Green Water Treatment

The greenest water treatment product available is the water softener.  Although much maligned since the 1970s, water softeners are green not because of what they put into the environment but because of what they prevent from going into the environment.

On one side of the equation we see that salt is used as a regenerant, and we must acknowledge the fact that water softeners discharge salt, but let us be honest of where salt truly comes from - sea water or natural occurring underground deposits.  A true water softener will be discharging extra amounts of this natural product into the environment, and for some areas this has become a concern because of possibly misplaced fears of salt.

On the other side of the equation we see that salt softened water PREVENTS the discharge of many things into the environment.  Please take an opportunity to read the labels of some of the clothes and dish washing detergents that you use in your home.  There are some long chemical names on those side panels and by using a water softener you will reduce the amounts of those items being discharged from your home by 75 percent.

Next, look at your water using appliances, especially your dishwasher and clothes washer.  These items will last twice as long when you change your home from hard to soft water.  It helps at this point to look at your appliances a little differently than with your eyes.  You must overlay in your imagination all of the materials and petroleum energy that were used to produce, ship, market, deliver, and install those things in your home.  Besides compact fluorescent bulbs, can you imagine anywhere else in your life that you can get a 100 percent boost in energy efficiency?  And this doesn't even take into account the fact that these appliances will also function and clean better with fewer breakdowns (another energy saver - fewer repair visits).

Lastly, look at your water heater.  Soft water makes this big energy user 16 percent more effective by preventing scaling on the hot surfaces inside the heater.  Scaling in a water heater is a rock insulator that prevents the heat from the heat source from reaching the water.  By preventing this scale from forming in a water heater it remains as efficient to the last day of its life as it was on its first day.  This appliance will also last much longer when water entering it is softened, again reducing production and other energy and material usage.

You can read more about this here: http://www.wqa.org/pdf/external_uploads/Battelle_Final_Report.pdf?CFID=6981696&CFTOKEN=84128441

See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com

Bad Hair Itchy Skin At New House

We just bought and moved into a new home.  Our old home had a water softener but the home inspector for our new home said we didn't need one.  The hardness tested at ten grains.  I guess the inspector might be correct, but my hair is a mess and my skin itches.  Could I need a water softener?

First I would like to point out that many home inspectors have a bias against water softeners.  Second, there are different degrees of needing a water softener.  The federal EPA does not have a limit set on how hard water can be and still be considered potable.  Therefore, needing a water softener by EPA standards is not the case here and your home inspector is correct.  If you had dissolved manganese and iron in your water and needed to reduce those, then a need for a water softener would be correct.

The question here is whether you would benefit from installing a water softener.  The answer is yes.

Your hair is currently being coated with a combination of dissolved rock (water hardness) and shampoo that has combined to create what we call curd.  It doesn't rinse completely off and will make your hair hard, brittle, and unmanageable.  Your skin's pores are being clogged with a curd that includes dissolved rock and soap and the natural oil that is supposed to be secreted by your pores is now trapped, causing your skin to be dry and itchy.

Soft water prevents these curds from developing and allows shampoo and soap to completely rinse off.  Your hair will be manageable and your skin will no longer itch.

 See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com

Flooding Over Well Concern

The Northeast has had unusual amounts of rain and flooding has been a problem.  If the top of your well has been submerged by flood waters you should have your water tested for bacteria.  Even if your well has a seal on it, it is most likely vented to the atmosphere and it is very likely that the vent has been submerged when the top of the well was covered.  Cautious people in flood prone areas will want to get their wells tested for bacteria even if the top  of the well was not submerged since it is possible that a compromised, over-flooded septic could cross contaminate a well with fecal coliform bacteria (e-coli).

See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com

Help keep your pipes from freezing

Connecticut has some very cold weather tonight and tomorrow night. To keep your pipes from freezing, leave a slow drip from the faucets into the sinks and tubs in your home. Even a slow drip is enough water to keep the pipes warm enough to prevent freezing.

 See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com

Magnetic Electronic Water Treatment

Dear Clean Water Man:

I have been looking for a solution to several water problems I have and have stumbled upon an internet company selling an electronic wave product. They claim that it easy to install and will solve ALL water problems. It seems like a great price compared to the filter systems that my local dealers have quoted me. What do you think of these electronic systems?

Sincerely,

Ready To Try It

Dear Ready To Try It:

The tip that this is a scam is the claim that it will solve all water problems. To be blunt - there is no such thing. Here in my office I have several wholesale catalogs consisting of over 500 pages of products. I need access to these products so that I can get the equipment and materials to provide my customers with solutions to their water problems. Even then, I occasionally must shop around for other components to help me create complete systems. Every water treatment system I install is customized for each customer so that it will perform the needed task.

With my 15 years experience I have seen hundreds of these wire or magnet systems and the reason I see them is that I am being called by a customer who wasted money and found that the system did not work. They sit wrapped or bolted on the outside of a pipe with blinking lights, accomplishing nothing.

I suggest that if the system has a guarantee that it will work or your money back no questions asked, then you could try it

See my website at www.cleanwaterman.com.