparison, are a very attractive option for most homeowners when it comes to cost. Depending upon your family’s needs, you can opt for either single tank or dual tank versions.
Single tank varieties will typically cost somewhere between $2400 and $2700 installed. Dual tank systems run a bit higher, usually costing a homeowner in the $3700 to $3900 neighborhood.
Although this is still a decent some of money when you are considering the overall picture, it is a definite value and cost saver when compared to a whole house RO system.
Environmentally Responsible
Arsenic mineral systems are extremely eco-friendly.
There are no annual visits to change out & dispose of membranes or cartridges. The systems use no electricity. There is also no back washing or connection to a drain- in other words, there’s no wasted water.
So, what happens to the Mineral once it’s “Full”?
Eventually the absorptive mineral has gobbled up just about as much Arsenic as it can possible handle…a lot like how most of us usually feel by the end of Thanksgiving Day!
Now, here’s the really cool thing about Arsenic Mineral- IT CAN BE RE-USED! Not just recycled, mind you…reused. Talk about going green or eco-friendly.
Once your Arsenic mineral has reached its maximum capacity (usually after several years), your water treatment professional returns to your home, and exchanges the used mineral with a new batch of Arsenic mineral, ready to start the process all over again.
The used Arsenic mineral is sent back to the same exact factory where it was born years before. The mineral goes through a complete regeneration process. Once it has been properly cleaned and regenerated, the mineral is ready once again to go out into the world and become a productive member of society!
- No landfills involved
- No Arsenic laden water down the drain
- No waste
- No brainer!
To learn more about Arsenic treatment options or having your water tested feel free to contact our office at (207) 675-3272 or email us at office@wardwater.com.
We’re happy to answer your questions and offer any preliminary phone advice we can!
