Hard Water

Hard water is water, which contains a large amount of dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium. It is a very common in Canadian & American households. Calcium and magnesium are essential body building minerals and are the elements that make water taste good. The KDF/GAC filters removes pollutants, but lets these essential mineral pass through to your drinking supply. This reduces your mineral supplements costs. It makes no sense to pay money to filter them out, then go to the drug store and buy them back.

Hard water is not unhealthy to drink, but it may have undesirable effects on your water-using appliances, your skin and hair, and your household plumbing. With hard water:

· Minerals from the water may build up and form scale deposits in your pipes, water-using appliances, and fixtures.

· Soaps and detergents won't lather as well, so it will be necessary to use greater amounts of them.

Note that Calcium is metabolized by in the body and does not build up or create problems, as with plumbing. Calcium and magnesium are essential and necessary body building minerals.

An ion-exchange water softener will effectively solve your hard water problem. The water softener works by replacing the hardness minerals in the water with sodium ions. If you add a water softener run a by-pass line to the drinking tap for the KDF/GAC filter. This let you get the good taste and essential minerals from your drinking supply.

Many public water systems use chlorine as a disinfecting agent to kill pathogenic bacteria or other potentially harmful organisms. If your water comes from a private well, then a chlorination system in the well may serve the same purpose. While chlorine is important in effectively treating water, by the time it has reached your home it may cause your water to take on a strong taste and odour. The KDF/GAC water filters is the perfect partner for city treated chlorinated water and restores the water to a germ free sparkling refreshing drink.

Chlorine may cause your water to taste or smell unpleasant, and this in turn affects the taste of any food or beverage you make using that water. It may also dry your hair and skin. Our KDF/GAC filters make the water tastes good again.

Activated carbon filters will reduce chlorine taste and odour, leaving you with great-tasting water. Filters for taste and odour are usually installed at the point-of-use under or near the kitchen faucet. However, Chlorine uses up carbon filters quickly and can create a situation of bacterial build up. These need to be replaced often. The KDF/GAC filter removes chlorine far more effectively than carbon filters alone. This is the secret to our long lasting power yet, COMPACT filters.

A variety of factors may cause your water to taste or smell unpleasant:

Chlorine: Many public water systems use chlorine to kill bacteria and other potentially harmful organisms. At times, however, excess chlorine in the water supply may cause the water to take on a strong taste and odour. The KDF/GAC filter solves this problem with ease.

Hydrogen sulphide: Most common in well-water, hydrogen sulphide gas may result in a "rotten-egg" odour and may also corrode plumbing fixtures. Even small amounts of the gas can make water smell terrible. KDF/GAC filters do the best for hydrogen sulphide problems. Most water filters will not anything at all to solve your hydrogen sulphide problems. It is a tough problem and it is necessary to contact a water-conditioning dealer.

Organic matter: When present in your water, even in small quantities, organic matter may cause a musty or earthy odour. KDF/GAC filters will help here.

Minerals: High mineral content may result in a salty or soda-like taste, while iron and manganese may contribute a metallic taste to the water. For good tasting water use the KDF/GAC filter.

In most cases, water that smells or tastes unpleasant is not unhealthy to drink; however, it is often undesirable to drink. Poor tasting water can adversely affect the taste of your food and beverages as well. The KDF/GAC filters restore the natural good taste.

Activated carbon filters will improve the taste and odour of most water supplies* by reducing chlorine and various chemicals. Filters for taste and odour are usually installed at the point-of-use by the kitchen faucet. The KDF/GAC filter is 5-10 times more effective than carbon alone filters and installs directly onto the faucet.

NSF STANDARD 53 TEST PROTOCOL PERFORMED BY INDEPENDENT LABORATORY

20,000 gallons of city water, spiked with high levels of specific contaminants, was run through our KDF/GAC cartridge. The efficiency shown below was measured AFTER 20,000 gallons had passed through the cartridge (when new, removal is 99+%). Most other non-standard tests show results after only one pass of contaminated water, which does not indicate how the filter will perform towards the end of its life. To pass the NSF-53 protocol, the effluent must be under the EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) throughout the test.

Chemical	Influent	Effluent	Efficiency	EPA MCL
THM (chloroform)	0.57	0.029	95%	0.1
Lead	0.19	0.006	97%	0.025
Fluoride	8.26	0.78	91%	1.4
Nitrate	30.7	8.03	74%	10.0
Barium	10.4	0.56	95%	1.0
Arsenic	0.37	0.007	98%	0.05
Cadmium	0.03	0.004	87%	0.01
Chromium VI	0.15	0.011	93%	0.05
Chromium III	0.163	0.003	98%	0.05
Selenium	0.1	0.006	94%	0.01
Mercury	0.006	0.000*	99+%	0.002
Endrin	0.0008	0.000*	99%+	0.0002
Lindane	0.011	0.0012	89%	0.004
Methoxychlor	0.32	0.0059	98%	0.1
Toxaphene	0.013	0.000*	99%+	0.005
2,4-D	0.3	0.02	93%	0.1
Silvex (2,4,5-TP)	0.029	0.004	86%	0.01

A separate test was run to determine chlorine removal capacity. The challenge solution contained 3 mg/l chlorine (most cities use less than 1 mg/l). 2 mg/l lead was also added. At 20,000 gallons, both were being removed 99.9+%. The test was terminated at 28,400 gallons when the chlorine removal rate hit 90%. The lead removal was still 97.6%.