Dear Royal Soft:
I recently read that you in the water treatment industry are promoting water softening as a "green" technology. Is this for real or are you just saying this to jump on the "green" bandwagon? What about all that salt?
Sincerely,
Skeptical In Westchester County
Untreated hard water promotes a buildup of precipitated stone on hot surfaces such as the inside of your water heater. This buildup acts as an insulator and slows the water heating process, wasting energy. A water softener or a scale prevention system will prevent this build up and save you between 15 and 20% of the energy used to heat water.
Also think about how much sooner your fixtures, water heaters, and appliances wear out (about 25% faster) when using untreated hard water in your home. It takes materials and energy to make fixtures and appliances, and to sell them, deliver them, and install them, so here is another place where water softeners or scale prevention systems save energy.
When considering the salt usage, today's water softener is not Grandpa's salt swallowing behemoth of 60 years ago. The introduction of water metering and modern resins make modern softeners highly efficient, using only about 1/3 as much salt and water as they did a half a century ago. And salt is a relatively benign substance when compared to detergents (please read the side panel on some of these laundry and dish products). When using soft water you will only use about 1/4 of these man made detergents when compared to hard water. Therefore consumers will save money on detergents and introduce fewer of them into the environment as waste.
Why there has been such a negative campaign against water treatment is hard to understand. Even today, with salt free alternatives to softening available, some look at water treatment as harming the environment. In most cases, that is simply untrue, and the attitude is counter productive. Every device to save energy must be considered these days, even if that device has been reviled in the green community for decades. For most homeowners, water treatment will be a way to reduce energy consumption.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
After Disaster - Your Water Treatment!
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! If your area has been subject to a disaster that has disrupted water service or flooded your water treatment please read this!
Do not try and save money on this issue. You need to have your water treatment system inspected and sanitized before you start drinking your water again. Your water treatment dealer knows the best techniques and chemicals to do the job right. If you attempt to do this yourself, you may not do the job correctly or you may damage your water treatment equipment.
Please call your licensed or certified local water treatment dealer to get your system working correctly after a disaster.
Do not try and save money on this issue. You need to have your water treatment system inspected and sanitized before you start drinking your water again. Your water treatment dealer knows the best techniques and chemicals to do the job right. If you attempt to do this yourself, you may not do the job correctly or you may damage your water treatment equipment.
Please call your licensed or certified local water treatment dealer to get your system working correctly after a disaster.
Water treatment scam - the $9.95 per month ad.
Just think about it. Are you really going to be able to rent a $4500.00 water treatment system for $9.95 per month? I really doubt it. You should doubt it too.
This is a great scheme in the water treatment industry. ONLY $9.95 PER MONTH!! Wow, only pay $9.95 per month on a high end treatment system worth $4500.00 or more. It will only take you 450 months to pay it off (that is only 39 years). Here is the trick. Look for this fine print: "Introductory Offer", "Rent to Own", "First Year". $9.95 per month for the first year doesn't even pay the interest, which accrues and adds to the principal. After the first year, you will be paying $100.00 a month for seven or eight years to pay off the system. Whoa, that is a wad of cash, isn't it?
My advice, avoid water treatment dealers using outlandish payment schemes. If they are lying about financing, might they be lying about what type of water treatment you need?
This is a great scheme in the water treatment industry. ONLY $9.95 PER MONTH!! Wow, only pay $9.95 per month on a high end treatment system worth $4500.00 or more. It will only take you 450 months to pay it off (that is only 39 years). Here is the trick. Look for this fine print: "Introductory Offer", "Rent to Own", "First Year". $9.95 per month for the first year doesn't even pay the interest, which accrues and adds to the principal. After the first year, you will be paying $100.00 a month for seven or eight years to pay off the system. Whoa, that is a wad of cash, isn't it?
My advice, avoid water treatment dealers using outlandish payment schemes. If they are lying about financing, might they be lying about what type of water treatment you need?
Friday, September 12, 2008
Building a new house? Use this for Plumbing!
This may be the greatest advance in plumbing since the invention of pipe. It is called PEX tubing and PEX stands for cross linked poly ethelyne.
I was introduced to it about 4 years ago, and I don't use copper anymore. It is far more environmentally friendly and far less expensive than copper tubing, and even though it is made from petroleum, it takes far less oil to make it than to make copper. I highly recommend PEX for your new home or for major repairs and renovations in your old home because of these reasons among many:
I was introduced to it about 4 years ago, and I don't use copper anymore. It is far more environmentally friendly and far less expensive than copper tubing, and even though it is made from petroleum, it takes far less oil to make it than to make copper. I highly recommend PEX for your new home or for major repairs and renovations in your old home because of these reasons among many:
- It is non-reactive. Acidic water is a major problem in my area of the Northeast. Acidic water eats through copper tubing but does not have any effect on PEX.
- It gives a better flow rate. Being flexible, PEX can be curved, eliminating elbow fittings. Every elbow fitting on your plumbing system is a restriction that causes poor flow throughout your home.
- It is safer and easer to use. There is no need to use a torch to use PEX tubing. Torches can start fires and they create noxious fumes that workers and home dwellers breath.
- There is no incentive to steal it. In urban and remote areas, vacant and unfinished homes fall prey to thieves who steal copper tubing. The tubing is sold to scrap yards and the money is usually used to buy drugs.
Check out this website detailing the best brand of PEX on the market - over a billion feet installed with zero tubing failures. http://www.uponor-usa.com/Header/Systems/Plumbing/Overview.aspx
Other brands are very good too, but the Uponor system for putting the tubing together is great.
If you are building a new home or having work done on your home, seriously consider using PEX for a superior plumbing system.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Alternative water treatment technologies - KDF
Sometimes I think that some companies with great products just don't know how to explain them to people.
I have been using an exceptional product for many years that I don't believe has received the attention it deserves. The product is called KDF and I have used it for iron removal, odor elimination, lead removal, chlorine destruction, and hardness sequestering. It is a great product and I am aware of many other uses in water treatment that I don't have time to get into. Whenever I do a new installation, I always ask myself if I could use KDF in a way to solve the problem. Many times the answer is yes.
I especially like to use it in city water applications in conjunction with carbon to remove chlorine. One problem with carbon is that it can become a medium for bacteria growth after a period of usage. KDF not only extends the life of carbon, it also has bacteria static properties to help keep carbon free from bacteria for a longer period.
One problem with the product is the fact that the literature makes many claims about it which are not backed up with explanations. I have not found any of the claims to be untrue, but many in the water industry need to understand how something works before they will use it. It is particularly frustrating to have a 45 minute conversation with the technical staff at KDF just to get one answer to the many questions about how the product works. If KDF would publish more technical data for the water treatment industry they would increase sales in a huge way.
I recommend KDF, especially if your water treatment dealer has experience using it. It is a premium product, so expect it to cost more than other filtration medias. It will also out perform other filtration medias.
I have been using an exceptional product for many years that I don't believe has received the attention it deserves. The product is called KDF and I have used it for iron removal, odor elimination, lead removal, chlorine destruction, and hardness sequestering. It is a great product and I am aware of many other uses in water treatment that I don't have time to get into. Whenever I do a new installation, I always ask myself if I could use KDF in a way to solve the problem. Many times the answer is yes.
I especially like to use it in city water applications in conjunction with carbon to remove chlorine. One problem with carbon is that it can become a medium for bacteria growth after a period of usage. KDF not only extends the life of carbon, it also has bacteria static properties to help keep carbon free from bacteria for a longer period.
One problem with the product is the fact that the literature makes many claims about it which are not backed up with explanations. I have not found any of the claims to be untrue, but many in the water industry need to understand how something works before they will use it. It is particularly frustrating to have a 45 minute conversation with the technical staff at KDF just to get one answer to the many questions about how the product works. If KDF would publish more technical data for the water treatment industry they would increase sales in a huge way.
I recommend KDF, especially if your water treatment dealer has experience using it. It is a premium product, so expect it to cost more than other filtration medias. It will also out perform other filtration medias.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Out on a limb - Salt free water treatment
I am always curious about new technology in water treatment. My latest trial of a new product has lasted a year and a half. I have installed a dozen non salt water conditioners, and all but one lived up to expectations, and the one that did not dazzle with results has been tweaked (by adding extra media) and I am waiting to see if it works now.
This is a media tank shaped much like a softener or filter tank. The media, made in Germany, actually treats the hardness by making it stick to itself (hardness) instead of to the wet surfaces of your home. The first one I installed only because a customer begged me to. After a decade in water treatment, I thought I knew everything, and the one thing I "know" is that you can't get anything for nothing, and I felt that if you didn't use some kind of salt or chemical, you could never remove or sequester hardness in the water.
