Arsenic in my drinking water! What can I do?

Arsenic in well water 

Recently I was asked to do a presentation, at a networking meeting, about our company and the services we provide along with a particular topic to discuss. It's easy to discuss one particular water treatment issue and how to solve it but there are twelve other people at the table that don't necessarily have that particular problem. They have a whole different perception of their water problems and water concerns or just want to know what the heck that contraption is in their basement (water softener) and how it works. So instead of doing a typical presentation, I said how about we go around the table to each person and they can ask a question pertaining to their water or water treatment system. This way we can help everyone with their water concerns. It worked out very well. Everyone was happy with the presentation. I helped everyone with their water questions and we all learned something about each other (which is the objective for networking). We actually ran over by ten minutes. But during all these discussions the one topic that came up more than any was Arsenic!

The first family in Michigan, diagnosed with arsenic poisoning.

Arsenic is naturally occurring in Southeast Michigan and has become a big concern for those living with water drawn from private and community well water supplies. In 2001 The World Health Organization lowered the arsenic standard from 50 ppb (parts per billion) to 10 ppb. In part due to the increased incidence of health-related problems at the previous levels of 50 ppb. In 1999 I happened to work with the very first family in Michigan that had been diagnosed with arsenic poisoning. Their water had been tested and the Arsenic levels were at 43 ppb, well below what was perceived to be the threshold for health problems at the time. The whole family had become sick, three young children and the parents, with various symptoms that seemed totally unrelated.  Their water was the last thing tested and arsenic was found to be the basis for all their health problems. The entire family had elevated levels of arsenic in their systems. Their health issues sparked renewed interest in the arsenic levels and what is really a "Safe" level for human consumption. Doctors finally stood up and took notice and started testing their patients for elevated arsenic levels and to everyone's dismay, the arsenic problem was much more widespread than anyone could have conceived. One doctor that became proactive in testing his patients for arsenic, and searching for solutions for them, is in Southfield, MI. Southfield (located in the middle of a city water area outside of Detroit, MI), actually has many homes still on private wells. It was discovered that many of the wells have extremely high levels of arsenic.

This map, released by the U.S.G.S, shows the incidence of arsenic occurring across Michigan counties. As you can see southern Michigan is especially high in arsenic.

The family these arsenic problems came to light over, in 1999, lived in northwest Oakland County.  In our water treatment business, we have run into arsenic levels as high as 250 ppb in southern Michigan. Obviously, that is extremely high and absolutely needs to be treated for removal. But in my opinion "NO Arsenic" is the level everyone needs to be at. The only reason the arsenic levels are currently set at 10 ppb is the level was negotiated by municipalities to 10 ppb because it would be almost impossible for these municipal water suppliers to guarantee they could keep the arsenic levels at "0 ppb" all the time. The federal government was really pushing to have the standard set at 0 ppb but that was just not practical or cost-effective for these water supply companies.

Livingston County Michigan has taken a proactive approach to this arsenic issue and now requires water treatment if the arsenic levels are above the 10 ppb standard for any real estate transactions. Typically most homeowners want the whole house treated for arsenic removal and there are several ways to accomplish this. Many water treatment companies have decided not to pursue the arsenic removal business as they find the liability associated with treating these problems too high. It has been my experience that a strong education in the arsenic removal processes, a proper water analysis, and experience in the application provides the acumen for arsenic removal solutions for the growing number of concerned homeowners and prospective home buyers.

Arsenic types: There are two types of arsenic. AS-5 and AS-3. These are referred to as "valences". Both types of arsenic can and frequently do appear in the same well.  In southern Michigan, AS-5 is the most prevalent type we find but any application method has to take into account the possibility of AS-3 being present also. Testing for arsenic can be done by a certified lab, or by a water treatment professional that is educated in arsenic testing. Real estate transactions will need a water test performed by a certified lab to determine the arsenic levels. Determining the "valence" is difficult, even for a lab, and generally is not necessary as the treatment method will determine the proper water treatment method for removing both types of arsenic.

