Treat Your Water Better

Marjie O'Connor

Contractor
Sept, 1999

Knowing what's in the water you drink is the key to finding out how to make it better.

Water is something most of us take for granted. We turn on the faucet and -- voila! -- clean, clear water comes out.

Well, maybe. About three-quarters of all Americans have concerns about the quality and even the safety of the drinking water in their homes, according to the Water Quality Association. (See box on page 12.) And, as more consumers question just how clean their water is, water-treatment companies have become increasingly sophisticated in addressing their questions and providing solutions to their problems.

Tim Devorak of North Country Aquacare (Brainerd, Minn.) has been helping plumbing contractors provide water-treatment services ever since he realized that few wholesalers offered such assistance. A licensed plumber himself, Devorak was frustrated by what he saw as a lack of professionalism in water treatment.

"Some supply houses were carrying water treatment and filtration products, but I didn't think any of them were doing an outstanding job," he says. "Water treatment is like any other business; if you have an expert on a particular kind of product, the company and the customers benefit from that."

So Devorak started his own company to provide information as well as equipment. His mission is to make all his customers experts in water chemistry. "That gives them an advantage over the average water-treatment franchise dealer," he says. "Franchise dealers are taught how to sell, but not how to determine what the customer really needs."

BEYOND SOFT

The phrase "water softener" is the first thing to come to most people's minds when they think about water treatment. Certainly the hardness of the water -- the amount of dissolved compounds of calcium, magnesium and other metallic elements it contains -- is a major concern to homeowners and plumbers because dissolved calcium and magnesium salts are the primary culprits in scaling in pipes and water heaters.

"Water softening is pretty easy to do," Devorak says. "But when you run into problems like iron, manganese and odors in water, it gets more complicated. Many of the so-called experts treat all water problems the same, but we know that one size doesn't necessarily fit all. Every well and water source is completely different."

Complicating matters is the fact that many people need to avoid sodium in their diets. The most common water-softening method exchanges calcium and magnesium in the water for sodium ion, Devorak notes. The amount of sodium in the water after softening is relative to how much calcium and magnesium were in it before.

"If the water only has 10 grains of hardness, there will be very little sodium in the water. But if there's 90 grains, you're trading it for a lot of sodium. However, we can recommend a treatment that will remove the sodium, such as reverse osmosis or a medium that would selectively remove just the sodium," he adds.

Other minerals cause problems too. Devorak's local water supply has more than its share of iron, which often causes staining. Water softeners can't effectively handle that much iron. However, Devorak's company sells one system that will get rid of the iron as well as soften the water.

"It will also remove high amounts of manganese, which can create odor problems and staining," he explains. "There are so many product lines available that we generally can find a good treatment. However, what we use for drinking water for a whole-house system or point-of-use system might be totally different from what we put on the same customer's sprinkler system, where the iron might stain the walls of the house or the sidewalk. It's important to know what you're dealing with before you can make a decision about the treatment method."

Hence Devorak's passion for education, which he provides free of charge to any plumbing contractor who is serious about water treatment. "We teach the plumbers to understand that every customer has a different source of water and a different problem," he says. "We educate them about water chemistry and our product line. And we guarantee that what we sell to the plumber is going to work for the particular problem with his customer's water.

"It's not just a warranty for X number of years. You can guarantee that a product will last 10 years, but if it isn't doing what it supposed to be doing, who cares how long it lasts?"

SPENDING WATER LIKE IT'S MONEY

The education gospel preached by Devorak has become more important in recent years as plumbers find themselves nose-to-nose on pricing with national water-treatment companies. They need more expertise if they hope to maintain their role as all-round water gurus. Peter Auchincloss, president of Watermark Corp., Baltimore, says that the downward pressure on pricing is one of the biggest changes the industry has seen recently. In years past, plumbers could charge as little as half the price of water softeners sold by national water-treatment companies.

"Even plumbers who lacked the technical expertise and marketing skills that a professional water-treatment company might have could make sales on price alone," Auchincloss says. "But now everyone is pretty down-and-dirty on pricing. A lot of the residential water-treatment business that may have gone to a plumbing contractor isn't going there anymore."

