Need for Treatment

If you've ever noticed rusty orange or blue/green stains in your sinks, tubs or toilets, or an unpleasant smell in your water, you are among the many afflicted with problem water. Find out what causes problem water and how to fix it.

There are many other elements and characteristics which can cause water problems. If you have a question about a specific topic, browse the categories in our FAQ or e-mail inquiry@h2odoctors.com.
FAQ Water Glossary
Water Glossary
Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Systems E-mail
Reverse Osmosis Water is highly filtered water. Many of the total dissolved solids and minerals are removed from the water. The water is pre-filtered through a specially designed sediment/carbon block cartridge that removes particles such as silt, rust, and scale down to 5 microns (equal to .0002 inch) along with chlorine, taste, and odors. Next, water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane removing many contaminates, reducing them so that the water becomes cleaner. The water then passes slowly through a carbon filter before entering a storage tank. Upon demand, the reverse osmosis water passes through a final carbon filter.
 
Is my water safe to drink? E-mail
Congress signed the Safe Drinking Water Act into law on December 16, 1974. It was designed to protect groundwater from contamination by organic and inorganic chemicals, radionuclides, and microorganisms. On a municipal water supply the water is consistently monitored to ensure that it remains in conformance with all applicable standards. On a private well, the homeowner is responsible for monitoring the water quality.  The most common test applied in this situation is a coliform bacteria test. Additional testing could be considered but would typically be case specific.
 
Why does it feel like I can’t get the soap off my skin when I bathe with soft water? E-mail
The squeaky clean feeling that many people correlate with cleanliness is actually the complete opposite. That feeling results when there is still soap residue on your body that is there because of the reaction calcium and magnesium have with soap. Your skin should actually feel smooth and slippery when wet as the natural oils are allowed to the surface of your skin. You’ll also notice that you require much less shampoo and soap in soft water as opposed to hard water. Your hair will also be free of soap residue allowing it to be more manageable.
 
What is Water Conditioning or Water Treatment? E-mail
At the residential level Water Conditioning and Water Treatment both refer to the process of removing unwanted substances from the water supply. Water Softening falls into this category as it is simply the removal of calcium and/or magnesium from your water. At the low end there are particulate filters that remove the larger particles to protect all the equipment further along the line and at the high end there are Reverse-Osmosis filter membranes that remove as much as 99.99% of everything else that might be in the water for what we refer to as “life support” water. In addition, there are specialty filtering systems for things such as sulfur, arsenic, chlorine, tannins and iron. The bottom line is that these are all designed to get as close to basic water, two hydrogen’s and one oxygen, as possible.
 
What does hard water scale do? E-mail
The minerals in hard water gradually settle out forming a hard scale. Scale build up will eventually clog pipes, and can decrease the life of toilet flushing units by 70 percent and water faucets by 40 percent according to a report published by the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Hardness scale can also shorten the life of your washing machine and dishwasher by as much as 30 percent according to the AWWA report. Scale also tends to form on the heating elements and heat transfer surfaces in these units, which leads to a shortened operational life and reduced efficiency. Reports have shown that a water heater’s useful life can be reduced by as much as 50 percent through scale build-up in addition to an increase in energy use by as much as 29%. Since the water heater is typically the 2nd largest energy user in the home this can be quite significant.
 
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Does your water need a check-up? Call or E-mail Water Doctors today for a free-in-home water analysis

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Telephone: (262) 549-7733 Or 800.207.DOCS

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