What's in Your Water? Three Reasons to Keep Your Water Cooler Clean

You body is designed to consume fresh, pure water. The water you are drinking, however, while it may not be making you ill immediately, more than likely has some interesting things in it.

What is in Your Water?

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Bacteria such as e. coli, chlorine and other chemicals used to kill bacteria; chemicals from environmental pollutants; toxic heavy metals; water softeners; microorganisms such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. All these things could be in your water, as well as organic chemicals such as solvents,and residues of other people's prescription medication.

One of the most crucial health improvements of modern society has been the creation of a constant supply of fresh water for the population. Underdeveloped nations struggle constantly with health problems caused by the lack of clean fresh water. In our society, we have complex systems to create a minimum standard of water quality. However, like many other examples today, the systems in place are designed to prevent acute illness, not promote health.

What Should You Do?

The quality of water coming out of your water cooler is important to examine strategically for several reasons. To start, you want to make sure you have a high quality water filter to purify the water you consume.

How Come?

1. A simple reason that is often overlooked is the water's taste. Your water from the tap likely just doesn't taste good. If your water tastes good, you will drink more of it, helping you stay well hydrated.

2. Another is to remove the chemicals and pollutants that you just wouldn't drink if they weren't hiding in your drinking water. You get exposed to enough chemicals throughout your day - you don't need to drink even more. The chemicals that we get exposed to on a daily basis accumulate in our bodies. It is critical for us balance our exposure to chemicals through the intake of nutrient rich foods, vitamins and anti-oxidants, and of course pure, clean water. Check out http://pollutioninpeople.org/results to find out how many chemical can be found inside of you!

3. And lastly, sometimes the modern systems we have today fail. The safeguards slip and the water in our water tank doesn't meet basic safety levels. A recent NY Times investigative article suggests one in five people have been exposed to water that doesn't even meet minimum water quality standards http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08water.html?_r=3

And often bottled water is no different. Even bottled water regularly fails to meet basic safety standards, and has been shown to be no cleaner than tap water. In fact, it often is tap water! The Natural Resources Defense Council did a four year study of bottled water, and came up with these interesting results: http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/bw/exesum.asp.

The good thing about focusing on building health instead of preventing sickness is that the times when you do slip up, So get a good filter and grab yourself a clean, pure glass!

What's in Your Water? Three Reasons to Keep Your Water Cooler Clean

CONSUMER REPORTS WATER SOFTENERS

Hard Water: 4 Ways For Making It Softer For Better Use

Hard water is suspected to become inefficient in its function as a solvent and cleaner; and at the same time, it renders harm to people's health. It is therefore fitting to make it soft to make it more useful with the removal of the chemicals that makes it categorized as such. It usually contains high amounts of minerals such as Calcium and Magnesium and it is not efficient for use at home, unless subjected to treatment to make it softer. There are several ways to do this and here are some of them.

1. The use of water softeners. Borax, washing soda, detergent soaps, and fabric conditioners are used to soften the water when washing dishes and clothes. The softener is often in the form of pills and liquid and it is very easy to use by just mixing it with the water when using the dishwasher and washing machine. However, there is a drawback when using it frequently since the water may become too basic and will damage the skin.

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2. The installation of water filters. Water filters are installed in the home water-system and methods such as filtering and reverse osmosis are being utilized. The process also makes use of granulated carbon filters, alkaline water machines or a combination of both. With the use of filters, minerals that make the water hard can be filtered out rendering the water that comes out of the faucet soft and more helpful in washing clothes and dishes by increasing the foaming power of soaps and detergents.

3. The utilization of magnetic water conditioners. The use of this method allows the ions of Calcium and Magnesium to pass through a magnetic field and become modified. Although it does not make it soft, deposition of the minerals is reduced and the lime scale that is developed is lessened, thereby avoiding to damage the clothes washed in it easily.

4. Using mechanical water softeners. These are installed by a professional in the plumbing system and work by reducing the residues of the minerals that make it hard. Water passing through the pipes must not be used to water the plants since it contains a high amount of the mineral sodium that will damage them.

These are the ways of softening water making it more useful and efficient for everyday use such as washing dishes, laundering clothes, cleaning the house, watering the plants, and for taking baths. It can now be safely utilized without doing damages to the clothes and to our skin.

Hard Water: 4 Ways For Making It Softer For Better Use

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How Pure is Distilled Water?

With controversy rising over the safety of bottled water many people are asking the question, "How pure is distilled water?" I am going to attempt to answer this question and I am going to offer you a pure water solution that will ease all your worries.

