Scale is formed when minerals (usually calcium) are precipitated out of water.  The scaling process accelerates dramatically when the temperature of the water increases or when water travels across the electrically charged plates in a water ionizer.

The hidden costs of hard water scaling:

While hard water scale strains are annoying, the more significant problem is the cost associated with scale buildup.  Hot water tanks create scale at a rapid rate as the heat facilitates the precipitation of calcium out of the water.  The scale forms on the two heating elements in the tank.  As the scale builds up, more and more energy is required to heat up the water in the tank.  Nobody thinks about the additional cost of heating their hot water because it is out of sight and out of mind.  However, the energy wasted can amount to several hundred dollars per year.  Additional costs from scaling show up in the form of shortened lifespans of heat producing appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, kettles, and water ionizers.  Additional costs show up in the form or replacing taps and sinks.  The greatest cost of all, can come in the form of having to replace water lines if excessive scaling is not kept in check.

What is hard water and how is it measured?

Hard water is water with a high mineral content.  The primary components of water hardness are the cations (Ca 2+) and Magnesium (Mg 2+), with calcium playing the major role.  Calcium usually enters the water as either calcium carbonate (CaCO_3,) in the form of limestone and chalk, or calcium sulfate (CaSO₄).  The predominant source of magnesium is dolomite (CaMg(CO₃)₂).  Less significant contributors to water hardness are other dissolved compounds such as the anions of bicarbonates ( HCO₃⁻) and sulfates (SO2−4). 

Water hardness is measured in parts per million (ppm) or grains per gallon (gpg).  In the USA, 1 gpg = 17.1 ppm.  In Canada, 1 gpg = 14.2 pmp.  I prefer parts per million as the measure is consistent in both countries.  There is no absolute definition of levels of water hardness.  However, it is generally accepted that the following categories of water hardness exist:

• Soft: Below 17 ppm [or 0-1 American gpg] 
• Medium: 17.1 – 60 ppm [or 1 - American 3 gpg] 
• Medium Hard: 61 – 120 ppm [or 3 - 7 American gpg] 
• Hard: 121 – 200 ppm [or 7 – 11 American gpg] 
• Very Hard: Over 200 ppm [or over 11 American gpg

It is recommended that anyone that has hard or very hard water take measures to reduce the level of hardness, particularly from the hot water lines.  My focus is on water ionizers, and they definitely require some form of assistance to remove calcium from hard water.  The plates of a water ionizer will quickly get covered with scale in hard water which will render the ionization process useless.

Reducing hard water for an entire house:

The traditional method of reducing water hardness was to use a salt based water softener.  The keep the discussion really short and simple, the system captures calcium and magnesium with beads, and then washes out the beads with salt each day.  The state of California has banned the sale of salt based water softeners.  I expect that we will see the ban extended to other jurisdictions over time, because the high sodium content of softened water is absorbed by your skin during showers or baths.  When people use water softeners, it is recommended that the soft water not be used for drinking water, as the level of sodium typically exceeds maximum acceptable levels and definitely exceeds recommending intake levels of sodium by a wide margin.  We are now seeing growth in salt free water softeners, which are much healthier for your skin.

You can also eliminate water hardness with a distillation system or a reverse osmosis machine.  However the process is very slow and wastes a great deal of water.  As such, a reverse osmosis or distillation system is typically reserved for purifying drinking water.  I don’t care for either system if any other alternative is possible because the systems strip all of the minerals required by your body out of the water.

Reducing hardness in your drinking water:

As I stated earlier, hard water won’t hurt you.  However, it wrecks havoc with you drinking water line and tap, as scale builds up.  Homes that use salt based water softeners should always have a bypass before the water softener so that you never drink water that has passed through the softener.  If you use a salt-free water softener, you don’t need a bypass because the water is safe to drink and it will not scale up your water line or taps.  If you are thinking about installing a water softener, make sure it is a salt-free system.  The salt-free systems typically pay for themselves in about two years, so they are an excellent investment. 

If you already use use a salt based water softener and you don’t have a a bypass system under your kitchen sink, you will need a RO system to eliminate the sodium from your drinking water supply.  If you are stuck with a RO system under your sink, you will need to replenish the minerals in your drinking water with mineral drops, or by installing an in-line remineralizing filter in order to provide your body with the minerals it requires.  

