Water Filter Blog

Got Water Scale? The Fix Salt Free Water Conditioners

2012-05-31T08:49:24-07:00

One of the most popular home water treatment system types are salt free water conditioners. Although sometimes incorrectly referred to as a “salt free water softener” the Watts ScaleNet and E-Treat systems help to reduce the effects of water hardness and help prevent scale buildup.

Where in the United States is Water Scale a Prominent Issue? Water scale really is a larger issue for people and companies that are in the South West and Central parts of the country. Mind you there are other small geographic locations where there are high levels of calcium carbonate such as sections along Florida’s coast line, upstate New York, and regions of the Mid west around Milwaukee, Chicago, and Indianapolis.

What is Water Scale and Why Is It A Problem? Scale is the result of water supplies that have high concentration of calcium ions (Ca2+), magnesium ions (Mg2+), and bicarbonate ions (HCO3-) that crystalize as off-white solids in pipes, appliances, and other plumbing surfaces. Not only is this an unpleasant sight to see around household areas such as faucets, it leads to higher heating and energy costs and expensive repairs to appliances, such as ice machines, coffee makers, dishwashers and cooling towers in commercial buildings.

How does a salt free water conditioner work? The Watts ScaleNet™ system uses a template assisted crystallization, or TAC process which transforms these dissolved ions into non-charged, neutral chemical bonds of calcium and magnesium crystals. These microscopic crystals of scale quickly form in treated water and cannot attach to pipes or any surface, and are rinsed away downstream in a colloidal suspension by the water flow.

1. The T.A.C Media releases a “template” into the water

2. The “template” attracts and captures the scale contaminants (Ca, Mg & MCO3) by turning them into crystals that stick to the TEMPLATE'S surface.

3. The TEMPLATE carries the scale harmlessly through the piping

A Salt Free Water Conditioner is not a water softener. It does not remove the hardness minerals from the water. As a result you may still see some white film build up on glasses, shower doors, etc, however this should wipe away easily. The ScaleNet media can also have a descaling effect on pipes and fixtures that already have existing scale buildup. Existing scale can be heavily reduced in as little as one or two months.

Do you need assistance to determine if a salt free water conditioner is right for your home or business? Need assistance in sizing the right salt-fee water conditioning system? FreshWaterSystems.com can help, simply send us an email or give one of our 8 Certified Water Quality Specialist a call and we can help you navigate your way to scale free water.

Putting Your Shower Water Usage to Work Making Coffee: The New Bathe & Brew System

2012-04-01T07:02:01-07:00

Each and every day, we open our eyes and begin our busy morning routines. Many of us rush around trying to eat, shower, and get ready for the day, wishing that we could have more time. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to find that one new product that helps us multi-task and save precious time by combining several tasks into one product. FreshWaterSystems.com would like to introduce you to a new product, a revolutionary solution to help you brew up some extra time before work!

* Updated 4-2-2012: April Fools!

A multi-taskers dream, the Obe’ir Bathe & Brew Shower Head Water Filter and Coffee Maker can brew up to 12 cups of great tasting coffee, in the shower - while you shower! Simply hook up the Bathe & Brew to your existing shower water supply, and mount it with the included hardware to enjoy a stress-free morning. Choose form 2 styles of shower head designs traditional or Culligan Raindisk style .The Bathe & Brew’s soft-touch control panel provides an easy-to-read digital display that keeps you informed of both shower water and coffee temperature! The Bathe & Brew features a removable filter basket, a convenient water level indicator, a power light indicator and a smooth exterior that wipes clean with any soft, damp cloth.

How Does the Bathe & Brew Work?

Measure: 1 tablespoon of you favorite ground coffee for every 3 minutes in the shower.
Lather Up: While you shampoo, the Bathe & Brew makes fresh coffee at a rate of one cup per 12 gallons of shower water.
Enjoy: Now that you’re clean and have a fresh cup of coffee, you can enjoy the extra time you save each morning with the Bathe & Brew!

Additional Bathe & Brew Features:

Push button dispenser for your favorite brand of shampoo and conditioner
Multiple Shower and Coffee settings
Stainless Steel housing that stands up to even the harshest dandruff shampoos
Universal Shower Head mount with safety shut-off

Finally, you can take cream with your conditioner. With the Bathe & Brew, it’s like having a barista right there in your bathroom We will have more information and an update tomorrow (April 2, 2012 )about the Bathe & Brew. You can learn more about the latest in water filter systems at FreshWaterSystems.com

