Well Water: Removing Iron from Your Homes Water

There are many issues that can affect your homes water with the two most common being hard water and increased iron levels.   Using the correct water filtration system, iron can be removed from your well water in a simple and efficient manner.  Water treatment systems such as water softeners and water filtration units are most often the ideal choice for homeowners looking to remove iron while reverse osmosis units are more ideal for the removal of harmful minerals and other substances.  Your homes water must be analyzed before homeowners can determine what water treatment option should be installed to properly treat their unique water supply.

 

As mentioned above, if your homes water is affected by iron the two best options in treating your water are the installation of a water softener and/or a filtration unit.   When a water softener is installed it is important for the homeowner to know what minerals are in the water.  When an excess amount of iron is found in the water it is important that the water softener that is installed that exclusively removes iron from the water source.  Water softeners use a process in which iron in the water is replaced with healthier minerals.  The drawback is that if the water also contains more harmful materials such as arsenic or sulfur a water softener may not be the right choice for treating your water supply.

 

If you are restricting your sodium a water softener that uses potassium chloride will offer you similar results without the use of salt.  Other methods of removing a high iron content from your water are oxidation filtration and reverse osmosis.

 

Oxidation filtration is used to not only remove iron from your water but also arsenic.  Oxidation filters are more powerful than water softeners and therefore chemical elements such as arsenic are removed when they are used to treat your water.  An oxidation filtration system can also help homeowners who have a problem with water that smells like rotten eggs or a unique flavor, both caused by sulfur in the water.  Increased arsenic levels are common in well water.

 

Another option as mentioned above is a reverse osmosis filtration system.  RO filters are used in water that has a number of different trace mineral elements including: iron, salt, arsenic, fluoride, lead, and manganese.   The one drawback of using reverse osmosis when treating your homes water supply is that not only does the process remove harmful minerals, it can also eliminate good minerals, such as calcium, that is naturally in your water.

 

The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more.  More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.

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5 Times You Should Test Your Home’s Water Supply

When’s the last time you checked your family’s water supply using a water test kit? If the answer is “never” or a decade ago, don’t worry, you’re not alone—most of us don’t put much thought into our household’s water, even though we drink several glasses of it every single day.

Living in New York City—a city that often prides itself on the quality of its tap water delivered from large upstate reservoirs—I never worried about my apartment’s water quality. In fact, I didn’t even use a basic water filter. But with the news about the Flint, Michigan water crisis continuing to make national headlines this summer, my water habits made me pause. Because even if the source and treatment of your water supply is trusted, there’s still one missing factor: the pipes the water runs through in your home. While homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, it wasn’t until 2014 that new regulations changed the legal limit for “lead-free” pipes from 8 percent lead down to just .25 percent lead.

Luckily, testing water for lead and other contaminants isn’t difficult, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, I was able to order a free water test kit (including pre-paid postage). Curious about your own home’s water quality? Here are five times you should always test your water, easy ways to test it, and the best water filter on the market.

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How Do I Know If I Need A Water Softener?

Are you experiencing any of the following?

Dry skin?

Yellowing clothes?

Stained bathtubs?

Non-stop issue with plumbing?

Spotted dishes?

Scale build up?

The above is commonly caused by the hard water in your home.  The good news is that each and every problem you are experiencing with your homes hard water can be fixed by having the correct water treatment system installed.  In order to determine what option is best for your homes water an analysis will need to be run to determine what type of hard water your home has.  From whole house iron water filters, reverse osmosis systems, and water softeners there is a solution for your problematic water.

Water softeners are the most commonly used appliance to assist homeowners in the removal of hard water and the issues it presents.  Not only does hard water have an effect on your skin and hair it can wreak havoc to the plumbing throughout your home which can become quite costly to repair.

As mentioned above, each and every household’s water contains more than just water.  The quality of water differs from each home and where your water source is delivered from: a private well, a city source, or private municipality.  All water contains minerals, which ones your water has will determine the level of hardness in your water. Calcium and magnesium are commonly found in water.  If a water softener is installed in your home, it will remove the hard minerals through a process of ion exchange.  This will make it easier to keep your home cleaner, your skin and hair healthier, and prolong your plumbing and household appliances.

What Happens During the Ion Exchange?

Water softeners remove minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and manganese, replacing them with sodium ions through a process known as an ion exchange.  Ions carry a positive or negative charge due to an imbalance of electrons and protons.

