Why Do Reverse Osmosis Faucets all Look the Same???

For those familiar with reverse osmosis drinking water systems, you know the water is treated, then fed through separate plumbing to its own faucet.  These faucets are special high-purity faucets that don't leach any of their construction materials into the water, potentially affecting the taste (or worse, if they have lead in them!)

Reverse Osmosis systems typically include a faucet that is often referred to as a "Gooseneck faucet."  Looking at one, its pretty easy to see where the name comes from.  Most are chrome with either a little black or white plastic tip on the end, and a lever on the side which you can either press down to dispense water, or flip up and snap into position to keep the faucet running for filling pots, jugs and larger containers.  These faucets are standard for a reason: they tend to blend in and be unobtrusive - they don't really look out of place anywhere.

That being said, sometimes they aren't quite a fit for some of the more modern, higher-end kitchen faucets out there.  I had a client earlier this month that had that exact concern.  They have a relatively standard stainless steel sink, but have a really nice faucet with a pewter or brushed nickel finish.  Their faucet was very round and curvy and the standard gooseneck RO faucet, while acceptable, certainly didn't add to the look of the kitchen.

I did a little research and came up with a line of faucets that I thought would be very close and offered the client an option to upgrade.  She liked one of the faucets in the brochure I showed her (of course not the one I thought was a "perfect match" but that's not surprising since I didn't get into the water business because of my interior design skills!)

We were able to offer her a trade in for her the Hague branded faucet included with their system since we use a lot of them.  (The Hague H3500 Reverse Osmosis System, our top-line water purification system, has enough pressure to handle up to SIX connections, so most clients have multiuple faucets in their home - one for the kitchen, one in a bathroom/ensuite and one in a wet bar, plus the usual hook ups to their refrigerator, ice maker, and furnace humidifier.)  For a relatively small amount, the client was able to upgrade to the faucet she wanted and not only did she get the purified water she was seeking, but her kitchen looks great with the additional faucet installed.

There were some interesting kitchen installation requirements.  Instead of putting their reverse osmosis system in the basement (the way I prefer it,) this client wanted it in the kitchen - but not under the sink, she wanted it in the adjacent cabinet.  This was an acreage system, not "regular city water" so we had an additional pump installed, as well as a UV chamber for disinfection.  We also ran plumbing through and along the back of their cupboards so we could still connect the ice maker in their refrigerator.  (What good is having premium water if you have terrible ice for your drinks?!??!?)

Really good flow rate from the new faucet!

Tight, but functional.  Client requested installation in an adjacent (12" wide) cupboard, not under the sink as is the norm.  You can see the UV chamber on the top-left of the system, and the booster pump is near the bottom on the right (nestled between the two grey "sumps" of the system.)

Water Purification and Energy Usage

The need for clean drinking water - water that has had foul-tasting and potentially chemicals removed from it is becoming quite commonplace.  Whether you choose to purchase bottled water, or opt for the convenience and savings of having a water treatment system in your home, most people have decided that drinking from the tap is not the best choice.

There are three basic ways to treat water in a residential setting and we'll touch on each of them here briefly.

1 - Carbon filtration.  This is common nowdays.  This can be something as simple as a filter attached to your kitchen sink's faucet, it could be in the form of a pitcher with a disposable filter built-in (like a Brita-style system) or in more-elaborate cases, or these can be built-in under the sink with an additional "gooseneck" style faucet on the side of the sink.  No matter the style, these systems do mostly the same thing.  Some have sediment filters built in, some are just carbon, most are both.  These systems are a good start and a definite improvement over the water as it is delivered to the home.  Using a carbon filter is most suitable for city water as it does little to remove several types of chemicals and does nothing to remove bacteria from water.