Happy World Water Day, From FreshWaterSystems.com

2012-03-22T17:59:52-07:00

We are one of the luckiest countries on the planet, especially in terms of resources. It is not very often that we in the United States think about food, water, and shelter - the basics for human survival. But there is a substantial portion of the world’s population that does. In several locations on our planet, people’s entire day is consumed by the collection of food and water. Did you know it is estimated that 884 million people lack access to clean water? That’s about three times the population of the United States. Another alarming fact about the scarcity of clean water is that estimates show there are 3.5 million people dying each year from water-related sicknesses. Once a year the UNWater.org organization sheds light on the global issue of access to clean drinking water by holding a “World Water Day”, which falls this year on March 22, 2012. To learn more about World Water Day, please visit http://www.unwater.org

Many people start their day by waking up, having breakfast, taking a shower, and then going about their daily routines. And during the course of the day, we have been told by everyone from teachers to doctors to make sure we stay hydrated. Experts recommend that the average person drink roughly eight 8 oz. glasses of water each day, or about one half of a gallon. So, if there are around 370 million people in the United States, someone might conclude that Americans could personally consume up to 185 million gallons of water per day.

Well, not so fast! If it were just drinking water being consumed, then that number might be close. But we forget that there is a "hidden water cost” in everything that we do. And what may come as an even bigger surprise is that very little of that —only five percent—runs through our toilets, taps, and garden hoses. Nearly 95 percent of the water footprint we leave behind is hidden in the food we eat, the energy we use, and nearly every product we buy.

FreshWaterSystems.com asks that you join us to take a moment on World Water Day and think about what each of us can do to protect and conserve one of the world’s most valuable natural resources, fresh water.

Will You Get 2800 Gallons of Water for Valentine’s Day?

2012-02-14T05:23:12-08:00

Happy Valentine’s Day from FreshWaterSystems.com !

The holiday card, flower, and chocolate industries all have something else in common besides gifts given on Valentine’s Day: their manufacturing processes are all dependent on quality treated water. Suppose you were asked to rank these three gift ideas - a dozen roses, a 1-lb heart-shaped box of chocolates, or a Valentine’s Day card - according to the amount of water that was used during the production process. What would your answer be? How many gallons of water do you think it takes to make each gift?

To give you time to think about the answers, we'll briefly point out a few unique gift ideas that you might like to consider giving to your sweetie this Valentine’s Day. You can choose from 11 different colored insulated stainless steel water bottles. And doesn't everyone love a long, hot shower during cooler months? Enjoy it more by using a shower head filter or bath filter that reduces chlorine that causes dry skin and brittle hair. And our last gift ideas includes simple and economical ways you can enjoy your filtered water: either right from your tap, which includes faucet filters, or from filtered water pitchers. Ok, so was that enough time to come up with your answers to the above question? Let's see how well you did -

The typical Valentine’ Day card is made from various types of card stock, perhaps wood pulp or maybe even part "rag" (textile waste) for a more sturdy, and fairly expensive, paper. The manufacturing process for that piece of card stock paper would only require about 3 gallons of water, the smallest water footprint of the three.

A staple for Valentine’s Day is a dozen red roses - Not taking into account the water used to fill any vases, you might have thought that flowers would have the largest water foot print of the three, but this is not the case. One study found that it takes about 18 gallons of water to produce 12 red roses.

Next we'll look at chocolate, here is the whopper - a popular choice for many years, but to produce that 1-lb heart-shaped box of chocolates requires a staggering 2800 gallons of water !

If this post has inspired your curiosity a bit, then we would like to encourage you to follow us on Twitter @FWaterSys. As a special follow up to the topic of water consumption, for the next 10 days under the hashtag #waterfootprint , we will reveal the amount of water consumed in 10 other common items found in the manufacturing process. At Fresh Water Systems, we believe that by improving the quality of water, we are improving the quality of life.

Call of Duty MW3 Group Holds Event to Help Others Get Clean Drinking Water

2012-02-01T09:12:46-08:00

There have been many ways to describe video game players, and most of them are not flattering. That is why, when a story comes along like this it’s worth making mention of in order to hopefully dispel some of these negative stereotypes. So how can shooting someone in Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) help others, you may ask? Two of the better know MW3 players, and You-tubers, got together to play a team match to benefit the charity Thirst Relief International.

The event was an 18 hour live stream on YouTube, and had over fourteen thousand people watching and cheering on their favorite YouTube stars and MW3 pros. After the event was over, event and community founder Eric “the Aviator” revealed that over $18,000 had been raised for Thirst Relief International. According to the charity’s website (http://thirstrelief.org/) each $5 donated will provide 25 years’ worth of clean drinking water for one person. So this event is slated to help 3,600 people find clean drinking water.