Arsenic Removal Methods 
There are two approaches to arsenic removal. POE (Point of Entry) which is whole house treatment or POU (Point of Use) treatment at a specific spot in the home. Usually at the kitchen sink.

1. Water Softener; In the presence of ferrous iron even a water softener will help remove some arsenic from the water supply. But this is not the recommended method for arsenic removal.  Typically only small amounts of AS-5 are removed with this process and the arsenic levels removed are very inconsistent.

2. Reverse Osmosis; Reverse osmosis systems can be an option for arsenic removal. These systems are typically only for POU (point of use) and have a dedicated faucet at the kitchen sink and can be tied into the refrigerator also. This is good for AS 5 removal and will need a separate AS 3 filter to assure all arsenic is removed. This would only be for drinking water, not the whole house.

Under sink POU reverse osmosis drinking water system.

3. Oxidation and Precipitation;  Fortunately AS 5 (arsenic five) has a strong affinity to bind to iron. So the most practical method of removing arsenic is with an oxidation/precipitation filtration system, With this method AS 3 is converted over to AS 5 and consequently, a much higher success rate of total arsenic removal is achieved.  This method can be accomplished by either "Air Induction" or "Chemical Injection".  In a residential home, depending on water chemistry, arsenic levels and water usage. Air Induction is the most practical approach.

Air Induction system

Chemical Injection system

4. Adsorption; There are also adsorption media that attract and hold the arsenic on the media. These type arsenic removal/reduction filtration systems generally have a specific amount of gallons that can be run through the media before it needs replacing.  This type of arsenic removal process usually has a "lead" and "lag" tank set up. The first or "lead" tank takes the brunt of arsenic removal. The second or "lag" tank is used as a polishing tank to assure arsenic is still being removed when the lead tank starts to become exhausted. The number of gallons able to run through the system, before replacing media,  is strictly dependent on the arsenic levels, which can fluctuate seasonally, and the amount of water used. This is referred to as the "load factor". Arsenic tests are performed from the sample ports annually. There should be three sample ports. before, middle and after the lag tank. When the lead tank becomes exhausted (arsenic starts to leak to lag tank) it is replaced with fresh media. The "Lag" tank is moved in front and the new tank becomes the polishing or "Lag" tank. To track water usage and get a better idea when tank changes should occur. There should always be a totalizing meter after the lag tank to record annual water usage. Tank replacement literally could be on a yearly basis for up to seven years, depending on the factors mentioned above.

Adsorption system with "Lead" and "Lag" tanks and sampling ports.

It is recommended to seek out a seasoned water treatment professional and water treatment company experienced with arsenic removal to assure you have the best and most practical water treatment solutions for your household. I hope this article has been helpful in answering some of your questions and concerns regarding arsenic and the options you and your family have to treat your water and be healthy and happy for years to come.  Yes, you can drink up with peace of mind!

Good Water, Good Life!

Ray McConnell

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply

872 N Old US 23 Brighton, MI 48114

810 632 200

www.beauchampwater.com

www.facebook.com/beauchampwater

Please see the links below for more information regarding the topics discussed in this article.

Arsenic in Ground Water USGS

Naturally Occurring Arsenic in Southeast Michigan Ground Water

DEQ Arsenic fact sheet / Michigan

The first Michigan family with arsenic poisoning.

CDC - Arsenic and Drinking Water from Private Wells 

Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Systems


© All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply 2016
    Raymond McConnell

Blue water blues.

I have always been a "This Old House" fan.  I even recall watching the very first episode when Bob Vila hosted it.  It's pretty amazing, except for Bob Vila and current host Kevin, everyone has been with the show since the beginning.  They are always very professional and informative about their projects.  Now there is "Ask This Old House" to help homeowners with household repairs, projects, and problems that may be beyond what the homeowner can do. 

