The Truth of Water – Answers

• 30Mar

  Whole House Water Treatment

  Drinking Water, Filtration, softening 1 Comment

  Nadia from Bettendorf Writes:

  I was very interested in your site and am looking for an advice. I am currently reseaching two companies and their products but finding it very difficult to compare them. I would like to install a RO system for drinking water. I would also like to remove clorine and hardness from all the water in the house. I contacted Eco water and was advised an RO system with 3 gal tank and a water conditioner/purifier model ERR 3502

  http://ecowater.com/systemERR3502R30.php

  There are 6 of us in the house. I am wondering if 3 gal worth of drinking water is enough and if this purifier is big enough for us. It has coconut shell carbon filter.
  The other salesman I talked to was from Culligan. He recommended 9 gal RO system. like this one:

  http://www.culligan.com/en/products/drinking-water-systems/aqua-cleer/

  He did not even want to go the whole system route. I need to check with him but I think he thought the amount of carbon that is included in those 2-in-1  (so to speak )systems would not be adequate. He said we would need a softner and a carbon filter tank – seems like a lot.
  My question is what RO tank we need and if this coconut shell filter is enough.
  The eco-water system carbon filter needs to be replaced every year for $100 while Culligan lasts 2-3 years but the price is $200 plus labor. So they are comparable this way.
  I do not know why Culligan did not recommend this system

  http://www.culligan.com/en/products/whole-house-water-filters/total-home/

  Even though he was showing me the picture of Gold seried water softener that looks exactly like this one.  I think he was afraid that we would be going thru salt and carbon too fast.

  Also, how would I compare water softners (valve, salt, etc) I am not sure what to look at.

  I really appreciate your advice in this matter. I have kids who cannot tolerate bad water so I am trying to get the most bang for my $.

  Hi Nadia

  Thank you for writing in.

  First off, since you mentioned chlorinated water, I’ll assume that you’re on municipal water.  If that’s not the case, please write back and let me know, as my answer will change.

  My thoughts on reverse osmosis systems are that they are an absolute last resort device.  I’ve only recommended them a few times, like a woman in Manitoba who had high levels of uranium in her drinking water, for example.

  This is because reverse osmosis is very expensive, produces only a small amount of water (some systems reject up to 50% of the water that goes into them), and produces water that is lower in pH and had no minerals which most health professionals agree is part of a healthy diet.

  If you like the taste of de-mineralized water, then by all means purchase a reverse osmosis system.  You will probably need one larger than 3 gallons for a 6 person home, as it will produce the three gallons slowly.  If you drain the storage tank filling water bottles, or cooking a large pot of pasta, it will recover slowly.

  Contrary to what water stores may have you believe, here in North America municipally treated water is safe to drink and use right out of the tap.  The only concerns with that water are the chlorine, which offer objectionable taste to some, and sometimes the hardness which makes washing chores more difficult.

  My recommendation is a two fold process:

  1) Carbon filtration and softening for most of your house
  2) Carbon filtration only for your drinking water

  In my municipality, I use a filter by a company called Kinetico.  The reason I use these filters is that they have a twin tank design for redundancy, meaning even if the unit is in a backwash mode you still get water.  They also do not require any electricity at all, and operate on water pressure. This saves a lot of hassle, wasted electricity and the potential for issues if you have power surges or black outs.

  Kinetico makes a softener/carbon filter product that operates in this principle, so you will get soft, dechlorinated water for showering, washing, and laundry.  Check it out here:

  http://www.kinetico.com/KineticoSystems/WaterSofteners.aspx

  Scroll down to view the municipal water softeners.  I wholly recommend Kinetico products to be of top quality and reliability.  You may pay a little more than the Culligan systems but I think you will be pleased.

  The reason I do not recommend softened water for drinking is because softened water adds a lot of sodium. The harder your water is, the more sodium it will add. This is especially a problem for those with heart problems or sodium restricted diets; but most health professionals agree too much sodium from water and/or food isn’t a good thing for your health.

  When you get the softener installed, make sure your plumber plumbs a line from before the softener to the kitchen sink, where you will take your drinking and cooking water.

  From there, my recommendation is to use a carbon filter.  Carbon removes chlorine, chloramines, and even some organics that may be present that might hamper taste.

  You can get carbon filters in many forms.  Under the sink units with it’s own tap, under the sink that ties into the existing tap, units that attach right to your tap, and jugs with a built in carbon filter.

