The Truth of Water – Answers

• 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

• 02Jan

  Why does water not burn?

  Other No Comments

  Mike from Salem writes:

  If water is composed of both Hydrogen and Oxygen, both explosive elements, why is water not only not explosive but fire retardant as well?

  Hi Mike, thanks for the question.

  That is a very good question.  That type of molecular chemistry is a bit out of my expertise, but I’ll answer it as to how I understand it.

  Hydrogen exists normally in what’s called a diatomic state.  That is, it likes to pair up with another hydrogen atom. In this state, it’s quite inert.

  However, when energy is added, such as a spark or a flame, the following happens:

  H2 —>(spark)—-> 2H

  H, or H* (* represents the excited state) is now an energetic and can react with a number of things.

  Then you add oxygen to this excited hydrogen, and the following happens:

  H* + O2 —> HO* + O*; O* + H2 —> HO* + H*; HO* + H2 —> H2O + H*

  As you can see the end result of these equations is more H* atoms. The H* atom will find more oxygen and repeat the cycle until all the immediate available hydrogen is used up.  This is a chain reaction and why hydrogen and oxygen burn.

  That reaction also produces water.  In the absence of a spark, H2 and O2 can produce water without any burning reactions like so:

  2 H2 + 02 = 2 H2O

  Water does not burn because the hydrogen and oxygen are bound together and must be separated first before the first reactions I showed you above can happen. In order to break those bonds, a lot of energy is required, much more than a spark or open flame is able to deliver.

  When you throw water on a flame then, it denies the flame oxygen and that is why it stops burning.

  I hope this answers your question.  If you would like further clarification or have another question please do not hesitate to contact me at any time

  

  Tags: chemistry of water, flammable, hydrogen, hydrogen oxygen reactions, oxygen, water

• 30Dec

  Lack of Minerals in Water – Dangerous?

  Drinking Water, health 1 Comment

  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

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