I was watching an episode with their plumber Rich.  A homeowner called in to say they had very blue water along with high copper levels in their water causing corrosion of their appliances and fixtures and asked if "Ask This Old House" could help solve the problem.   

   

This was an older home and indeed the copper levels were very high, as the homeowner had the water tested.  The family was fairly new to this home however so we don't know if this high copper issue had been an ongoing problem or something new.   Rich and Kevin were in the studio discussing this problem, possible causes, and probable solutions as they do at the beginning of the show.  The homeowner had an existing water softener in the home that was working fine.  After looking into a possible reason for the excessive copper issues, while at the customer's home.  Rich came to the conclusion the water softener was the cause of the problem and soft water was causing excessive corrosion of the copper plumbing. Hence the high copper levels.  

Being in the water treatment business for over thirty years I was stunned by his statement.  In reality, the exact opposite is the truth.  Part of the problem was, and I see this every day, people making, rushed, uninformed decisions before they do the proper research, water testing, or look for other possible causes of the problem.  As I've stated many times it is of utmost importance to listen to the homeowner, get their view of the water problems to help narrow down the problems, and find the proper solution.  In this particular instance, there are many possible causes for the excess copper causing "Blue Water" and 99% of them have nothing to do with the water softener or softened water.

Let's look at some of the possible causes of excess copper in the water and blue water:
1.  Excessively high water pressure - Water pressure in excess of 70 psi can cause corrosion of copper plumbing, particularly at plumbing elbows.
2.  Water heater temperature set too high - Excessively hot water will corrode copper plumbing.
3.  Improperly installed household ground - Corrosion of water heaters is a common problem when they are not grounded properly. This goes for every water heater whether it is electric, standard vent, or a power vent heater. Generally, they fail prematurely. This is generally related to faulty electrical system grounding. The electrical ground is broken across the dielectric unions on the water heater causing corrosion, leaking, and premature failure. Water heaters failing in 4-7 years when a water heater should last 10-15 years or more. 
4.  Bad household ground - If the home electrical system is not properly grounded this can cause many problems including corrosion of copper plumbing.
5.  Low PH water - PH levels below 6.5 are considered acidic and very corrosive to plumbing, fixtures,

and appliances. Ideal PH levels are between 6.5 - 8. To correct low PH levels calcite or soda ash is introduced into the incoming water supply to raise the PH to a neutral PH of 7.0 or higher.
6.  High TDS - "Total Dissolved Solids".  High TDS can be attributed to extremely hard water, high chlorides, or high sodium content in the water supply.  Typically water problems such as this would be associated with a private well supply.
7.  Excessive dissolved oxygen - High dissolved oxygen levels are extremely corrosive on all plumbing and can be very difficult to treat.  In private wells high dissolved oxygen levels occur frequently after snowmelt and heavy spring rains as the water tables rise, bringing high levels of dissolved oxygen in the water and underground aquifers.  Many community water supplies also treat their water by aerating the water, then filtering it to remove iron, arsenic, and other contaminants.  Creating high dissolved oxygen levels. 
8.  Occasionally, high levels of naturally occurring copper are present in private wells.
9.  Bacteria - Sulfate-reducing bacteria and Iron bacteria can be very corrosive to plumbing among other problems.
10.  Soft water corrosion -  So-called "soft water corrosion", is directly related to high total dissolved solids (TDS) as stated above and is caused by "Soft water" but high TDS corrosion due to chlorides or naturally occurring high sodium levels in the water supply. 
11.  Dielectric Union failure at the water heater inlet and or outlet. (See faulty electrical system ground).

12. Recirculation pumps on water heaters. This is a very common problem when recirculation pumps are installed and the temperature on the heater is left very high.