What to do about hard water if you want to purchase a water ionizer?

Scaling from hard water has disastrous results for water ionizers.  Therefore, you have to deal with hard water, or don’t bother purchasing a water ionizer at all.  Since water ionizers are so import to your health, find a solution that works the best for you.

If you don’t have a water softener and you need one, make sure you purchase a salt-free system.  The system will prevent scaling and it will allow your water ionizer to work efficiently.

If you already have a salt based water softener and you want to purchase a water ionizer, you have a number of options:

A)  Bypass the water softener and install an inline magnet just before the water ionizer – one time cost of about $95

B)  Bypass the water softener and install an inline phosphate filter before the water ionizer – cost $40 every six months for a phosphate filter

C)  Install a RO system under your sink and add an inline remineralization filter – cost about $400 + $40 per remineralization filter

D)  Replace your salt based water softener with a salt-free water softener – cost about $1,000

You can also combine A) and B)  or you can add A) and B) to D).  It all depends upon the level of hardness.  These options all add to your costs, but nothing is more important to your health.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author based upon his research and experiences working with hard water conditions across the country.

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I heard a terrible true life story this week about a cancer patient that I have talked to in the past.  Her friend has always been very interested in health and convinced her to get a water ionizer.  During a recent visit, the friend was stunned to see the ionizer unplugged and a reverse osmosis system hooked up. 

It turns out that a RO salesman had told the cancer patient that she needed to disconnect the water ionizer and install a reverse osmosis machine.   The salesmen worked the old scam of using a dual precipitator to scare the customer, and the fraudulent trick worked.  The salesman ended up selling the lady a $2,000 RO system that can likely be purchased at a wholesaler for about $150.   

I can’t imagine how the salesman can look himself in the mirror.  I was so outraged by this story that I decided to move this long overdue article to the top of my priority list.   If you have a couple of minutes, check out the following link http://www.espring.com/english-eu/ResearchCenter/ElectricPrecipitator.pdf to see how the scam is played out, and what the Water Quality Association has to say about the unethical practice. 

Reverse Osmosis systems are effective at removing salt, manganese, iron, fluoride, lead, calcium, pathogens, and other minerals from water.  While salt, fluoride and lead should definitely be removed from your drinking water, essential minerals such as calcium, manganese, and iron are required by your body.  

Calcium is required by your body for proper bone formation and regeneration.  If you don’t get enough calcium in from your water and diet, osteoporosis can and will eventually develop. It is very important for pregnant women to maintain their calcium intake, as babies need the calcium to grow.  Calcium helps keep your muscles, nerves, adn heart working the way nature intended, and also plays a role in the formation of blood clots.  Why would anyone want to take this essential mineral out of their water, when it is readily available for free, and without thinking about finding an alternative source?    

Iron is involved in the formation of haemoglobin, which are part of your red blood cells.  Red blood cells pick up oxygen from your lungs and deliver the oxygen to the rest of your body.  Nothing could be more important to your survival.  Iron is also involved in brain development and function, muscle activity, cell division and growth, and body temperature regulation.  You don’t want an RO machine removing this essential mineral from your water. 

Manganese helps the body form connective tissue, bones, blood-clotting factors, and sex hormones. It also plays a role in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, calcium absorption, and blood sugar regulation. Manganese is also necessary for normal brain and nerve function.  Doesn’t sound like we want to remove manganese either.

While all of these minerals can be found in certain food sources or suplements, they are readily available in your drinking water for free and without having to worry about them.   The claim to fame of RO systems is that they produce almost “pure” water.    However, “pure’ water is the last thing human bodies need.  “Pure” water doesn’t exist in nature and it should never be used for drinking water unless single or multifunctional filters are not accessible.  The entire concept of eliminating essential minerals from your water just doesn’t make any sense.  The key is to remove the “bad” stuff and keep the “good” stuff.

A reverse osmosis membrane (thin film composite membrane) doesn’t remove chlorine and chlorine by products from the water. The filters that are positioned vertically below the actual RO membrane are necessary to remove sediment and chlorine.  Those same filters can be purchased separately to perform the same functions without requiring you to purchase an expensive RO system that is bad for drinking water. 