The hard minerals are trapped by resin beads or zeolite crystals during the exchange.  Resin and zeolite are negatively charged and has space that holds on to positive ions.  The weaker sodium ions are held onto as the hard water passes through the water softener tank.  The calcium and magnesium minerals are stronger and pulled to the media as a type of magnet.  With the hard minerals having a higher positive charge than sodium they know them off and take over their place.  The hard minerals will stay trapped in the tank and the water with a little sodium will be dispersed for use as the homes water supply.

The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more.  More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.

 

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Soft water offers brings an array of benefits

Laundry
COLOR STAY — One of the benefits of soft water is that it’s said to help keep clothes cleaner and brighter.

Water touches nearly every aspect of people’s lives. Only one percent of water that comes into a home is used for drinking. The other 99 percent is working water, proving that the benefits of high-quality water extend far beyond the kitchen faucet. When water quality is sub-par, the effects reverberate throughout the home. The elements in hard water build up in pipes and appliances and cause increased wear on clothes and glassware because those elements are harder to clean. Whole house water treatment systems offer whole body benefits.

Bathing in softened water leaves hair and skin softer and more hydrated than hard water. Soft water also:

• Cuts down on cleaning time and costs

• Keeps clothes cleaner and brighter

• Helps keep dishes spot-free

• Helps prevent soap scum and hard water deposits on bathroom fixtures

• Helps protect against plumbing problems such as mineral scale build-up

• Contributes to longer appliance life—appliances using soft water can last 30 percent longer

• Saves on energy costs. Water heaters function 30 percent more efficiently with soft water.

The Water Quality Association reports laundry costs can double for people using hard water. Clothes become stiff and rough when hard water deposits react with the chemicals in laundry detergents, and because more detergent is needed, colors fade, and fabrics wear up to 15 percent faster.

Washing machines can wear out nearly 30 times faster when using hard water. In fact, any appliance that uses or processes water works less efficiently with hard water. From coffeemakers to hot water heaters, users will not experience the desired result without using uninterrupted soft water, made possible through twin tank softening systems. Twin tank softeners provide an endless supply of treated water and only regenerate when necessary or on demand. Twin tank systems are more efficient too, using far less salt and water than a traditional softener.

Whole house water treatment systems can benefit nearly every aspect of users’ lives, from limiting time spent cleaning, to keeping skin and hair radiant, to lengthening appliance lives. The highest quality water helps people live the highest quality lives.

Original Source: http://kokomoperspective.com/kp/lifestyles/soft-water-offers-brings-an-array-of-benefits/article_ee18d2b2-bb64-11e8-8650-e3209ff9eef9.html

Published Date: Sept 21 2018

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What’s the Difference Between Reverse Osmosis and Water Softening

There are several options available to homeowners looking to improve the quality of the water in their homes but don’t know how to.  There is a lot of confusion when it comes to treating water because of the vast array of options available in the market.  In residential use the two most common treatments used are water softeners and reverse osmosis systems.

Determining what the right option for your household comes down to understanding what is accomplished with each treatment option.  The only way to really know what needs to be done to improve your homes water is to have it analyzed through thorough water analysis.  Often this process only requires a small sampling of water from each of the sources throughout your home.

Reverse Osmosis

Often reverse osmosis and filtration are lumped together.  A reverse osmosis system filters the water leaving it tasting better and healthier.  RO is especially popular for homeowners with wells.  This type of water treatment system is set up to remove contaminates and softened minerals by pushing them through an attached filter.  As with most water treatment systems you can install a whole-house or point-of-use RO osmosis system.

Benefits of Reverse Osmosis

Tasteless Water:  Often times tap water will have a funny taste.  You won’t be able to pin point what the taste is however, a RO system removes the source therefore the water will taste better.

Chemical Free:  RO drinking water systems do not use any special chemicals in the filtration of the water which makes its use environmentally friendly.

Softened Water:  Minerals in the water cause hard water.  A whole-house RO system creates softer water which leads to less pipe corrosion.

Odor and Color Removal: Many homeowners experience odors and colors in their tap water.  The odors and colors occur from contaminates and minerals in the water.  A RO system is used to take the pollutants out of the water which leaves you with higher quality drinking water.

Most often you see whole-house RO systems installed in homes with well water as it can benefit from the extra filtration.  If water from the tap tastes or smells funny and is from a city water source, then your water may benefit from a point-of-use RO system that is installed under the sink.

Water Softeners

Water softeners and water conditioners are often lumped into one category.  Instead of removing contaminants and minerals from the water like a RO system does, a water softener uses a process of ionization that replaces calcium ions and magnesium with salt ions.