Dielectric Union Failure on Water Heater Inlet

Blue-Green Staining caused by copper corrosion

In the "Ask This Old House" episode it was discovered the water heater was actually the source of the problem.  "NOT" softened water.  Bad grounding and water temperature set too high on the water heater trying to compensate for a failing water heater were the root cause of the problem.  All the copper plumbing after the water heater was so pitted and corroded it had to be replaced.  They actually brought in a "Forensic Plumbing Expert".  Which I never knew existed.  To help diagnose the problem and suggest the proper solution.  I'm surprised Rich couldn't figure this out on his own.

Recently I had a call from a customer that moved into a new subdivision.  All of the homes in this development are plumbed in plastic PEX pipe.  The odd thing is that even with plastic Pex plumbing all the homes on their particular street have excessively high copper problems and extremely blue water that is corroding all the fixtures and ruining everything in the home. Including their, new, expensive custom tiled showers.  

This development is on a community well water supply and has "hard water" so water softeners are a necessity.  Very similar to what happened on the "Ask This Old House" episode many people were blaming the water problems on their water softeners.  That made absolutely no sense as there wasn't any copper plumbing after the water softener to corrode!  To make a long story, short.  The problem was occurring at the water meters (brass and copper).  Excessively high water pressure from the community well, (80+ psi), along with high dissolved oxygen levels from the community well filtration system to remove iron and arsenic, was causing corrosion of the water meters and leaching high copper levels into the water.  The solution?  Pressure regulators were installed before the water meters at every home and set at 60psi, which solved the corrosion problems and made everyone very happy. 

How did I help solve this problem for my customer and their neighbors?  I listen to my customers AND I watch, "Ask This Old House"!

After over thirty years in the water treatment business, I still learn something new every day!

Here are links relating to subjects discussed in this article:

PH and Water

Blue Green Staining

Colors and Smells in water

Copper Corrosion

Copper Toxicity

The Benefits of Soft Water


Good Water, Good Life!

Beauchamp Water Treatment Solutions
872 N Old US 23 Brighton, MI 48114
810 632 2000
www.beauchampwater.com



© All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment Solutions 2017
   Raymond McConnell

Get The Lead Out!

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, news about lead in municipal water supplies, particularly in Flint, MI, has been in the news almost on a daily basis. The lead and water issues with Flint's city water have touched off a debate about our water infrastructure that has been waiting to happen for a VERY long time. While speaking with a Detroit Water and Sewer employee, several years back, about some of these issues, he mentioned they still have some of the original water mains in Detroit that are actually hollowed-out logs from the very early days. Although I found that very interesting it pointed out, just like most of the infrastructure in the United States, the water delivery system is antiquated and needs to be replaced across the US.  The lead issue now in the forefront is just the tip of the iceberg to be quite frank.  Prior to 1989 most homes and buildings, with copper plumbing, have either lead core or a 50/50 lead and zinc mix of solder that was used to install the copper water lines.  So virtually every building, in that time frame, has the potential for lead contamination.  Many school systems have taken the pro-active approach and are testing for any lead content in plumbing systems throughout the school system.  Recently we had two school buildings in our area that tested positive for lead and one school had two drinking water fountains that tested positive so they are being re-plumbed and replaced.

How the Lead Gets In

This lead problem all came to light with the mishandling of the start-up of the mothballed Flint, MI water treatment plant. The city of Flint was so far in arrears with their water bill from the Detroit water authority their debt was being called in. So Flint decided it would be more advantageous and cost-effective to bring back to life their old water treatment plant that had been mothballed for nearly forty years, to save money.  They saved money alright, it just cost all the rest of us A LOT OF MONEY!  In hindsight the Flint water problem may have been what was really needed to bring attention to this problem, educate the public about it and get the discussion started to resolve these water distribution system issues across the country.