  To see examples of this technology, I put together a simple Amazon web page.  Any of these carbon filters will do you just fine to improve the taste of your water:

  http://www.truthofwater.com/store.html

  One of the filters even comes with removable flavor cartridges.

  The advantages of carbon systems such as this are that it works off direct pressure, so there is no “gallon limit”.  The filter cartridges are very inexpensive to replace compared to R.O. as well.

  

  Tags: carbon filter, Culligan, kinetico, r.o., reverse osmosis, softening, whole house filter

• 19Feb

  Easy Water Systems

  softening No Comments

  Emil writes:

  We have hard water from out well.  Its constantly plugging up the kitchen outlets, the showers, the dishwasher, etc..

  We see advertisements about “Easy Water” systems…Easy Wate is their trade name apparently…what do you think of their systems, would it be a good choice to purchase their equipment, is there a better system?

  Hi Emil, thanks for your question.

  Easy water claims to be able to soften water without adding sodium or potassium like conventional hardness treatment. They claim they can soften water without removing any calcium at all.

  Most people want water softeners because of the effect that hard water has on detergents and soaps, as well as scale build up issue. The harder your water, the harder it is to get a lather from your soap.  This is because the components that make your water hard – dissolved calcium, magnesium, and other trace minerals – react with the soap to form a precipitate, or what you would call “scum”.  They also flock out of your water due to friction, heat, and other factors and form scale in your pipes and on your taps, etc.

  The key here is that regardless as to what form your dissolved calcium is in, as long as it is dissolved and in your water supply it will continue to react with your soaps and detergents, heat, friction, etc. and produce that undesirable effect.

  I went to the Easy Water website.  There are a few key elements I found there:

  • The main focus of the website was on how harmful sodium is, and how traditional methods add sodium to water.
  • They claim only to reduce and remove scale, there’s nothing about effects with soap or detergents
  • The only third party proof they have is some questionable photos of what they claim is calcium in tree like branches before hand and little smooth droplets after wards
  • They post no data that they’ve had third party accreditation of this technology proving it works in blind studies
  • The only other resources they do have points to articles on how unhealthy too much sodium is for you

  This electronic water softener claims to send “electronic pulses” that change the state of the calcium ion.  Regardless, if it’s still there dissolved in the water, it will still cause problems.

  The website does not address the science behind softening, it does not give any valid references to real studies and tests that has been done, it uses clever marketing and health scare tactics to try and drive sales.

  To go into the actual and proven methods of softening, there are three ways:

  1. ion exchange
  2. sequestering
  3. reverse osmosis filtration

  Sequestering involves the addition of chemicals to “bind” the calcium in the water, rendering it ineffective for scale formation or reaction with soap or detergents.  This is generally done with boilers and large industrial heating systems, as sequestering chemicals do not make good drinking water.   Reverse osmosis filtration removes everything, and is extremely expensive for whole house water flows.

  Ion exchange, for a home owner, is currently the most viable and trusted way to soften your home water.  It is a tried and true method, has been proven over and over again, and simply works, no questions asked.  There is of course two issues that an Easy Water sales representative would bring up, health issues from excessive sodium, and environmental issues with the brine backwash.

  Both issues are easy to deal with.  When your plumber is installing your softener, have him run a line of un-softened water to your kitchen tap.  Use this water for drinking and cooking.  For the environmental concerns, please follow this link to an article prepared by the Canadian Water Quality Association.  It seems that dilution of your septic water with briny softener backwash isn’t such a problem after all.

  My opinion is stay away from any of these electric water softeners, go with tried, true and proven, and you can’t go wrong.

  I hope I’ve helped. If you need any further clarification, or have another question, please let me know.

  

  Tags: easy water, no salt softeners, scams, water softners

• 28Jan

  Sulphur burps from water.

  Drinking Water, disinfection, microorganisms, softening 3 Comments

  Rachael from Alaska writes:

  Hi! I was reading some answers on your website, and have a question. We recently purchased a home on a well. We have a water softner with salt, but do not know the last time it was filled. My family has been experiencing “sulfur burps” since we moved in. Our water smells fine, but I am worried that we are drinking something that is not agreeing with our stomachs. Could there be a way that we can fix this by getting a water purifier on our sink for drinking water?

  Hi Rachel, thanks for writing in.