2 - Reverse Osmosis.  This is taking something like the previously-mentioned carbon filtration and adding a "membrane" to the system.  This allows water to be split into two streams: One, a purified stream of "product" water which gets stored in a pressure tank, and two, "reject water."  The reject water is water that contains contaminants which cannot pass through the microscopic pores of the reverse osmosis membrane.  An easy way to describe a reverse osmosis (RO) system is to compare it to a 'washing machine for your water.'  There are different levels of efficiencies and different systems are designed to produce the desired amount of product water each day, as well as delivering it at varying pressures and flow rates.  Residential reverse osmosis systems run using just the pressure of the water in your home to power the process.  (This is unlike commercial RO systems which need powerful pumps to force water at high pressure through the system.)

3 - Distillation.  This is a process which mimics the Earth's own 'recycling' program.  In nature, water from rivers, lakes and streams evaporates up to the sky leaving behind impurities and coming back down in the form of rain.  Pesticides, herbicides and toxic chemicals have rendered this process less-effective than it used to be, but the mechanics are unchanged since this planet came to be.

In a home, a distiller replicates this process using a powerful burner element to evaporate the water, then a series of condensing units cools the steam and turns it back into water.  Carbon filtration is now strongly recommended for distillers because many chemicals have lower boiling points than water.  This means a distiller can actually concentrate some chemicals into the 'pure' water it creates.  Fortunately, most of these chemicals can be removed with carbon filtration, but it is definitely something you'd want in your distiller system.  Most distillers also will use an electric pump to deliver the water to a gooseneck faucet up at the kitchen sink.  (Since the process does not result in any pressurized water, mechanical pumps are necessary to deliver the water to the tap.)

Distillers used to be the most popular of the in-home but with rising energy costs, they are becoming less and less attractive.  We recently had a client ask us to replace his 2-year old distiller just because of the energy usage.  Reverse osmosis water is an excellent option in terms of energy usage because in most cases, there is no power used to run the system.

In terms of maintenance, reverse osmosis is MUCH simpler to keep running properly.  Filters are changed out on a set schedule (see your manufacturer's instructions as this can be anywhere from every 3 months to 2 years depending on the brand and type of filters being used!)  The membrane gets changed when the product water quality begins to degrade and can be determined with simple and inexpensive TDS Testing Strips.  These will tell the owner if the system is working properly, or if it's time for a change.

With a distiller, chemicals like muriatic acid need to be used by the homeowner to clean out the residues left behind in the boiler.  As most city water is hard water, there is a lot of calcium that gets trapped in here and takes work to remove.  There are some greener products for cleaning distillers, but most have been reported as just making the process take longer and requiring more "elbow grease" to clean.  This is one aspect that really makes reverse osmosis an easier prospect for homeowners.  Changing filters is a simple process and takes just a few minutes to perform.

Plain carbon filtration, as previously mentioned, is a definite upgrade over plain tap water, but there are dissolved chemicals which can't be removed this way.  Lead, flouride, nitrates, metals, sodium and other water contaminants pass right through these filters.  (Because many cities have changed from adding chlorine to adding 'chloramine' these contaminants - ESPECIALLY LEAD - have become problems in the drinking water as chloramine causes a leaching action to occur.)  Maintenance on a carbon filter system is similar to reverse osmosis.  A cartridge of some sort is simply changed out - again, much easier than distillers, and again without the need for toxic and foul-smelling chemicals.

We recently had a client call us asking to replace his two-year old distiller with a new reverse osmosis system just because of the energy usage.  As soon as he started running his distiller, the family's power bill jumped noticeably.  In fact, he was able to make back all the money spent on a new RO system just with the energy savings from switching away from his distiller.  Even factoring in the filter changes (for the system he chose, annual filter changes are all that is required) he was able to get back all his money in less than two years!  He was also quite happy he would never need to use harsh chemicals to clean his drinking water system ever again.

For this client, there was a huge savings and these days, when everyone is concerned about the planet and reducing their energy consumption, reverse osmosis just makes more sense.

What's that Smell?

Just was out testing water for a family in Strathcona County yesterday. They've owned their acreage for 20 years and have had problems in the past with water. They had a competitor's system installed for almost 10 years, but had to have the entire system replaced every 18 months by the manufacturer because it couldn't keep up with their problems.