When I first saw all the hard water deposits these systems cleaned out of hot water coils, I didn't believe. When my third customer for this product called and said that the 35 years of crud that was built up on his shower heads was actually falling off, I said, well there might be something. When I decided to replace my own water softener with one of these salt free systems, just so I could really see what was going on, I was convinced.
What these systems don't do: They don't treat iron, manganese, odor, chlorine, pH, or anything except calcium and magnesium hardness. They don't give you that slippery (some call it slimy) feeling that soft water does. They don't use salt or waste backwash rinse water.
What these systems do: The prevent calcium and magnesium from building up. There will still be a residue similar to soft water residue, but like soft water, the residue just wipes away.
Some old timers may scoff (like I first did) but for argument's sake, one of the most trusted brands in the plumbing and water field, WATTS, is now selling their version of this product. If they are convinced, it's a lock for me.
This is a media tank shaped much like a softener or filter tank. The media, made in Germany, actually treats the hardness by making it stick to itself (hardness) instead of to the wet surfaces of your home. The first one I installed only because a customer begged me to. After a decade in water treatment, I thought I knew everything, and the one thing I "know" is that you can't get anything for nothing, and I felt that if you didn't use some kind of salt or chemical, you could never remove or sequester hardness in the water.
When I first saw all the hard water deposits these systems cleaned out of hot water coils, I didn't believe. When my third customer for this product called and said that the 35 years of crud that was built up on his shower heads was actually falling off, I said, well there might be something. When I decided to replace my own water softener with one of these salt free systems, just so I could really see what was going on, I was convinced.
What these systems don't do: They don't treat iron, manganese, odor, chlorine, pH, or anything except calcium and magnesium hardness. They don't give you that slippery (some call it slimy) feeling that soft water does. They don't use salt or waste backwash rinse water.
What these systems do: The prevent calcium and magnesium from building up. There will still be a residue similar to soft water residue, but like soft water, the residue just wipes away.
Some old timers may scoff (like I first did) but for argument's sake, one of the most trusted brands in the plumbing and water field, WATTS, is now selling their version of this product. If they are convinced, it's a lock for me.
My Review
I got a new customer
By Clean Water Man from Danbury, CT on 9/10/2008
Pros: Clean Taste, Long Lasting Filter, Durable
Best Uses: Replacement
Describe Yourself: Midrange Shopper
Primary use: Business
I use this product to help customers who do not want to use the installing dealers services anymore and feel trapped by the proprietary nature. Luckily, waterfilters.net is there to help me help my new customers.
(legalese)
My Review
A choice in service
By Clean Water Man from Danbury, CT on 9/10/2008
Pros: Long Lasting Filter, Durable, Clean Taste
Best Uses: Replacement
Describe Yourself: Midrange Shopper
Primary use: Business
I use this product to help customers who don't want to go back to the original installation company.
(legalese)
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Another Rip-off in the water treatment industry - potassium chloride
Just came back from the home improvement center. I was shocked by the price of potassium chloride at $25.00 a 40 lb bag. That is insane! Sodium salt is $6.00 a bag. So I decided to blog about sodium chloride versus potassium chloride.
The most important thing to know about the two products is that THEY ARE BOTH SALT. One just happens to be potassium salt instead of sodium salt. Both are relatively safe, but if you think that potassium chloride is totally benign, you may want to look up its use in lethal injection. That is not to say that potassium chloride use in a water softener will harm you, but if you have switched to it in your water softener because a doctor has raised concern over elevated sodium levels, you should still ask your doctor about drinking potassium softened water because it can throw off potassium levels.
The average consumer who drinks several glasses of salt softened water a day will only raise their intake of salt by the equivalent of eating two saltine crackers. That is a relatively low amount unless you are on a sodium restricted diet. If you are on a totally salt restricted diet, you should consider drinking reverse osmosis purified water since there is a good chance that even if you don't soften your water, there is still some naturally occurring sodium. Another point about having a reverse osmosis device is that over time it will cost you far less than using potassium in the water softener.
In the case of watering plants with softened water, potassium is safer. Sodium can build up in frequently watered soil while potassium will be used as a nutrient by many plants. Of course, the most cost effective way to water is by using water that by-passes the softener altogether, and I always recommend to my clients that irrigation systems do not use softened water.
On effectiveness, sodium salt is more effective in softener regeneration. Potassium has a nagging ability to pack up much more easily in your brine vat and render your softener in-operable. This is due to its tendency to drop out of solution at a much higher rate at a much lower temperature drop and its in-ability to re-dissolve very easily, unlike sodium salt.
On septic issues; after almost two decades in the water business, I have heard many stories about how salt from a water softener ruined a septic. These are usually told to me by a septic cleaning service-person, or a homeowner using it as an excuse to not buy a water softener. When I ask these people to give me a name, date, and address of where this incident took place, they hem and haw and I never get an answer. True, 60 years ago, when inefficient water softeners used 35 lbs of salt and 150 gallons of water to regenerate, there was a possibility of septic damage, but it is not the case with today's efficient systems.
I look at potassium chloride as an easy way for salt companies and home centers to cash in on the green movement and not really achieve any greening.
The most important thing to know about the two products is that THEY ARE BOTH SALT. One just happens to be potassium salt instead of sodium salt. Both are relatively safe, but if you think that potassium chloride is totally benign, you may want to look up its use in lethal injection. That is not to say that potassium chloride use in a water softener will harm you, but if you have switched to it in your water softener because a doctor has raised concern over elevated sodium levels, you should still ask your doctor about drinking potassium softened water because it can throw off potassium levels.
The average consumer who drinks several glasses of salt softened water a day will only raise their intake of salt by the equivalent of eating two saltine crackers. That is a relatively low amount unless you are on a sodium restricted diet. If you are on a totally salt restricted diet, you should consider drinking reverse osmosis purified water since there is a good chance that even if you don't soften your water, there is still some naturally occurring sodium. Another point about having a reverse osmosis device is that over time it will cost you far less than using potassium in the water softener.
In the case of watering plants with softened water, potassium is safer. Sodium can build up in frequently watered soil while potassium will be used as a nutrient by many plants. Of course, the most cost effective way to water is by using water that by-passes the softener altogether, and I always recommend to my clients that irrigation systems do not use softened water.
On effectiveness, sodium salt is more effective in softener regeneration. Potassium has a nagging ability to pack up much more easily in your brine vat and render your softener in-operable. This is due to its tendency to drop out of solution at a much higher rate at a much lower temperature drop and its in-ability to re-dissolve very easily, unlike sodium salt.
On septic issues; after almost two decades in the water business, I have heard many stories about how salt from a water softener ruined a septic. These are usually told to me by a septic cleaning service-person, or a homeowner using it as an excuse to not buy a water softener. When I ask these people to give me a name, date, and address of where this incident took place, they hem and haw and I never get an answer. True, 60 years ago, when inefficient water softeners used 35 lbs of salt and 150 gallons of water to regenerate, there was a possibility of septic damage, but it is not the case with today's efficient systems.
I look at potassium chloride as an easy way for salt companies and home centers to cash in on the green movement and not really achieve any greening.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Bacteria in your water! Now what?
PLEASE NOTE - Parts of the process described below involves water and electricity. If you don't know your way around water and electricity, this posting is only a description of what a qualified professional should do to chlorinate a well.
My last post described the correct way to test water for bacteria to ensure that there are no false positive readings. Now you may have had a proper bacteria test done and it shows coli-form and/or e-coli bacteria in your water. What should you do?
This post assumes that you have your own well. If your home is attached to municipal water or a community water system, it is basically another person's problem, and the proper authorities need to be informed of the problem immediately so that it can be addressed before someone gets seriously ill. Call your town hall.
What you should first do is stop drinking your water or using it to brush your teeth or wash fruits and vegetables that are not going to be cooked. You can cook with bacteria contaminated water as long as it will be brought to the boiling temperature some time during the cooking process. You may also drink the water if you have boiled it first, but if you are washing the container (that you will be pouring the boiled water into) in the contaminated water, you may be recontaminating the water. Don't forget that your automatic ice machine is fed by the same contaminated water. Especially don't forget to instruct children and make sure they understand. Pets can also get ill from this water, so make provisions for them too.
Next you need to chlorinate your well. Well chlorination tablets work great, but if not available, a couple of gallons of liquid laundry bleach (UNSCENTED) will work well. If using tablets, drop 20 - 30 in (do not use the giant pool tablets, only use well chlorination tablets or liquid laundry bleach). This should be easy if you have a well casing that sticks above the ground. You may want to turn off the power to your submersible pump before removing the casing cover and inspect the wire for tears in the covering. If it looks good, turn the power back on.