How do you know if your home has lead water mains coming into your house?  Actually, there is a very easy way to tell if you have a lead water main.  A magnet will not stick to a lead pipe but will stick to either galvanized or copper plumbing.  You will need to test the pipe that is coming directly out of the wall, from the street, at the water source. Lead contamination can come from several sources.  Obviously, the most common source is lead water mains coming into the home.  Lead contamination can also come from copper plumbing lines that were soldered with lead core solder. This was very common up until 1987 when they passed new lead laws. Plumbers then began using solder that was 50/50 lead and zinc.  Solder is now a mixture of Tin and Antimony 95/5 mix.

Many cities, like Lansing, MI, have taken a pro-active approach to this problem and began replacing their lead water lines ten years ago. It has been a pretty seamless transition, for Lansing, and they expect to have all the lead lines replaced by 2017.  Lead in drinking water is a very serious concern and needs to be addressed for the health of us all.  If you would like to have your water tested for lead contamination it is recommended to have it tested by a state-certified water lab.

Even if you have lead in your water there are many options to treat your home for lead removal and assure you have quality water for your family. If you suspect you have lead contamination in your plumbing the first thing you should do every morning is let the faucet run for several minutes to flush the waterline of elevated lead levels. This is the time when peak lead levels can occur after water is sitting in the plumbing lines all night causing lead to leach off into the water.  Simple replaceable carbon block filters can be used under sinks for the cold water feed to remove lead and whole house lead removal systems are also available to assure your family has safe drinking water along with lead-free water for washing and bathing. One of the many options for whole-house lead removal is KDF filter media.  This filter media uses a combination of copper and zinc and causes lead to plate out on the filter media holding it and the filter media would be replaced after a certain amount of gallons of water are passed through the media. This is dependent on the particular contaminant levels present.  KDF filter media has some very unique properties that also neutralizes chlorine in the water at the point of entry (POE) or for point of use (POU) such as for individual faucets.

NOTE: When looking for block carbon filters, or any carbon filtration,  always look for filters/carbon made in the USA. A lot of carbon is coming out of China now and the quality of the carbon is very bad. There have also been instances, with Chinese carbon, when the carbon was not rinsed properly after being acid washed and it was extremely acidic and highly corrosive! So buyer beware, this is an extreme health concern!

Below are some helpful links with important information related to your water and lead.

How to tell if your water line is lead

How to test for lead in your water.

EPA.GOV - Lead in drinking water

KDF Filter Media

CDC - Lead and Drinking Water

Healthy Child - How to filter lead from your tap water.

Inspectapedia - How to reduce lead in water.

What you need to know about water filters to remove lead

Pioneer whole house lead filtration system


Good Water, Good Life!

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply
872 N Old us 23 Brighton, MI 48114
810 632 2000
www.beauchampwater.com


 © All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply 2016
    Raymond McConnell

It's Time To Go DIGITAL!

The water treatment industry has been notoriously slow to accept change. In this time of everything going digital, there are still a lot of water treatment companies that insist on the "Tried and True" old water treatment methods.  Generally, this means very inefficient water treatment systems that require a lot of regular maintenance.  There will always be some customers that insist on the old methods and if that's what works for you that's fine but what if I showed you and more importantly, prove to you, that upgrading your water treatment system will not only give you better quality water, along with more consistent quality water, it will also save you money!

Welcome to the 21st century!  I always joke with customers they are coming out of the dark ages and into the 21st century with this new water treatment technology.  Sometimes they are a little skeptical about this new technology but people are naturally wary of what they don't understand.  So a little water treatment education 101 is in order to show what going digital can do for your home, family, and wallet.

Digital controls for water treatment equipment have been around for over thirty years now.  What this is, is a whole new design in digital technology and reliability.  As computer technology has advanced so has the ability to adapt this technology to water treatment equipment.  There were some stumbling

blocks initially and the inevitable bugs to work out with this new approach but the wait has been worth it.  Not only have the electronics improved drastically but the water treatment valves themselves have improved by "Light Years".  Going digital made things simpler and it works better.  Less moving parts equal more durability, reliability, longevity, and a whole lot less maintenance and service.

With Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply, our complete line of C Series water treatment equipment has "Smart Technology".  What does this mean for you?  This technology actually monitors your water usage and automatically re-configures the programming every three weeks to anticipate peak periods/days of water usage and keep you in conditioned water more consistently while using less salt and water.  With old technology, we would have had to come out for service because you ran out of soft water when everyone was over or you would have had to manually regenerate the water softener to assure you had soft water.  These systems now do all that automatically. They even anticipate water usage and if the system sees there won't be enough soft water to last through the next day it automatically cycles, the night before, to assure you stay in soft/conditioned water.

When we are working with a customer to help solve their water problems the first thing we do, after a complete water analysis, is work with the customer to decide which water treatment system is the proper one for their application.  When we've done all the math the new system will usually use 50% - 70% less salt than what they've been using and 30% less water also!  That is real savings that add up quickly.

 IB3 Filter System and C Series Twin Tank Water Conditioner with "Smart Technology"

Beyond all the savings and durability with these systems, the "Smart Technology" offers service people something that no water treatment system has ever done before. Here is a perfect example: We have a customer that we installed an IB3 Iron filtration system for. She had a working Sears water softener but the iron and manganese were much too high for the water softener to handle.  We install the new filtration system, I go back in two weeks to check the water and the water is GREAT!  The best water she has ever had!  She already referred me to two of her friends. Then two weeks later I get a call and she says her water is terrible and rusty!  All the toilets are rusty, the hot water is rusty and she ruined a load of clothes with all the rust.  At this point, I am a little puzzled so I went right over to see what the problem might be.  Sure enough, her water is hard and all rusty.  As a matter of fact, it is brown coming out of the faucets!  The first thing I do is make sure both systems are working properly and they are.  Then I get into the program history for the IB3 Filter System with " Smart Technology" and I see 50-70 gallons of water used the last two days then it spikes up to 2700 gallons, 3000

gallons, 3500 gallons, 3100 gallons, 2500 gallons and finally 1500 gallons before the water usage returns to the normal 50-70 gallons per day.  So I asked her if she has had company lately and indeed she has.  The grandkids were over last weekend and she says the bathroom toilet stuck wide open and ran 24/7 all week until she noticed it and jiggled the handle two days ago to stop it.  I showed her in the programming exactly when the toilet stuck open and the exact time she jiggled the handle to stop it.

This service call was solved within ten minutes of my visit because of the diagnostic tools this "Smart Technology" affords us now.  She had gone through over 14,000 gallons of water that week!  Not only was she shocked by how much water was used, but I was also. The equipment was simply overwhelmed by the amount of water used.  The good news is everything was working fine and I got her back into iron-free, soft water in short order and flushed the water heater also to assure she had good water throughout the house.  I set her up with our plumber to rebuild all the toilets and followed up in a week to confirm the water was fine.  Indeed it was and she had referred me again to more friends.

The point to all this is with an old water treatment system we would have eventually figured out the problem but it would have taken much longer and the customer would have been very skeptical that much water was used and the toilet was the culprit.

The Digital Age has arrived and if you are not up to date with your water treatment equipment and "Smart Technology" you need to get on board. It's time to digitize and realize what great water and efficient water treatment equipment can do for your home and family!

Good Water, Good Life!


Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply
872 N Old US Brighton, MI 48114
810 632 2000
www.beauchampwater.com

 © All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply 2016
    Raymond McConnell

It's All About That Base, No Gravel!

The future of water treatment has arrived and it,s GREEN!
Recently Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply announced we switched our entire line of water treatment equipment from the old distributor tube and gravel method for water treatment tanks to Vortech Plate Technology.  This really is an evolution in water treatment that can potentially change the way the entire water treatment industry approach to water treatment applications.