Their main complaints with water were, "its hard, there's lots of iron, and it has a sulfur smell." Eventually they just gave up, removed the system and have been scrubbing iron stains from their fixtures every week for years. I won't say the name of the system they removed, but suffice it to say, this family does know who he is and they most certainly did NOT love their water......

After testing their water, there really were no huge issues. The water was hard, there was some iron in it, and the iron was causing the sulfur smell, not actual sulfur... Its unfortunate that some companies have their "main system" and just try to apply that for every well they see. Its like the saying goes, if all you own is a hammer, everyone you meet looks like a nail. I'm sure that system has its place, but when you tell people "a little staining is normal" that just doesn't cut it.

A properly-designed system should remove ALL of the iron AND the hardness from the water. The system they had did nothing for the hardness and only removed about 75-80% of the iron, leaving them above the 0.3 parts per million (ppm) iron threshold where staining occurs. They were "close" to being below the threshold, but were not at or below it - and as a result, they had iron staining. It doesn't matter if the system can "handle" iron up to 25 ppm of iron, if it leaves 20% of the iron in the water that goes to the house.  Even if it's installed on water that's only 1.6 ppm of iron (like this family's was) it still leaves 0.3 to 0.5 ppm iron remaining - guess what - there's staining of appliances and fixtures, and laundry doesn't work very well.

Another family that recently had me out had the exact same iron levels and exact same staining problems.  They purchased their "iron filter system" (from the same company) just a year ago and were told that because "they had so much iron" that staining and regular cleaning was completely normal."  That kind of deception makes me cringe....

For the price this family paid, it should be able to do everything. Perfectly.  Luckily, we're able to design a system to completely handle all of this and do it at 30% less than what the "big guys" sold their patented iron filter for....  I wish I had their marketing dollars to be all over the radio, but guess who (in the end) really pays for that?  In this case, a disappointed client with an overpriced, poorly-configured system.

For a free 12-point checkup on your well water, please call Douglas Environmental Solutions at 780-410-0837 and have a technician test your water for no charge.  If you have an existing system, we can help configure it properly and make any recommendations necessary to keep your water running clean and clear.

"If we can't fix your water, we'll remove our equipment and refund your money."
–Greg Douglas, Owner

What About My Septic System?

We do a lot of work with rural home owners and see all kinds of different well water quality issues.  One thing most of these owners have in common is they have a septic system.  In our area, its common to have a septic field or a mound, but there are also a good number of surface-discharge or cesspool setups as well.  What these systems all have in common is the septic tank.  If you're not familiar with a septic tank, its usually just a two-chamber underground container that separates out the solids and liquids and gives bacteria a chance to do some breakdown of the materials prior to being discharged from the tank (or sucked out by a vac truck, if there actually is no discharge.)

Because these bacteria need to have the right conditions to live and enough time to do their job, its common to question whether it is appropriate to discharge water treatment equipment into septic systems.  There are concerns about salt-based systems killing bacteria or clogging up the pipes or even the soil in a septic field.  There are also concerns of "flooding" the septic tank with the water used in cleaning and regenerating water treatment equipment.  If too much water comes into the system too quickly, the bacteria will not have had a chance to work nor will separation into "sludge" (the solids,) and "scum" (the fats and greases that float to the top.) Without separation, the wrong things can go out to your field and cause massive problems - especially "biomat" - or an accumulation of a slimy layer in a septic field that clogs things up, eventually causing failure.  These are valid concerns, but that doesn't mean they are problems.

There is a lot of information available on this and there have been a LOT of studies performed.  The general consensus is: septic systems can be compatible with water treatment equipment.  Newer water treatment systems are more efficient than ever.  When they use less water to clean themselves, obviously that's less water going into the septic system.  Even the use of salt isn't a problem.  A recent study available from the Water Quality Association clearly talks to these points.

The end results actually show better operation of the septic system - including the field - when compared to not running the equipment.  Another benefit is the dramatic reduction of soaps, detergents and cleaning products that soft, iron-free water allows home owners to take advantage of.  The less these chemicals are dumped into our soils, the less impact on the environment.

