Water & Air – Filter Systems News

Many of us don’t spend time thinking about the quality of our pool water until the swimming pool becomes cloudy. When that happens, we look for a solution to the problem that can often be avoided with the proper maintenance of your swimming pool, spa or hot tub.

Before I dive in any further, you need to know what water clarity is. Water clarification is defined as the removal of suspended particulate matter from swimming pools, spas and hot tubs. There are three reasons why water clarity is important.

1. Disease prevention: Cloudy water often contains viruses and bacteria which causes pinkeye, earaches and flu-like symptoms. Giardia and E. Coli (two of the most common bacteria) can cause diarrhea and even death in some cases.

2. Appearance: Cloudy, discolored and unsightly water makes swimming objectionable for many reasons. Would you want to swim in murky water?

3. Swimming safety: Accidents are likely to occur when swimmers entering the pool cannot see those already swimming. Worse yet, if someone is in trouble underwater and he or she can’t be seen due to cloudy water, the risk of drowning increases.

As a pool or spa owner, you are probably no stranger to water clarity issues. After all, it’s only natural that the pool/spa water will eventually become cloudy. Oftentimes, this cloudiness is caused by a lack of water sanitizers, such as chlorine. If chlorine isn’t the problem, then the issue could be suspended particulate matter such as:

• Contamination from swimmers or bathers
• Silt
• Dirt
• Algae
• Organic matter
• Bacteria and protozoa
• Minerals and metals
• Lotions and suntan oils

Water clarity issues are handled through a combination of filtration and chemical treatment. Filters clarify water by removing particulate matter (such as dirt particles, skin flakes and algae) suspended in the water. Most particulate matters vary in micron size, and when it builds up, the pool water becomes cloudy. The type of pool or spa filter you will need depends solely on the type of pool you currently own. You also need to take a few other things into consideration as well, such as the type of problems you will need the filter to fix.

Does your pool suffer from high levels of bacteria? Then the Watersafe Rapid Bacteria Pool Water Test will be best for you. Are you unsure about the water quality in your pool, spa, or hot tub? Then the Pool Water Check Meter (pictured above) is the perfect choice. This water testing meter checks the water quality in your pool and spa and includes a scanner and one bottle of test trips for your convenience.

Regardless of the type of filter you use, the filter must be in proper working condition to ensure sparkling and clean water. If the filter wears out, the filter will lose its ability to properly grab the small particles. To maximize your filters effectiveness, regularly clean and replace the filter according to manufacturer’s specifications.

If you are planning on going for a swim at a public swimming pool, keep in mind that most state health departments require that the main drain be visible from the pool deck at all times. If it is not clearly visible, do not get in.

Enjoy the spring and summer months, you’ve earned it. Keeping a watchful eye on maintenance and the water quality in your pool, spa, or hot tub will benefit you in the long term. We’re always here to help and assist in any of your pool/spa filter needs. If you have any questions, concerns, or are in need of friendly advice, leave a comment and our in-house filter experts will be glad to help you out.

August is National Water Quality Month, a month where many will take a look at the quality of water they are drinking. Water is an essential part of life, but poor quality drinking water can be the source of many health-related issues, such as tuberculosis, salmonella and diarrhea. Fortunately, there are ways we can know the quality of our water.

One of the common ways to determine your water quality is the use of water test kits. The Complete Home Water Quality Test Kit, priced at under $40, is the best to use. This will test your water for over 13 contaminants including bacteria and copper. This kit includes two test strips for each contaminant and one test strip for bacteria.

Once you have tested your water for contaminants, how do you purify it? This is a task that may seem daunting, but the process doesn’t have to be.

One way to purify your water is through the use of UV lights. Disinfecting your drinking water with Ultraviolet lights is environmentally safe and proven to provide sterile drinking water. Ultraviolet filters use high frequency light to irradiate water through a glass element. Once the water is exposed to the light, all living organisms, such as bacteria, are destroyed.  The Inline Ultraviolet Sterilization Filter connects directly onto your 1/4″ water line to provide sterile drinking water by killing 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. This UV filter has a flow rate of 1 gallon per minute.

The 3M Aqua-Pure Water Filter Replacement is one of the best whole house water filter cartridges available. This filter features high flow rates up to 20 gallons per minute and reduces the unpleasant taste and odor of chlorine as well as sediment and other impurities.

The Whirlpool 4396710 is the new and improved filter for Whirlpool side-by-side refrigerators. This Whirlpool Refrigerator Water Filter reduces unpleasant taste, odor, scale buildup and more in your water and ice. You should replace this filter every six months or if your water has a foul odor and taste. For a complete list of refrigerator water filters, go to Filtersfast.com and type in “refrigerator water filters” in the search box.

This August, let’s take the necessary steps to ensure better quality of water in our homes. 

