4 Reasons Why Water Filtration is Usually a Gimmick
Water filtration might not be a very exciting topic, and water filtration systems do not go on display in your home and attract envying stares. However, when it comes to the health of you, your family, and your home, water filtration becomes a very important (yet confusing) topic.
There is a lot of conflicting information available, designed to drive sales of substandard filtration or salt softening devices. Our goal has always been to inform people. The objective information agrees with what we do because we have built our products to support the facts – we have never attempted to twist the facts in order to support a cheaply made or ineffective product.
1. Many Water Filtration Companies are Fly-by-Night and the Products Do Not Work Properly and Do Not Last Long (Especially if Your District Uses Chloramine)
EWS has been engineering the highest quality water filtration systems since 1987. Water filtration is not a gimmick to us. It is not a joke or something that can be trusted to a fly-by-night company. There are thousands of substances in our city water, including chlorine, pesticides, jet fuel, prescription drugs, lead, chromium-6...you name it, it's in our municipal water supply. And you're drinking it, cooking with it, giving it to your pets and plants, and showering in it.
Granted, the municipalities do a fine job of lowering the amounts of each substance down to an accepted, government mandated level and they load the water with disinfectants like chlorine or chloramine to ensure our water does not contain bacteria or harmful microbes.
However, there is no such thing as an acceptable amount of pesticides or jet fuel or prescription drugs in the water you drink and bathe in. It is also not acceptable to be inhaling and absorbing chlorine or chloramine while you shower and bathe. It is also not acceptable to be replacing a filter every few months because the quality and performance is just not there. With EWS units, we use USA-made, full bed depth filters for maximum performance and filtration capability not found anywhere else in our industry. EWS sink unit filters may be replaced every 1-2 years. EWS whole home filtration systems only require filtration replacement every 7-10 years.
Furthermore, all those sink attachment filters, pitcher filters, fridge filters, and others are not effective against chloramine. Over 20% of water treatment facilities in the USA use chloramine instead of chlorine, and chloramine requires a special filtration media to ensure your water is filtered, clean, and safe for consumption.
2. Multi-Media Tanks Are Not What They Seem
Do not be fooled by the latest trends in water filtration. Here's an example: there is no such thing as a good multi-media filtration system. The amount of each filtration media needed to properly filter the water would mean that the filtration tanks would have to be at least 16 feet tall. Not a single multi-media tank on the market is over 6 feet tall, which means they're 10 feet short of giving you the healthy water you think you're buying.
3. Real Saltless Softening and Conditioning Technology is Hard to Find
EWS addresses water hardness by way of our Increased Calcite Nucleation (ICN) conditioner, which has been in use for over 24 years. Our environmentally-friendly method ensures that hardness minerals (naturally-found calcium and magnesium) do not adhere to surfaces and form hard scale build-up in your pipes, water heaters, or on surfaces.* Another bonus is that you're leaving the natural minerals in the water, which is what gives it that delicious mineral water taste like bottled spring waters. Furthermore, you will be able to use less soaps and detergents to effectively clean your clothes and dishes. The water that dries on surfaces will leave a soft, powdery mineral residue, but will not be the hard scale spots you will see in untreated water.
Do not be fooled by those saying the ICN does not function. In reality, it is the best option for salt-free "softening" out there. It is not the only option, but based on performance and longevity, it is our best. The ICN has been tested independently and has been in use worldwide for several decades.
4. The Majority of Water Filtration Systems are Made Cheaply Overseas and Are Designed Around Cheap Prices - The Result? Low Quality, Low Value
Our products are more expensive for no other reason than the quality and time that goes into each unit. EWS has often been called "the Sub-Zero or Wolf of water filtration." We do not have an advertising budget. We do not have multiple layers of distribution that cause layers of needless price increases. Our product line is available in over 700 high-end kitchen and bath showrooms nationwide. You will not find our products in big-box retailers, nor do we sell door-to-door.
There is no magic to EWS quality and performance. It is simply a result top notch engineering, stringent testing, and high standards.
EWS is the ONLY water filtration manufacturer to be recognized and showcased by the building trades – IAPMO, DPHA, NAHB, and more – and trusted by home builders, contractors, and plumbers nationwide. Our focus is on proper application of each unit based on each individual's needs and preferences, and delivering the quality and value each customer expects.
If you have any questions or need any assistance, feel free to contact EWS customer service.
*In simplified terms, hardness minerals naturally form dendritic patterns that easily adhere to surfaces, but when they come in contact with the ICN, they form concentric patterns which no longer adhere to surfaces.
Chloramine - What Is It and How Do You Remove It?
Chloramine is the result of mixing chlorine with ammonia and is fast becoming a familiar substance in our water. It is being used in place of chlorine to disinfect city water in over 20% of United States municipal water treatment facilities (and the number is growing).
Here is what you must know about chloramine and the problems associated with it:
- Mixing chlorine and ammonia results is a dangerous chemical called monochloramine. It is a toxic nerve gas and is very irritating to the skin and mucous membranes. This is what is being used in municipal water systems to disinfect the water we drink, bathe in, shower in, and cook with.