Situations do exist where RO systems can be useful.  In commercial situations where minerals need to be stripped out of the water, a RO system makes perfect sense.  In disaster situations, a RO system can be hooked up to a generator to purify pathogen infested water.  RO systems can also be used when single or multifunctional filters are not available.  However, I would always recommend having your water tested and finding the proper filters to make your water safe and pleasant to drink.

In the past, when salt based water softeners were the only form of water softener available, RO systems were recommended to remove salt out of the water after the water had been softened with the salt.  Now days, there is absolutely no reason to ever install or use a salt based water softener.  Therefore, RO systems are no longer needed when hard water is a problem.  In fact, the state of California has banned salt based water softeners and it is anticipated that the EPA will ban the sale of salt based water softeners altogether.

For all municipal source water supplied in the USA or Canada, RO systems simply don’t make sense.  RO systems will remove fluoride and chlorine or chloramines etc. from drinking water, but so will under counter or whole house filter systems.  Cost effective customized filter systems can easily be installed that will remove contaminants introduced by a municipality, or remove bacteria that might slip by the municipality filtration system.  Call your municipality or a local water expert to find out what is in your source water, and then protect your family from the problems with a simple filter system.

For source water that comes from wells, lakes, rivers, or any other non-municipal source, the key is to have the source water analysed.  Solutions are available to remove virtually any contaminant from the water, without removing vital minerals.

If you need any more convincing, here a couple of factors that might help you decide:

• Household RO systems waste a great deal of water.  A RO system typically generates only 1 gallon of RO water for every 8 to 18 gallons of waste water that it produces.  You are either paying your municipality for your water, or you are unnecessarily taxing your septic system for water that is not good for you.
• RO systems are very slow, which means you need a holding tank.  The holding tanks are your own little cesspool under your sink.  I know a businessman that manufactures salt-free water softeners.  He offers people that use a RO system a free holding tank if they cut open their existing holding tank and decide that they want to continue using an RO system.  I’m not kidding about this.  Nobody will ever use a RO system once they get a look at what the inside of their holding tank looks like after a few months.

As always, the opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.  Always seek out the advice of your health care provider when it comes to health issues.

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Bashing other companies or products in order to make your product look good by comparison is pathetic. The public is looking for information and the truth, not a sales pitch. Can you imagine GM using its marketing dollars to tell people not to buy a Ford or Chrysler because they make lousy cars? I think it was about 15 to 20 years ago that Coke and Pepsi went through a short period of bashing each other. The strategy turned the public off and people started looking to alternatives. The management teams at both Coke and Pepsi figured out very quickly that people don’t like that type of approach. I hope that the water ionizer companies learn the lesson quickly, so that they can start to focus on the important issues. I believe that everyone in the health care industry should be morally obligated to become as well informed as possible, as customers are putting their trust in their hands.

Now it’s time to take an honest look at what it takes to produce the best results from a water ionizer machine. I will start by saying that you can ignore most of the marketing hype that you see on the internet. While some sites provide excellent information, most focus their efforts on selling you their product. Marketing people emphasize the virtues of the products, and minimize the factors that are lacking in their machines.

Despite all the flashy proclamations on the internet, there are two key elements to producing the best results for ionized water. Marketing companies illustrate other virtues, but they are secondary factors in producing good results. The primary factors are:

1) The amount of electrolysis that actually occurs in the ionizing chamber of a water ionizer.
2) Dealing with the factors presented by the source water.

Dealing with issue number one (the time that water is exposed to the ionizer plates) is easy. It is simple physics to understand that the more electrolysis that takes place, the better the results in terms of producing pH and ORP. So, how do the machines achieve maximum electrolysis? The ionizer companies go on and on about the plate size, the material the plates are made of, solid plates vs. mesh plates vs. slotted plates, and power. The simple fact is that the more exposure to the surface area of the plates, the more electrolysis takes place.

More surface area can be achieved in three ways… more plates, bigger plates, and introducing slots in the plates. More plates cost more and therefore push the price up. Bigger plates make the machines bigger and therefore make the appearance of the machine on your counter more conspicuous. Slotted plates add 25% more surface area (according to the physicists) without changing the size or number of the plates. So, it seems that slotted plates are a “no-brainer” as it doesn’t affect cost or size. You will see the companies that don’t have slotted plates present an argument about clogging, but it is nonsense. Putting slots in plates is a positive thing and it doesn’t increase the cost, so all the companies should be doing it. In every case, if you slow the flow of the water flow over the plates down, the results will improve, because more contact with the plates means more electrolysis. The review sites use water flow rates as one of the tricks to make their machines look like they produce the best results.

