Search Results for: softener

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How Hard is Your Water?

We get several calls from customers saying they believe they have hard water. First, what is hard water? This is when the water has a high mineral content. So as rain drains down through the surface to the aquifers it absorbs minerals like calcium, manganese and magnesium carbonate. The hardness of the water depends on how much of these minerals is in the water.  Hard water in your home, as potable water, is not necessarily harmful but can cause significant issues. The problems can arise when the hard water reacts with cleaning products, creates build up and can wear down fixtures and appliances. Cleaning products may not be as effective when used with hard water, causing your normal cleaning chores to be more frustrating and expensive. The buildup of the minerals from the hard water can be deposited on your dishes, clothing, fixtures and even your skin and hair.  The other issue with hard water isn’t just on the outside of the faucets but what is it doing to the inside of your plumbing. These minerals start to build up inside your pipes and appliances. This can cause water flows to drop, clog and even increase the stress on the pipes and fixtures. If the hot water heater has to heat up all the scale buildup, as well as the water, your energy costs are going to increase. 1/4″ scale = up to 39% energy loss and 1/2″ = up to 70% energy loss!

 Now to explain a little further for us all in Florida. If you look at the picture below, you can see that Florida as a state has hard to very hard water. Ideal measurements would be 7 grains per gallon (gpg)…but here in Florida…well, it’s way more than that!

Shocking! We know! Check out these facts:

7,000 Grains = 1 Pound of Rock

Average US Water Supply

Hardness = 15 Grains per Gallon (gpg)

467 Gallons = 1 Pound of Rock

How can we here at Filter Pure help? We would first need to test your water to see how hard your water really is. We then need to find out your water usage. For example, how many people reside in the home? How many hours per day would it be operating? You would need to be able to provide the total number of fixtures, including toilets, sinks, dish washer, washing machine and showers? If you can find out your water usage per month, that would also be helpful? The more information we can get the better. Based on those readings we can suggest a water softener that would best suit your needs. If you have any further questions regarding hard water, water softeners, or whole home filtration please contact us 800-942-7873.  Have any questions? Click the button below and ask away!

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Point of Use (POU) or Point of Entry (POE)?

Do you ever get confused about all the different types of water filtration systems and which one you should use? Well don’t worry. We can help eliminate some of that confusion. Here are some things you should know to help you understand more about water filtration. There are essentially only two principle locations for installing water treatment systems. Which of the two systems you need depends upon what you hope to accomplish. One is Point-of-Entry water treatment (POE), the other is Point-of-Use water treatment (POU). What’s the difference? Picture the water supply where your local municipality or other supplier delivers water to your house, office building, factory, plant or other facility. At the point where the supply enters the building, it’s connected to a water meter. Your side of the meter is your responsibility and expense. You might be stuck with the water as delivered, but you don’t have to like it or settle for its quality (or lack of quality). There are a lot of POE and POU systems that can help you improve the quality of water before you drink it, cook with it or bathe with it. A Point-of-Entry water treatment system is installed on your side of the meter with the express purpose of treating all of the incoming water before it goes into the individual supply lines that feed your laundry, bathrooms (including toilets), dedicated outside faucets and others as well as your kitchen. POE systems often include softeners, large bed carbon filters, and some systems which are specifically designed to remove (or trap) sediment, foul tastes and odors. POE systems are sometimes considered pre-filters. A Point-of-Use water treatment system is installed in an individual source line ahead of any or all of the building’s taps, faucets or other dedicated outlets used to dispense water for drinking, cooking or bathing. Good POU systems are often expected to capture whatever escapes the POE system.

So once you figure out if you want a POU system or a POE system, the next step is getting a water test done. We can help you with this! After we test your water and once we receive the test results back we then recommend a course of action and what water filtration would best benefit you.  If you are interested in getting your water tested or have more questions about what filtration systems will work best for you, please contact us at 800-942-7873 or ask us a question below! We are here to help! Click here to ask a question!
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A Word from Our Industrial Sector

