What is YOUR "Water Environment"
Our local Bountiful City Water Department does an excellent job ensuring reliable, clean, and safe water is delivered to their customers. At RETEGO, we have tested the water in each of the designated distribution service zones (and every corner of each zone) within the City. The results of this testing confirm that the water supplied by the Bountiful Water Department meets all EPA and State requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act and that it is delivered to the residents as “balanced” (i.e., not too corrosive or overly scaling).
Through our testing we have discovered that every home has its own, unique Water Environment. Each contains a combination of plumbing materials, appliances, water conditioners, and other factors that can present a unique and specific water treatment challenge (your “Water Environment”). Some homes may have only PEX (plastic), copper, or galvanized plumbing, but most have a combination of these materials. As water flows through the various materials of the plumbing, appliances and fixtures, its chemistry can be altered in ways that are distinctive. Further changes to the water quality could occur as we attempt to improve it in a variety of ways including filters, water heaters, softeners, RO filter systems and/or combinations thereof. Depending upon a complex set of factors, as it flows through your plumbing water wants to balance. It achieves that balance by either leaching metals from the materials it encounters (corrosion) or by depositing minerals (scaling).
To predict how your homes Water Environment is maintaining its balance requires a specific set of chemical tests at various points within the home. Water tests kits or probes for hardness, pH and TDS [total dissolved solids] have been used by skillful plumbers; but additional, often complex, tests and parameters are necessary to accurately and precisely determine how the water quality is being altered. Previously these additional tests were impractical as they were only available through expensive, off-site water testing laboratories. Often when incomplete testing is utilized, water conditioning products are recommended that could result in unbalanced water, creating an unpleasant taste, scale, and corrosion issues.
Did you know that the Water Quality can change from Faucet to Faucet in your home?
A study recently completed by Andrew J. Whelton (Associate Professor of Civil, Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University) has identified “surprising differences in the water quality from different taps in the same home”. In a WEBINAR sponsored by the Water Quality Association in July of 2020 titled “Water Quality Variances in Multiple Locations of a Home” Mr. Whelton discussed the finding from his report. Full report link
The water we get is safe. What could possibly go wrong?
The following is a true story, and....sadly we see this in varying degrees almost every day.
CASE STUDY: AMANDA’S HOME, Bountiful, Utah
In Amanda’s home a series of well-intentioned events throughout the years changed the water chemistry. In 1955 a reliable, licensed builder constructed her home utilizing the plumbing materials common for the time, galvanized pipe. Conversely, he had grounded the electrical system of the home by attaching wires to the galvanized pipe water system, which was the standard practice. As the years passed, additions and repairs were done on the plumbing. As in any home the occasional project required certified plumbers, water professionals and contractors and some projects were “Do it Yourself”. Leaks were repaired using copper and later PEX. At one point a water softener was added to protect the various appliances and address the hardness. This softener in turn, did what it was designed to do: removed the Calcium Hardness from the water. Each of these changes altered the home’s water chemistry in subtle ways. Lastly, the plumbing from the water meter to the home had to be replaced and was replaced with a high quality PEX line (again, the newest, best practice was incorporated). However, this change compromised the homes grounding system which in turn accelerated the corrosion of the piping systems within the house. All of these “small” changes combined to create a “Perfect Storm” that resulted in transforming the safe, balanced water supplied to the home into an intolerable, unbalanced and unsafe condition.
The water as supplied by Bountiful City to Amanda’s house meets the EPA Safe Drinking Water Act levels and has natural hardness. However, the water supplied through her homes piping and delivery system to her kitchen faucet can only be described as “Putrid” and is an extreme example of what can happen when the piping, treatment or filter systems in the home are not properly configured.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
Amanda and her family commissioned RETEGO to help them correct and improve the water quality within their home. We set up a team to remove and replace all of the old water supply piping, secured and installed a new Crusader "Enhanced" water conditioner, a Crusader whole house "Active Armour" scale and corrosion control system and a five stage Reverse Osmosis system with remineralization for their ice maker and drinking water. The improvements were noticed immediately and they now have "Fantastic" water. We are watching this closely and will be reporting back on the real cost savings they can quantify.
IN CLOSING
RETEGO has tested water in many homes and in EVERY CASE the issues with taste and odor have been isolated to either faulty equipment, piping, or poor combinations of improperly configured water treatment/softener appliances, plumbing materials and/or improper maintenance.
We welcome the opportunity to show you how you can obtain the BEST results by developing your homes’ Water Quality Management Plan to ensure that your systems are properly configured and balanced.