Shower Filters

I have seen many water filters claiming many things and sometimes I think it is a hoax or some sort of sales gimmick.  One of those that I am on the fence about is the shower filters.  They are either carbon of KDF 55 which should only be used on city water because of the need of pressure to regenerate it correctly.  KDF 55 is very heavy and if the bed cannot be lifted then the contaminants it catches will not be flushed and thus no room for the new to be captured is present.  Another common filter is that of Carbon whether it be granular activated or carbon block.  Granular activated is simply loose carbon within the filter itself.  Carbon block is compressed carbon that the water must flow through in order to get to the other side.  Granular is free floating and though it catches almost all the constituents in the water the carbon block is much better but must be replaced more often.  I also tend not to listen the the people who like to create fear in order to sale their product.  I have heard it said that the steam that is made from the hot water in the shower is then inhaled and the chlorine is then ingested through the lungs and thus contaminating the body.  Thus justifying the need for a filter on the shower head.  I don't know that this would be true though it seems to be correct.  My concern is that we have far too many people with cancer today and for me I really think that one of these filters would be worth the money.  No one wants cancer and if I have to spend a few extra dollars a month in order to help prevent cancer in my life and that of my family then I am in.  Cancer is a devastating disease as you are well aware and I would not want to see it on my worst enemy let alone any family member.  As for me I would personally recommend the Carbon block filter .  There are many different filters out there so here are some that you can choose from to help you and your family.

Buying a New Water Softener

Many people are looking for water softeners tgo buy but have a tough time because of the price ranges and hard sales tactics used.  You can buy a water softener at a big box store for around $450.00 and then have a salesman come and sale you a water softener for $8,000.00.  Wow that is a huge price difference and are you getting your monies worth?  After all you know the old saying "You get what you pay for".  Well when it comes to water softeners it can and cannot be like that.

There are many brands and types out there and the basic homeowner may not be familiar with them and which one is the correct one.  Before you buy make sure you do some research, ask questions get some bids, this is very important because some companies sale type A water softener for this price $$$ and another company may sale the very same one for this price $$.  You will also want a water sample.  Most companies will test your water for you and then they will size the water softener accordingly.  It often times depends on how hard the water is, how many people in the home and flow rate needed.

Licensing, most water softener sales people are not licensed, they can sale the softener and have a licensed plumber install it.  Or they will install it themselves.  Even if they don't have a license they usually know what they are doing because they don't want to keep coming to your home to redo something since time is money and do overs only cost the water softener company.  You can also ask questions like; how long have they been in business because sometimes there are companies out there who want to make the sale and in a year or so they no longer exist so then you are left to find a reputable company to fix your softener and hopefully if it is a warranty item they will honor it. You may also want to ask the company what types of water softeners can they fix, the reason for this is that if they can only fix their particular brand then you may be stuck with their prices on parts and labor and if he goes out of business who is going to fix your system.  If you can find a company that can fix most types of water softeners then you have found a company that knows what they are doing and are in it for the long haul since they have that much experience.

Expensive is not always the best, for instance there is one company that sales their product for thousands of dollars and they are the only one who can do maintenance to the system so you are stuck with their high prices.  There are other systems that are sold for lots of money and are really over priced.  My recommendation is to buy either a Fleck or Clack brand water softener.  Both companies have been in the business for a very long time and it is much easier to get parts if you like to DIY.  Parts are not too expensive and there are videos on the internet that can show you exactly how to repair them.  I would also suggest going to YouTube and searching how to fix a fleck valve or clack valve or whirlpool.  Then you can see how easy or complicated it is to repair a water softener.  You can find different types of water softeners and filters here

Warranties- most water softeners come with a 10 year warranty on the tank and a 5 year warranty on the valve.  The tank should have a sticker near the base and will have the size of the tank and the date on it, the valve has nothing like that so you would want to keep your receipt.  Most tanks last far beyond 10 years and the valve do to however the internal parts may need to be replaced due to the fact that they are moving parts and will over time wear out and this will depend on what is in the water and how often the water softener or water filter back washes.