*(Please note that if your well is buried, a stupid practice from the 1950s and 1960s, that is most likely the reason for your contamination. You should have the casing raised and then have the well chlorinated. Call a professional).
Attach a hose to the nearest hose bib that is fed by the house and well you are chlorinating. Put the other end of the hose into the top of the well and then turn on the hose bib. This accomplishes 3 things; first, it will agitate the water and help mix the chlorine into the well; second, if you have a low producing well, it will help your well to not run dry during the process; third, when the chlorine makes its way through the system and comes out the end of the hose, it well aid the process.
You may only need to run the water a few minutes or for half an hour or more. Occasionally test the water coming from the hose with your "FREE" chlorine test kit. ("FREE" means chlorine that has not attached itself to or oxidised any component in the water. This test kit will cost you money to buy.) When the "FREE" chlorine test shows that there is chlorine, rinse the inside of the well casing with this now chlorinated water. Rinse for 5 to 10 minutes, using circular motions to make sure you soak the entire casing from the top all the way down to the static level of the water in the well. Also rinse the well casing cover (inside and out) with the chlorinated water. You may turn off the hose and re-install the casing cover.
Go into the home. If you have a whole house carbon filter, you will need to bypass it, and you should replace the carbon, which can be a hot bed for bacterial growth. Run the water into the home by running every outlet, sink, tub, shower, toilet, cold water into the washing machine, and outdoor hose bibs that were not used in the initial steps. When all the cold water has chlorine in it, then run hot water taps for several minutes until chlorine can be detected there too. Run all the hot water outlets including the hot water side of the washing machine, and the dishwasher until you can detect chlorine in the hot water too. Throw out all the ice in your ice maker and let it start making ice cubes that you will discard in 24 hours (don't use any of them as the first couple of batches may have bacteria in them).
Now you have run chlorinated water everywhere in the home. Don't use the water for at least 12 hours, and if you can manage, 24 hours works even better. When you begin to use the water again it will smell like the YMCA for several days. It may also have a tendency to be discolored, especially if you have iron or manganese in the water. You can not get a valid bacteria test done again until the chlorine clears from the system. If after the above process you still have bacteria in the water, it is a persistent problem and will need to be addressed in a different approach. See my next post about Ultra Violet sterilizers.
Ted Mullen is a licensed water treatment professional in Connecticut. If you have water concerns or are in the greater Danbury area and would like him to speak to your group, please contact him at tedmullen@hotmail.com
My last post described the correct way to test water for bacteria to ensure that there are no false positive readings. Now you may have had a proper bacteria test done and it shows coli-form and/or e-coli bacteria in your water. What should you do?
This post assumes that you have your own well. If your home is attached to municipal water or a community water system, it is basically another person's problem, and the proper authorities need to be informed of the problem immediately so that it can be addressed before someone gets seriously ill. Call your town hall.
What you should first do is stop drinking your water or using it to brush your teeth or wash fruits and vegetables that are not going to be cooked. You can cook with bacteria contaminated water as long as it will be brought to the boiling temperature some time during the cooking process. You may also drink the water if you have boiled it first, but if you are washing the container (that you will be pouring the boiled water into) in the contaminated water, you may be recontaminating the water. Don't forget that your automatic ice machine is fed by the same contaminated water. Especially don't forget to instruct children and make sure they understand. Pets can also get ill from this water, so make provisions for them too.
What you need:
- Well chlorination tablets
- A wrench for loosening the bolts on the well casing cover
- Enough hose to reach from a hose bib to the well
- A "FREE" chlorine test kit
- At least 12 hours that you will not need to use the water (this means dinner reservations!)
- A basic understanding of plumbing and electricity so you don't injure yourself
Next you need to chlorinate your well. Well chlorination tablets work great, but if not available, a couple of gallons of liquid laundry bleach (UNSCENTED) will work well. If using tablets, drop 20 - 30 in (do not use the giant pool tablets, only use well chlorination tablets or liquid laundry bleach). This should be easy if you have a well casing that sticks above the ground. You may want to turn off the power to your submersible pump before removing the casing cover and inspect the wire for tears in the covering. If it looks good, turn the power back on.
*(Please note that if your well is buried, a stupid practice from the 1950s and 1960s, that is most likely the reason for your contamination. You should have the casing raised and then have the well chlorinated. Call a professional).
Attach a hose to the nearest hose bib that is fed by the house and well you are chlorinating. Put the other end of the hose into the top of the well and then turn on the hose bib. This accomplishes 3 things; first, it will agitate the water and help mix the chlorine into the well; second, if you have a low producing well, it will help your well to not run dry during the process; third, when the chlorine makes its way through the system and comes out the end of the hose, it well aid the process.
You may only need to run the water a few minutes or for half an hour or more. Occasionally test the water coming from the hose with your "FREE" chlorine test kit. ("FREE" means chlorine that has not attached itself to or oxidised any component in the water. This test kit will cost you money to buy.) When the "FREE" chlorine test shows that there is chlorine, rinse the inside of the well casing with this now chlorinated water. Rinse for 5 to 10 minutes, using circular motions to make sure you soak the entire casing from the top all the way down to the static level of the water in the well. Also rinse the well casing cover (inside and out) with the chlorinated water. You may turn off the hose and re-install the casing cover.
Go into the home. If you have a whole house carbon filter, you will need to bypass it, and you should replace the carbon, which can be a hot bed for bacterial growth. Run the water into the home by running every outlet, sink, tub, shower, toilet, cold water into the washing machine, and outdoor hose bibs that were not used in the initial steps. When all the cold water has chlorine in it, then run hot water taps for several minutes until chlorine can be detected there too. Run all the hot water outlets including the hot water side of the washing machine, and the dishwasher until you can detect chlorine in the hot water too. Throw out all the ice in your ice maker and let it start making ice cubes that you will discard in 24 hours (don't use any of them as the first couple of batches may have bacteria in them).
Now you have run chlorinated water everywhere in the home. Don't use the water for at least 12 hours, and if you can manage, 24 hours works even better. When you begin to use the water again it will smell like the YMCA for several days. It may also have a tendency to be discolored, especially if you have iron or manganese in the water. You can not get a valid bacteria test done again until the chlorine clears from the system. If after the above process you still have bacteria in the water, it is a persistent problem and will need to be addressed in a different approach. See my next post about Ultra Violet sterilizers.
Ted Mullen is a licensed water treatment professional in Connecticut. If you have water concerns or are in the greater Danbury area and would like him to speak to your group, please contact him at tedmullen@hotmail.com
Home sale cancelled due to incorrect water test technique.
Recently I was called out to chlorinate a well system. The home was for sale and there had been a positive test showing coliform and ecoli in the well water. The potential buyers (city dwellers not used to wells) decided to cancel the sale because of fear of contaminated water. I asked the home sellers if they had seen the test done and they told me how the home inspector had simply turned on the kitchen tap and filled a sample bottle which he then put the lid on and stuck it in his pocket. WRONG - don't do bacteria tests this way.
Here is what you need:
Here is what you need:
- A sterile sample bottle (preferably one you picked up from the lab that you will bring the test to)
- A pair of pliers and a small sheet of rubber
- At least a Bic type lighter (or in my case, I use a hand torch)
- A cooler
Find a metal faucet in the home, preferably one that gets used all the time (kitchen or bathroom). Run the water at that faucet for 5 minutes (20 minutes if the home has not been lived in for several months). Turn off the faucet and using the pliers and rubber sheet (to prevent damage to the surface finish) remove the aerator and gasket or o-ring from the spout. This is very important because this is the place where air and water meet and airborne splashes can bring bacteria to this point where it can fester. We only want to check for bacteria in the well, pipes, and filter system, not on outer surfaces.
Next, run the water another minute or so and turn off again. This next part is why it is so important to do this at a metal faucet. Sanitize the faucet spout by lighting the Bic lighter and heating the spout end (where the water comes out). If you did this to the aerator, it would melt it's insides, thus the reason for removing it and only sanitizing the metal part of the spout. I would make a circular motion under the spout for a minute or so, making sure to get the round edge well.