The manufacturers have been engaging in a battle of the number of plates for the past year. I believe that the primary reason for this strategy has been to combat the claims of one of the Multi Level Marketing companies that their machine was better because it had more plates. It is obvious that more plates are better, but how much is enough? I personally wasn’t convinced that moving from 5 plates to 7 plates would actually make a significant difference in performance, as I assumed it was just more marketing hype that would allow companies to raise their prices. However, when testing 5 plate versus 7 plate machines, the 7 plate machines do in fact produce better results under soft water or hard water conditions. If your source water is ideal (pH level of 7.1 to 7.3 and moderate hardness 80 to 140 parts per million), then you can achieve reasonably good results with a 5 plate machine.

Choosing a machine for its plate size becomes a personal issue. Bigger plates are better, but it makes the units bigger and more cumbersome. A bigger unit on the counter bothers some people, but not others. If a machine has small plates, the shortfall can be overcome somewhat by a machine that has more power. Personally, I can’t wait until the industry provides a wide array of under the counter “UTC” units that are priced more reasonably than what is available at this time. UTC units will allow for outstanding output from machines without worrying about the size, because the machine will be hidden away.

Now we need to deal with the more tricky factors, the source water. Canada and the USA have many different source water issues. We have to deal with great variations in the amount of hardness in the water, and we also have to deal with other water issues such as impurities. In cities, most people have to deal with chlorine and fluoride, which are negative factors, as well as concerns about the contents of older pipes. Rural areas don’t have to deal with chlorine and fluoride, but they typically have to deal with sediment in the water, and sometimes nasty things like nitrates (on farms) or heavy metals.

Unfortunately, the water ionizer companies have basically ignored the various issues and focused on selling their units. It is a typical case of greed, where profits are more important than safety. I believe that they can do a much better job. The only issue that the companies have addressed at all is the issue of soft water. Soft water is a problem for water ionizers because soft water contains very few minerals, and the ionizer requires minerals to work.

There are two different strategies that the various companies have chosen to deal with soft water. The old fashioned way to deal with a shortage of minerals in the water is with a calcium port, and the two oldest ionizer companies use this method. Companies that use this system have their customers purchase calcium and inject it into the machine. This system is effective, but I personally don’t care for it, because the amounts injected are not metered out in any systematic and accountable way, and the cost is both high and unnecessary. In my opinion, the better way to deal with soft water is to use filters that slowly introduce minerals into the water as the water moves through the filters. This system makes a lot more sense on an intuitive level, and there are no additional costs. While I would like to say that the manufacturers have perfected this system, it appears that they still have some work to do. Fortunately, one company in particular seems to be getting much better results than others when it comes to dealing with soft water, so it is just a matter of time until the competitors make the adjustment.

When it comes to the nasty things that we find in the water, I find that the manufacturers just don’t seem to care. Maybe they do care, but they certainly haven’t done anything about it yet. I think they can do a much better job. To that end, I have been doing some research with manufacturers of purification systems that could be used in combination with the water ionizer systems. I don’t have anything definitive yet, but the prospects are promising. I believe that we should be able to combine the positive aspects of the purification properties of reverse osmosis systems with the healthy contributions made by water ionizers. There are some logistical problems that we are working on, but I think a cost effective solution is possible. I will keep you posted as things develop.

This is totally off topic, but I thought it was funny. I was talking to a lady the other day about her new water ionizer, and I asked how she liked it. She said that she enjoyed the taste of the water, and that she had more energy, but what really impressed her was that her cat wouldn’t drink regular water anymore. It reminded me of a message on a magnet that my Mom used to have on her fridge. The message said “The more I get to know people, the more I like my cat”.