To be sure, there are proponents of both sides, but it has clearly been shown that there are a lot of benefits to running rural water treatment equipment, and there is no reason that if done properly, the water treatment equipment should cause a concern for a septic system.

Resources:

• For information on Pirana aerobic septic treatment and field remediation systems, please see the following LINK.
• For information on WaterMax the most-efficient, "septic friendly" water softening and treatment systems available, please click HERE.
• For a FREE, useful PDF on this topic from the Water Quality Research Council:
  http://www.wqa.org/pdf/Consumer%20Briefs/cSoftprobseptic.pdf
• For a free copy of a paper from NOWRA (National On-site Wastewater Recycling  Association) the organization representing the septic treatment industry, please download the PDF HERE.
  

Reverse Osmosis - Fact vs Fiction, Volume 4

Today is the last installment in the "Fact vs Fiction" or "Myth Buster" series...

Myth #7: Reverse Osmosis Systems are Prohibitively Expensive

Myth Busted: Costs are always more for better quality, better performing systems. There are budget RO systems that start around $500 (or less, depending upon where you live) and go up from there. What price do you put on health??? Sure you can cheap out, but you're simply increasing the chemicals and contaminants you allow into your drinking water, as well as increasing your operating and maintenance costs... Better systems also tend to have much longer, more-comprehensive warranties.  They are often better-tested at the factory and have a lower failure rate and less chance of a problem at the time of installation.

Most dealers, like ourselves, offer different systems at different price points. Depending upon the need and budget of families, we can tailor a system that will be just right. Just bear in mind, this is kind of like insulation - you either buy it up-front, or you pay more over time to operate your system. The more-efficient systems use less water (saving money if you're on a meter, saving your septic field if you're not) and because they process less water to achieve the same production volume, they can run their filters for longer -often only requiring filter changes every year.

Inexpensive systems, due to their inefficiency, require a lot more source water to create the same volume of product water of a high-efficiency system.  Because of this, their filters expire faster and can require changing as often as every 3 months. Pay now or pay later... The choice is yours!

To put it in perspective, compare a reverse osmosis system, which can be roughly described as a "washing machine for your water" to an actual washing machine.  There are two types of washing machines currently on the market - standard "top loaders" and the new High Efficiency (or "HE") machines which are "front loaders."  The newer, more efficient HE machines cost more, but they also use less water to do the job. 

Do top loaders "waste" water?  I don't know - but they definitely USE more water to accomplish the same job.  Reverse osmosis is the same way - there are "standard" units and "high efficiency" units.  The high efficiency models cost more up front, but have lower operating costs, require fewer filter changes, have increased pressure and use less water to operate.  They are more efficient, greener systems.  Pay now, or pay later (and continuously while you operate the system.)

Myth #8: RO Creates Acidic Water, and Acidity Causes Cancer

Myth Busted: This one drives me nuts - it is a blatant ploy by marketing departments to scare people into buying their high-priced ionizers or alkalinizers... (For the record, I am NOT a doctor and will NOT touch the acidity - cancer link.  It may very well be true that acidic cells are more prone to cancer, or are consistent with those cells in a cancerous state.  

I believe it is a LEAP to go from that potential fact to attempt to link it to the pH of water you drink having the effect of raising the pH of the body and thereby putting it in a state that is more prone to cancer.  I am not qualified to comment on that, HOWEVER I can talk about water and am qualified to discuss that aspect of this myth AND comment on what happens in the body when you digest this alkaline water.)

The only way the RO process can acidify the water is if it is removing something like soda ash which was added to raise the pH. Even then, and I HAVE tested this on this type of water, the change in pH is negligible - you need a very sensitive meter to even detect the change. When I test "raw tap water" and RO processed water from the same source, right beside each other, the difference in pH is around 0.1.  (In our area, that's the difference between tap water being 7.78 and RO water being 7.6 pH.)  It is certainly not "acidic" water (acidic is defined as having a pH lower than 7.) I've seen some sales literature showing RO water as having a pH around 3.0 -strongly acidic. This is just patently false.  I'm surprised these companies are not getting sued.