If you are a DIY you can order your water softener over the internet at which point you will probably find the Fleck valve and of those valves you will find mostly the 5600 or the 2500/2510 valves out there.  Once again do your research and watch YouTube videos on how to install them and call around to see if you can find someone to install it if you cannot.  I would recommend staying away from the Fleck 7000 series valves because most service techs have no experience with this valve, even though you may get a good deal you will pay in the end when you need it repaired..Most plumbers know how to connect them but may not know how to set them up however you can find many videos and self help sites to help you in this.  Actually it is very easy and you should not be afraid to attempt it on your own.  You can also go to http://lowcostwatersofteners.com

For more information clik here

Tastes in the water supply network Houston Texas

What determines the taste of the water in the supply network?  In general. there are organoleptic (acting on or involving the use of the sense organs) parameters that are specified in standards and regulations, which define permitted levels and sensory thresholds.  It is clear that the maximal permitted contaminant levels provide high safety margins with respect to taste thresholds.  One of the goals as POU treatment is to prevent reaching the smell and taste threshold. In the US, the organoleptic parameters are indicated in US EPA standards.  In addition to the maximal permitted level, there are specific thresholds for tastes and odors from sources that are organic and inorganic, according to the American Water Works Association (AWWA).

The thresholds for identification of substances through smell or taste is higher than the permitted threshold for drinking water.  Additional possible sources of tastes in drinking what may stem from technical faults or execution of works in the water treatment system, the presence of organic compounds in the surface water, problems stemming from various types of contamination or pollution (such as sanitary or industrial sewage), execution of work in the public network and problems in the private network.  A case in point is the taste of water in the network that supplies water to customers located near ocean shorelines.  These customers may be supplied with high concentrations of chlorides due to uncontrolled infiltration of seawater, whose source is the seawater freshwater interface.  These cases constitute a challenge for selection of the specific technology for treating the taste originating from the network water.

Really the bottom line is we all want water that tastes great and is sanitary.  For the most part we really don't want to know where it comes from though sometimes it is nice to know and at other times we really don't want to know only because of the psychological effect.  Of my years in water treatment and water well service that is one thing that I have discovered that people want most.  Clean, great tasting water no matter what the cost or at times inconvenience.  I always recommend a reverse osmosis system that goes under the sink and has its own faucet next to the current one.  This is the guarantee that you get clean great tasting water in the home.

Bottled Water

I just read an article on bottled water in America and thought I would give you some statistics about the industry.  Bottled water consumption and sales growth in the U.S. in 2013 reflected the continuing rtrend of more Americans choosing to drink water more often.  Perhaps some of this may come from the awareness of the need for water as well as we seem to have a generation who likes to visit the gym more often and thus bring their bottles of water to the gym.  Not to mention that most public water does not please the taste buds.

Bottled water in the US is comprehensively regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a packaged food product and by federal law, the FDA regulations governing the safety and quality of bottled water must be at least as stringent as US EPA standards that govern tap water.  And, in some very important cases, such as lead, coliform bacteria and E. coli, bottled water regulations are substantially more stringent.

Essentia 9.5 pH Drinking Water, 1.5 Liter, (Pack of 12)

 A strong focus on recycling continues to be an important issue the industry.  All bottled water containers are 100% recyclable.  According to the National Association for PET Container Resources (NAPCOR), now at 38.04%, the recycling rate for single serve PET plastic bottled water container more than double between 2003 and 2012.  In fact NAPCOR finds that plastic bottled water containers are the most frequently recycled PER beverage container in curbside recycling programs.


FIJI Natural Artesian Water, 16.9-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 24)

You can also instead of buying bottled water you can purchase a Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System.  These provide the exact same water as what is in bottled water.  It goes under your sink and has its own faucet that come in colors to match your current faucet.  This way you can use clear clean bottle water to cook you food in rather than empty bottle after bottle of water into a pan.  The two types I recommend are listed below.  The reason for the recommendation is it is easy to get replacement filters from some of your big box stores or Amazon.com

 

Boiled Water Report Fort Worth Texas

You come home from work throw the mail on the counter next to the sink and decide you need a drink of water before you read the mail, you put your glass under the tap and fill your glass about half full.  You put the glass to your lips take a large gulp of a cold glass of water that refreshes your taste buds.  You start looking through your mail while taking another drink of water finishing all that's left in the glass and then you suddenly see a letter addressed to you with the words "Warning Read Immediately".  You hurry and open the letter thinking it is another sales promotion and then you notice it is from the city.  "Boiled Water Report"  interesting you think until you begin to read that there was some sort of problem with water purification system for the city and they tell you not to drink the water without boiling it first.  It suddenly dawns on you that you have just had a glass of this water that you should have boiled.  Great, you think and now what to do?