Water that is hard has higher concentrations of minerals like magnesium and calcium.  When a water softener is installed your homes, water replaces the minerals that make it hard with a softer mineral, sodium.

Benefits of Soft Water

Better, More Natural Tasting Water

More Vivid Colored Laundry with Less Yellowing

Cleaner, More Sanitary Dishes and Flatware

Appliances That Last Longer with Fewer Repairs Needed

Fewer Clogged Pipes

There are many problems caused by hard water.  Installing a water softening unit can help lessen these issues.  These units do not remove contaminants within the water as they are not filtration systems however, they are perfect for homes that experience problems with pipe corrosion, iron, staining, and more.

The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more.  More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.

 

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Does Your Kid’s School Have Lead In Its Drinking Water?

Students across Michigan are heading back to school this week, and in some cities, students won’t be getting their water out of drinking fountains.

Last week, Detroit Public Schools Community District announced that all drinking water in the district would be shut off indefinitely. And in Flint, the public schools plan to continue using water bottles until January.

That has many parents wondering whether they should start packing water bottles in addition to PB&Js in their kids’ school lunches this year. Here’s what you need to know about school policies and practices regarding lead in drinking water.

School districts aren’t required to test drinking water

There aren’t any federal, state, or local laws that mandate water testing for schools. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality provides testing guides for schools that wish to do so, but that guidance does not include suggestions for how frequent schools should be testing.

Michigan isn’t unique by not having mandatory water testing in schools. Only eight states have laws that require lead-in-water testing in schools.

Some Michigan lawmakers have attempted to pass bills that would require water testing for schools, but none have made it through the legislature yet.

Even though testing isn’t mandatory, many school districts conduct voluntary tests. That’s how Detroit discovered elevated lead and copper levels in some of their schools this summer.

DPCSD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti is an advocate for testing school drinking water “We should be water-testing throughout this country, at every school and every water source,” Vitti said Tuesday. “Especially in the city of Detroit.”

Old schools, old pipes

The definition of lead-free for drinking water fixtures and components changed in 2014, so if your child’s school was built after 2014, it’s unlikely that water fixtures would cause elevated lead or copper levels.

However, older schools are more likely to have the brass pipes and fixtures that can contaminate drinking water. And old fixtures are a concern for Michigan’s aging schools, especially in Detroit, where the average school building is over 60 years old.

Michigan is one of eleven states that does not fund school infrastructure, so if a school discovers elevated lead and copper levels, the ability to the problem would differ greatly district to district.

This is because school facilities are funded almost solely through local property taxes in Michigan, which has contributed to worsening building conditions in cities with low property values while wealthier cities are able to build new, safe schools.

So, does my kid’s school have lead in the drinking water?

As Michigan Radio’s Lindsey Smith learned while reporting on the fallout of the Flint water crisis, there isn’t enough data to make sweeping conclusions about the statistics of lead in drinking water. There is no safe amount of lead in drinking water, so some parents may prefer to go with the “better safe than sorry” route.

And while there are steps homeowners can take to reduce the risk, entire school districts can’t operate the same way as a single-family home.

MDEQ does advise schools to take certain precautions, such as flushing taps before use and using only cold water for drinking and food preparation.

If you’re concerned about lead in drinking water, ask your school about how often they test the water, and make sure taking the necessary steps are taken to keep water clean and kids healthy.

Original Source: http://www.michiganradio.org/post/does-your-kid-s-school-have-lead-its-drinking-water

Original Date: Sept 5 2018

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Water Softeners: Maintenance Made Easy for Homeowners

Water softeners are just one of the many appliances that make our lives better.   Once the softener has been installed there is little that needs to be done for it to do its job effectively day in and day out.  Once the initial water hardness level has been set, regeneration parameters are set, and the salt is filled (or potassium) the softener will run as intended without a lot of attending too.  Even though they are low maintenance appliance within the home they do require general maintenance to increase longevity and effectiveness, as do most appliances around your home.

Tips for Maintaining Your Water Softener

Keep an Eye Out for Salt Bridges

Salt bridges can occur in the water softeners brine tank when the salt hardens, creating an empty space between the water and salt which then stops the salt from dissolving and making the brine.  If the brine is not created, then the resin beads that are used to soften your water will not work as intended.  Most often a salt bridge occurs if the salt used in the tank is the wrong kind, in areas with high humidity, or when the water softener is stored in a location where the temperature varies.  The best way to treat a salt bridge is to use a long piece of wood to carefully push down on the top of the solidified salt.  This should, without a lot of force, break the bridge that was created in the salt free.