“It is hard to imagine that an instrument weighing only 2 oz. could make ripples in the water industry.” - Jessica Moorman associate editor for Water Quality Products.

Did you know that one of the most important things you can do for your health is to regularly check the quality of your water supply? Too many times we think that just because the water looks clean means that it is clean. Sadly, that is not the case. Many waterborne particles are not visible to the naked eye, meaning you could be ingesting harmful toxins without knowing it. This is why utilizing a water test meter is critical. Of all the choices available for water quality analysis, we suggest HM Digital. They provide premier, high quality water test TDS meters.

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) is anything in the water you can’t see other than pure H2O. This could include any salt, metal and/or minerals. The lower the TDS level, the purer the water. HM Digital provides accuracy in TDS testing and offers great features for affordable prices. According to Charles Lee, Managing Director for HM Digital, Inc.:

“HM Digital strives to provide higher quality products at more affordable prices.  All of HM Digital’s instruments, pack in more features and specifications than the competition, yet are available at the same or better price.  The company’s industry-leading warranties solidify the brand as the first choice in instrumentation.”

With that said, there is little doubt why HM Digital is the choice for you when it comes to testing your water, whether it is for your pool, spa, or everyday drinking water.

The HM TDS-3 Meter with Carrying Case features little maintenance and convenient features such as a large, easy-to-read LCD Display and an auto off function to conserve battery life. Suitable for residential and commercial use, this HM Digital Meter provides accurate results of the waterborne contaminants that may be lurking in your water supply. Use this meter to:

• Check the performance of your water filter
• Confirm that your drinking water is at a healthy, safe TDS level
• Measure TDS levels for other applications such as residential RO applications

A vinyl carrying case with a belt clip and a three year limited warranty is included with the purchase of the HM TDS-3 Meter.

The HM Digital PH-200 Meter is a highly accurate, professional-grade digital pH and temperature meter. The HM PH200 can be used for pH testing, water purification applications, pools, spas, wine or coffee applications and more. This accurate and useful meter has a one year factory warranty and comes with one 7.0 PH buffer.

The HM Digital PH Buffer is economically priced, lightweight and has an indefinite shelf life. Preparation directions are included on the bottle for your convenience. Three packets of 4.0 pH, 6 packets of 7.0 pH and 3 packets of 10.01 pH are included upon purchase.

The HM Digital PTDS-4TM Pocket Size TDS Meter is a hand held digital water quality tester which is used to test the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) and other impurities in water. This pocket size HM Digital water test TDS meter is the smallest and lightest TDS meter available on the market. Its uses range from testing the water quality of pools/spas to your drinking water at home. The housing of this HM Digital water quality tester is water-resistant and has a low-battery indicator.

If you do not regularly check your water quality, you could be doing your body a huge disservice. The quality of the water you drink is just as vital to your life as water itself. Remember, the best way to benefit from water is to draw from a clean source of water.

For more information on HM Digital, check out the video below:

Generally speaking, there are two ways people get their drinking water: through city water and well water. But what are they and what is the difference between them?

City Water

City water is typically river water. While this type of water has a lot of pollutants and contaminants to begin with, it is put through an assortment of cleaning processes and purity tests before entering your home. By law, city water is treated on a daily basis and often has chemicals added to it such as chlorine and fluoride. Bringing in city water requires changing the pipes in and around your home. Also, you have the added cost of a monthly water bill. Despite daily testing, there is the risk of contamination from old pipe lines that need upgrading. If you doubt the safety of your water, you can do research and find various water test kits that have been done to ensure water quality. Oftentimes, the biggest problem with city water is that just because the water is safe does not mean it tastes or smells very good. City water often contains minerals that will give the water an unpleasant look, taste, smell and may have undesired effects on your dishes, laundry and your hair. Fortunately, there are filters and additives you can get for your water that will make it look and taste better.

If you want to personally test your water supply, the Watersafe All-In-One Drinking Water Test Kit is highly recommended. This test kit is for city water only and contains everything you will need to find out simply and accurately if your water contains unsafe or undesirable levels of one or more of eight common contaminants.

Another way of ensuring water quality is through the use of purifier tablets such as the Aquamira Purifier Tablets. These tablets are used by dropping one tablet into one liter of water and waiting the required time. These tablets will not discolor the water and will improve the taste of treated water.

Well Water

Well water comes directly from the ground, and while it does not go through the same cleaning process, the water is filtered to a degree as it slowly trickles from the surface into underground reservoirs. Unlike city water, there is no monthly water bill that you will be required to pay. However, as a well water owner, it is up to you to test the safety and quality of your water. Generally, well water can be clean or dirty, depending on where you live.  Just like safe water might smell or taste bad, unsafe water may taste, smell and look perfectly fine. There can be many dangerous chemicals found in well water that have no taste, smell and do not change the look of the water. Well water can often contain agricultural runoff such as fertilizers and pesticides. It can also contain jet fuel and other chemicals from “fracking” (a process used in drilling for natural gas). Unless you have your water tested, there is no way to guarantee well water is safe, free of bacteria and other dangerous chemicals.