My name is Vince Paglino and I am the Industrial Filtration  specialist at Filter Pure Systems.  We specialize in Chemical Feed Pumps, Chlorinators & Air Injection, Commercial Softening & ION Exchange, Commercial Reverse Osmosis, Industrial Water Remediation, UV Sterilization and Industrial filtration systems. I wanted to share with you a recent industrial experience. We were approached by a large ice manufacturer to help them find a resolution for their scale problem. The limescale accumulation  was so bad that it had clogged the compressors and starved the equipment of water that it needed to produce the 360,000 pounds of ice it manufactured daily. We visited the location and immediately took water samples and investigated the type of equipment they were using and noticed the large amount of limescale remnants and corrosion it was causing to their equipment. They were using 2 large cartridge housings to filter the water down to 5 microns. After a few weeks of limescale buildup all of the ice manufacturing equipment was shut down and at a standstill without any ice production. Once the water tests were completed, the results noted that the Ph level was very high at 9.3 & 9.4 (the range should be between 7.0 – 7.5) and both the bicarbonate and carbonate alkalinity levels were elevated as well. The results indicated that the solution required softening the water and reducing the Ph levels at the same time to eliminate the problems of limescale accumulation. We customized a solution to handle the 40,000+ gallons of water that they use daily. A large duplex softening unit that continuously treats the water even while servicing one tank at a time when it cycles to backwash. A chemical pulse feeder that will introduce Muriatic Acid after the softener to reduce the Ph levels in the water. The solution is also modular so equipment can be added at a later date to handle any ice production growth and added manufacturing equipment. The delivery of this equipment was not only timely but it was delivered several days early to the customers delight. The manufacturer’s representative scheduled a time for installation training for the company representatives to ensure normal and ongoing operational use and maintenance of the equipment. Our Industrial sector is dedicated to insure that our customers are able to achieve the most efficient and cost effective solution for their industrial water problems. Our client support, industrial technical expertise and follow up is unmatched in the industry.

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Hydrotech teams up with Filter Pure

A new Hydrotech warehouse is now open, HERE at our Filter Pure Systems headquarters! We are stocking Hydrotech’s best selling products – softeners, filters, valves and repair parts and of course, a knowledgeable staff to assist you! Hydrotech is using our warehouse as the primary shipping location for many regional customers, better serving their needs. WaterGroup’s customer service team will arrange local pickups at the customer’s request and will automatically route regional customer orders to the best WaterGroup warehouse location depending upon stock and availability. We are proud to team up with Hydrotech and use our warehouse for their stocking and shipping needs.

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Point of Entry Filters (POE) vs. Point of Use Filters (POU)

In many commercial applications, several water filters, including those which are dedicated to specific pieces of machinery, are needed. In these cases, individual filters, known as “point of use” (POU) water filters are located inline just before the water is dispersed or enters the machinery for which the water is intended. As POU filters are usually application specific, they can be tailored to the needs of the user, and are often used in place of a generic reverse osmosis system. This fact makes a standard POU water filter easier to maintain, but usually more expensive. Because of this, it behooves the business owner to take measures against the premature degradation of the POU water filter. The easiest way to accomplish this is to install a “point of entry” (POE) water filter. POE water filters perform water filtration for the entire commercial water service. They are responsible for purifying the water supply to all faucets, pieces of machinery, and toilets. The advantage of this approach to water filtration is first that only one system must be purchased for an entire service, and second, that it greatly improves the life of any other filters present down-line. The most popular POE filters used are either sediment prefilters, or carbon filters.

  • Sediment filters are responsible for removing sediment that can clog softeners, prematurely foul carbon filters, or ruin the down-line plumbing. In addition, they reduce TDS (total dissolved solids) or many other harmful chemicals like nitrate, nitrites, etc.
  • Carbon filters are effective for certain trouble water conditions such as bad taste or odor.

Still other POE filters are designed as an entire system. These units typically employ a four-stage filtration process. The first stage of filtration removes sediment in the water that may clog the filter, reducing its effectiveness. The second stage uses a chemical process called water atomization to alter the molecular structure of chlorine and turn it into the harmless molecule, zinc chloride. The third and fourth stages of filtration involve activated carbon filters to filter pesticides, and other harmful chemicals. By removing chlorine and other harmful chemicals at the point-of-entry, the whole service is provided with cleaner, healthier water at a reduced cost to the business owner. Pre-filters are typically much less expensive than down-line, application specific filters, making their replacement cheaper than that of the filters the POE filter is saving.