Even if it were a good idea to drink this alkaline water, let's take this a step further.  Follow this process... You drink water, it goes past your mouth and heads where? To your stomach.

Your stomach's pH is around 2.0 -it contains hydrochloric acid, a necessary substance for digestion. Adding water of higher pH only serves to raise the pH of your stomach. I've seen product literature stating that your stomach's pH is only that low when you're eating, the rest of the time it is closer to neutral - around 7.0. Really??? Ask your doctor!  (Or if this is easier, check with Google!)

If you want to spend $3000 or more on a "water alkalinizer" go fill your boots. What you end up with is expensive water that has been treated with a carbon filtration unit roughly equivalent to one single stage of a multi stage RO unit.  By design, your stomach is supposed to be acidic; that's where digestion starts.  Raising the pH in your stomach is NOT a good idea.  This is pure snake oil!

(in terms of complete disclosure, one of Douglas Environmental Solutions suppliers DOES offer these alkaline water systems for sale.  I have seen their specs and I have seen their marketing literature - it is truly misleading.  I'm surprised at this ploy by an otherwise reputable company.  Although it technically is something we can make available through this one supplier, we do NOT intend to market the product nor offer it to our clients.)

Reverse Osmosis - Fact vs Fiction, Volume 3

Today's installment in this series addresses two concerns I've seen several times, mostly on "articles" which appear to be nothing more than sales letters for some other kind of water treatment system... One has to do with cleaning the system, which is an integral part of almost any "cartridge in sump" filtration setup.

The only kind of filtration appliance that doesn't need some kind of periodic cleaning and sanitizing is one where the entire assembly (basically everything except the plumbing itself) gets changed out at filter change time.  These systems can be convenient, but filter changes are more expensive and involve a lot of waste - extra plastic housings which are thrown out each filter change, instead of just the spent filter cartridges themselves.  Definitely a trade off in these days where we want to be as GREEN as possible.

Myth #5: When you Sanitize a Reverse Osmosis (RO) System, Chlorine Reacts with Organics to Create Disinfection Byproducts.

Myth Busted: I think they're really lost in the woods here... The chlorine is rinsed away after the sanitization and BEFORE the RO system is brought back online. Even if chlorine was left in the system at the time the system was re-activated, it is designed specifically to remove chlorine AND disinfection byproducts. I mean - that is the point of an RO system. To say it all the sudden cannot do it because you're cleaning it makes no sense. Again - hogwash...

Myth #6: RO is a Slow Process and Cannot Produce Enough Water for My Family

Myth Busted: RO does take time to process water, but that's why there's a storage tank! RO systems can be specified with membranes that produce anywhere from around 12 gallons per day, up to 50 gallons per day for standard residential use. There are membrane options up to 250 gallons per day that will still fit and work with a standard residential RO system.

Exactly how much water are you planning on using? Even the slowest system still can produce the equivalent of two 5-gallon jugs of water a day. Most residential systems ship with either a 24 or 50 gallon per day membrane. That is plenty for almost any family. I've even deployed a system like this for commercial use with absolutely no problems. Larger storage tanks are also available. Most come with 3-4 gallon capacity, but there's really no limit to tank size, other than whatever space limitations you may have.

HINT: Mount the RO in the basement and most-often your size restrictions go away completely since most basements aren't quite as tight on space as the areas underneath kitchen sinks (but again, most residences need no more capacity than a standard 3 gallon tank, which takes between 1 and 3 hours to completely refill from empty.)  This not only allows you to use a bigger tank, it also allows you to keep the space under the sink for garbage cans, recycling/composting bins and cleaning products.  

-NOTE: this should only be done if the RO system is ultra-efficient and doesn't lose a lot of water pressure compared to the home's normal water supply.  Some systems lose as much as one third of the home's pressure by the time the water is stored in the tank.  

If the house has 60 PSI water and the tank only has 40 PSI, by the time you run a length of plumbing all the way from the basement up to the kitchen or main floor dispenser, you could be down to 30 PSI or less - definitely could result in slow water delivery and low pressure at the faucet...  (This is one reason I especially like the Hague H3500 RO system with the non-electric permeate pump built right in - this keeps pressure at the optimal setting, makes water faster and increases the amount of contaminants removed from the water.)

