What
makes my water hard?
As water passes through the atmosphere in the form of rain,
snow, sleet, hail, dew, or fog, it picks up impurities and gases.
And, because water is the universal solvent, it picks up even
more impurities as it travels through the earth as ground water.
What ever the water comes in contact with it will dissolve a
part of it. |
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What
is water hardness?
Water 'hardness' is caused by the minerals calcium and magnesium
in ground and surface water. If either or both minerals are
present in your drinking water in high concentrations, the water
is considered 'hard.' These minerals come from sedimentary rock
such as limestone that dissolves into our water. The result
of hard water is difficulty making lather or suds for washing
and a build-up of minerals on taps and on other fixtures. Water
containing low concentrations of calcium or magnesium is called
'soft' water. |
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What
is softened water?
A water softener replaces the 'hardness' minerals with sodium
or potassium. The amounts of these elements added to the water
are relatively insignificant in comparison to what is ingested
from your food and should not pose a health problem.
Most often, water softeners are regenerated
with salt and water. Regeneration is a process by which the
softening materials inside the softener can be used over and
over again. Once the regeneration is completed, the salt and
water solution is flushed into the drain. |
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Should
I be concerned about sodium in water?
If sodium is a concern to you, your water quality improvement
professional can explain the amount of sodium in softened
water. This varies, depending on the hardness of the water
supply. Any person on a sodium-restricted diet should follow
the advice of his physician. All municipal water supplies
contain some naturally occurring sodium. If the sodium-restricted
diet is very strict, discuss the use of RO, or some other
water quality improvement system to reduce the sodium to meet
your requirements.
For the sake of comparison, one slice of white
bread contains about 114 mg of sodium, and an eight ounce
glass of milk contains 120 mg of sodium. If your water contains
10 grain per gallon (GPG), and if you consumed a total of
one quart of softened water a day, your intake of additional
sodium would be 75 mg - less than either a slice of bread
or a glass of milk. |
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Why
do my sinks and fixtures turn yellow?
One of the most common water treatment problems found in well
water is iron. Iron can be found in 3 different forms.
Ferrous iron (dissolved) – Although
not visible it is the most common type of iron. Later when
oxygen is mixed with ferrous iron it stains sinks, toilets
and laundry especially when bleach is added. To reduce levels
of ferrous iron, softening and or filtration is performed.
Ferric Iron (suspended) – Ferric
iron or brown water iron is oxidized and forms particles.
Normally these particles can be seen once settled down, the
particles can be seen in a glass of water. Sometimes these
particles are to small to be seen and very difficult to remove.
Iron bacteria – Iron bacteria
is a general term given to iron that can leave a slimy growth
or build up in toilet tanks and sometimes clogs filters, softeners
and pipes. These bacteria are not harmful, but are considered
a nuisance bacteria because of their difficulty in removing.
|
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Why
is my dishwasher stained brown?
Brown or black stains found in the dishwasher are usually from
high levels of manganese. Manganese that is dissolved in water
can stain when the level is above .05mg/l. The dishwasher is
a perfect mechanism to oxidize it because it heats it, agitates
it and mixes the water with air. Manganese can also stain clothes
in the washing machine, due to the same reasons. If bleach is
added staining is worse. |
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Why
does my water leave blue green stains?
This indicates that the water is corrosive and usually acidic.
Acidic water can leach metals from pumps, piping and fixtures.
If left alone without treatment it can cause leaks in copper
pipes and fixtures. Acidity is measured on a scale of 0-14 with
7 being neutral, less than 7 is acidic and above 7 is basic.
|
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Why
does my water smell like rotten eggs?
Hydrogen sulfide gas is a naturally occurring contaminant, which
gives water a disagreeable rotten egg odor or taste. This usually
indicates the presence of some form of non-harmful mineral reducing
bacteria in the well. Testing is very difficult because it is
a gas and it comes out of solution very quickly. There are no
known health effects; however hydrogen sulfide can also make
the water somewhat corrosive. |
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What
is nitrate?
Nitrate is a naturally occurring compound that is formed in
the soil when nitrogen and oxygen combine. Small amounts of
nitrate are normal, but excess amounts can pollute supplies
of groundwater. |
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Where
does nitrate come from?