It has been reported that as much as 40% of all bottled water is nothing more than ordinary unfiltered tap water. The fact that the distribution companies advertise their product as "pure" is nothing more than mocking the consumers that the companies rely on to stay in business. If regular bottled water is this bad, then how pure is distilled water?

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First let's talk about what distilled water actually is. Distillation was once considered a pure water solution, because there were no other purification methods available. This practice of purification dates back to the Babylonians in the second millennium B.C.

The way that distillation works is that water is put in a large vat and is heated to a boil. As the boiling water evaporates, the steam is carried through tubes to a holding tank where the vapor returns to its normal liquid state. So, how pure is distilled water?

Distilled water is not to be confused with pure water. Much of the chemical content found in today's water evaporates at a faster rate than the water itself, thereby it is also transported into the cooling tank along with the other vapor. The water is primarily just de-mineralized by the distillation process; it is hardly purified.

One pure water solution that the distilling companies could use would be to utilize granular activated carbon and multi block filters on their vacuum tubes. This method would at least remove the chemical content of the water, which would at least make it a little bit healthier to drink. So, why do I say "a little bit healthier?"

Because the water would still be de-mineralized, and we need the minerals naturally found in water in order to maintain healthy bodily function. Without these naturally occurring minerals our bodies will begin to experience deficiencies. I still haven't completely answered the question how pure is distilled water, but I'll get back to that in a minute.

A pure water solution that would fix the de-mineralization problem would be to add an ion exchange filter to the other two filters listed above. What this would do is capture other impurities in the water such as lead and copper, and it would exchange them for sodium and potassium. This method puts two of the most needed electrolytes back into our drinking water.

So, how pure is distilled water? Distillation is a very old, very crude method of purification, which was adequate in the days when we did not have the number of chemical contaminants that we have in the water today. There is a pure water solution to end your need for clean drinking water though.

Since the answer to how pure is distilled water is not very, I suggest that you purchase a home water purification system that makes use of the filters that I mentioned above - the granulated carbon, ion exchange, and multi block or sub micron filtration. Then you would never again have to worry about the purity and safety of your drinking water.

How Pure is Distilled Water?

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Do You Know If You Are Providing Your Family With Pure Drinking Water?

How important is pure drinking water to us? Well, H2O makes up about 60% of our bodies and studies show that it only takes about 3-4 days to die of thirst. Pure drinking mineral water keeps us alive and is the cleanest way for us to do so.

Our doctors regularly tell us that it's important to drink eight glasses a day. But a lot of people still get theirs straight from the tap. That means they are getting germs, possibly lead and other chemicals that seep in from the pipes and tanks at the local plant. Bottled pure drinking water is a much healthier choice than using the tap, unless you have an excellent home filtration system.

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What comes from your tap starts at your local plant. Then it flows through miles and miles of pipe before it even gets to your home. There are many opportunities for microscopic cysts and other contaminant to infect it, turning what could have been a glass of pure drinking mineral water into a pool of bacteria and chemicals.

This danger is increased even more when the local source is located near a factory. Sometimes accidental seepage or even malicious dumping can contaminate the supply. There have been many law suits involving towns suing local companies for destroying their pure drinking water supply.

An alternative that is sometimes promoted is the idea of using a tap filter containing activated carbon. You just mount the filter onto the faucet and anything that comes through will be stopped before it reaches your glass. This is nice in theory, but there's no possible way one simple filter will be able to provide you with pure drinking mineral water. In reality, a system must contain numerous filters, preferably multi-media and carbon blocks, with an ion exchange to balance mineral content and pH levels.

Buying bottled pure drinking water or investing in the right home purification system is the best way to ensure that what your family is using is safe and healthy. Bottling at home saves money and helps protect the environment from extra trash.

Pure drinking mineral water companies have a process that usually goes as follows: first the H2o is taken through a filter of some type. Then a softener or ion exchange system is used. Heating to a steam follows to removes impurities and minerals, so there is a re-mineralization step. UV light kills bacteria and oxygenation does the rest.

This multistage process is similar to what you will find in the best home systems, except that re-mineralization is not necessary, as ion exchange softens, but does not remove naturally occurring minerals. Pure drinking mineral water, such as Perrier, is bottled in glass at the source. Right after purification it goes into an airtight glass bottle, not dirty pipes. But, most companies use tap water, add some minerals and some carbonation, put it in a plastic bottle and ship it to the store.

During transportation, it absorbs chemicals from the plastic, so the quality is questionable. If you know what your home filtration system can do, then you know that you are providing your family with pure drinking water, without question.

Do You Know If You Are Providing Your Family With Pure Drinking Water?

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What is Soft Water?

Soft water is basically free of dissolved calcium or magnesium. Only a small percentage of homes are supplied with naturally soft water. However, since naturally soft water usually has not been neutralized by passing through mineral layers in the ground, it can be quite corrosive.

