Reverse Osmosis- Good or Bad

I had a cusotmer call me the other day and tell my that RO water was not good for her.  I asked why and she said that it takes all the minerals out of the water.  She has a water softener and that the water softener takes out the minerals.  The RO is to remove the sodium in the water.  So I go home and tell my wife about this and she also told me her doctor told her that.  my wife did not get the same response my customer did.  First lets think about what we are talking about.  We want good water to drink.  If you live on a well or have public water then you need a RO system.  Why? Because you don't know what is in your water exactly.  If you have public water you need and RO system because they too get their water either from a well or from a lake and then it is chlorinated which is not good for you and sometimes even put in flouride which is worse in some reports.  So what do we do? We buy bottled water which is processed with, wait for it, wait for it, that's right, RO and Ozone and UV.  It is then put into a bottle that can leach byproducts out of the plastic into your water and then you consume it.  How may times have you opened a bottle of water and were able to smell chlorine?  That's because they have not changed the filters to block the chlorine and then what do you think the chlorine does to the plasstic bottle you are drinking out of?  Let''s get real.  If you have a RO you know that it is working and if you are not sure you can buy your own test equip which is not too expensive or have someton come out and test it for you.  Next, don't we get some minerals from the food we eat and can't we buy vitamins and mineral at the store to take as well?  I'm not a doctor and the doctor is not a water treatment specialist.  Hey I'm not trying to get on doctors especially since I was told that a heart doctor once said that every one needs to have a RO System.  The bottom line is with the information highway out there like we have now days we need to find balance and just look around and see what is really real and give some thought to what we believe, not everything on the internet is correct- this blog can certainly be suspect as well though I do research on things like this, but wait what if my information is incorrect- well who knows but it does make sense to me and I hope it does to you.  After all its your life do as you feel but have a great day.

Best water softener in Azle Tx

Yesterday we put in a water softener in Azle Tx.  The reason I consider it the best is for the following reasons;
1. It has a 10 year warranty on the tank
2. It has a 5 year warranty on the valve
3. It has a battery back up so it won't regen at the wrong time
4. It can be set to regen whenever you want it to without having to trick the clock
5. It has a diagnostics screen that gives lots of useful information to the technician
6. Parts are easy to get and you won't need to upgrade or buy a new one in 5 years

These are just a few features and benefits of the water softener we sale.  We sale this particular type of water softener because it is important to us to take care of the customer.  There are companies out there that sale a water softener that in 5 years the softener or its part have been discontinued and they have to upgrade or buy a new one.  That is not the right way to make a company grow.  We at All American Water believe you make a company grow by referal business and that is done by taking care of customers not yourself first.  With this in mind you may want to ask the company who might sale you a water softener or work on yours a few questions.
1. Is he or she licensed? If so then ask to see it. Plumbers are not water softener technicians!!!
2. Ask them about their product and what they know about it.
3. Ask them how to disassemble it.  Many will either just sale you one or install it but cannot service it.
4. Ask them if they can name the different kinds of valves on the market- Autotrol, Fleck, Clack, Aquatech
5 Ask what kind of tank it is, Answer should be; Structural or Clack or maybe something else but it will be listed on the tank.
 These are some questions that will help you when it comes to either purchasing a water softener or finding a good technician to work on yours without having to replace the whole thing since most can be repaired without replacing them.

For the best water softener we sale "Clack."  They have been in the business for a long time mostly making medias that go inside the tank but have come out on the market 10 years ago with a superior valve.  They actually got the guys from one of their competitors to help build a better valve than the one you see out there most.  None the less if you like one of the others we sale them too but we prefer the "Clack" valve over all the rest because we believe in the best.

How UV Works

UV systems expose water to the light from a special lamp. The light is at a specific wavelength, capable of killing common bacteria. The percentage of organisms killed depends on the intensity of the UV light, the contact time that the water has with the light, and the amount of suspended solid particles in the water. The system adds nothing to the water, produces no tastes or odors, and typically requires only a few seconds of exposure to be effective. Treatment of the water occurs as the water passes into the light. The light penetration into water is shallow, usually only 2 to 3 inches.

  

Scientifically Explained - Ultraviolet light kills microorganisms by damaging the DNA. UV radiation disrupts the chemical bonds that hold the atoms of DNA together in the microorganism. If the damage is severe enough, the bacteria cannot repair the damage and will die. Longer exposure to UV light is necessary to ensure complete kill-off of all microorganisms. Unlike chemical treatments, UV-treated water does not resist re-contamination.  

Importance of Pre-Filtration - 

As always - Test your water source! You must know what to treat in order to treat properly. Suspended solid particles in the water can shield organisms from the light. The untreated water entering the unit must be completely clear and free from any sediment or turbidity to allow all of the bacteria to be contacted by the light. The use of a Chemsorb backwash filter will remove any sediment down to 5 microns.  

In addition, inorganic constituents such as iron should be less than 0.3 ppm, a Nelsen AIO Air Injection Oxidizing Filter System will remove up to 8 ppm of iron. Hardness should be less than 120 ppm (7 grains per gallon) for the UV unit to effectively treat the water. Water with a high hardness (calcium and magnesium) may also coat the sleeve with scale (a whitish deposit of hardness), which may require routine cleaning or addition of a water softener. UV devices are often combined with other technologies such as sediment filters, iron filters, ion exchange units, and reverse osmosis systems to remove particles prior to UV disinfection. UV is often the last device in the treatment series of devices), following reverse osmosis, water softening, and filtration. The UV unit can either be a point-of-entry system, treating all the water entering the house, or a point-of-use device, treating water from a single tap as a final disinfection method.

