Water Treatment Systems Offer Solutions!
Common Water Problems
Do you have these Water Problems? We can Help!
Hard Water
PROBLEM: Excess calcium and magnesium—two minerals found in all natural water supplies—lead to water “hardness.” Hard water causes lime scale to build up in pipes, decreasing their efficiency and sometimes causing permanent damage.
MANAGEMENT: Try a home water softener that works by “ion exchange,” which runs water through a softening appliance filled with a sodium solution; essentially, sodium replaces the calcium and magnesium in the water.
Iron (and Manganese)
PROBLEM: Iron and manganese, often found in groundwater supplies, give water a cloudy or rusty appearance. They also cause dark brown or rust-colored stains on plumbing fixtures, cookware, and laundry, and have a metallic or astringent taste.
MANAGEMENT: A conventional water softener can remove up to 5 PPM of ferrous iron, but some have specialized iron removers that target this element. Oxidizing filters and colloidal iron filters provide even heavier-duty coverage.
Hydrogen Sulfide
PROBLEM: When hydrogen sulfide is present, water smells like rotten eggs or sulfur. This colorless gas is extremely corrosive to metal pipes, turning them black and eventually causing leaks.
MANAGEMENT: Multi-stage filtration is necessary to remove hydrogen sulfide, starting with chlorination, then a sedimentation and aeration filter, and finishing with an activated carbon filter to remove excess chlorine.
Bad Taste and Odor
PROBLEM: Organic matter in surface water supplies can cause musty, moldy, or fishy tastes or odors. Sulfates in the water—or leaking into the water supply from a sewer or septic system—can also lead to this problem.
MANAGEMENT: Except for the “rotten-egg” odor caused by hydrogen sulfide, activated carbon filters can solve most taste and odor issues. In extreme cases, alleviating taste and odor problems may require oxidizing filters. Call in a professional for a much more serious problem: a septic or sewer leak.
Sediment
PROBLEM: Sediment and turbidity refer to fine particles of sand, scale, clay, rust, dirt, or organic materials that are suspended in the water. They’re often present in water drawn from ponds, lakes, or rivers.
MANAGEMENT: Sediment filters are readily available at plumbing stores. When the sediment is caused by sand, try a slow-sand filter.
Bacterial Contamination
PROBLEM: Coliform bacteria, most often found in lakes or wells, normally do not appear in drinking water. However, their presence indicates that other disease-causing microbes may be contaminating the water.
MANAGEMENT: Treating bacterial contamination requires a disinfectant method, most commonly chlorination. Consult a trained professional to determine the source of the contamination and to fix the problem.
Lead
PROBLEM: Most lead contamination in the water supply is caused by lead solder, which joins and seals copper pipes in older homes. Lead dissolves readily in drinking water, and is tasteless, odorless, and colorless, making this extremely dangerous metal difficult to detect.
MANAGEMENT: Ion-exchange water softening systems, reverse osmosis systems or carbon block filtration can remove the lead. If you suspect lead contamination or live in an older home, contact a professional to analyze your water. Drink bottled water until that professional gives you the “all clear”.
6 WAYS WATER SOFTENERS CAN SAVE YOU MONEY
1. UTILITIES
An energy-efficient water softener will cut down your utility bills.
2. LONGER-LASTING APPLIANCES
An energy-efficient water softener will cut down your utility bills.
3. WELL-MAINTAINED PLUMBING
The plumbing system will not need extensive work to remove limescale build-up or replace corroded pipes.
4. MORE ENDURING CLOTHES
Your clothes will last longer as they won’t get frayed or become dull with hard water.
5. LESS CLEANING AND WASHING SUPPLIES
You will spend less money on cleaning supplies, soaps, and shampoos because softened water produces more lather and needs less soap.
6. NO MORE BOTTLED WATER
You will save money with softened drinking water as you won’t need bottled water.
Research shows that a water softener can increase your home’s equity anywhere from 45,000 to $10,000 although exactly how much value it brings may vary.
If you want to add to your home value here’s a tip Install the best water softener on the market and let it bring in greater returns.
6 Signs Your Home Needs a Water Softener
1. Staining
Because hard water contains dissolved minerals and metals, it can create ugly, stubborn stains on your sinks, toilets, and bathtubs, and leave white, scaly deposits around your faucets.
2. scale build-up
Mineral deposits—known as scale or limescale—can build up on your pots, coffeepots, teakettles, dinnerware, glassware, and cutlery, leaving a hard, chalky film that is difficult to remove. Even worse, scale can build up inside appliances that use water, such as dishwashers and washing machines, as well as inside your plumbing system, leading to expensive repairs.
3. HIGHER UTILITY BILLS
If your utility costs are rising, you may want to check your home’s plumbing for signs of scale. Over time, scale buildup can clog pipes and as this happens, your heating system has to work harder to push water through. Also, scale buildup can affect the energy efficiency of boilers and water heaters.
4. GRAY OR FADED LAUNDRY
Hard water makes soap and laundry detergents less effective and can leave behind a summy residue that causes your lines and clothing to fade, appear dull or gray, develop a sour smell, and become rough and scratchy. Washing clothes and linens in har water can also cause premature wear on the fabrics.
5. DRY SKIN AND HAIR
The minerals in hard water can leave your skin and hair dry, flaky, and itchy, and can also block your skin’s pores, causing pimples, blackheads, or inflammation. Because soap doesn’t dissolve properly in hard water, a sticky soap film can linger on your skin and prevent the removal of bacteria and dirt. The same sticky film can make your hair dry, dull, and limp.
6. Water Heater Woes
One of the most costly and inconvenient signs that you need a water softener is having your water heater malfunction or fail. Hard water can lead to rapid and premature aging in water heaters, especially electric models because heating hard water accelerates the formation of scale inside the tank as well as on the tank’s expensive heating elements.
The best way to determine if you have water that would benefit from a softener is to have your water professional tested.
Did you know???
Installing a tankless water heater on hard water – even city water hardness – can void the warranty!!!
Hard water will cause a scale and reduce the life of the water heater.
That is why all major tankless water heater companies such as Rinnai, Noritz, Takagi, Navien and Bosch have limitations on the amount of hardness in the water.
Installing a CSI Water Softener can save you money on fuel and helps reduce the scale buildup on your tankless water heaters.
RINNAI: Maximum hardness level “11.7 grains”. “Component failure resulting from water quality issues is not covered under the Rinnai product warranty.”
NORITZ: “If the water supply is over 12 grains per gallon of hardness” you must treat the water” to ensure full warranty coverage.”
TAKAGI: “Water hardness may affect the appliance. The warranty will not cover damage caused by water quality.” “Scale build-up will void your warranty and shorten the life of your water heater.”
NAVIEN: Warranty specifically excludes “Damages, malfunctions or failures caused by poor water quality, lime or mineral build-up.”
BOSCH: “Note: the water heater must be free of damaging scale deposits.”
