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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The culprit of so many of the nasty diseases and ailments that plague our society is “acidosis”, or the state of being acidic. It has become abundantly clear that getting our bodies alkaline is the key to good health. The question is how do we do it?

The alkaline diet pundits tell us that we should be eating a diet rich in alkaline foods… all that green stuff that our Moms told us to eat. We intuitively know that they are right, but it is a difficult task that is beyond the grasp of most of us, who are rushing around trying to survive in a busy world. However, there are people such as vegetarians and vegans who are much more disciplined with their pallet than I will ever be. They are able to turn the other proverbial cheek when it comes to taking the easy way out with food. But are they able to achieve a stable alkaline pH of 7.2 to 7.5 as measured by the saliva? In most cases, the answer is no.

So, if the health food nuts have difficulty achieving the promised land of a pH level of 7.346, how do people reach that lofty goal? According to the experts, it is a combination of food, water, exercise, and reducing the amount of stress in your life.

Let’s look at the components one at a time. While I find it admirable that vegetarians have the discipline to eat a predominantly alkaline diet, it will never work for me. So what can the average person do? For starters, reduce the amount of meat, sugars, flour, and processed food. Does that mean eliminate them? No. But 4 ounces of meat per day is plenty. Sugars are a killer. If you have a sweet tooth like me, trade in the chocolate and candy for fruits. Maybe they are not quite as satisfying, but they produce natural sugars that are much better for you. Reduce the amount of flour from breads and pasta. That doesn’t mean eliminate those items, but cut down. Another culprit is snacks. Most of the time that we eat snacks is to curb our cravings for salt. We need salt in our diets. Many of our junk food binges are sparked by a lack of minerals in our body. Consume the proper minerals, and a lot of your food cravings will go away.

Speaking of cravings and food binges, the cause of the problem is often created by dehydration. We often mistake our need for water as hunger. If you drink water with a proper balance of essential minerals, your need and consequently your cravings for will diminish. You should drink half an ounce of water for every pound of body weight each day to start working towards better health. That means that if you weigh 140 pounds, you should drink 70 ounces of water. That is a lot of water. If you are working towards getting healthy, you should drink even more water.

Drink Water

Why water? Your body is made up of about 70% water, so water is the natural way to nourish your body. The greatest cause of aging is dehydration, so drink up. What should you drink besides water? Nothing else is required. It is as simple as that. What kind of water should you drink? Tap water from a city source is generally the best water around and it is free. Yes, tap water is better for you than virtually any bottled water. If you have the financial means to purchase a water ionizer, that is even better, but let’s leave that discussion for another day.

While it is essential to drink water, it is just as important to get off the sodas and coffee. If you drink one cup of coffee, research indicates that it takes 8 cups of water to cleanse the acid problems created by the coffee. If you drink a can of soda, it takes 32 cans of water to offset the damage done by the soda. Think about that for a minute. If you don’t take the Coke out of your fridges and pantries, you are just hurting yourself and your children. If you can’t do it for yourself, then at least do it for your kids. Alcohol is also bad, as it is very acidic. Hard liquor is worse than beer as it is more acidic – again, everything in moderation (except for soda, which is just terrible for you).

Exercise

What about exercise? We all know that we are supposed to exercise, but many of us find that we don’t have time. Take the time. Exercise gets your lungs working and your blood pumping. Exercise doesn’t have to mean hard physical exertion at a gym, or a long run. Get you exercise doing things that you like. Exercise doesn’t have to be torture. Get outside and work in the yard, or go for a walk, or let the dog take you for a walk. Go for a swim, or a bike ride around the neighborhood. You might find that you actually like your neighbors. Play with your kids, as they will give you a workout. Just make it enjoyable.

Exercise is simply a matter of moving around and using your body. It might seem like a huge undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Just start doing things and you will be amazed at how much better you feel in a very short time. Get your blood pumping a bit and get your lungs working. Athletes and people who exercise a great deal don’t live longer. In fact, they usually have shorter lives, because they typically suffer from dehydration over their lives, and the body is not meant to be tortured.

Reduce Stress

Finally, let’s take a look at stress. Stress is a huge contributor to sickness. My kids like to tell me to “chill Dad”. It is easier said than done, but it not only can be done, it has to be done. Stress is a killer. Take the time to exercise or just take a break. No matter what you do for a living, it is only work. Work is a way to support your life, it isn’t your life. Don’t be fooling yourself by believing that you work so hard for your family. Your loved ones would much rather have down time for fun time with you, than see you slaving away so that you can “get ahead”. Another source of stress is often provided by the people in your life. It has taken me a long time to realize this one out, but I have finally started surrounding myself with people that make my life better, and removing myself from those that cause me stress. It sounds so simple, and it is. The trick is to just realize it.

So there you have it. You know what to do. Eating well can be achieved in small steps. Try to make lifestyle changes slowly as opposed to dieting. Drink water…lots of water! Drinking more water is the most important change that you can make to improve your health, and it is simple. You can cut your calorie intake substantially by drinking water to fill many of your cravings. Exercise! Make it fun, not torture. And finally, start getting rid of stress by excising, taking breaks, and avoiding the people or events in your life that create the stress.

© This Alkaline Water article was posted on Waterfy

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Oxidation is another word for rusting. When you put acidic water on metal, it will rust that metal. Inside your body a similar process happens where your own body’s nutrients and minerals are absorbed by the acid water. Also, too much acid build up in the body leads to a condition called acidosis. The beginning symptoms of acidosis are poor metabolism (leading to weight gain), poor sleeping habits, fatigue, headaches, and achy muscles. Later stages of acidosis include adult onset diseases like diabetes. In fact acidosis is the foundation or heavy contributor to all adult onset diseases, even cancer.

So why drink pure water that contributes to acid build up in your body? Why strip all the essential minerals and oxygen your body needs from your drinking water?

There is a better way.

A good water ionizer filters the water to 99.9% purity using two large .1 micron, multi-stage activated carbon filters. Activated carbon filters are effective because they filter out most of the impurities in the water, while allowing the essential minerals to pass through because they don’t stick to the carbon. Then, most importantly, a water ionizer uses electrolysis to raise the pH of your drinking water to alkaline levels, while at the same time restoring water’s natural antioxidant called hydroxyl ions. And when a hydroxyl ion neutralizes a free radical in your body, lots of oxygen is released, immediately energizing you! Did you know a single glass of ionized water has as many antioxidants as a glass of orange juice!

Ionized water is also as much as six times more hydrating than purified or tap water, due to its small cluster size and hexagonal shape. One of the primary causes of disease is chronic cellular dehydration, a condition which leaves the body’s cells in a perpetual state of weakness and defense. Drinking ionized water helps with this condition.

Finally, ionized water, unlike pure or tap water, will detoxify your body. This detoxification will improve your sleep cycle, your metabolism and if you’re overweight, it will cause weight loss.

This article was written by a highly respected participant in the water ionizer industry. This site is not about endorsements, but I would be happy to pass on his name and URL to anyone interested.

© This Ionized Water article was posted on Waterfy

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