The Truth of Water - Answers

• 30Dec

  Lack of Minerals in Water - Dangerous?

  Drinking Water, health No Comments

  Anna from Wyoming Writes:

  Hi, we get our water from a well and we use a water distiller for our drinking water. I am totally confused if this is the best water for us or not, because I am concerned about the water not having any minerals in it. Right now I add colloidal plant minerals to add some minerals, but please let me know if you have any better suggestions, the internet makes me scared with all their claims that distilled water leaches minerals out of your body!

  Hi Anna, thanks for the question.

  Two things happen to water when it passes through an R.O. membrane or a distiller:

  1. The removal of minerals.  Water is the worlds most universal solvent, which is why you find naturally occurring minerals and metals in water.  Once these minerals are removed, it does allow for very fast ion transfer from a source of high ions (the minerals) to low or no ions (the “pure” water).   Think of it like heat - if you have one room at twenty degrees and another room of equal size beside it at ten, eventually both will be fifteen degrees.  This can suck dissolved minerals from your body and pass it into your urine, which can be a problem, assuming you have a major mineral deficiency in the first place.
  2. The formation of carbonic acid.  With the minerals gone, the H2O is free to combine with the carbon dioxide in your water, forming carbonic acid. This will bring the pH of the water down to around 6.

  The real question is will this do any long term damage.  The internet supports a lot of sensationalists that like to do fear mongering.  Fear mongering gets attention, and traffic, which is what webmasters like.  Creating this unfounded fear also drives sales for products that are not needed or just plain do not work, for the profit of these unethical business people.

  I have not run across any sufficient long term studies stating if this lack of minerals is truly harmful or not.  The concept of “pure” water being harmful is a relatively new one and long term study is required.  However, there is no doubt that pure water is in reality an fairly aggressive and effective solvent.  That is scientifically valid.

  My own personal thoughts are that if you are in good health, and have a healthy, balanced diet, there shouldn’t be any problems.  However, if you are very young (infant/toddler), very old, weak, infirm, or have or are at risk of having osteoporosis, than ingesting de-mineralized water might be a risk for you, a risk that you might not want to take.

  Personally, I drink and cook with the municipally treated tap water available from my taps.  As a member of the municipal treatment industry, I am familiar with local and federal regulations as well as industry wide standards and have every confidence that I am getting safe water.

  If you do feel that your distiller is no longer working for you, I would be happy to help point you in the right direction of other effective water treatments for your well water. But for now, happy drinking!

  

  Tags: distilled water, distiller, fear mongering, hype, minerals, pure water

• 29Dec

  Softener Repair, Sulfur Content, and Copper Pipes

  aesthetics, softening No Comments

  Eddie from Ohio writes:

  my water softener broke. we called culigan to come fix it and they sent a salesman out. without looking at it he told me that it will cost $1,400 and that i have a sulfur problem and i need a $2,000 sulfur filter. he said that sulfur eats my copper pipes. my parents live across the street and this has not been a problem in 30 years. do i need a sulfur filter?

  Hi Eddie, thanks for the questions.

  It seems that you have two questions.  I’d like to address your softener question first.

  Common sense tells you that you cannot determine the damage to an appliance without actually looking at it. The salesman was hoping to catch you off  guard, to agree to the sale of brand new equipment.  This is what salespeople do.

  There are several things that can go wrong with a softener.  The mechanics that initiate back washes etc. can break.  The ion exchange resin inside the softener usually will last about ten to fifteen years, depending on how hard your water is and how much water you use.  Your resin could also be clogged with iron, in this case back flushing with some Iron Out will solve this problem.  The point is, a good service technician will be able to tell in short order what the problem is and if it’s worth it to fix it or purchase a new one, and  allow you to make that choice.

  If your softener is from Culligan, I suggest calling them back and insisting on a service technician. If they give you a hard time, make some calls to local plumbers. Often, plumbers have the experience, and knowledge to troubleshoot and fix softeners and the supplier connections to find the correct parts.