  

UV Transmittance:  Perhaps the most overlooked, yet most critical UV performance factor when assessing an application's UV requirement/demand, is the water's "UV Transmittance" which is expressed in percent (0-100%). %UVT is the measured value between a known UV light source (@ 254 nm) and what is measured by a calibrated detector through a 1 cm thick sample of the water to be treated. The measured value (%UVT) is expressed as the total amount of UV light energy available to treat the water. The higher the % value the greater the UV dose will be. UV light that is absorbed by substances in the water is unavailable to inactivate microorganisms. When more UV light is absorbed (i.e. low %UVT), greater UV capacity will be required to compensate for the loss due to absorption. Specifying UV equipment properly can not legitimately take place without first identifying the %UVT.

The UV unit should be located as close as possible to the point of use because any part of the plumbing system could be contaminated with bacteria. Before using a UV system for the first time, disinfect the entire plumbing system with chlorine.

  

Maintenance

Regardless of the quality of the equipment purchased, it will not perform satisfactorily unless maintained. 

• Sleeve Cleaning - Minerals in the water slowly form a coating on the sleeve. This coating must be removed because it reduces the amount of UV light reaching the water, thereby reducing purification performance. 
• Lamp Replacement - The amount of UV light created by the lamp decreases over time, requiring that the lamp be replaced every 12 months.     

The treated water should be tested for coliform bacteria on a monthly basis for at least the first six months of the device's use. If bacteria are present in the treated water, the lamp intensity should be checked and the entire plumbing system should be shock chlorinated.

  

For additional help and information on UV pre-treatment and UV disinfection, give your sales person a call!

Ultra Violet Treatment

Ultraviolet (UV) technology is more effective than chemicals in destroying certain waterborne contaminants without altering the taste of water. 

Ultraviolet (UV) light has been used to disinfect water supplies for more than 75 years. Municipalities sometimes use UV instead of chlorination for disinfection to avoid the byproducts that chlorination may produce in the treated water supply. The primary advantage to UV treatment is that it disinfects water without the use of chemicals.Treating water supplies by the use of UV disinfection is not only more effective than traditional treatments, but it is also an environmental responsible way of treating water. Plus, UV does not alter water chemistry and its constituents, such as pH, taste, odor, or color.

  

EFFECTIVE AGAINST: Efficient at inactivating vegetative and sporous forms of bacteria, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium cysts, and other pathogenic microorganisms.

  

INEFFECTIVE AGAINST:  It does not kill Giardia Lamblia Cysts or Cryptosporidium Parvum Oocysts, which must be removed by filtration or distillation. UV is not recommended if the untreated water has a coliform content exceeding 1,000 total coliforms or 100 fecal coliforms per 100 milliliters.

  

It is important to note that, although UV is an effective disinfectant, disinfection only occurs inside the unit. No disinfection occurs beyond the treatment unit to kill bacteria that survived or were introduced after UV treatment. If residual disinfection is necessary, chlorination may be necessary in addition to or as an alternative to UV.

Iron in the pipes

The other day we were fixing a problem with a pressure tank when I cut a pipe and what did I find?  It was full of iron. It was actually plugging the pipe to keep the pressure tank from functioning correctly and causing the pump to short cycle which in turn will shorten the life of the pump.  We were able to install new pipes and put in an Iron filter that will take out the iron and keep the odor and red stains from entering the home.  We call it the Oximax Air Iron.  It oxidizes the iron in the water and gets rid of it right then and there and then is backwashed out.  It uses no chemicals and is completely green technology.  If you have iron problems with your well, be sure to check that your pipes don't look like the one below, it may be another reason you don't have sufficient pressure in the house.

Iron it out

Iron it out

This article has nothing to do with the age old chore of pressing out the wrinkles in your clothing but has everything to do with water quality.  I had a customer the other day who was having problems with iron and we were able to help him with our Iron Filter.  That part was easy but there was a time that had me bewildered until I found the problem.  His pump kept short cycling, which is when the pressure switch hammers on and off.  It just goes click click click and it will inevetibly burn out the pump which can be costly.  This usually happens if you have a bad bladder tank, or a water logged or air locked galvanized tank.  It will also do this when there is a blockage between the pump and the pressure tank.  I checked his tank and it was okay but it still short cycled and had me concerned.  I then took apart his check valve to see if it was functioning correctly and it was.  So the only thing left to do was cut his pvc pipe and see what was going on.  After cutting his pipe and looking inside I was able to see why his pump short cycled.  It was plugged full of iron.  You could not get a pencil through it and thus the problem.  Most home owners never know that this is happening unless they happen to be in the well house while the pump is running.  This iron in the lines can be a cause of low pressure, damage appliances, make water taste terrible and bring unsightly stains into the home.  Be aware of how your system works and if you have iron then my suggestion is to get a filter just for iron.  I have attached a pic of what was found in the pipes, it is almost unbelievable.

Drink lots of water

Though it has been a long time since I wrote a blog it does feel good to inform the readers once again about water.  I found this article and wanted to share it with you.  It is important to drink lots of water especially during the summer months not to mention during the winter months when one would normally not do so and could get dehydrated very quickly without even realizing it.  The important thing here is that you drink quality water.  The public water that we get in our homes is chlorinated and may have other chemicals to disinfect the water and do other things to it as well.  Personally I feel this water is not good for us to drink and there are many articles out there that show how dangerous these chemicals can be to our bodies over years of ingestion.  None the less, hydrate yourself with lots of bottled water or get an under sink water purifier also known as a reverse osmosis.  The following are intersting facts and statements that show us the importance of drinking lots of water;

Drinking water at the correct time
Maximizes its effectiveness on the Human body:
2 glasses of water after waking up -  helps activate internal organs
1 glass of water  30 minutes before a meal - helps digestion
1 glass of water before taking a bath - helps lower blood pressure
1 glass of water before going to bed - avoids stroke or heart attack