Water-quality issues extend well beyond the typical plumber. Auchincloss points out that the Safe Drinking Water Act has also increased the public's interest and, therefore, improved the market. New-home buyers are asking their builders about water-treatment options. Builders and plumbers should work together to guarantee the quality of water from private wells for an extra fee.

"Consumers are interested in the quality of their water, and the prices for some countertop filtration systems have jumped dramatically," he explains. "Appliance manufacturers are starting to add water-filtration options, too, so when builders sell refrigerators, they should have these models available. A builder is nuts if he doesn't offer some kind of treatment alternative."

For more information about water quality, visit the Water Quality Association's Web site at www.wqa.org.

Consumers' concerns

A 1999 survey for the Water Quality Association points out some of the most common perceptions Americans have about their drinking water:

* 60 percent of adults believe the quality of their drinking water affects their health.

* About three-quarters have some concern regarding the quality of their household water supply.

* Almost half are concerned about possible health-related contaminants.

* One in five is dissatisfied with the quality of his or her household water supply.

* One in three believes his or her water is not as safe as it should be.

* 46 percent would like to know more about the quality of their household water supply.

Source: The Water Quality Association

The household water-treatment market

The 1999 survey by the Water Quality Association revealed continuing growth in the residential water treatment. Highlights of the survey include the following findings of how Americans treat their drinking water:

* The number of adults who report using a household water-treatment device jumped to 38 percent in 1999 from 32 percent in 1997 and 27 percent in 1995.

* For the first time since WQA conducted a bench-mark survey of consumer attitudes in 1995, an equal number of respondents report using home water-treatment devices as report using bottled water.

* Most of the growth in water treatment devices occurred in the table-top filtration pitcher model, with a significant percentage of young adults (ages 18 through 34) using such products.

* The percentage of people who report using no home water-treatment device or bottled water has fallen to 36 percent in 1999, compared with 47 percent in 1995.

* One out of 10 adults who currently do not use a water-filtration unit plans to buy one within a year.

* 47 percent of survey respondents say that if they were in the market for a new home, they would more likely purchase one with a home water-treatment device.

Source: The Water Quality Association

Choosing the best treatment

When most consumers hear the phrase "water treatment," they immediately think "water softener." However, the range of water-treatment technologies extends far beyond the old tank in a corner of the basement.

What you need for your water depends entirely on the results you get from a qualified water-testing laboratory. Below are the Water Quality Association's suggestions for common problems found through such tests, as well as the EPA's maximum levels of each permitted per liter:

Activated Activated Activated
carbon filter carbon filters alumina
(granular) (solid block filters
or precoat)

Arsenic (0.05 mg/L) X
Asbestos (10 pm/L) X
Benzene (0.05 mg/L) X X
Lead (0.015 mg/L) X
Mercury (0.002 mg/L) X X
Nitrate (10.0 mg/L)
Trichloroethylene X X
(0.005 mg/L)
Radium (920 pCi/L(**))
Radon (300 pCi/L(**)) X
Coliform bacteria
(0 in 95% of samples)
Cryptosporidium parvum X
(N/A)

Aeration Anion exchange Cation exchange
softening

Arsenic (0.05 mg/L) X
Asbestos (10 pm/L)
Benzene (0.05 mg/L) X
Lead (0.015 mg/L) X
Mercury (0.002 mg/L) X
Nitrate (10.0 mg/L) X
Trichloroethylene X
(0.005 mg/L)
Radium (920 pCi/L(**)) X
Radon (300 pCi/L(**)) X
Coliform bacteria
(0 in 95% of samples)
Cryptosporidium parvum
(N/A)

Disinfection Distillation Reverse
(chlorination Osmosis
or UV light)

Arsenic (0.05 mg/L) X X
Asbestos (10 pm/L) X X
Benzene (0.05 mg/L) (*) (*)
Lead (0.015 mg/L) X X
Mercury (0.002 mg/L) X X
Nitrate (10.0 mg/L) X X
Trichloroethylene X (*)
(0.005 mg/L)
Radium (920 pCi/L(**)) X X
Radon (300 pCi/L(**)) (*) (*)
Coliform bacteria X X
(0 in 95% of samples)
Cryptosporidium parvum X X
(N/A)

(*) Additional treatment for these contaminants is provided through the carbon filters that are usually part of distillation and reverse-osmosis systems.

(**) Pico Curies per liter

Source: The Water Quality Association3

 

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