ALADDINS MAGIC PLUMBING & AIR CONDITIONING

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Water is generally classified as Surface Water and Ground Water. Surface water is water found in rivers, lakes or other surface impoundment. Surface water is typically not high in mineral content. Surface water may pick up and contain numerous contaminants. Animal wastes, pesticides, insecticides, industrial wastes, algae and organic matter may be found in surface waters. Surface water found in mountain lakes and streams could possibly contain bacteria from the feces of wild animals. That's why even this "pure mountain water" should be boiled or disinfected before drinking.

As water seeps down into the ground, it can become trapped beneath the surface. It is then called Ground Water. Rain, rivers, lakes and snow are some of the sources of water that supply underground water.

Because of the many sources, ground water can contain many of the same contaminants found in surface water as well as some of the minerals it dissolves during it's passage underground. If water contains dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium, at certain levels these minerals produce what is known as "hard water".

Water is sometimes called the "Universal Solvent", it tends to dissolve a little bit of almost everything it comes in contact with. So, for example, where a mineral like limestone is common in the rock, well water from these areas may be very high in dissolved calcium, and therefore considered "hard". Even after reaching a home, it can continue to dissolve materials such as lead from solder in plumbing pipes.

Of all the water on earth, 97% of it is sea water, only about 3% of it is fresh water; and 2% of that is frozen and locked in the polar ice caps and glaciers. Only 1/2 of 1% of all fresh water is underground; about 1/50th of 1% of all water is found in lakes and streams.

Of all the water treated and processed by public water treatment plants, only one half of one percent is used in the home for drinking and cooking. The rest is used in agriculture and industry. The average human being is made up of about 70% water. And, a normal, healthy person can survive less than a week without water.

Water softeners work on the principle of ion exchange with salt free ions (sodium & potassium) substituting for calcium and magnesium ions. Once the calcium and magnesium are removed, the water is no longer hard. Water softeners, while neutralizing the "hardness' concentration of magnesium and calcium increase the salt content of water. For every calcium and magnesium ion removed, two salt ions are added. All softened water is not recommended for drinking, therefore a secondary removal system such as, reverse osmosis, should be used.

Water softeners contain a resin that will remove soluble iron on an ion-exchange basis, the same way as calcium and magnesium are removed in water softening. Depending on the size of the unit, removal up to 10 ppm of soluble iron can be removed. Iron is not considered a health problem, but it can be very objectionable if present in amounts greater than 0.3 ppm.

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Last modified: October 17, 2000