This may not be possible with some 'bargain brand' RO systems. 

Reverse Osmosis - Fact vs Fiction, Volume 2

Back again today with the next installment of our myth-busting series on reverse osmosis systems.  There's a lot of bunk out there, and we're going to wade through it point by point.  As a consumer, you have a right to make an informed decision, not just having to buy-in based on some slick sales literature.  So here are the facts versus the fiction of what's out there...  Remember, if they need to back up their documentation with words like, "technically speaking...." then your guard should be up.  So here's round two:

Myth #3: RO Wastes a LOT Of Water

Myth Busted: RO is just like a washing machine for your water. Does your dishwasher "waste" water? How about your washing machine? No - it simply uses water to clean things. In this case, an RO system uses water to produce clean water, rinsing impurities down the drain just like soil on clothes and remnants of food from your plates. Because it is able to rinse away impurities instead of having to trap them in filters, a typical RO system's filters last a LOT longer! Think about it. A filter can only hold so much. Once it is full of contaminants, it needs to be discarded. If you were able to design a filter that trapped the contaminants RO systems separate from water and rinse away, you'd need to not only buy additional filters, but also change them more often.  

Myth #4: RO Units are Not Customizable

Myth Busted: Any filter you can add into one of the often-recommended "multi-stage filtration units" can be added into an RO system. As long as the chlorine (and iron, if you're on a well) is removed prior to the membrane, you can use any combination of filters you want. An RO is basically the same as the multi-stage system several manufacturer's seem to recommend, but with the addition of a reverse osmosis membrane. To suggest this is somehow less flexible is hogwash...

...to be continued!

Reverse Osmosis - Fact vs Fiction

Today we're going to start debunking some of the urban legends out there surrounding reverse osmosis (RO.) RO was invented years ago as a way to desalinate water for the US Navy submarines. Its a stable technology that has had numerous advancements in terms of efficiency and performance over its life span. There is a lot of confusion over RO technology out there - claims that it can't do this, shouldn't do that, requires something else, etc.

I have done a lot of research not only on water purification, but also on water and its effect on health. There are a lot of people shucking half-truths out there, so let's get started....

Myth #1: Reverse Osmosis is inferior to Carbon Filtration at Chemical Removal

Myth Busted: RO is NEVER (NEVER EVER EVER) used with a membrane alone. They always have PRE and POST filters to treat the water before and after the membrane (always.) -Anything an under-counter filtration system can remove, an RO SYSTEM can remove. To say the membrane can't remove certain chemicals is true, but to say an RO SYSTEM can't remove them is a flat out lie...

Myth #2: RO Removes Calcium and Vital Minerals from the Water

Myth Busted: There's not a shred of medical evidence that shows your body can process inorganic (or non-chelated) minerals such as calcium. These minerals are in the same form as limestone rock, or chalk.

You need calcium in your diet, but it needs to be organic calcium - bonded with amino acids (the process that happens in plants like broccoli, and inside the 9 stomachs of cows that makes the calcium bioavailable.) No doctor would recommend eating chalk or sucking on rocks to supplement the calcium in your diet.

Furthermore, the minute amount of calcium your body could absorb (even if it were possible) is vastly outweighed by the chemicals and disinfection byproducts/trihalomethanes the RO process removes from the water. The argument that these minerals are essential is akin to suggesting its ok to eat an entire bag of unlabelled pills because you're sure there are a few vitamin C's in there... No-one has any idea what chemicals are in the water - digesting them all just to get a few bits of calcium is ridiculous. Take supplements, eat green veggies, cheese or yogurt - you'll get what you need without the chemicals (assuming its organic, that is...)

...to be continued! 

In the meantime, if you have any concerns about RO or other water quality concerns, visit us at www.douglasenviro.ca and submit your question via the "Ask The Expert" section at the bottom of the Contact Us form, or email directly at info@douglasenviro.ca!