COMMON WATER PROBLEM AND SOLUTIONS

Water has been described as "the universal solvent" and effectively dissolves most things that it touches (rocks, metals, waste matter, gases, etc). Whether your water supply is from a shallow or deep well, river, lake, or pond, it contains dissolved solids that you may find objectionable or deemed unhealthy.

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In addition, bacteria and microorganisms may be present that could be harmful and require treatment. Listed below are some common problems associated with potable water. Please call our office if you have a concern about your water that's not listed below, or would simply like additional information.

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CHLORINE REMOVAL

Chlorine is an powerful disinfectant added to the public water supply to safeguard people from disease causing pathogens. Ironically, chlorination of water will always result in the formation of trihalomethanes and other chlorination products that can cause adverse birth outcome and cancer risks. Drinking bottled water is only a partial solution to avoiding these hazards.

Chlorine is also absorbed into the blood stream through skin contact and inhalation of steam (which can be more harmful than drinking the water itself) when showering or bathing. That is why it’s so important to remove the chlorine at the point of entry to your home. We use patented technologies to remove a minimum of 96% (and higher) of chlorine and chlorine by-products with flow rates as high as 15 GPM.

 

HARD WATER (WHITE STAINS AND DEPOSITS)

Excessive calcium and magnesium can cause scale buildup in the piping, discolor fixtures, and leave water spots on glassware. Hot water appliances and furnace coils can experience a heavy buildup of deposits that reduces their efficiency and lifespan. Softeners are the correct fix.

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IRON AND MANGANESE (RED / BLACK STAINS)

Excessive levels of these minerals will build-up and stain plumbing fixtures. You can remove the toilet tank cover to get a visual confirmation of this problem but more than likely your toilet bowl is permanently stained a reddish brown or black color. In addition, laundry "whites" are now yellowed. The two types of iron are "clear water" and "red water". You may have one or both of these types of Iron and that will affect the corrective action for this problem

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LO pH (GREEN STAINS)

Low pH will corrode copper plumbing. An acceptable range is between 6.5 and 8.5 pH. Levels below 6.5 will start to corrode copper and leave green staining in the plumbing fixtures. Low pH may also leach lead out of the fittings and solder joints and into the water. If not corrected, continuous corrosion may lead to pinholes in copper pipes. A Neutralizer is one solution.

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BIOLOGICAL

Coliform bacteria are not disease producing organisms themselves (pathogens), but are used as an indicator that the water may have been contaminated by a source such as surface water, septic system effluent, or other. E Coli is an indication of fecal contamination. Water disinfection and installation of an ultra violet (UV) light source using a germicidal wavelength to damage and kill the organisms are two common solutions.

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EXCESSIVE SEDIMENT

Sometimes a well will create excessive sediment that will overload a conventional "whole house" filter. A backwashing filter is designed to capture excessive debris and then automatically regenerate itself at a predetermined time.

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RADON

The radon in your water supply poses an inhalation risk and an ingestion risk. Research has shown that your risk of lung cancer from breathing radon in air is much larger than your risk of stomach cancer from swallowing water with radon in it. Most of your risk from radon in water comes from radon released into the air when water is used for showering and other household purposes.

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THIS SOUNDS LIKE A PROBLEM... WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT?

The best approach to identifying and correcting these common problems it to first start with a water analysis report. If you cannot provide us with a recent report, we can draw a sample and have it processed by a reputable third party laboratory so that we can make an accurate assessment of the issue. In either case, an on-site evaluation is recommended so that a system can be proposed that is correct for your home.

Please call us at 1-866-787-2366 anytime to discuss your water quality issues.

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