You do not have to be a video gamer to get behind this cause. If you need a little more convincing, here are a few facts about what could be a looming global water crisis from blueplanetnetwork.org

It is estimated that 1.1 billion people worldwide have no access to safe drinking water, roughly about 1 out of every six people on the planet.
In the past 10 years, diarrhea has killed more children than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II.
80 percent of diseases in the developing world are caused by contaminated water.
There are 2.2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, who die every year from diseases associated with the lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
If people did nothing other than provide access to clean water, without any other medical intervention, we could save 2 million lives a year.

Please be sure to check out Thirst Relief International to learn more about their cause and their projects, and to find out how you can act now to help.

Water Ultrafiltration Systems: #1 Water Holiday Idea and Peeking into 2012

2011-12-23T18:45:39-08:00

Well, our number one water holiday idea might also be a preview of the best new water filtration technology of 2012. Many believe that water Ultrafiltration represents the next generation of affordable residential and commercial water treatment products by providing a “Green” approach in the water treatment marketplace, when compared to other competitive technologies such as reverse osmosis and ultraviolet sterilization.

NEW Learn About ultrafiltration water treatment and compare it to reverse osmosis systems

What is water Ultrafiltration? Historically, the process of water Ultrafiltration has been used in large municipal water treatment plants and hospitals. Thanks to advances in technology, it is now available to you as a powerful under-sink water filtration system in your home. The system works by using a membrane type filtration process with standard home water pressure to push water through its semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane element. Particles and materials of high molecular weight that are suspended in the water are unable to pass through the 0.02 micron UF membrane, thus reducing a wide array of contaminates such cysts, viruses, bacteria, lead, chlorine, and more. Only fresh clean water and dissolved beneficial minerals are allowed to pass through your faucet.

Unlike other technologies that use electricity or waste gallons of water to produce small amounts of clean water, ultra water filtration system will constantly provide a continuous supply of water no matter the occasion. Additional proven filtration medias are incorporated in an Ultrafiltration water systems to aid in the removal of sediment, bad taste, foul odors, undesirable chemicals and metals, and even unwanted additives like *fluoride (*AquaCera CeraGuard Details).

The Watts Ultrafiltration (UF) 3 Stage Kwick-Change, and the AquaCera CeraGuard UF drinking water systems both feature a small foot print size and are as simple as attaching them to the water line under your sink. Both of these Ultrafiltration systems have been designed for quick and easy filter changes along with considerable cost savings over replacing the lamps in a UV water system, or the membrane elements in a reverse osmosis system. This, in part, is why many think that water ultra-filtration with hollow fiber membrane technology means better drinking water for less.

FreshWaterSystems.com wishes everyone a Happy and Safe Holiday season!

Pentek 2500 4 Stage Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water System: 2nd Day Before Christmas Holiday Water Ideas

2011-12-22T07:16:10-08:00

We use water every day for many different things. We drink it, cook with it, some people use it to home brew beer or fill their aquariums. For any of these uses you want the water to be as pure as possible and the most effective way to accomplish this at home is with a reverse osmosis system.
Fresh Water Systems currently offers the Pentek RO-2500 4 stage reverse osmosis drinking water system starting at $139.99. The RO-2500 is available with add-ons such as a permeate pump or alkaline water filter.

The non-electric permeate pump add-on will reduce the volume of rinse water “wasted” by up to 80% and decrease the time it takes to fill the storage tank by as much as 65%. Installing the permeate pump isolates the RO membrane from the back pressure of the storage tank which dramatically improves the efficiency of the membrane. This means that adding the permeate pump to your system will improve your water quality while wasting less water, all without using any electricity.

The alkaline ionized ro water filter add-on is a great option for customers looking for a less expensive alternative to water ionizers or alkaline water systems. Many of these systems can cost thousands of dollars and while they may give you the pH or ORP results you are looking for, most of them do not purify the water. The alkaline filter uses a 10 stage process to raise the pH, lower the ORP and give your water a refreshing mineral flavor. Using the RO-2500 with the alkaline filter add-on gives you the benefit of the purification from the reverse osmosis system as well as the increased pH and lowered ORP from the alkaline water filter.

Water Filter Pitchers: 3rd Day Before Christmas Holiday Water Ideas

2011-12-21T08:31:07-08:00

There are just some days when you get home, you hope that there's a large pitcher of cold water inside your refrigerator so satisfy your thirst. What would be even better is cold water that has been filtered to remove any chlorine, bad tastes or bad odors. Sometimes the thought of plumbing in a drinking water system is just too complicated. If you live in an apartment or dorm room, you may not be allowed to redo the plumbing under your kitchen sink. A Water Pitcher Filter System is the perfect solution to provide clean better tasting water. Water Pitcher Filter Systems are also very portable and can be easily packed when you are traveling.