Get the sterile sample bottle. Turn the water on brisk, but slow enough so that it does not splash from the bottom of the sink and potentially into the sample or back onto the spout. Remove the lid and fill the bottle to the fill line. Place bottle in chilled cooler with ice or ice pack. Deliver to lab. Deviations from these instructions may cause a false positive test due to contamination of sample. How do I know? Before I chlorinated the well, I took a sample using the correct method. When the lab results came back, the test showed negative - in other words - no bacteria. It was obvious that the improper test method caused contamination of the sample. I suggest that when an inspection is done in a home you are selling you should watch the person testing your water to make sure the test is done properly. Print this post to make sure you have the information handy.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Home inspector screws up another water test!
Why is this such a difficult concept for home inspectors? Don't touch what you don't know about!!! A customer who is selling his home called worried when the building inspector's water test results showed problems with the water. These were the same problems that the customer had paid me several thousand dollars to fix. I could understand the customer's frustration with me, because when I spend money, I want to see results too.
I visited the home and tested the water, finding no problems. Checking the almost new water filtration equipment, I found no reason to suspect an intermittent problem. It was then that I called the home inspector and asked about his test procedure. He told me the first step was to by-pass the filters and proceeded to tell me the rest, but I cut him off and ended the conversation. I was confidently able to tell my customer that there was no problem with the filtration system, there was a problem with the home inspector.
Here is the deal. IF THE CURRENT HOME OWNER SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON A WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM, WHY WOULD YOU BY-PASS THAT SYSTEM AND THEN TEST THE WATER? TEST THE TREATED WATER TO MAKE SURE THE SYSTEM IS WORKING. Do building inspectors turn off the heat in the winter to see how cold the home gets? No, they check that the heating system is working. That is what they should do with water systems, test the treated water to make sure the treatment is working.
Selling a home? Watch the home inspector. See my next post to find out how a botched bacteria test made one home sale fall through.
Ted Mullen is a licensed water treatment expert in Connecticut. If you have questions about water issues, email him at tedmullen@hotmail.com
I visited the home and tested the water, finding no problems. Checking the almost new water filtration equipment, I found no reason to suspect an intermittent problem. It was then that I called the home inspector and asked about his test procedure. He told me the first step was to by-pass the filters and proceeded to tell me the rest, but I cut him off and ended the conversation. I was confidently able to tell my customer that there was no problem with the filtration system, there was a problem with the home inspector.
Here is the deal. IF THE CURRENT HOME OWNER SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON A WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM, WHY WOULD YOU BY-PASS THAT SYSTEM AND THEN TEST THE WATER? TEST THE TREATED WATER TO MAKE SURE THE SYSTEM IS WORKING. Do building inspectors turn off the heat in the winter to see how cold the home gets? No, they check that the heating system is working. That is what they should do with water systems, test the treated water to make sure the treatment is working.
Selling a home? Watch the home inspector. See my next post to find out how a botched bacteria test made one home sale fall through.
Ted Mullen is a licensed water treatment expert in Connecticut. If you have questions about water issues, email him at tedmullen@hotmail.com
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Why was this water treatment system so complicated and expensive?
Today I consulted at an amazing job. It was for a water system that feeds a large home, guest house, lawn irrigation, and a barn. This was the most impressive home water system I have ever seen, consisting of two wells, a 10,000 gallon storage tank, an industrial size 300,000 grain water softener, an industrial sediment filter, an industrial 50 gallon per minute UV light, and two 300 gallon pressure tanks with industrial re-pressurization pumps.
The most amazing part of the installation is that it is at least 10 times more than what was needed. There are small towns in third world countries that could never utilize the full capacity of this system, but here was this Leviathan of a system. This was a colossal, world class, diamond studded oversold job, so I started asking the property manager some questions, the most important being, what water treatment company sold and installed this system. The answer amazed me. No water treatment company was consulted on the design of the system, it was designed by an engineer.
I proceeded to describe to the property manager why there were so many problems with the system, starting with the fact that the irrigation system was fed by soft water, and that is why such a gigantic softener had been utilized and why the homeowner now had to foot the bill for much more (and much more expensive) potassium chloride, since irrigating with salt softened water could potentially kill grass. Then I pointed out that the $10,000.00 control panel (which has already been knocked out of commission by lightning twice) could have been replaced with a few hundred dollars worth of float valves and off the shelf pressure switches (these are just two of a dozen problems). I then asked what consulting fee the engineer had been paid to design the system, and the answer to why this system was so complicated became apparent: the engineer was paid a percentage of the total cost of the job.
Wow. All I can say is that if you are getting an engineer to design something, you may consider a flat fee, and also, you may consider that an expert contractor in whatever field that project is in should be consulted from day one of the design through the start of contracted maintenance. This wealthy customer was suckered and will continue to pay much higher service fees on this water equipment for years to come.
Ted Mullen is a licensed water treatment contractor. If you have any questions about water quality, or if you are in the greater Danbury area and would like to have Ted speak to your group about water quality issues, please email at tedmullen@hotmail.com
The most amazing part of the installation is that it is at least 10 times more than what was needed. There are small towns in third world countries that could never utilize the full capacity of this system, but here was this Leviathan of a system. This was a colossal, world class, diamond studded oversold job, so I started asking the property manager some questions, the most important being, what water treatment company sold and installed this system. The answer amazed me. No water treatment company was consulted on the design of the system, it was designed by an engineer.
I proceeded to describe to the property manager why there were so many problems with the system, starting with the fact that the irrigation system was fed by soft water, and that is why such a gigantic softener had been utilized and why the homeowner now had to foot the bill for much more (and much more expensive) potassium chloride, since irrigating with salt softened water could potentially kill grass. Then I pointed out that the $10,000.00 control panel (which has already been knocked out of commission by lightning twice) could have been replaced with a few hundred dollars worth of float valves and off the shelf pressure switches (these are just two of a dozen problems). I then asked what consulting fee the engineer had been paid to design the system, and the answer to why this system was so complicated became apparent: the engineer was paid a percentage of the total cost of the job.
Wow. All I can say is that if you are getting an engineer to design something, you may consider a flat fee, and also, you may consider that an expert contractor in whatever field that project is in should be consulted from day one of the design through the start of contracted maintenance. This wealthy customer was suckered and will continue to pay much higher service fees on this water equipment for years to come.
Ted Mullen is a licensed water treatment contractor. If you have any questions about water quality, or if you are in the greater Danbury area and would like to have Ted speak to your group about water quality issues, please email at tedmullen@hotmail.com
Monday, May 12, 2008
Water Softeners - Don't forget this hidden cost!
I got a new customers today. They were upset with their previous water treatment company after only two years of service. Why? The cost of doing business with them was excessive and was not part of what was explained when they bought the filter system two years ago.
I am in the northeast, and it is an expensive place to do business, but it is also an expensive place to live. I feel my service call rate ($95.00 per hour) is actually a little high when compared to other areas in the nation. But what my new customer was paying to the old company was obscene. $149.00 just for the first 1/2 hour, then $40.00 for every 15 minutes after that. The customer has a neutralizer, and the dealer sells the calcite refill for $90.00 for a 1/2 cubic foot bag. The labor and materials added to over $400.00 plus tax. Whoa! That is a yearly cost. My charge for the same job is $225.00 plus tax, which isn't cheap, but is obviously more reasonable.
Before you buy a water treatment system, find out how much the yearly service cost will be. If you have reservations, get the yearly cost in writing. When the company starts jacking up prices, start shopping for a more reasonable company.
I am in the northeast, and it is an expensive place to do business, but it is also an expensive place to live. I feel my service call rate ($95.00 per hour) is actually a little high when compared to other areas in the nation. But what my new customer was paying to the old company was obscene. $149.00 just for the first 1/2 hour, then $40.00 for every 15 minutes after that. The customer has a neutralizer, and the dealer sells the calcite refill for $90.00 for a 1/2 cubic foot bag. The labor and materials added to over $400.00 plus tax. Whoa! That is a yearly cost. My charge for the same job is $225.00 plus tax, which isn't cheap, but is obviously more reasonable.
Before you buy a water treatment system, find out how much the yearly service cost will be. If you have reservations, get the yearly cost in writing. When the company starts jacking up prices, start shopping for a more reasonable company.
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Two Story House.
I just came back from a consultation in a ranch style house, but it had two stories. How can a ranch have two stories? His story and her story. The Mrs. called me in because she had concerns about brown stains the water caused in laundry and on fixtures. I tested the water and found 1/2 a part per million dissolved iron and 1/2 part per million precipitated iron. I discussed with the couple the solutions for the iron problem and that is when the Mr. informed me that there wasn't any problem. He brought me to the well tank and showed me the devices he had mounted on the outside of the plumbing. These devices were keeping the iron from staining anything, he informed me.