  If it does turn out that you need a new softner, I would suggest you consider a company called Kinetico. They make a wide range of water treatment as well as water softeners.  They tend to be more expensive than Culligan, but their equipment is of higher quality.  You do get what you pay for.

  With regards to your sulfur issue, in short, the various forms of sulfur that may or may not be in your water will have no effect on your copper pipes.  If you do see some degradation of your pipes, it’s likely that you have an issue with your cathodic protection.  Again, your local plumber will be able to help you with this.

  Sulfur is commonly in your water in one of two ways.  The first is as dissolved sulfate.  This will not cause any odour or any adverse problems, and the only way to remove it is with reverse osmosis filtration.

  The second is hydrogen sulphide, which does cause a rotten egg smell. It’s usually present in very low concentrations if it’s there.  This is only an aesthetic problem, and can be dealt with for much less than $2,000. If you don’t smell rotten eggs in your water, it’s not there.

  I hope I’ve helped you. If you would like further clarification or have another question please do not hesitate to write back in.

  

  Tags: cathodic protection, copper degredation, sulfur in water, water softener repair

• 27Dec

  Storage of Water - Plastic or Glass?

  Drinking Water No Comments

  Samby from India writes:

  Which are better… Plastic containers or Glass ?? Or is the same? For general day to day home storage.

  Hi Samby, thank you for the question.

  If it relates to long term water storage, than either plastic or glass is ok, provided you are able to properly pasteurize and seal the container. Please read this article from a similar question I got a while ago:

  http://truthofwater.com/answers/2008/12/04/storage-of-distilled-water/

  There is another concern with plastics, as certain plastics contain bisphenol A that can leach out into your drinking water. Studies are ongoing, and the amounts of this chemical leached into drinking water are very small.  If it is a problem, it certainly is a chronic long term issue and not an acute on. Please read this article I wrote a while back on bisphenol A and plastics:

  http://truthofwater.com/answers/2008/09/23/bisphenol-a-and-plastics/

  One final comment on this issue, and it is a personal one.  At home, I most prefer to drink water directly from the tap. However, if I were to store water at home for later use (such as in your refrigerator) I find that water from a glass container has a much better taste than from a plastic container.

  However, if you were to take water with you on the go, glass is not your most friendly option.  Plastic does not shatter like glass does.  Stainless steel bottles are another popular option nowadays, but an expensive one.

  I hope this answers your question.  Please let me know if you need further clarifications or have another question.

  

  Tags: bisphenol A, glass containers, plastic containers, water storage

• 22Dec

  New Softening Technology - Will it work?

  aesthetics, softening No Comments

  Eberto from San Diego writes:

  Our water comes from Otay Water District in San Diego. The water seems fine except for the scaly buildup. I would like to reduce the mineral buildup on our water fixtures and appliances without adding salt. The next-ScaleStop Systems (www.nextfiltration.com) claims to do this.

  What system would you recommend?

  Do you think their claims are true?

  Are you familiar with their products?

  Hi Eberto, thanks for writing in.

  Hard water isn’t a health problem, it is an aesthetic one.  It becomes a problem for people for two reasons. The first is that it reacts with soaps, making it harder to form a lather and producing a soap scum in your sinks and bathtubs.  The other is that over time you get the scale you speak of.

  Generally, hard water scale forms because heat and reaction with pipe materials make the hard water ions, mostly calcium but some magnesium and other metals, become insoluble and are no longer held in the water. This is a slower process than the hard water chemicals reacting with soap, so it builds up steadily over time. The more hardness in your water, the faster it does this.

  The next scale stop systems claim to take hardness, somehow react it with a catalyst to become a crystal and fall out of solution, and form it into a large “seed” ball to which they claim will not react with soap or form a scale in your pipes.

  This may work with soap - if the hardness is already reacted with something it cannot react with soap. However, forcing the hardness out of solubility with water should speed up the formation of scale.

  I have my doubts that this technology will prevent the formation of scale. From what I can see, it may even speed this up.  I cannot find any additional information to back up the companies claims.