The Water Filter Pitchers brands we offer, such as Culligan PIT-1 water filter pitcher, can hold up to two quarts of water and can easily fit into most refrigerators shelves. Each filter last for approximately 50 gallons, or 60 days and can be easily replaced. To replace the filter for a pitcher system, remove the filter from the packaging and soak in some tap water for ten minutes, then run some water over it to wash away any carbon fines. Twist the filter into your pitcher and you're ready to go. The Water Filter Pitcher can be used to fill a tall class of cold refreshing water, or fill up your pets water bowls with healthy contaminant free water, or fill up your water bottle before your workout. Filter packs are easy to find at FreshWaterSystems.com and usually come in a three pack which should last for 6 months. With a water filter pitcher your house guest might be talking more about the great tasting water than your food.

Nautilus Countertop Water Distiller: 4th Day Before Christmas Holiday Water Ideas

2011-12-20T08:51:56-08:00

Are you or someone on your holiday gift list extremely conscious of what they put in their body? Are they constantly reading nutrition labels and giving advice on what you should or should not eat and drink? Then they will probably appreciate a Nautilus Countertop Distiller.

The Nautilus Distiller purifies the water through steam distillation. The water is boiled, causing the steam to rise, leaving behind the contaminants and impurities, into the condensing coil where it is cooled and condensed back to water, then drips through the carbon postfilter for a final polishing before collecting in the BPA free reservoir. This process is based on the hydrologic cycle, which is nature’s way of purifying water.

A countertop water distiller system is great for anyone that doesn’t want to deal with the installation of a reverse osmosis system, or is living in an apartment, dorm room or rental and are not able to install a system. You just set the Nautilus on the counter, plug it in, fill the boiling chamber with water and turn it on. Even if you don’t want to use the distiller for drinking water, there are plenty of other uses for distilled water. Vaporizers, humidifies, steam irons, lead-acid batteries, CPAP machines, waterfalls/water features, aquariums and engine cooling systems are some other applications for the use of distilled water.

Right now, Fresh Water Systems is offering the Nautilus Counter Distiller with a promo pack that includes the distiller, one 20 oz jar of Still Clean distiller cleaner/descaler, one 6 pack of carbon postfilters and an 18 oz Neo-Vas stainless steel water bottle for $379.00. Ground shipping is only $1.99!

Steripen UV Water Purifier: 5th Day Before Christmas Holiday Water Ideas

2011-12-19T09:41:09-08:00

We have the perfect gift idea for anyone you know that travels out of the country, enjoys camping, and likes to be prepared in case of emergency situations. Let’s start off with a practical story, where I really wish I would have owned a UV water filter myself.

A few years ago I went on a Caribbean cruise, which stopped at several ports of call. At one of our scheduled stops, one of the attractions was exploring the city’s history and culture on foot. To add to the authentic experience, we decided to pass on the typical American restaurants and get lunch in an authentic island café. We sat down, were greeted by our waiter with glasses of water, which was a very welcome site after our 2 hour trek in the heat. But things went downhill very quickly from there, the experience ending with the receipt of my ant-covered sandwich. Needless to say we quickly left, but the worst was yet to come. Let’s just say that those glasses of water came back to haunt us a few hours later, with all four of us sick and fighting for turns in the bathroom. Not the memories anyone would want to bring home from a vacation. I only wish that I would have known about the Steripen handheld UV water purifier.

The Steripen UV water purifier uses ultraviolet light to disinfect drinking water. In as little as 48 seconds, 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and protozoan cysts such as giardia and cryptosporidia, are destroyed. And all of this safety can be found in a small, compact, and stylish package that fits right into your pocket! But this technological wonder is not just for the ten million international travelers that the CDC estimates will develop diarrhea from contaminated water; it’s a great idea for everyone who enjoys the outdoors, and it’s even handy in case of a water emergency.

For Campers and Hikers: If you know someone who likes camping or hiking, they know that contaminated water cannot be visually detected. Just because water looks clean, it might not be. There are several types of microorganisms which most often come from animal and human waste and are spread by water run-off. The Steripen water purifier protects your most precious thing when you’re camping or hiking, your water.

For Emergency Situations: Many of us live, or know someone who lives, in an area that is prone to natural disasters. Whether it be hurricanes, floods, tornadoes or earthquakes , all natural disasters can disrupt safe drinking water supplies in a number of ways, and that has the potential to create ideal environments for microbial growth. And Steripen should be an essential part of your emergency preparation.

Remember, if you need a cool, last minute gift idea for the traveler, adventure, the preparer, or the techie in your family; consider one of the Steripen UV water purifier products. You can easily see why the Steripen was named on Time Magazine’s All-Time 100 Gadgets, and recently name in Fox News Hottest Tech Toys.