One way to get your water treated is through the Complete Home Water Quality Test Kit which tests your water for over 13 contaminants, allowing you to identify the issues in your water quality so you will know how to correctly and appropriately treat your water.

Once you test your water, you may find it handy to invest in a whole house water filter system such as the 3M Aqua-Pure Whole House Water Filter System. This whole house water filter has a 100,000 gallon capacity or up to one year cartridge life which reduces the multi-year cartridge replacement required with most water filter cartridges. This whole house water filter system will extend the life of all your household appliances that are connected to the water line.

Which do you prefer? City water or well water? Sound off in the comments below.

What would you like to see us filter? Would you like to see us filter wine? What about milk? Or maybe you would like to see us try sandy water or vodka? Whatever your choice is, let your voice be heard and vote! Go to our Facebook page and click on “Questions” on the left side of the page. Then you will see “What would you like to see us filter?” Click on it, and the poll will look like the image below. Next, all you have to do is vote and let your voice be heard!

How far would you walk for a glass of clean drinking water? One mile? Two Miles? Did you know that in many countries, like parts of Africa for example, women and children have to walk approximately 3.7 miles to carry gallons of water back to their homes and villages? Generally speaking, women and children usually bear the burden of collecting water by walking to the nearest water source that is contaminated, because that particular water source is shared with livestock and other animals. Thus, consuming contaminated water is their only option.

Image Credit: charity:water

Water is inter-related with health. We take the ability and freedom to walk a few steps to our faucet and turn it on in order to get a glass of clean drinking water for granted. There are poor developing countries and communities who are challenged with being able to meet basic needs. When we refer to basic needs, it goes beyond what we need to drink or ingest for our daily survival. It includes the need for water to maintain a basic standard of hygiene that is sufficient to maintain health.

At W3, as we reflect on our children and loved ones each day, we think about how it would break our hearts to helplessly watch them suffer and die from simply drinking contaminated water. This could leave them susceptible and vulnerable to diseases such as viral hepatitis, cholera, typhoid, diarrhea and dysentery. When our global neighbors are suffering and dying from not having access to clean drinking water, it is a critical matter and our W3 Team just cannot sit here and do nothing.

We invite you to join us on our mission to Work and Walk for Water. There are many ways to contribute and participate in this humanitarian effort. To learn more about our W3 initiative and how you can get involved, check out our W3 – Work and Walk for Water website.

Many animals are habitable in the cold and blustery winter months. A lot of pet owners do not keep their animals in their homes and unfortunately just like humans, some outdoor pets can experience severe dehydration or injury if certain precautions are not taken to protect them. Outdoor animals could be susceptible to a certain amount of stress if they are exposed to severe weather conditions. Just as you prepare for your outdoor pets to have sufficient food and water during the hot summer months, you have to make preparations for them during the harsh winter months as well.

Quite often we witness rescues of some domestic and wild animals getting trapped in freezing cold water while they were walking on an ice laden pond or lake, as the ice gave way under them. Even if you have certain breeds of pets that are suited for enduring the cold weather (like sled dogs for example), they still need proper protection from the freezing cold elements.

Dehydration occurs when animals may have adequate outdoor shelter, but the low temperatures will cause their drinking water to freeze, leaving them with no water to drink. By frequently checking their drinking water or placing it in an insulated container, this could help to significantly reduce the possibility for dehydration, whether they are indoors or outside.

Hypothermia or frostbite occurs when a dangerous drop in body temperature can leave animals vulnerable to conditions such as pneumonia and infection. Ultimately, extended periods of exposure to the frigid elements could cause irreparable damage to the tissue in areas such as the ears, paws, tail and nose, or even worse, death. Just as you would protect yourself from exposure to extremely cold temperatures, be sure to do the same for your horse, dog, cat or even your iguana.

Image Credit: Pre-Med S.T.I.T.C.H.

The Tea Council of the USA announced that January is the month to celebrate the healing properties and comfort of enjoying a delicious hot cup of tea. Findings show that tea has potential health benefits that include flavonoids, a substance that could act as an antioxidant helping to reduce oxidative damage in the body. Drinking tea is also linked to promoting good health and reducing chronic diseases like certain types of cancer and coronary heart disease.