Common sources of nitrogen in the soil are fertilizers, livestock
waste, and septic systems. Excess nitrate in the soil is most
often found in rural and agricultural areas. |
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How
does nitrate get into my well water?
Nitrate travels easily through the soil, carried by rain or
irrigation water into groundwater supplies. Wells that tap groundwater
may be affected. Shallow wells, wells in sandy soil, or wells
that are improperly constructed or maintained are more likely
to have nitrate contamination. |
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What
are the health effects of consuming nitrate?
For most people, consuming small amounts of nitrate is not harmful.
Nitrate can cause health problems for infants, especially those
six months of age and younger. Nitrate interferes with their
blood's ability to transport oxygen. This causes an oxygen deficiency,
which results in a dangerous condition called methemoglobinemia,
or "blue baby syndrome." The most common symptom of
nitrate poisoning is bluish skin coloring, especially around
the eyes and mouth. Infants six months of age and younger and
pregnant and nursing women should avoid consumption of water
high in nitrate. Cattle, horses, sheep, and baby pigs, are also
susceptible to nitrate poisoning. |
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My
water doesn't taste good, yet it tested out O.K. What does this
mean?
There are two types of water problems: Primary problems —
the dangerous sort of problem and Aesthetic problems —
things that affect the taste, look or smell of the water. Strange
as it may seem, you could have an aesthetic problem (such as
iron or manganese) that will not pose an actual health risk.
|
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Why
does my drinking water sometimes look cloudy?
Once in a while you get a glass of water, and it looks cloudy;
maybe milky is a better term. After a few seconds it miraculously
clears up! The cloudiness is due to tiny air bubbles in the
water. Like any bubbles, the air rises to the top of the water
and goes into the air, clearing up the water. The water in the
pipes coming into your house might be under a bit of pressure,
and gases (the air), which are dissolved in the pressurized
water, will come out as the water flows into your glass, where
is under normal atmospheric pressure. |
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What
is a part per million (ppm) or a part per billion (ppb)?
Most of the chemical data that is reported for water is expressed
as a concentration:
One-Part-Per-Million can be thought of as one inch in 16 miles
or one cent in $10,000.
One-Part-Per-Billion can be thought of as one second of time
in 32 years.
It is EXTREMELY MISLEADING to interpret these
analogies to minimize the magnitude of the risks. Even miniscule
amounts of certain contaminants can poison water. |
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Why
do I feel slippery when bathing in soft water?
The "slickness" felt after a
soft water shower is just the "real" you! Hard water
does not easily rinse off the residue from cleaning products.
When bathing in softened water, the use of less soap is desirable.
Use sufficient water to rinse the skin thoroughly and your skin
will feel softer and much smoother than it did with hard water
bathing. |
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What
type of salt should I use?
Any type of clean salt can be used. We recommend the use of
either block or solar salts. These two types of salt seem
to be the cleanest and will cause the least problems in the
brine tank.
We at no time recommend the use of iron cleaner
additives or ”iron fitting type salts” with the
use of its equipment. These cleaners will be harmful to the
media in the Sanitizer Series of equipment if used. Please
contact us for proper salt usage. |
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Can
I use potassium type salts?
Yes,
any water softener will work with potassium chloride salts,
however some loss of capacity between regenerations can occur.
Please consult with us. If your reasoning for using “potassium
salt” is for health concerns remember that potassium chloride
is also a salt. Consult with your doctor whenever there is a
health concern about your water. |
|
Hardness |
Iron |
Iron/Sulfur Bacteria |
Manganese |
pH Correction |
Chlorine |
Odors |
| Softeners |
Sanitizer Series |
|
• |
• |
• |
• |
|
• |
AS Series |
• |
• * |
* |
* |
*
|
|
* |
Impression
Series |
• |
• * |
* |
* |
*
|
|
*
|
FS Series |
• |
• * |
* |
* |
*
|
|
*
|
| CC Series |
• |
• * |
* |
* |
*
|
|
*
|
| |
* Recommended for low level iron removal only. |
| Filters |
Impresson
Series |
* |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
AS Series |
* |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
FS Series |
* |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
CC Series |
* |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
• * |
| |
* Single unit application (multiple units may be needed). |
|
Air Conditioning