I did not argue with the man, I just went back to the kitchen where I had started my presentation, and I asked the Mrs. if she had to clean iron stains. She acknowledged the fact that she cleaned iron stains off of surfaces quite frequently (a couple times a week) and proceeded to make a display of 6 or 7 different products from abrasives to caustics to acids that she uses to get the job done. I read the labels aloud and asked the Mr. if he helped with the cleaning. No. Did he ever read the labels on these products? No. Was he at all concerned about his wife using all these chemicals? No.
I then cut my presentation at that point. There was no use going on since this man had absolutely no concern about his wife and her use of potentially harmful chemicals and he held the purse strings. I left my card and told them to call me if anything changed.
I can tell you that some of my best customers are recently divorced women who always wanted to fix some sort of water issue but had husbands who wouldn't do it. I don't believe that the discrepancy between these two about the water quality will cause a divorce, but I do believe it is a symptom of a man who really doesn't give a hoot about his wife. I never know what kind of problems I will run into when I go out to test someone's water.
I did not argue with the man, I just went back to the kitchen where I had started my presentation, and I asked the Mrs. if she had to clean iron stains. She acknowledged the fact that she cleaned iron stains off of surfaces quite frequently (a couple times a week) and proceeded to make a display of 6 or 7 different products from abrasives to caustics to acids that she uses to get the job done. I read the labels aloud and asked the Mr. if he helped with the cleaning. No. Did he ever read the labels on these products? No. Was he at all concerned about his wife using all these chemicals? No.
I then cut my presentation at that point. There was no use going on since this man had absolutely no concern about his wife and her use of potentially harmful chemicals and he held the purse strings. I left my card and told them to call me if anything changed.
I can tell you that some of my best customers are recently divorced women who always wanted to fix some sort of water issue but had husbands who wouldn't do it. I don't believe that the discrepancy between these two about the water quality will cause a divorce, but I do believe it is a symptom of a man who really doesn't give a hoot about his wife. I never know what kind of problems I will run into when I go out to test someone's water.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Don't Guess At A Fix For Your Water Problems.
Just got back from consulting at a home. The water has petroleum products of some sort in it. Within the last year, a local water treatment company installed a system to deal with the problem. Here are the problems with the $10,000.00 system sold by a bunch of incompetents:
- The water treatment company NEVER tested the water to determine which petroleum products were in the water. They sniffed it and said "oh that smells like oil" and then proposed a $10,000.00 system.
- The BACKWASHING system that the treatment company installed empties the waste water outside the home 10 feet from the home owner's well and 50 feet from the neighbor's well, a potential contamination and recontamination issue.
- The system incorporates a chlorination system. Chlorine mixed with petroleum products can produce many strange and potentially carcinogenic compounds.
After 7 months, the customer decided that they were not confident in what they purchased, since they still smell oil in the water. That is why they called me. This is a home that was built in a 120 year old carriage house, and no one could ever know what has seeped into the well over the years without a thorough water test done by a LAB - not by some fool with a water softener sales test kit and his nose.
I took samples for testing at a state certified lab and will get back to the customer. One thing that will have to change is the discharge of contaminated water so close to the well and neighbor's well. This is a potential huge fine by the EPA if it were to be reported to them. I will keep you posted on the outcome.
Ted Mullen is a licensed water treatment expert. For advice, email questions to tedmullen@hotmail.com
A problem with soft water? Soft water etching.
There is one issue with soft water that you should be aware of if you have or are getting a water softener. It is called soft water etching. Occasionally, soft water will act with phosphate sequestering agents in your dishwasher detergent and etch glassware that you run through the machine.
This is really not a problem. What is happening is since there are no longer hard minerals (calcium and magnesium) in your water, your detergent no longer needs to combat minerals while trying to wash your dishes. The phosphates have no minerals to sequester and they can actually react with glass. There are easy solutions to this problem:
- Cut way back on detergent. I only use 1/4 the recommended amount and the dishes come out clean. Cutting back on detergent usage is one reason to get a water softener in the first place.
- Lower the water temperature to below 140 F. You may need to lower your water heater temperature (which should only be 120 F or lower if you want to prevent scalding) and some fancy brands of dishwashers have heater controls that you will need to lower. I have noticed that heat drying tends to increase this problem, so air dry instead.
- If the first two solutions don't work, get a detergent specially made to combat this problem. Quixtar (formerly Amway) has a great Soft Water Dishwasher Detergent that is low in phosphates.
If you have any questions about your water, email me at tedmullen@hotmail.com .
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
An Injustice Done To Family Due To Well Contamination!
I am so angry about this issue that I need to tell you about it. I have been advising a family about water issues after the construction of a new home (a very large, multi million dollar home). This was an out of state consultation and I was brought in after the new well had been drilled on the property. This (the drilling of the new well) is where the injustice happened.
Although the property consists of 10 acres, the County Sanitarian insisted that the new well was drilled in one particular spot. The builder and homeowners asked if another spot would be OK since there were 10 acres to choose from, but the Sanitarian was obstinate and would not budge on his brilliant decision.
After the well was finished, the pump was installed, and the water line connected to the home, the Mrs. of the family was sure there was something wrong with the water. A water softener and back washing filter were added, and she still insisted there was something wrong. The Mr. couldn't really detect anything, but did not go with the "she's crazy" notion and called me in. I happen to be hypersensitive, especially with tastes and odors, so, although the water test showed it was fine, with no bacteria present, one sniff and swig told me there was definitely something wrong. The water smelled like urine. I figured a disgruntled contractor urinated in the well, so I decided to do a heavy chlorination of the well to knock out the smell and potential contamination.
This is where it got interesting. Upon inspection of the area around the well, I saw that it was drilled 30 feet from a manure pile, a 150 year old manure pile from cows and horses to be exact. I told the customers that the old pile of manure, that had been added to and subtracted from continuously for the last 150 years was the cause of the problem odor. I was so furious by what I saw that I almost went straight to the county office to have it out with the Sanitarian right then and there. I then was wiser, and figured this is my client's fight and not mine, and I didn't want to make a bad name for myself in the county in question.
I don't know what the outcome is at this point. I do know that this equation (wealthy homeowners screwed by government incompetence equals BIG LAWSUIT) will be part of the outcome.
The lesson from this is don't let anyone force you to drill a well in the wrong place, especially when you have 10 acres of land to choose from, even if the government is around and "here to help".
Although the property consists of 10 acres, the County Sanitarian insisted that the new well was drilled in one particular spot. The builder and homeowners asked if another spot would be OK since there were 10 acres to choose from, but the Sanitarian was obstinate and would not budge on his brilliant decision.
After the well was finished, the pump was installed, and the water line connected to the home, the Mrs. of the family was sure there was something wrong with the water. A water softener and back washing filter were added, and she still insisted there was something wrong. The Mr. couldn't really detect anything, but did not go with the "she's crazy" notion and called me in. I happen to be hypersensitive, especially with tastes and odors, so, although the water test showed it was fine, with no bacteria present, one sniff and swig told me there was definitely something wrong. The water smelled like urine. I figured a disgruntled contractor urinated in the well, so I decided to do a heavy chlorination of the well to knock out the smell and potential contamination.
This is where it got interesting. Upon inspection of the area around the well, I saw that it was drilled 30 feet from a manure pile, a 150 year old manure pile from cows and horses to be exact. I told the customers that the old pile of manure, that had been added to and subtracted from continuously for the last 150 years was the cause of the problem odor. I was so furious by what I saw that I almost went straight to the county office to have it out with the Sanitarian right then and there. I then was wiser, and figured this is my client's fight and not mine, and I didn't want to make a bad name for myself in the county in question.
I don't know what the outcome is at this point. I do know that this equation (wealthy homeowners screwed by government incompetence equals BIG LAWSUIT) will be part of the outcome.
The lesson from this is don't let anyone force you to drill a well in the wrong place, especially when you have 10 acres of land to choose from, even if the government is around and "here to help".
Monday, May 5, 2008
Softeners: Electronic or Mechanical Timer?
Which type of timer should you use on a water softener? After 10 years working on water softeners, I have seen the least problems with mechanical timers. You still need to weigh the pros and cons of each. Electronic timers seem to be much more efficient than mechanical timers since so many bells and whistles are in the software to eek as much soft water out of each pound of salt.
So what is the softener valve and timer I have had the least problems with? The Fleck 5600 standard or metering valve. Many manufacturers use these valves and put their own name on them. Here is a picture of one:
If there is a good amount of iron in your water (over 1 part per million), you may want to go with a standard non-metering timer to be sure the softener back washes at least twice a week to prevent iron fouling of the resin bed. An electronic timer may be a waste in that situation since a good technician would likely override the metering to make sure the softener regenerated every 3 days.
