The Truth of Water - Answers

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.

Eberto from San Diego writes:

Ais from Sydney, Australia writes:

I have been living in a building which was built in the 20’s o r 30’s. Our tap water is sometimes very milky/cloudy looking when it is first poured and then settles down to normal appearance when left to sit in a glass for awhile. My partner seems to think that it is just air bubbles, but I am concerned that it may be something else as we live in such an old building.

Any advice you may have would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Ais, thank you for your question.

Your partner is correct. This is indeed air.

There could be many reasons for a milky/cloudy appearance to water, but if it disappears without leaving any sediment than air is the reason.  This milky appearance is caused by extremely tiny air bubbles and lots of them.

Many people don’t know this but air plays a very important part in the complex dynamics of a water distribution system. It is impossible to keep air out of water mains, and without the appropriate air vent/intake valves placed along that main, the main would constantly break or collapse.

It is possible that your building is located at a high point along the main where air can collect, introducing air into the apartmant buildings service lines on occasion.

But more likely the air in your water is due to occasional changes in water pressure due to increased demands else where in the distribution system.

Water naturally contains 2%-3% air by volume, being held in the water.  The higher the pressure you put in the water, the more air it can hold.  When the pressure is lowered, water can no longer dissolve as much air and the air is released from the water, forming air bubbles.  The same is true for temperature. Changes in temperature can effect how much air water can hold.

You may want to pay attention to when this is happening. Perhaps it’s first thing in the morning, when most people are taking showers and getting ready for work. Or maybe it’s later in the evening, when some industry ramps up it’s use of water, filling storage tanks for the next day’s processes. It could be seasonal, or the water pipes in the building could run parallel to heating/cooling duct work, changing the temperature.

Regardless, air in your water is normal and will not cause you any harm.

I hope I’ve helped answer your question. If you have any other questions or require further clarifications, please don’t hesitate to write in again.