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Water Softening: A Simple Approach to Great-Tasting Water

“Hard water” is generally defined as that which has a high concentration (>100mg/L) of dissolved salts, like calcium and magnesium, which are absorbed from the earth. This excess of particulates can cause numerous problems for the home and small business owner, such as difficulty in regulating water pH (important for pool and aquarium owners), and scaling/deposit buildup in pipes, boilers, and machinery which makes use of water, such as coffee and espresso makers.  The classic tell-tale sign of hard water is difficulty in lathering soap and shampoo. Another such problem is the taste associated with hard water. Water containing mineral contaminants can taste bitter, especially when used to cook or brew fine coffee. When this becomes a concern, many turn to water softening to remove these minerals and make them palatable. Softening, while not a lengthy process, is complex when compared to other purification methods such as reverse osmosis. Water softener cartridges make use of either an all-in-one cartridge such as the Everpure ESO7 or a drop in bowl system such as Everpure’s SO-204 to remove excess minerals from your water. With the ESO 7, not only is water softened, but dirt and particles are removed as well.  The ESO 7’s unique three-stage blending cartridge provides softened, buffered, and precoat filtered water, while the cartridge’s ion exchange resin with buffering capabilities and high-capacity coconut carbon filtered water bypass make it the perfect choice for specialty coffee, espresso, and ice tea applications. Systems such SO-204 combine small size and ease of use with commercial application capability.   Measuring just 26”x5.125”x5.25”, the SO-204’s replacement cartridges are sized to fit under any counter or mounted on the wall behind the coffee or espresso machines.  While relatively small, the SO-204 is designed to handle water having up to 30 grains per gallon (500mg/L) – 5 times the definition of “hard” water.  Moreover, the filters are easy to change.  Not only do replacement cartridges not require a housing wrench to be changed, that is, they can be hand-tightened, but cartridges require only one minute of flushing.  Many high-end coffee and espresso machines require a water softener to ensure the quality of the coffee is preserved through the brewing process and warranty purposes. If you think you would like to make use of a water softening cartridge in either your home or business, contact Filter Pure Systems, Inc. at 1-800-942-7873 today.

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Which Water Filter is Right for You?

Deciding on a water filtration system for your home or business can be daunting. There are numerous types of filters, each of which is manufactured by each different brand, totaling thousands of options for anyone looking to choose between them. We at Filter Pure Systems, Inc. have recognized this, and prepared a short preparatory question and answer guide to help you make your decision. The first and most important question to ask yourself when determining which filter to purchase is: “What do I need my water filter to do?” While the answer to this question may seem obvious enough, it’s likely not. Granted yes, at the end of the day, you want your filter to “filter” your water, but there’s much more to consider. Am I purchasing a water filtration system for my home or business? Water purifiers “run the gamut” of design. Generally speaking, units designed for commercial applications are larger than residential designs and are more expensive to maintain. In addition, they generally have specific applications not required in a residential setting. As a result, they are capable of handling more frequent use, satisfying the highest level of commercial demands. It’s advisable for these, among other, reasons to consider going commercial when purchasing a water filtration system. Such systems include the drinking water QL2-OW200L system, ice machine Insurice Single-i2000(2) system or fountain QC7I Single- MC2 system. Do I have a specific application for my water filtration system in mind?   It is important to determine exactly what your water filter it will be responsible for doing, before buying it, for two main reasons. First, if you have a specific application in mind, it may be necessary to purchase a unit designed to address this concern. Some water filtration units have built-in water softeners or de-mineralizers designed to yield a specific quality of water. This is desirable for many commercial settings, especially where the water is being used to make beverages such as coffee and soda espresso. Second, it may be that narrowing down the use of your unit will greatly reduce both upfront and ongoing costs. Generally speaking, the smaller demand put on your filtration system, the lower the cost of maintenance. If you decide that your system need only be used for part of your water supply, you are very likely to save money. How much water do I need, and how fast?   While this is typically only a concern in commercial applications, it may also be a useful question in residential applications where the filter is responsible for purifying the entire home’s water supply. Filters have their limits. Only a predetermined amount of water can successfully be processed by a unit in a given amount of time. This measurement is called “flow” or “flux.” While units with lower flow may be less expensive, they may require a little patience on the part of their user. Units with greater capacity for flow can provide more water in a shorter period of time, but are generally more expensive. There are many questions to ask yourself when considering a water filtration unit. If you would like help making your decision, or have already decided, give Filter Pure Systems, Inc. a call at 1-800-942-7873.