Softening water mechanically, such as with a home water softener, does not make it corrosive, however. Since calcium and magnesium are not present in soft water, no adverse reaction with soaps and detergents is allowed to occur.

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The result is the virtual elimination of soap scum and the corresponding reduction in time spent cleaning. Hair and skin is allowed to "breathe" more readily.

And the School of Consumer & Family Sciences at Purdue University conducted a study which proved that the life of clothing and household textiles was prolonged up to 15 percent when they were washed in conditioned water.

Soap usage can be significantly reduced with soft water. Since the water is already soft, the cleaning agents do not have any hardness minerals to react with and overcome and lather more readily and work more effectively.

In fact, a large proportion of the ingredients in most soaps and detergents consist of chemical "water softeners" added to stop the reaction between the detergent and the hardness minerals present in most water (the reaction that forms a sticky residue or soap curd).

Since such chemicals are not necessary for cleaning with soft water, less soap is required. Soft water households usually experience considerable savings on laundry detergent, dishwashing detergent, bath soap, hand soap, shampoo and many other cleaning products.

Since soft water contains no scale forming minerals, it leaves the inside of plumbing and water-using appliances free of solidified rock.

Appliances operate more efficiently and last longer when using soft water, and of course soft water does not cause any of those unpleasant hard water stains.

What is Soft Water?

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Hard Water or Soft Water: Which Should You Have In Your Household?

Many people have heard the terms "hard water" and "soft water", but most still don't understand the effects of hard water and what causes them. Hard water is water that contains a moderate amount of calcium and magnesium minerals and is known for its pure taste. Soft water is originally hard water treated with sodium, which replaces the calcium and magnesium minerals in hard water. Soft water is not as desirable for drinking, as it often has a salty taste. Both types have downsides, so it is a difficult decision whether or not to soften your water.

You may wonder why hard water is "treated" to become soft water if you are ruining its taste and adding salt. Unfortunately, hard water can wreak havoc on households, causing problems to appliances, piping, reducing the effectiveness of shampoos and cleaning supplies, and making your skin and hair feel rough and itchy. This appliance and piping problems occur because chemicals form when hard water is heated up, which forms a scale. This scale can reduce the flow of pipes and eventually clog them completely. The problems with silverware and skin occur because of its negative interaction with certain cleaning agents. When it's combined with certain soaps, the calcium and magnesium prevent the soap from lathering and creates a soap scum on surfaces instead.

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Besides the bad taste of drinking it, what are other downsides of soft water? The magnesium and calcium minerals in hard water are very healthy, but the excess sodium in soft water is not. Soft water is not desirable for people with high blood pressure or those with a pre-existing condition such as diabetes or kidney issues. When hard water has an excess amount of calcium and magnesium in the water, more sodium is needed to replace it. To begin with, the exchange of minerals is not exact, so there is generally more sodium added to the water than needed. Also, some users complain that it create a good later when bathing or showering in soft water.

So how does hard water become soft water? There are several methods to treat hard water, but the most popular method is by using a salt-based water softener. These softeners replace with calcium and magnesium, as mentioned before. These water softeners require constant replacement of salts and may use a significant amount of energy. After a while, the costs of a traditional water softener may add up.

What are the alternatives to traditional water softening? Instead of using sodium-based water softening, you could buy potassium salts instead of sodium. For people with high blood pressure or kidney disease, this is a wise decision. This does not solve the problems of costs, however. Potassium salts are very expensive and the constant purchase of these salts is not feasible for most.

Another alternative is to try a magnetic-based treatment option. These water treatment products alter the molecular structure of water atoms and use a magnetic current, causing a disruption in the molecular bonds of hydrogen and surface tension is immediately reduced. Therefore, the calcium and magnesium content is the same, but the effects of hard water are significantly reduced. They don't require electricity or require salt to be added to the water. The only downside to the new water treatment is the lack of concrete evidence that consumers seek. Since there is no alteration to the calcium and magnesium content of the water, scientists have a difficult time measuring the effects of these salt-free treatment products. However, most customers of these products feel they have made a significantly positive difference in their households.

In summary, it is entirely up to individual households what type of water they decide to use. If great-tasting drinking water is of the utmost importance to you, then hard water is the best option. If you are particularly worried about the duration of your appliances or piping, then softening your water should be a priority. If you want to try and receive the benefits of both types of water, you could try one of the new types of magnetic-based treatments, although research and evidence on the products has not been extensive as of yet.

Hard Water or Soft Water: Which Should You Have In Your Household?

CONSUMER REPORTS WATER SOFTENERS