I am not saying this happened but what I am saying is that it can happen in any city on the country and has happened in some of the cities near Fort Worth.  Most people have either heard of the boiled water reports or just drink bottled water.  The problem with bottled water is that Reverse Osmosis water is aggressive and can eat at the plastic bottle and cause the water to have a taste which makes one think where did that taste come from.  Perhaps the bottle itself, or how many times have you gone to take a drink a bottle of water and smelled chlorine just as the bottle reached your lips?  Is that really clean water though it is disinfected?

My suggestion is to get yourself a reverse osmosis system which will deliver bottled quality water to your sink and allow you to have 98-99% unadulterated water.  The system will pay for itself if you drink a lot of water.  The system should cost around $500.00.  Well that seems expensive so why can't I buy one from the big box store down the street?  Many times I have been in the big box store and seen customers upset because they don't carry the filters for the particular RO system they have and thus must buy another new one or not one at all.  So if you decide to get an RO then you'll want to do some research and find out where you can buy filters and how much they cost.  Years ago I made a service call to a house for an RO filter change and when I found out how much the filters cost me I could have sold the lady a brand new system.  Most replacement cartridges should run from around $10.00 to $20.00 with a membrane about $75.00-$100.00  I would recommend to stay away from the twist lock kind of cartridges only because the cost is kind of high for the replacements.  Do your homework, drink clean water and stay healthy

Bottled Water in America

The international Bottled Water Association (IBWA) announced that First Lady Michelle Obama's Drink Up campaign has increased bottled water sales.  IBWA is a sponsor of the campaign. A new study from Nielsen Catalina Solutions (NCS) showed the online ad campaign resulted in a three-percent increase in incremental sales among those who saw the advertising.  This generated almost $1 million dollars (USD) in incremental retail bottled water sales.  A statement from NCS said the sales per impression increase was the highest among fence-sitters, generally younger, impressionable consumers who seek convenience n their eating habits.  According to the Beverage Marketing Corporation (BCM), approximately 31 percent of what Americans drink is water and of that figure, more than 50 percent is bottled water.

My thought is that more and more Americans are becoming aware of the importance of drinking water and that the bottled water is much more healthy than what comes from the tap.  Though I think that everyone needs Reverse Osmosis because the water put into bottles leaches the plastic into itself and thus we are consuming toxic petroleum byproducts.  Water should not have a taste though sometimes you will drink bottled water and it will have a taste, I wonder why.

Water Water Everywhere But Not A Drop To Drink

With the continuing drought conditions in California and severe drought across much of the Western US, many are beginning to question the limits of availability of our most precious resource and the activities to which it is allocated.  Foremost among the primary parties is industrial operations, which consume a great percentage of available resources, while the agriculture industry is not far behind.  As the primary food produce for the US and a significant food exporter to other nations, this segment is being asked to make better use of their resources.  Enter the third aspect, decaying and decrepit infrastructure, and all the elements of  potential  disaster are in place.

Some things to note are that the industrial organizations that use water usually don't have a way of capturing the water and reusing it.  While there are methods to do so it is costly and most companies won't invest in these types of operations.  On the other hand the agricultural companies who use water are more effective at the reuse of it.  Some of the water will evaporate while the water that seeps into the ground that quenches the thirst of the plants to help in their growth will go back into the ground and back into the aquifer so the water is reused somewhere else in the county.

Some things to keep in mind when you use water. How much is necessary, is it really a need or just a want.  Will the water you are using evaporate or is it going to a drain or into the ground and into the aquifer.  For example when you wash your car you can do it on the grass and kill two birds with one stone.  You can wash your car, the soap is good against pests and water the grass at the same time.  This is being water conservative and we need people like you to think ahead to help conserve our precious resource.