- Chloramine does not dissipate from water like chlorine does. If you let chlorinated water sit for 30-60 minutes, it will dissipate from the standing water (though it will still leave behind toxic byproducts and VOCs). When you shower, chlorine and chloramine both release into the air and you inhale it, causing irritation the lungs, throat, and eyes. People who suffer from asthma, upper respiratory issues, and cystic fibrosis cannot afford to be inhaling these chemicals.
- Chloramine has been linked to several health concerns, including gastrointestinal irritation and skin disorders (i.e. eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis). Those who shower and bathe in filtered water exhibit relief from these issues.
- Chloramine produces by-products known as nitrosodimethylamines (NDMA’s) that may be more carcinogenic than their predecessors (nitrates/nitrites).
- Chloramine cannot be removed by typical water treatment techniques – all sink attachment gadgets, refrigerator filters, and pitcher filters are useless for filtering out chloramines. Chloramine requires special filtration media.
- Chloramine can cause genetic damage in mammals, including human beings (keep reading below for more information).
In addition, a study conducted by the University of Illinois in 2004 demonstrates that a by-product of the chloramination of drinking water known as iodoacids (eye-o-doe-acids) may be the most toxic ever found in drinking water. The concern is the genetic damage they can cause in mammals (including humans) that drink chloraminated water, but also the fact that these dangerous chemicals are being released back into the environment where fish, wildlife, and the food chain can be harmed.
Like chlorine, chloramine is designed to kill pathogenic organisms by penetrating their cell walls and membranes and disrupting their metabolism. Chloramines are, however, much slower to react (i.e. not as effective), and unlike chlorine they do not evaporate from water, nor are they removed by typical water treatment techniques. The only resolution is 1. move somewhere else and get on a well or 2. get an effective filter made specifically for removing chloramine from your drinking and showering water, such as the Environmental Water Systems EWS Chloramine Removal Series or CWL Chloramine Removal Series.
Click here to see a comprehensive PDF on chloramine, what it is, what it does, and how to remove it.
"California's water is threatened by toxic, carcinogenic chemicals -- and we don't even know what they are.
High Pressure Hydraulic Fracturing (or fracking) is a dangerous method of drilling for oil and gas that is responsible for contaminating water across the country. The practice is spreading at an alarming rate, and California's huge Monterey Shale formation is one of the top prizes for frackers.
Astonishingly, thanks to the work of Dick Cheney and his secretive, industry-friendly 2005 energy policy, fracking has been exempted from EPA regulation, and as such, companies can largely conceal the long list of chemicals they pump deep underground, through our water table.
A vital new state law would change that, and set the strongest standards in the nation for fracking chemical disclosure.1 The bill, AB 591, has passed the Assembly, and is now in the State Senate, where the oil and gas industry's numerous allies are working to stop it. We can't let them. Please urge your senator to pass AB 591.
Tell your State Senator: Support AB 591 and keep secret chemicals out of California's water!
A well is fracked by pumping hundreds of thousands - or even millions - of gallons of water and a cocktail of up to hundreds of tons of chemicals, thousands of feet underground at extremely high pressure, literally cracking the rock to release pockets of oil or gas.2
While Cheney's "Halliburton Loophole" has allowed frackers to keep the list of fracking chemicals a secret, scientific examination reveals that the fluid can contain known endocrine disruptors and carcinogens, including benzene, xylene, toluene, and diesel fuel -- and that's just a few of the chemicals we know of.
That's bad news, because these chemicals don't just stay underground. Fracking fluids (along with oil and gas) can leak through well casings into our groundwater, poisoning water and literally causing it to light on fire.3 Above ground spills of fracking fluids are becoming increasingly common across the country. Rivers and lakes are being contaminated with the release of insufficiently treated waste water recovered from fracking operations.4
To properly regulate fracking, and protect our water in California, it's essential that Californians and public officials understand what chemicals are being used by drilling companies.
Tell your State Senator: Support AB 591 and keep secret chemicals out of California's water!
California's Monterey shale extends over a huge swath of our state, from Monterey County and the Central Valley to the Northern Los Angeles area.
If oil and gas drillers are allowed to pump secret chemicals through our below ground water supplies, the consequences could be disastrous, and we might not even know what our water had been contaminated with.
AB 591 is a vital first step to regulate fracking in our state, and will help encourage needed action at the federal level. Please urge your senator to stand up to the oil and gas industry and pass AB 591 now.
Tell your State Senator: Support AB 591 and keep secret chemicals out of California's water!
1. "Fracking Disclosure Bill Advances in California State Legislature," Environmental Working Group, June 6, 2011
2. "Hydraulic Fracturing 101," EARTHWORKS.
3. Burning Tap Water and More: GASLAND Exposes the Natural Gas Industry," Treehugger, June 25, 2010.
4. Regulation Lax as Gas Wells' Tainted Water Hits Rivers," New York Times, February 26, 2011"
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