So what is the softener valve and timer I have had the least problems with? The Fleck 5600 standard or metering valve. Many manufacturers use these valves and put their own name on them. Here is a picture of one:
Not the most efficient, but the most reliable. Add metering for water without a lot of iron, and the efficiency can rival many electronic systems.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Remodeling Your Kitchen? Don't Forget This!
If you are remodeling your kitchen, don't forget to add a reverse osmosis drinking water system to your plans. Once you start using one of these, you won't know how you lived without it. It will save you the back breaking work of lugging cases of water home from the store or lifting 5 gallon containers onto a water cooler. Things to know:
- Are you getting a fancy faucet? The manufacturer will most likely have a matching reverse osmosis rated dispenser that will be mounted next to the regular faucet. If you choose this route, the sink area will be more stylish when everything matches.
- Don't forget to tell your counter top supplier that you will also need a hole for the extra reverse osmosis dispenser faucet (unless you are mounting fixtures on the sink, then you should inform your sink supplier).
- A system with all the bells and whistles will cost a premium. A less expensive reverse osmosis is better than none at all, so shop around. Look for an NSF certified system to be sure of quality.
- Many brand name systems use proprietary filters, which will force you to go to the dealer who sold you the system for replacement filters. Consider an industry standard system that uses filters you can shop around for.
- Only get a drinking water system if you will use it, otherwise it is a waste of money and space. If you don't drink water, this is not a purchase for you.
If you have concerns about the quality of your water, contact me at tedmullen@hotmail.com . You may also contact me if you are in the greater Danbury, CT area and would like me to make a presentation about water issues for your group.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The best filter I could sell my new customer TODAY was NO FILTER at all.
Sometimes it is best not to rush into a decision on the correct water treatment for your home. I visited a new customer who has a hydrogen sulfide odor in his well water. Upon inspecting his water softener I found that the previous water treatment company did a disservice by not including any type of pre-filter. The water has 1 part per million of ferrous iron and 1/2 part per million of ferric iron as well as some sediment and hardness.
The first thing that needs correction is the lack of pre-filtration because the ferric iron is bleeding through the system and causing a little staining. But this can wait to see how the odor problem will be addressed, since my best method for treating hydrogen sulfide would take care of the sediment too.
So why didn't I sell this customer a system to deal with the odor that really bothers everyone in the house so much they would pay anything to fix it. Well, I wanted to determine part of the true nature of the problem first. The part of the problem I want to know about is whether the odor is a temporary or permanent problem. I hate selling a permanent system when the problem may only be temporary. So what I did is chlorinate the well. This will knock out the odor. If it knocks it permanently, then the only thing the customer needs is a cartridge filter. If the odor returns within a couple of weeks, I then know that the odor is persistent and will need a more elaborate system.
So if you call a water treatment expert and he decides that your water needs more testing or analysis before moving forward, he may really be an expert. Of course there are many situations when an expert can immediately determine what equipment you need, but try and read between the lines and see if the salesman is more interested in the sale or in you getting the correct equipment.
Ted Mullen, a licensed contractor, is President of Clean Water Man, Inc. in Danbury CT. If you have a water problem and would like another opinion, please email Ted at tedmullen@hotmail.com
The first thing that needs correction is the lack of pre-filtration because the ferric iron is bleeding through the system and causing a little staining. But this can wait to see how the odor problem will be addressed, since my best method for treating hydrogen sulfide would take care of the sediment too.
So why didn't I sell this customer a system to deal with the odor that really bothers everyone in the house so much they would pay anything to fix it. Well, I wanted to determine part of the true nature of the problem first. The part of the problem I want to know about is whether the odor is a temporary or permanent problem. I hate selling a permanent system when the problem may only be temporary. So what I did is chlorinate the well. This will knock out the odor. If it knocks it permanently, then the only thing the customer needs is a cartridge filter. If the odor returns within a couple of weeks, I then know that the odor is persistent and will need a more elaborate system.
So if you call a water treatment expert and he decides that your water needs more testing or analysis before moving forward, he may really be an expert. Of course there are many situations when an expert can immediately determine what equipment you need, but try and read between the lines and see if the salesman is more interested in the sale or in you getting the correct equipment.
Ted Mullen, a licensed contractor, is President of Clean Water Man, Inc. in Danbury CT. If you have a water problem and would like another opinion, please email Ted at tedmullen@hotmail.com
Sunday, April 27, 2008
How to extend the life of your water softener for years at little or no cost!
After servicing water treatment for a decade, I have found two things that homeowners must do if they want to extend the life of a water softener for many more years of faithful service. These two actions are simple. They should be done from the beginning when your water softener is new, but even if your system is old, you could start now, and it will add some life to your system.
The first action is to make sure the water softener is preceded by a sediment pre-filter. Even if you have never seen it, sediment and debris are present in your water. Water softeners do not take out sediment and debris, and they can either make their way through the softener to your plumbing and therefore the fixtures, or worse yet, they can clog and abrade the many seals and orifices in the control mechanism of your softener. If you have any iron in the water, you should be using a 5 micron pre-filter, since sedimentary (ferric) iron is between 5 and 10 microns in size and it can clog or foul water softener resin. Even if tests show that all the iron in your water is dissolved (ferrous), expect that some will occasionally sit in the well or pipes or well tank long enough to drop out of solution and become the clogging sedimentary type of iron.
Should every softener be installed with a pre-filter? Here is what happened last week to a new service customer of mine; they have municipal water and so when they paid their plumber to install a water softener, nobody recommended a pre-filter because it was assumed that the water was relatively clean. All went well for 3 years, but a couple of weeks ago, there was a fire on a nearby street and the firemen hooked up to the municipal hydrants and used water that flowed at a very high rate through the underground supply pipes. This disturbed a significant amount of sediment that had accumulated in the supply pipes over who knows how long. When the customers took showers in the next morning they noticed a huge drop in pressure. The softener was clogged so bad that the resin had to be dumped out and replaced along with the distributor tube. Had a pre-filter existed, it would have clogged too, but that cartridge would cost a few dollars to replace compared to the couple hundred it cost the customer in materials and labor to replace the resin.
The second thing is really a DON'T do, so it should be easy. Do NOT fill the brine vat. Only put enough salt in your brine vat to last a month. This is especially important if you use the potassium type of salt, since it drops out of solution very easily at the slightest temperature drop, and does not re-dissolve. I have seen cabinet model softeners (most big box units are cabinet models) ruined because the salt or potassium had packed and solidified so hard that it was impossible to dissolve with hot water or to break up with blunt force. When the salt solidifies like this, it will stop getting drawn into the softener during regeneration and the softener becomes useless. It is good to allow the salt to almost empty before you put another bag in, and the more efficient your system is (like Kinetico or Ecowater) the more important it is to follow this guideline.
The first action is to make sure the water softener is preceded by a sediment pre-filter. Even if you have never seen it, sediment and debris are present in your water. Water softeners do not take out sediment and debris, and they can either make their way through the softener to your plumbing and therefore the fixtures, or worse yet, they can clog and abrade the many seals and orifices in the control mechanism of your softener. If you have any iron in the water, you should be using a 5 micron pre-filter, since sedimentary (ferric) iron is between 5 and 10 microns in size and it can clog or foul water softener resin. Even if tests show that all the iron in your water is dissolved (ferrous), expect that some will occasionally sit in the well or pipes or well tank long enough to drop out of solution and become the clogging sedimentary type of iron.
Should every softener be installed with a pre-filter? Here is what happened last week to a new service customer of mine; they have municipal water and so when they paid their plumber to install a water softener, nobody recommended a pre-filter because it was assumed that the water was relatively clean. All went well for 3 years, but a couple of weeks ago, there was a fire on a nearby street and the firemen hooked up to the municipal hydrants and used water that flowed at a very high rate through the underground supply pipes. This disturbed a significant amount of sediment that had accumulated in the supply pipes over who knows how long. When the customers took showers in the next morning they noticed a huge drop in pressure. The softener was clogged so bad that the resin had to be dumped out and replaced along with the distributor tube. Had a pre-filter existed, it would have clogged too, but that cartridge would cost a few dollars to replace compared to the couple hundred it cost the customer in materials and labor to replace the resin.
The second thing is really a DON'T do, so it should be easy. Do NOT fill the brine vat. Only put enough salt in your brine vat to last a month. This is especially important if you use the potassium type of salt, since it drops out of solution very easily at the slightest temperature drop, and does not re-dissolve. I have seen cabinet model softeners (most big box units are cabinet models) ruined because the salt or potassium had packed and solidified so hard that it was impossible to dissolve with hot water or to break up with blunt force. When the salt solidifies like this, it will stop getting drawn into the softener during regeneration and the softener becomes useless. It is good to allow the salt to almost empty before you put another bag in, and the more efficient your system is (like Kinetico or Ecowater) the more important it is to follow this guideline.