Watch for Salt Sludge

Salt sludge is a more severe issue that a salt bridge.  When the salt dissolves and recrystallizes, a mush is created on the bottom of the brine tank.  This layer of salt on the bottom of the tank keeps the system from regenerating properly which will leave a blockage in the tank that doesn’t allow the water to properly soften.  The only way in which to solve the problem of salt sludge is to completely clean out the brine tank by digging out the used salt and adding fresh salt.

The best way to avoid salt bridges and salt sludges are to use the highest quality salt pellets available.   Also, avoid putting too much salt in the brine tank, overfilling the tank will decrease the quality of the water that is produced.  It is also crucial that the humidity and temperature in the space where the water softener is kept.

Water Softener Salt Choices

When it comes to maintaining your homes water softener, as mentioned above, it is critical that you choose the right type of salt.  There are three basic types of salt you can purchase for your water softening system including: rock salt, solar salt, and evaporated salt.

Rock Salt: This is the least expensive of the options thus contains increased levels of impurities.  This can result in a sludgy tank overtime which we know decreases the effectiveness of the system.  Rock salt also leaves the most impurities in the water.

Solar Salt: This type of salt dissolves more easily then rock salt.  Solar salt can be found in pellets and crystals and is obtained by the evaporation of seawater.

Evaporated Salt:  Acquired through a mixture of mining and evaporation, this is the purest form of salt weighing in at 99.99% sodium chloride.

The purer the salt that you put into your water softener the less residue that will be left within the tank.  This leads to fewer salt bridges and less salt sludge thus less maintenance to your water softener.

Flushing the Resin Bed

Resin beads are recharged by salt on a regular basis but even though this occurs it doesn’t hurt to fully flush the resin bed with a special water softening cleanser, which will help to keep it in top form.  To prevent ineffective resin, cleanser can be poured into the brine well and the system manually regenerated.  The system with normally discharge the cleanser during the cycle performed by the water softener.  This process will help to keep the resin functioning effectively.

Regular maintenance helps to keep all appliances running smoother and the same is true of your homes water treatment systems.

The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more.  More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.

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Answer To Your Reverse Osmosis FAQs

Rosie on the House
Water systems can send pressured water to most modern refrigerators.

QUESTION: We want to install a reverse osmosis drinking-water system to our house but would like the system to tie into the refrigerator so the water will be chilled before we use it. We tried doing that a few years ago, but the system that was installed then really slowed the flow of water to a trickle so we got rid of it. Now we’d like to try again.

ANSWER: Well, the equipment they’re using now to connect RO systems with refrigerators works a lot better. That’s because the new connections will help maintain a higher water pressure. It can be 70 pounds per square inch for the refrigerator and 35 psi for the icemaker; both of which will speed up the flow of water.

Q: We have a well for our drinking water as well as a septic system. I test the well water regularly to be sure it’s safe. Can we also add a conventional water softener to our house and a reverse osmosis drinking-water system?

A: Yes, you can have separate systems installed for water softening and for drinking water when your water comes from a well.

Q: I recently moved from a house with a reverse osmosis drinking-water system to an apartment that doesn’t have one. I loved that water in the house. So now, can I get a similar system for my apartment?

A: Yes, a water treatment company can install a similar system under the kitchen sink in your apartment. Apartment management companies often have rules that forbid drilling through the walls, but water companies have alternative installation methods that will avoid doing that. They can also put filters on your shower to soften the water.

Q: I live in Marana and have a large west-facing wall that gets really hot. There’s no room for planting a tree in front of it to provide shade. So I’m thinking of planting a cat claw vine on the wall. But I have a pool 12 feet away and I want to avoid creating a mess with the vine. Will the cat claw drop a lot of leaves or flowers that could get into the pool? My wife is worried about the clean-up jobs.

A: Cat claw vines don’t get a huge number of blossoms like a bougainvillea bush might produce. So I think that kind of vine would be all right.

You might also consider a tangerine beauty crossvine. Like cat claw, it is also fast-growing.

Q: I have a sand filter on my swimming pool and I can’t find silica sand anywhere at big box home stores to use in the filter.

A: We’d suggest going to a pool supply shop instead. You’re going to need at least 400 to 500 pounds of sand for the filter and you should replace that sand every four to six years.

Q: If you have a pool-service company visit your house to clean your swimming pool, how often should they come?