  The company does have NSF 42 approval, and this approval states:

  Overview: This standard covers point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) systems designed to reduce specific aesthetic or non-health-related contaminants (chlorine, taste and odor, and particulates) that may be present in public or private drinking water. -Source

  The fact that this company does have NSF 42 approval is a boon in their favor. However, this doesn’t mean that they are particularly effective at what they claim to do, but that it works to some degree.

  The literature claims that the company has been providing an effective solution for hardness treatment for six years.  That being the case, they should have lots of installations near you.  Call them and ask for an extensive reference list so you can start making some calls.  With a new and seemingly “perfect” technology, it’s best to get firsthand experience from those who have purchased it.

  I have found a little bit about this product on the internet.  Various forums have said that this is not a softener, but it does help soap lather and reduce scale, but not as effectively as a softener would.

  I can tell you for sure that ion exchange water softeners work. There is absolutely no question in this. It’s a tried and true technology and no one can argue that it doesn’t work.

  If you decide to ask the company for a reference list, I’d be very interested in those customer testimonials as to the products effectiveness.

  I’m sorry I couldn’t be more cut and dry on this one, Eberto, but I don’t have any direct experience with this technology.

  I hope that helped you. Please don’t hesitate to write in for further clarification or if you have another question.

  

  Tags: ion exchange, next-scalestop, scale, water softening

• 16Dec

  Water Filter System - Needed or Not?

  Uncategorized 1 Comment

  Kelly from Iowa writes:

  The Ben Franklin plumber came by to do my annual water heater check. His company offers a Nature’s Miracle water filtration system. Information can be found at www.betterwaternow.com

  Is this one of those snake oil water filtration systems that I shouldn’t watch out for?

  Hi Kelly, thanks for writing in.

  I had a look at the website for the Natures Miracle water filtration system. But before I get to that, there are some questions to ask yourself first.

  Are you not satisfied with your current tap water?  Is there a smell/odour that’s bothering you?  Do you feel it’s unsafe for any reasons?

  If you don’t have any issues with hard water when washing or doing laundry, don’t notice any bad odours or tastes from your municipal tap water, and drink it and cook with it without any second thoughts, then you don’t need any home water treatment.

  It’s as simple as that.

  What you should understand is that the USEPA, the American Water Works Association, the National Sanitation Foundation, the Ten States Standards and various governing bodies and other agencies work hard to ensure municipal tap water is safe.

  Regulations are strict, and regular inspections by regulatory agencies ensure compliance.

  The bottom line is that your tap water is safe. ANY home water system only improves the aesthetics of your tap water.

  This natures miracle filtration system uses activated carbon, quartz (sand) and some sort of ion exchange resin.  It’s some pretty basic technology packaged up nicely and probably priced much too high because of the clever marketing packaging.

  I would watch out for any product that uses fear mongering tactics. Claims that municipal tap water is chalk full of all sorts of bad things that will make your body break out in more cancer cells than regular cells is much too hard a sell and is not true at all.

  Most of the things they claim are in your tap water (if they were even there in the first place) would be removed by your treatment plant before getting to your house.  Treatment plants use things like advanced oxidation techniques and activated carbon filters to ensure there are no volatile organics, pesticides, things of that nature in your water.

  If there’s any lead in your water, this actually comes from the plumbing in your house. Old plumbing, old fixtures and old solder contain lead that can leach out into the water over a prolonged period of contact. This can be remedied by running your water for a minute or two to draw a fresh supply into your house.  And that’s only if your plumbing is sufficiently old.

  Chlorine is indeed an issue, but not at the 0.5 to 1.o part per million concentrations carried in most distribution systems.  Even if this were an issue, when drinking your water your stomach acid neutralizes the chlorine. If you think it’s a problem, your cheapest solution is to keep water in a jug in the fridge.  It won’t take long with air exposure for the chlorine to evaporate.

  To wrap this up, your plumber is trying to sell you something you don’t really need. If there are any specific issues you are having with your water, I’d be happy to discuss them with you and point you in the direction of something that would fulfill your specific needs.

  I hope I’ve answered your question. If you have any other questions or would like further clarification, please do not hesitate to write in again.

  

  Tags: natures miracle, treatment needs, water treatment

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