The biggest mistake homeowners make when purchasing water softeners and water filters.
The biggest mistake a homeowner makes when purchasing any type of water equipment is to allow the salesman to be in charge of the sales call. How is the salesman in charge in most water treatment sales calls? The water treatment salesman is the one performing the water tests, and that puts him in charge.
HOMEOWNERS - put yourself in the driver's seat; get your own test done at a state certified lab before you contact water treatment companies, and you will save money and aggravation. With results from a certified lab you can call several water treatment dealers and feel them out first and then have 2 or 3 send a salesman (or even better, ask for a service technician instead of a salesman). Lab tests will be more accurate than the test kit the salesman brings, and by having your own independent results, you will cut out a lot of the spiel that the salesman will be trying to tell you.
HOMEOWNERS - put yourself in the driver's seat; get your own test done at a state certified lab before you contact water treatment companies, and you will save money and aggravation. With results from a certified lab you can call several water treatment dealers and feel them out first and then have 2 or 3 send a salesman (or even better, ask for a service technician instead of a salesman). Lab tests will be more accurate than the test kit the salesman brings, and by having your own independent results, you will cut out a lot of the spiel that the salesman will be trying to tell you.
The Matchstick Men Are Real! I have worked with them.
Anyone see that movie with Nicholas Cage called Matchstick Men? I am a big fan of Mr. Cage, but the beginning of the movie made me wince because many people I have worked with in my industry (water treatment) sound like Roy and Frank. The opening scenes of the movie solidified my dislike for those in my industry who sell overpriced products to the unsuspecting public. I am embarrassed to admit that I know companies that routinely pay $600.00 wholesale for a softener and turn around and sell it for $3600.00 retail. Then they have the nerve to go back to the customer the next year for scheduled maintenance and charge $179.00 just to walk in the door (and that doesn't include materials).
I challenge retailers in water treatment to watch Matchstick Men and reconsider how customers are treated by many in our business. It is time to treat our customers with respect and stop trying to get all their money just because they want to fix a water problem.
I challenge retailers in water treatment to watch Matchstick Men and reconsider how customers are treated by many in our business. It is time to treat our customers with respect and stop trying to get all their money just because they want to fix a water problem.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Water Treatment and Softeners - Who should you buy from?
Who should you buy water treatment from? There are several choices. Before you start searching, you should get a water analysis done at a state or county certified lab. A basic chemical / physical test and a bacteria test should be less than $150.00 if you draw and deliver the test yourself. Make sure you contact the lab before you bring samples there since many may require you to use their sample bottles (especially for the bacteria test). While $150.00 may seem like a lot, this test could save you thousands by helping to prevent you from getting the wrong equipment.
Now you have your test results and you are wondering where to go. There are 4 choices. First is the local water treatment dealer, second is the big box store, third is your plumber, and fourth is an internet store.
Pros and cons of each:
Now you have your test results and you are wondering where to go. There are 4 choices. First is the local water treatment dealer, second is the big box store, third is your plumber, and fourth is an internet store.
Pros and cons of each:
- The water treatment dealer is usually a specialist in fixing water problems. Many dealers are true water treatment experts, people who live and breath the actual processes of making your water better. Unfortunately, there are many dealers that are really just marketing companies that are out there to sell stuff, be it used cars, windows, siding, or water treatment. To make sure you have a company devoted to water treatment, look for a company with licensed technicians, and tell the salesman that you are going to ask the installer to see his license when he comes to install your system. This will help you eliminate fly by nighters and other incompetents.
- The big box store will be significantly less expensive than the water treatment dealer, but does an in store appliance salesman really have the background to help you get the correct equipment? If you got recommendations from the lab, you may be able to go this route and save cash, but you need to be aware of the fact that the regular appliance technicians are usually not qualified to work on water equipment and many dealers will not work on big box systems. Ask the store for the technician they recommend for service when there is a problem. If they can't recommend a technician, don't go this route.
- Your plumber can help you. He is usually somewhere between the big box price and the water treatment dealer price. Unfortunately, he may not be able to perform service on your equipment, and it may fail sooner unless you can find a technician to service it once a year. Find out if he recommends a technician to service the equipment or if he is truly confident that he can service it and remember to contact you to schedule service on a yearly basis.
- The internet dealers can bring you huge savings, but you may want to make sure your plumber will install the equipment and that a local water treatment dealer will be willing to service your equipment on a yearly basis. The internet company should also be willing to have you fax your water analysis and then design and sell you the correct application.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Blue and Green stains from my water, what causes them?
It amazes me when I step into a home where someone has lived for a long period and I see blue or green stains in sinks, tubs, and toilets.
"When did you first notice the stains?" I will ask.
"Oh, they have always been there." is a reply I hear much to often.
Blue and green stains are almost always the result of copper depositing on surfaces of water using fixtures in your home. There are three major causes:
"When did you first notice the stains?" I will ask.
"Oh, they have always been there." is a reply I hear much to often.
Blue and green stains are almost always the result of copper depositing on surfaces of water using fixtures in your home. There are three major causes:
- You have naturally acidic water from your well or municipality. Acidic water eats the copper pipes from the inside and leaves deposits wherever water can sit and dry off. In this case you will need to have a whole house neutralizer installed to raise the pH.
- Your water district is adding chlorine to the water to keep it micro-biologically safe. Chlorine can oxidise the inside of copper pipes and that water can leave deposits wherever it has a chance to sit and dry off. A whole house carbon filter can remove the chlorine, but if your home is supplied with a copper line from the main, that copper will have a chance to oxidize because it is before the carbon filter. You may get an improvement, but in this situation, you may never be able to remove all the copper.
- The plumbing or some or all of the electrical system is mis-grounded. Enough electricity flowing along copper pipes can peel atoms of copper off of the pipe and leave them in the water where it will have a chance to leave a stain when that water is able to sit and dry. If you suspect this, don't call a plumber, call an electrician.
Why should you care about blue and green stains? Because the copper being deposited in places where it makes stains used to be the inner part of your copper pipes. Unless you have naturally occurring copper mineral deposits coming up from the water in your well, blue and green stains are a sign that your copper plumbing is thinning out and will eventually leak. It may leak in the basement, but it may also leak in a wall or somewhere else. If you see blue and green stains, you should at least get a water test so that you can begin to determine what the cause is.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
The dreaded question "Do I NEED a water softener?"
Got a call from an old acquaintance who found out I was in the water business. He and his wife had been contacted by a water treatment "dealer" via a "bottle drop" campaign. This is where a water treatment company leaves a small plastic bottle and an official looking questionnaire at your mailbox or front door, asking for the bottle to be filled with water and the questionnaire be filled out. Many people mistake these official looking items as being from the town or water district. This is very advantageous for (if not deceitful of) the water treatment company who uses your answers on the survey to try and sell you water equipment. One question I almost always see on any variation of this scheming questionnaire is "Would you like to improve the quality of your water?" My answer to that is "Who wouldn't", and almost everyone says that they would like to improve the quality of their water.
After the bottles and questionnaires are collected, the water treatment company takes your water samples and does a very rudimentary couple of tests and will excitedly call you with the "results", of course having your filled in questionnaire right in front of them when they call. Bordering on the edge of what is legal, they will scare or entice you into allowing a "technician" into your home for further "tests". In this case "technician" means well trained salesman.
Now back to my old acquaintance - the salesman came out and got the wife so worried about the quality of the water that she and the salesman pressured the husband into a purchase. Luckily Connecticut and many other states have a 3 day cancel law which gives people the right to cancel a purchase like a water system without penalty. This gave the husband enough time to find my number and give me a call.
Here is what the salesman sold the folks: A super high end water softener for $3295.00 plus installation and a reverse osmosis system for $1995.00, installation included. Of course, at those prices, I can understand why anyone might ask for a second opinion.
"Ted" he asked "do you know if I really need this system?"
Now, I sell and service water treatment systems for a living, and have helped many people get the correct water treatment system for a home, and many times, that has included a water softener. But here is a little secret about water treatment that water treatment marketing companies (as opposed to licensed water treatment service companies) don't want you to know - IN MOST CASES, UNLESS YOU SEE SOME SORT OF STAINING OR BUILD UP OF WHITE OR BROWN CRUD, YOU MOST LIKELY DO NOT NEED A WATER SOFTENER. My acquaintance had lived in the home for 18 years and never had an issue with the water. There was no cruddy white buildup, no brown staining, the dishwasher and clothes washer worked fine, and he had only replaced the water heater once.