Did you know that the quality of the water you use to make your hot tea can have an adverse effect on the flavor and essence of your tea? Check out our previous post, “Can Water Quality Really Ruin a Good Cup of Tea?” which talks about the importance of water filtration and purification to give you the enjoyment of a nice cup of brewed tea. Here are some suggestions for cost-effective dispensers that will give you clean filtered water for your hot tea, hot coffee and even your hot cocoa:

The Everpure EverHot Hot Water System with Chrome Faucet includes a high quality hot/cold chrome faucet that is designed for use with this hot water dispenser system. This Everpure Hot Water System is ideal for enjoying a fresh, hot cup of tea, coffee or other hot beverage. It is also perfect for making quick hot meals such as soup, pasta, oatmeal and more.

The Cuisinart CleanWater Countertop Filter System is a 2 gallon capacity home water filter system that sits directly on your counter to give you fresh, clean and purified water for drinking, cooking, brewing coffee or tea and more. This water dispensing system provides hot water (up to about 194 degrees Fahrenheit) and cold water (as low as 44 degrees Fahrenheit).

The Pentek GS-10CAL/RO-B Inline Filter-GAC/Calcite can be utilized in various applications to correct low pH levels, polish water and brew better tasting tea, coffee and other beverages. It reduces unpleasant taste and chlorine odor, as well as sediment. This Pentek Inline Filter can also be used as a post filter in many reverse osmosis (RO) systems.

If you are a tea-lover, you wouldn’t want to sacrifice the flavor of your brewed beverage due to poor water quality. Filtered water does matter! So, what flavor of tea will you be savoring this month?

We worry about many different types of contaminants in our water supply: chlorine, arsenic, lead, and iron to name just a few, but, according to Fox News,  researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Onatario have discovered a new possible addition to the list: estrogen.

Dr. David Margel, a study researcher, states that “several studies now have found an association between estrogen exposure and prostate cancer. We think this is environmental. [Estrogen] goes into the water [and] into our food chain.” Margel notes that this is still a theory and that more research needs to be done. He also advises women not to stop taking birth control medication until results are conclusive.

According to Margel’s study:

“Birth control pills often contain a type of estrogen called ethinyloestradiol, which women taking the pills excrete in their urine. The hormone ends up in the water supply, or is taken up by plants or animals that use the water, and then passed up the food chain. Although the amount [of estrogen] one woman would secrete is minimal, when millions of women take it for a long period of time, it may have an environmental effect.”

Margel concedes that his findings are only the preliminary stages and that much more research must be conducted in order to discern the full impact of birth control medication on the water supply. In addition, research must also be conducted in different countries in order to truly gage how ubiquitous these cases are.

Thinking of going camping this fall season? Across the country the leaves have changed and there are a multitude of beautiful colors to be seen.  The cool, crisp air means less bugs and clear night skies full of stars. If you, like me, are not THRILLED at the prospect of sleeping outside and not having clean fresh water to drink, the following products will save the day.

Katadyn MyBottle Water Purifier- Blue Splash

This sleek and stylish Katadyn water bottle does more than simply hold water. This water bottle features a personal filtration system directly inside the bottle. The built in virustat and cyst filter will remove bacteria, viruses, cysts and other impurities from virtually all fresh water sources. In addition, the carbon cartridge removes chemicals, making your water taste better. The MyBottle is even registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency for its efficiency at removing impurities.

Use the Katadyn MyBottle to filter the following water sources:

1)      Lakes

2)      Ponds

3)      Rivers

4)      Streams

Katadyn Mini Ultralight Series Microfilter- Black

                The Katadyn Mini Ultralight Microfilter is ideal for camping and hiking. This filter removes protozoa, cysts, sediment, dirt, viruses, spores dirt and bacteria down to 0.2 microns in size. This microfilter has a 2,000 gallon capacity before needing a filter replacement. Weighing less than a pound, this easy to carry filtration system is great when you do not have a readily available fresh water source.

Klean Kanteen 18 oz Bottle & Loop Cap- Red

    The Kleen Kanteen 18 oz Bottle is BPA free and is manufactured out of the highest quality stainless steel. This is an eco friendly alternative to bringing a 24 pack of bottled water to your next camping trip. The convenient loop cap makes it easy to attach to backpacks and camping equipment.  This water bottle comes in a variety of colors.

 Nite Ize Carbiner, Klean Kanteen S-Biner # 3

         The Kleen Kanteen Carbiner will make it easy for you and your family to attach your Kleen Kanteen water bottle to belts, backpacks and camping equipment. Manufactured out of the same stainless steel as your Kleen Kanteen water bottle, two snaps is all it takes to bring your bottle everywhere you need it to go.

Vapur Anti Bottle Water Bottle- Pink 16 oz.

Perfect for the little campers in your party,  this reusable water bottle  features a space saving design. They are extremely flexible and almost completely collapsible, making this water bottle ideal when you are tight on space. The matching clip on the water bottle makes it easy to clip onto hiking bags and camping equipment. This water bottle is made out of BPA free plastic and holds 16 ounces.

With these easy to use products, you can be sure that your next camping and hiking trip will be a great success!