  Water softener resin is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria.  This is especially true if left to sit or run without salt, or proper maintenance.  If using a water softener, it is a good idea to have a kitchen tap as non softened water for drinking and cooking with.  This will prevent excess salt from the softening process potentially harming you, and prevent contamination from bacteria.

  Ground water commonly has sulphur reducing bacteria.  This usually departs a ‘rotten egg’ smell in the water when they are in the ground. It is possible that these bacteria are growing in your water softener and you are ingesting them.  Sulphur reducing bacteria reduce minute quantities of sulphur compounds to create hydrogen sulphide, which they may be doing in your guts. This is however consistent with the processes of the bacteria, as the hydrogen sulphide they produce is a gas, which may be why you’re getting these “sulphur burps”.

  I wish I could give you more information on the particular processes of these bacteria or if this is even the case, but I am not a health care professional. I do know that sulphur reducing bacteria are not considered a health problem and hydrogen sulphide is considered only a nuisance.

  I would be careful of counter top water purifiers like Brita or other carbon filter based products. Most of these products are only for improving the aesthetic quality of already potable water, and in fact could foster further bacteria growth (carbon, like softener resin, is considered ‘housing’ for bacteria).

  To protect your water supply it needs to be disinfected.  My advice is to ensure that you do have at least one kitchen tap free of softened water for drinking and cooking.  You may want to invest in a sediment filter and a whole house U.V. system.  I currently operate twenty small systems with U.V., and use the U.V. Pure product. I feel it is an excellent product and a top notch company, and has served me well for the 5 years I’ve had their product installed. This particular product has built in alarms that assures proper does for inactivating micro organisms, and if the proper U.V. dose drops too low, it will shut down your water and issue and alarm. You can visit them at http://www.uvpure.com.  They should be able to point you to a distributor in the area.

  If you continue to have these ‘sulphur burps’, I would encourage you to visit your local health care professional for a diagnosis.

  I hope I’ve helped. Please do not hesitate to write in again for further clarification or to ask another question.

  

  Tags: hydrogen sulphide, sulfur, sulfur burps, sulphur, water softener

• 03Jan

  Hardness in a Steam Washing Machine

  softening No Comments

  James from England writes:

  I am about to purchase a LG Steam Washing Machine which has
  recently been exibited and tested on UK television. I am concerned that as
  we live in a “hard water area” that the scale build up could become a
  problem especially due to the heat required to produce the steam. What are
  the best solutions to ensuring the treatment of the water is sufficient to
  minimise the scaling of the internal heaters etc. Ranging from the cheapest
  and most effective, either chemical or mechanical.

  Hi Tony, thank you for the question.

  It is my understanding that many appliances like this one have a minimum and maximum recommended hardness range for the water they use. Your first move should be to read the manual or speak to a company representative for this product. Find out the hardness ranges. The company may have incorporated some sort of internal cleaning mechanism for this issue, or other.

  Once you have determined the exact range that the machine can tolerate, you want to find out how hard your water is. If you are on municipal water, you may call your municipality. They will have the hardness there for you. If you are on your own well water, then hardness is a simple and inexpensive test that any drinking water laboratory can do. Look in your phone book for a laboratory.

  There are two common measurements for hardness.  The older, and most common measurement is grains per gallon, or GPG.  The newer measurement is mg/L as CaCO3.   When comparing your hardness results to the machine specifications, you can get mg/L CaCO3 from GPG by multiplying by 17.1, and dividing by the same number to get back to GPG.

  LG may tell you that the best method for dealing with this is to clean the machine at intervals with CLR, vinegar, citric acid or some other effective de-scaling chemical. That would certainly be your most inexpensive option.

  LG may also have a system for adding a chemical to sequester the hardness.  Again, LG would be the best place to go to ask about a sequestering agent, both for the method of adding it and the most appropriate chemical so that it does not damage the machine.

  You could certainly plumb in an ion exchange water softener to the water lines that go to the machine.  You can get a smaller unit if you don’t want to soften the whole house.  Kinetico has a good under the counter softener for sale, and you can read more about it here.  I believe they have representatives in the UK.

  Lastly, reverse osmosis filtration removes everything, including hardness. However, to get the flows you need it is very expensive and requires a large amount of maintenance, much more than de scaling your machine.

  I hope this has helped point you in the right direction.  Please do not hesitate to write in again if you need further clarifications or have another question.

  

  Tags: de-scaling, hardness, kinetico, LG steam washing machine, softener

• 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

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