Of course, the salesman had tested and found that the water was 6 grains hard, which is moderate in my area and MAY warrant a water softener but there is another secret about hard water that you need to know - PROBLEM HARD WATER IS A FUNCTION OF TWO ISSUES and the amount of hardness is only one of those issues. The other issue is the pH of the water. You could have a good amount of calcium and magnesium hardness in the water, but if the pH is slightly acidic (say between 6.5 and 6.9), then the hardness will never show up on faucet spouts and shower curtains and other places. On the other hand, I have customers with only 2 grains of hardness and a pH of 8, and they had to get a water softener because that small amount of hardness clogged the domestic hot water coil in their boiler and coated the faucet spouts. Acidic water keeps minerals from depositing while base water will encourage a lot of depositing.
I tested the water and found that the pH was 6.7, just as I thought it would be. I told the husband that he didn't need a softener. After discussing the water a little further, I found that the wife's concern was really the drinking water and that she was tired of dealing with the water bottles she brought home from the store. I suggested an industry standard reverse osmosis system for significantly less than the $1995.00 price of the other company, and everyone was happy (except the salesman who's sale was cancelled).
If you have questions about water or are in the greater Danbury area and would like to have me speak to your group about water, email me at tedmullen@hotmail.com
After the bottles and questionnaires are collected, the water treatment company takes your water samples and does a very rudimentary couple of tests and will excitedly call you with the "results", of course having your filled in questionnaire right in front of them when they call. Bordering on the edge of what is legal, they will scare or entice you into allowing a "technician" into your home for further "tests". In this case "technician" means well trained salesman.
Now back to my old acquaintance - the salesman came out and got the wife so worried about the quality of the water that she and the salesman pressured the husband into a purchase. Luckily Connecticut and many other states have a 3 day cancel law which gives people the right to cancel a purchase like a water system without penalty. This gave the husband enough time to find my number and give me a call.
Here is what the salesman sold the folks: A super high end water softener for $3295.00 plus installation and a reverse osmosis system for $1995.00, installation included. Of course, at those prices, I can understand why anyone might ask for a second opinion.
"Ted" he asked "do you know if I really need this system?"
Now, I sell and service water treatment systems for a living, and have helped many people get the correct water treatment system for a home, and many times, that has included a water softener. But here is a little secret about water treatment that water treatment marketing companies (as opposed to licensed water treatment service companies) don't want you to know - IN MOST CASES, UNLESS YOU SEE SOME SORT OF STAINING OR BUILD UP OF WHITE OR BROWN CRUD, YOU MOST LIKELY DO NOT NEED A WATER SOFTENER. My acquaintance had lived in the home for 18 years and never had an issue with the water. There was no cruddy white buildup, no brown staining, the dishwasher and clothes washer worked fine, and he had only replaced the water heater once.
Of course, the salesman had tested and found that the water was 6 grains hard, which is moderate in my area and MAY warrant a water softener but there is another secret about hard water that you need to know - PROBLEM HARD WATER IS A FUNCTION OF TWO ISSUES and the amount of hardness is only one of those issues. The other issue is the pH of the water. You could have a good amount of calcium and magnesium hardness in the water, but if the pH is slightly acidic (say between 6.5 and 6.9), then the hardness will never show up on faucet spouts and shower curtains and other places. On the other hand, I have customers with only 2 grains of hardness and a pH of 8, and they had to get a water softener because that small amount of hardness clogged the domestic hot water coil in their boiler and coated the faucet spouts. Acidic water keeps minerals from depositing while base water will encourage a lot of depositing.
I tested the water and found that the pH was 6.7, just as I thought it would be. I told the husband that he didn't need a softener. After discussing the water a little further, I found that the wife's concern was really the drinking water and that she was tired of dealing with the water bottles she brought home from the store. I suggested an industry standard reverse osmosis system for significantly less than the $1995.00 price of the other company, and everyone was happy (except the salesman who's sale was cancelled).
If you have questions about water or are in the greater Danbury area and would like to have me speak to your group about water, email me at tedmullen@hotmail.com
"Will they glow in the dark?" - Uranium in water!
I just returned from giving a short seminar at a friend's real estate agency in Brookfield, CT about water issues that can effect a real estate transaction. I discussed the issues that are the most common problems that pop up during a home inspection, with E. coli contamination of a well being the most common I have encountered. Then the conversation turned to URANIUM in the water. Uranium is showing up in some local wells in the area including Brookfield.
The most important thing to know about uranium in well water is that it is a naturally occurring mineral (metallic) that will occur in many areas that have a good amount of granite in the underground environment. New England is one of those areas. The next most important thing to know about natural occurring uranium is that it is not the radioactive nature of uranium that will make you ill from ingesting it. Natural uranium is not very radioactive and it must be refined to make it radioactive enough to be useful. The problem with ingested uranium is the chemical nature of it. Uranium damages kidneys. One chemist friend told me that it is because it is so large (the uranium molecule) that it clogs the pathways in kidneys. He was a chemist and not a biologist, so I am not sure about his assessment, but it makes sense to me.
Here is a great page from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln about uranium in drinking water: http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1569/build/g1569.pdf
No one will glow in the dark from this problem, but it should be addressed.
I prefer two methods to treat uranium in water. The first is an anionic softener system installed to treat all the water in a home. This works on the same principal as a regular water softener, except that the regular water softener uses cationic resin which will remove calcium, magnesium, ferrous iron, and dissolved manganese, among other things. Uranium is removed with anionic resin. It (anionic resin) tends to be more expensive than regular cationic resin, but the actual softening equipment is mostly the same. Of course, since the hardness is not being removed by this device (only the uranium) it is technically not a softener, but it is easier to refer to it this way.
I recommend that even though you will install an anionic softener to remove uranium you also install a reverse osmosis drinking water system to catch as much uranium as possible, since you may occasionally forget to put the regenerate (salt) in the water softener brine vat, or there might be another problem with the water softener. The reverse osmosis system will be a safety device to be more sure of uranium removal. The side benefit is that you will have great tasting, purified water from the reverse osmosis system. It is usually mounted under the sink and a special faucet is mounted near your regular faucet. You will get any water you will ingest (drinking, cooking, and even food washing) from this special tap.
If you have questions about water quality, water treatment equipment, or are in the greater Danbury, CT area and would like to schedule a water seminar for your group, e-mail me at tedmullen@hotmail.com
or check my website at www.cleanwaterman.webs.com
The most important thing to know about uranium in well water is that it is a naturally occurring mineral (metallic) that will occur in many areas that have a good amount of granite in the underground environment. New England is one of those areas. The next most important thing to know about natural occurring uranium is that it is not the radioactive nature of uranium that will make you ill from ingesting it. Natural uranium is not very radioactive and it must be refined to make it radioactive enough to be useful. The problem with ingested uranium is the chemical nature of it. Uranium damages kidneys. One chemist friend told me that it is because it is so large (the uranium molecule) that it clogs the pathways in kidneys. He was a chemist and not a biologist, so I am not sure about his assessment, but it makes sense to me.
Here is a great page from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln about uranium in drinking water: http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/g1569/build/g1569.pdf
No one will glow in the dark from this problem, but it should be addressed.
I prefer two methods to treat uranium in water. The first is an anionic softener system installed to treat all the water in a home. This works on the same principal as a regular water softener, except that the regular water softener uses cationic resin which will remove calcium, magnesium, ferrous iron, and dissolved manganese, among other things. Uranium is removed with anionic resin. It (anionic resin) tends to be more expensive than regular cationic resin, but the actual softening equipment is mostly the same. Of course, since the hardness is not being removed by this device (only the uranium) it is technically not a softener, but it is easier to refer to it this way.
I recommend that even though you will install an anionic softener to remove uranium you also install a reverse osmosis drinking water system to catch as much uranium as possible, since you may occasionally forget to put the regenerate (salt) in the water softener brine vat, or there might be another problem with the water softener. The reverse osmosis system will be a safety device to be more sure of uranium removal. The side benefit is that you will have great tasting, purified water from the reverse osmosis system. It is usually mounted under the sink and a special faucet is mounted near your regular faucet. You will get any water you will ingest (drinking, cooking, and even food washing) from this special tap.
If you have questions about water quality, water treatment equipment, or are in the greater Danbury, CT area and would like to schedule a water seminar for your group, e-mail me at tedmullen@hotmail.com
or check my website at www.cleanwaterman.webs.com
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