© This Alkaline Ionized Water article was posted on Waterfy

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Heartburn sufferers typically purchase over the counter products such as Tums or Rolaids or Gaviscon. Those products are basically calcium tablets and the relief that they provide is temporary, but any relief is welcome when an attack takes place. If the number or intensity of occurrences of heartburn increases, people typically end up at their doctor’s office to find a better solution. Doctors typically prescribe drugs such as Pantoloc, which is a calcium blocker which inhibits the amount of acid production in the stomach. This type of drug is expensive (about $2.50 per pill which is prescribed to be taken everyday). The acid reflux drugs manage the symptoms but they never fix the problem.

The most simple and cost effective way to deal with many diseases including acid reflux is to eat properly. Humans are primarily herbivores (plant eaters) that have the ability to also consume meats. Humans should consume a diet that consists of 80% alkaline foods and liquids, but the diet for most Americans and Canadians consists of only 3% alkaline foods and beverages.

What is an alkaline food or beverage? An alkaline substance is one that has a pH greater than 7.0, or the level of distilled water. pH is the power or availability of hydrogen. See a chart of the pH levels of common household products at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PH_scale.png

So, what are alkaline foods and beverages? The foods are made up of primarily vegetables and fruits.

Veggies include cauliflower, turnips, and carrots, but mostly they consist of the “greens” such as: celery, spinach, green beans, broccoli, kale, various grasses, and cucumber.

Alkaline fruits consist of: lemons, tomatoes, limes, grapefruit, rhubarb, and watermelon. Avocados are noted to be an excellent source of alkaline.

Alkaline drinks include: alkaline ionized water, fresh vegetable juice, lemon water, herbal tea, and vegetable broth.

While every Mom has told her kids to “eat your greens” and we know that we should eat well, it is easier said than done. Personally, I don’t mind fruits, but I can’t stand veggies. As a result, I ended up with high levels of LDL (low high density lipoproteins) which is associated with the cholesterol. My physician suggested that I could change my diet or he could prescribe Lipitor, which is a cholesterol lowering drug. Not being a big fan of drugs (my father was one of the old school doctors who believed that prescription drugs were only to be used as a last resort), I chose to work on my diet. Or should I say my wife chose to work on my diet.

I would like to be able to tell you that changing over to a healthier diet was easy. In fact, I would like to be able to tell you that despite the enormous struggle, I was able to persevere and become healthy through an alkaline diet. The truth is I just couldn’t do it. I hate greens, and I like junk food. So how did “we” get me converted over to having a healthy lifestyle so that I could get rid of acid reflux once and for all?

My wife Mary came home one day last year and told me that she had learned the secret to good health. OK! She indicated that the secret was ionized water. I didn’t believe her for a second, but I do know that a happy wife makes for a happy life, so I agreed to start drinking alkaline ionized water that she brought home with her one day. How bad could drinking water be? You should understand that my wife has been working on me for years to eat better and work less. Neither of which has ever worked. So we started drinking alkaline ionized water and my acid reflux disappeared in a few days and has never returned. I should make note of the fact that when my sons and I were away for 8 days golfing without the alkaline ionized water, that my old acid reflux started to rear its ugly head near the end of the trip. The good news is that as soon as we returned home and got back on the water, the acid reflux when away immediately.

It gets better. Based upon my experience with the water, I actually started to pay attention to what I was putting in my body. As a result, I started eating more fruits, but I just wasn’t getting anywhere with the veggies. Mary came to the rescue again after reading about fruit smoothies and “green glop” on the internet. Fruit smoothies are basically made up of putting a bunch of fruits and plain yogurt in a blender and voila. Not too bad. I don’t think that there is anything actually called “green glop”, as I made up the word to describe what comes out of a juicer when Mary has been at it again. Mary cuts up different kinds of raw veggies and feeds them into a juicer. What comes out the other end is “green glop”. It didn’t taste very good, but Mary experimented by including a green apple in the mix, which seemed to make the concoction palatable for me. In a perfect world for me, there would be no “green glop”, but it is a thousand times better for me than eating a plate of vegetables, and it is better for me because the veggies are raw instead of cooked.

I’m in no position to preach about diet, but it has worked for me. If you are what you eat, then I was a Big Mac for most of my life. Now, I have more energy, my acid reflux and arthritis are gone, and I get along with my wife a little better. My secret is not a secret. My strategy is alkaline ionized water, fruit smoothies, and green glop.

© This Alkaline Ionized Water article was posted on Waterfy

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