Let's talk water. Most industries have specific language that have meanings for that industry. I would like to see if I can cut down on the confusion some. So here is some of the literal meanings for water talk. Please excuse my feeble attempts at humor but some people like to get way too dry when they talk about water.
First a myth straightened out. There is no such thing as pure water at least in the in home treatment concept. In fact, there have been a few water dealers get in trouble for using the phrase, "pure water". I don't care if it is 99.9999% it is still not pure. But, with that said the use of the phrase water purification isn't totally wrong if they can back it up. And, if they let you know what they mean by purification.
Good water or bad water. I always cringe when I hear the claims made by some people about different water treatment methods. They want to argue that their special machines or methods will heal what ails you. I am reminded of the snake oil salesman in the movie, "Outlaw Josie Wales". They rant and they rave that their method and only their method is the cure all. When in actuality many times they either ignore or gloss over the real science of water filtration. The water treatment business, like most others has it's share of charlatans and crooks. Not to mention all of the multilevel marketing people. If your brother drives a truck for a living he might not be your best source for advice about water filtration.
Some terms explained.
Whole house systems. Whole house system means just what it says. A system designed to filter all the water coming into the house. It is normally hooked up between the water main entrance to the house and the hot water heater. Most installations will exclude at least some if not all of the external faucets, why treat lawn water? This can be done with many different methods. The most common method is to use a water softener to treat the incoming water and then a reverse osmosis to filter the drinking water. Some companies, (DougtheWaterMan.com included) take a different approach. We prefer to look at each individuals needs and present a variety of solutions based on what the customer wants and can afford.
Whole house well systems. Same basic concepts with a few of the rules changed. You, the home owner, are responsible for making your water safe. The first thing you should always do is have a comprehensive test done on your well. I have missed a few customers because I have refused to treat their wells without it being tested. I have also gained some good friends and customers because I insisted on having a test done before I ever talked about how to treat their water. It is recommended that you have a well tested every year. Many counties will do a basic test on your water for free. On wells I always recommend a UV if possible because there is no chlorine in the water to kill harmful bacteria, etc. The rest of the treatment beyond a UV is based on your water test results. UV is an important safe guard because well water can change and you could have contamination without knowing it.
UV Light. Utilizing UV treatment is one way to kill the bacteria in water. It is one of the easiest methods when treating wells, (although there are limits on the actual condition of the water it will work in) It is fast becoming a component for protecting against bacteria in city drinking water also. Many boil water alerts are often about as good as meat recalls. You hear about them 3 weeks after you eat the bad meat. :)
Our infrastructure is crumbling in many areas of our country and our water systems were graded a D in a recent environmental study.
Point of use filtration. In many applications a person can either not afford a whole house filter or they either rent or perhaps are in the military. What we have found is that almost any one can afford point of use filters. A drinking filter can be attached to any sink in about 2 minutes and is still totally portable. The same can be said for a bath or shower filter. Any one can take the shower head off and put a shower filter on and then reattach the shower head in about 2 minutes and then when they move or are traveling they can do the same thing and attach them where ever they are.
Then of course you would have to include our full line of Berkeys in talking about point of use. The difference in these filters is that they are totally portable and rely on gravity fed water. No attaching to anything. Best use is camping or here in Florida they are great to have in case of hurricanes, etc. You can use water from just about any source river, lake, drainage ditch and the Berkey will clean it up safely. The Berkey does not work on salt water because it does not remove the minerals in the water. When you think about a Berkey is good anywhere that you want good clean drinking water. We use it at all of the shows that we do.
Free Water Test. My daddy always said if someone tells you something is free that it seldom is. When they say this it usually means that they want to come to your house perform some magic with their little test kit and then put a hard pressure sale on you. Ask them them very specifically what tests they perform. On city water I normally check the chlorine level, PH level, hardness and total dissolved solids. I also take their local water report and explain it to them and answer any questions they might have.
The test that should be outlawed is the precipitation test.
With this test they will either create a milky solution and ask how much of this stuff do you want to drink or they will stick diodes in the water and turn the water black. Either way all they are doing is playing with your mind. It makes visible the hardness of the water. Either test is usually over played or misstated as harmful contaminants. Normal hardness plugs up pipes, coffee makers, ice makers, etc. It also makes cleaning the soap off a shower stall more difficult. I was taught this test when I worked for a softener company. As a novice in water filtration it was an amazing test even to me. I am not saying you never need to soften your water. I am just saying do it for the right reasons rather than out of fear for your health.
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