Do you know your tap water?

In the United States we should expect our tap drinking water to be safe right?

An article in Prevention Magazine states 80% of all disease and illness in the world could be water related. Studies have linked everything from simple illnesses like common stomach cramps and diarrhea to major illnesses like Heart Disease, Alzheimer’s Disease and many forms of Cancer to drinking water.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and your local water suppliers do everything they can to insure your safety but even their efforts can’t deliver pure water. Our research has revealed the presence over 700 known contaminants in the finished drinking water supplies. About 90 of those contaminants are regulated by the EPA’s Primary Drinking Water Standards. What about the rest? The picture is pretty bleak. Read the Environmental Working Group’s Findings. 100′s of contaminants were found that are not even regulated.

Modern treatment processes do a very good job of making your water look clean. There is little chance that you will go to your tap and fill your glass with a suspicious looking sludge any time soon.

If your drinking water looks clean and safe, it must be, right? Not if you consider how many of us buy bottled water at over 1000 times the cost of tap water on a regular basis!

Why do we do this? Some say “for convenience”, some say “it’s healthier” but all agree “it tastes better”. Why such a difference in taste? Water should taste like water, right?

A free water test can remove any fears – click here.

Do Water Treatment Systems Save Money?

Is it true that water treatment or water conditioner systems such as water softeners can actually save money? To answer this question you need to understand what hard water is and what it can do in your home.

Water is considered “hard” if it contains 120 to 180 milligrams per liter of dissolved minerals. The most common minerals are calcium and magnesium. These substances are not removed by municipal treatment of drinking water, which focuses on viruses, bacteria, solid particles and hazardous organic products. 

In some cases you can see these minerals that enter your home in your water. They form bathtub rings and those white scaly deposits on drains and taps. It is the unseen effects of hard water, however, that can have a significant impact on your household budget.

A good example is the appliances in your home that use water. According to the American Water Works Association, hard water can reduce the life expectancy of your dishwasher and clothes washer by 30% and your water heater by 50%. In terms of the plumbing, the study found that faucets need to be replaced 40% sooner and toilets 70% sooner.

Based upon these findings, if the problem of hard water could be remedied, the time that would elapse before a new clothes washer would require replacement would be increased by almost one third. A water heater that normally lasts 10 to 15 years would not need to be replaced for 20 to 30 years. Switching to soft water by installing a water treatment system will also reduce the cost of future plumbing repairs caused by pipes clogged with calcium deposits.

Most companies that sell water softeners will do a free water test to determine if you need a whole house water treatment system.

What is Hard Water?

In many parts of Canada, the water coming out of our taps contains a significant concentration of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These compounds are absorbed the water passes through earth on its perpetual journey known as the water cycle. The level of concentration determines the relative hardness or softness of the water we use for drinking, bathing, washing our clothes and cooking.

Water is considered “hard” if it has between 120 and 180 milligrams per liter of dissolved minerals (see Table 1). Based upon this standard, the populations of several Canadian urban centres use hard and in some cases very hard water every day.

How does using hard water affect the household budget? In other words, can installing a water treatment system save money? These days one budget item seems to be on everyone’s mind: energy. Whether it is the rising price of gasoline, electricity or natural gas, saving energy means saving money.

Take the water heater as an example. Research has demonstrated that using hard water causes calcium deposits to accumulate inside the water heater. The U. S. Bureau of Standards reports that a build up of ¼” of scale inside of the water heater can waste a significant amount of energy. A study conducted by New Mexico State University found that in electric water heaters, using soft water resulted in a 21.7% savings in energy. With gas-fired units, the energy saving was 29.5%. Given that water heaters account for approximately 20% of energy usage in the average household, the use of a water softener could reduce energy costs significantly.

There are many firms that market water softeners or whole house water treatment systems. They will be happy to do a free test of your drinking water and provide you with an analysis of the results.

How can I be sure I have the best quality water for my family?

Who is responsible for the quality of water that is available in your home? That depends upon what you mean by “quality.” If you are referring to the removal of various contaminants such as E. Coli bacteria, metals like lead or mercury, chemicals, odors and bad taste, then that responsibility falls to the federal, provincial/territorial and municipal governments.

Health Canada, through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Committee on Drinking Water, provides a set of Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality that apply to all public and private drinking water supplies and to treated or finished water as it emerges from the tap. (See http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/water-eau/drink-potab/index-eng.php for details.) At present, these guidelines apply to 85 physical, chemical, and biological attributes of water quality.

There are several other aspects of water quality, however, that are your responsibility. Take, for example minerals like calcium and magnesium that are absorbed by your water as it passes through the Water Cycle on its way to your local water source. These minerals can make a significant difference in things like the lifespan of your major appliances, household energy consumption and how much soap you use in your washing machine or dishwasher.

They also affect a variety of quality of life issues, such as the feel of your skin after a bath or shower, the taste of your food and beverages and the how much time you have to spend scrubbing water stains off the tub or sink.

These water quality issues that affect your family day to day require what is know as a whole house water treatment system to treat the hard water that is supplied to many Canadian homes. Water is classified as hard if it contains above certain levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. The technology that removes these minerals is known as a water softener system.

You can find out if you have hard water in your home by requesting a free water test from a local water softener distributor.