A: During the monsoon season, they need to visit your home at least once a week. But that might not even be enough when it’s 105 degrees and there are big storms blowing debris into the pool.

So, you should do a little bit of maintenance and cleaning in-between visits by the pool-service company.

Original Source: https://tucson.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/rosie-romero-can-i-have-a-drinking-water-system-that/article_b2880938-1ef5-5636-be04-376626af32f2.html

Original Date: Sept 9 2018

Original Author:

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Tap Water: Is the Water in My Home Safe to Drink?

All you want to do on a really hot day or after a long, hard workout is to go over to your kitchen sink and fill an extremely large glass with cold tap water!  However, is the water that is coming out of your tap safe to drink?

While tap water in the United States is safer to drink than some of the tap water found in other parts of the world, it can still be full of contaminants like minerals and chlorine.  Small amounts of minerals won’t do too much harm to your health and you won’t even know that they are there, but you may be able to taste and smell the chlorine that is present if you have public water.  Of course, well water won’t have any chlorine in it, but it can be full of calcium, magnesium, and other minerals.

Installing a Water Conditioner

To improve your tap water, and make it better for you, as well as better tasting, you may want to consider installing one of the numerous water conditioners that are available.  Most water conditioners utilize sodium ions to replace the calcium and magnesium ions in the water.  The sodium ions will make the water softer, which will make it taste better and it will even help keep your pipes and fixtures in working order for much longer.  The water conditioners will also remove other minerals from your water.

How Much Salt Consumption?

You may be concerned about how much sodium you will be ingesting with each glass of water that you drink after it has been through your water conditioning system.  Well, to ease your fears a little, let us tell you that a normal glass of water normally contains very little sodium.  Now, this number does rise to twelve and a half milligrams for the same glass of water after it has gone through the water conditioning process, but that is still considered very low sodium content.

That means that the only reason why you may want to reconsider drinking the water out of your tap after it has gone through a water conditioner, is if you are required to keep a very low sodium diet.  While the number is quite low for sodium content, it could be enough to make you go over your daily limits too easily.  A quick fix to that is to try to consume as little sodium as possible in everything else that you eat and drink.

Having Your Water Tested

If you have been wondering if your tap water is safe to drink, you may want to consider having it tested to see what is in the water.  You may be surprised to find out that the water that you have been drinking all these years is as safe as you thought it was, or you may find that you should have installed a water conditioning system long ago to make your water safer than it is.

At Reynolds Water Conditioning Company, we are here to help make sure our clients don’t buy water treatment systems that they don’t need.  We are here to make sure you find a water softening system that gives you the results you are looking for, whether it is to remove iron or odor from you water; we have a solution that will help!  For more information contact our experts at 800.572.9575 or at our website https://reynoldswater.com.

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Getting Rid of Hard Water Deposits on Bathroom Fixtures

Mineral Build Up
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Hard water deposits, lime scale, or mineral build-up can make even clean tubs, sinks, and toilets look grimy. But when calcium and magnesium build up on your bathroom fixtures, it can be difficult to get rid of. Here’s how to tackle that gunk on your shower head, sink, or toilet bowl.

1) Vinegar Soaks

For hard water deposits on your faucet, shower head, or toilet bowl, a common natural household cleaner is the solution. Soak a towel in white vinegar and wrap it around the mineral deposits. Let the vinegar soak for an hour, then remove the towel and scrub away crusty build up with a brush or sponge. To clean toilet bowl hard water deposits, turn the water in your toilet off, drain the bowl, and line it with vinegar-soaked towels. Just don’t try this solution on iron or nickel fixtures—vinegar might break down the metal.

2) Dishwasher Detergent and Bleach

For stubborn hard water deposits that take over your whirlpool tub jets, you may need a stronger solution. Fill your whirlpool tub with water, then add one cup of bleach and ½ cup powdered dishwasher detergent. Turn on the jets and allow the solution to run through for 10 minutes. Then, drain the tub, scrub away mineral deposits, and repeat the process with water to remove any residual bleach.

3) Use a Daily Cleaner

Hard water deposits build up over time, so quickly spraying a daily cleaner on your bathroom fixtures can keep the problem at bay. A spray that specifically targets mineral buildup and is safe for multiple surfaces is the best way to maintain your bathroom’s appearance.

Original Source: https://wcfcourier.com/lifestyles/home-and-garden/getting-rid-of-hard-water-deposits-on-bathroom-fixtures/article_0feaae1d-ce37-55df-a537-a1d214a3b773.html

Original Date: August 13 2018

Written By: Cassie Sheets

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