Helpful Consumer Tips
Advanced Aqua Systems suggests you consider the following factors before selecting any company to supply water treatment equipment or services to meet your unique water quality needs.
DETERMINE THAT THE COMPANY BUSINESS:
- Has an office address.
- Has had significant experience in the water treatment industry in Washington County, Utah and is familiar with the local water supplies, water contaminants, and plumbing codes.
- Has a contractor's license and/or a city business license.
- Is active in the local business community with memberships in such organizations as the Southern Utah Home Builders Association (SUHBA) or the Chamber of Commerce.
- Can provide consumers with product warranty information, operating instructions and information on obtaining professional equipment maintenance, and has the means to determine equipment is operating properly.
- Is factual in their presentation of their company and equipment. No one piece of equipment is a cure-all for ALL water problems. Be wary of any salesperson who may imply that a particular technology will improve ALL water problems, or require no maintenance.
WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT TECHNOLOGIES
- Carbon Filtration
- Distillation
- Ion-exchange Demineralization
- Ion-exchange Softening
- Iron or Oxidizing Filtration
- Neutralizing Filtration
- Ozone
- Pot Feeders or Chemical Feed Pumps
- Reverse Osmosis
- Sand Filtration
- Sediment Filtration
- Ultra-violet Sterilization
Any method other than those listed above should be investigated carefully before making a purchase.
DRINKING WATER
A point-of-use water quality improvement professional can recommend systems for improving the taste, odor and clarity of your water supply. Below are the most common methods available to improve the quality of drinking water. These systems may be used alone or in combination.
SEDIMENT FILTRATION
Removes suspended particles from water to improve its appearance.
CARBON FILTRATION
Improves the taste, odor and clarity of drinking water. Carbon is most commonly used to adsorb chlorine and chloramines from city water. Carbon is a recognized treatment technique for removal of certain organic contaminants such as trihalomethanes, trichlorethylene, paradichlorobenzene and others. However, carbon will not remove total dissolved mineral salts (TDS) from water. Discuss the proper application with your water quality improvement professional. If contaminants must be removed for health reasons, we recommend you obtain verification from your dealer that they can provide the safeguards you need.
REVERSE OSMOSIS (RO)
Uses household pressure to separate water from dissolved mineral salts. The product (water) enters a holding tank for use through a special faucet on the sink. RO systems utilize a sediment filter, a semipermeable membrane, and a carbon filter to produce a low-mineral, low-sodium, good tasting drinking water. RO is used by many bottled water companies to produce their high-quality product. Any brand of drinking water—whether it’s Dasani (bottled by Pepsi), Aquafina (bottled by Coca-Cola), Nestle, Kirkland, or even Wal-Mart’s in-store brand—if the water is labeled “purified water”, it was produced by reverse osmosis technologies.
DISTILLATION
Utilizes heat to evaporate water. Impurities are left behind and washed away. The steam is condensed back into liquid form and is cooled to become distilled water. Bottled water purchased at convenience & grocery stores labeled as “distilled” was bottled using this process.
BOTTLED WATER
Used for drinking and cooking only—can be delivered to homes or businesses in five-gallon containers, purchased from vending machines found outside many markets, or purchased in prepackaged gallon containers in most grocery stores. Some bottled water is tap water or well water that is treated by reverse osmosis and/or carbon filtration. The law requires “spring” water to be water from a natural spring. Although it may or may not be treated, depending on its quality, all bottled water is disinfected, usually by ozonation or ultraviolet sterilization.
SOFTENED WATER
Water hardness is demonstrated by scale in water heaters or on plumbing fixtures, by soap deposits on dishes and fabrics, and by soap scum in sinks and bathtubs.
Water can become “hard” as it passes through the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, sleet, hail, dew, or fog, and picks up minerals along with gaseous and bacterial impurities. And, because water is the universal solvent, it picks up even more impurities in ponds, lakes, and rivers, as it percolates into the underground water table. Water hardness is measured in grains per gallon (gpg). Your water utility company will tell you the hardness of your water supply, or your water quality improvement professional can perform a simple test for that information.
Water can be softened with detergents, chemicals or other compounds that can be very expensive. The most commonly used method is ion exchange softening which is relatively inexpensive and provides the luxury of using more natural types of cleaning products for household chores and personal care.
GENERAL INFORMATION
It is to your benefit, as a consumer, to ensure that all your water-using appliances are operating as efficiently as possible. Discuss ways to increase your water efficiency with Blink Water Solutions.