The old way:
The traditional water treatment tank system has a distributor tube and gravel base.  All the water flowing through the system is funneled through the distributor to service and the regeneration process. Very high volumes of water are required to properly regenerate this style tank along with higher water pressure.  A standard 10x54 water softener tank could use up to 150 gallons of water for a complete regeneration cycle and filtration tanks for iron and manganese removal can use even more!

Old Style Water Treatment Tank with
Gravel Under Base and Distributor Tube

Base of Old Style Distributor Tube

The better way:
Vortech Plate Technology is a totally different process to regenerate water treatment tanks. Instead of using the distributor tube and gravel set up that has been in use since the dawn of water treatment, which is highly inefficient, the new Vortech Plate uses the entire column of water in the tank to efficiently regenerate and effectively turn the whole bed of water softening resin, or filtration media, over inside the tank to clean any filter media or resin better than ever possible before.  The Vortech Plate also provides higher flow rates and less water pressure drop to more efficiently operate your household or business.  The link above shows the video of how this vortech plate technology makes such a huge difference.

   

So what does all of this mean? It means Less is More.

30% less water for regeneration, less salt use and higher service flow rates without sacrificing efficiency.  Remember that 10x54 tank which can use up to 150 gallons of water for a complete regeneration process? How about 94 gallons of water used on the same size tank for a complete regeneration with Vortech Plate Technology!  That is better for everyone and better for the environment!

Thank You!

Water Technology Magazine Vortech Plate Article

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply

Enpress Vortech Plate Technology

Good Water, Good Life!

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply
872 N Old 23 Brighton, MI 48114
810 632 2000
www.beauchampwater.com


© All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply 2016
    Raymond McConnell

No Water, Gravel and Ear Wigs, OH MY!

A customer in Brighton, MI recently called to say they have no water and a well drilling company had been out to look at the same problem a few days earlier.  They couldn't get in contact with the well company, that day, so they asked if we could help.  We had them by-pass all the water treatment equipment, while on the phone with them, and they immediately had water but very low pressure.  We promptly went to the home to asses the problem.  Apparently, the well company had re-pressurized the bladder and adjusted the pressure switch higher as the believed that was the problem.  This customer has an AIO filtration system and water softener to treat high iron and hydrogen sulfide along with extremely hard water.  While assessing the problem it was apparent there was a bigger problem then just low air in the bladder tank. We disconnected the iron filtration system and discovered the inlet was totally plugged with gravel.  Luckily the check valve, on the inlet to the AIO, had stopped all the gravel from getting into the filtration system. Consequently, very low water pressure.

We ran both the outside hoses to flush what we could out of the well tank and lines. After a short burst of gravel and discolored water, everything looked fine.  We then attempted to flush the inlet lines to the water treatment system and discovered they were totally blocked with gravel and sediment.  After ten minutes of repeated flushing and cleaning out gravel, the water finally started to clear up. Then we started to getting particles floating on the water?  Earwig parts!  Now we had another problem!  We inspected the wellhead and discovered the cap was very loose. The seal was bad and the well was full of earwigs and spiders!

Example of an insect-infested well.

A bad seal or cracked well cap can cause big problems!

At this point, we have to shut the well down because it's not safe to use. Earwigs carry coliform bacteria and have become a big problem contaminating water in wells that have not been maintained properly.  The screen on this particular well was bad causing the gravel problem. We referred them to a reputable well company that came out that day.  The pump needed to be replaced, the well was power flushed (With air and water) and chlorinated, along with the house, to assure no bacteria were present. We then sanitized all of our equipment and re-bed the iron filtration system.  A water sample was sent to a third party water lab to certify the well as bacteria free and safe to drink.

The moral of this story? Don't take your well or your water for granted.  Every well should be inspected, a minimum of every three years, and water tested for bacteria, nitrates, arsenic, etc. Water Check is an excellent source for water testing and offers a variety of water testing kits mailed to your home. If you haven't had your water tested I suggest you consider it. Even just to have a good base reference for future testing.

Knowing your water is safe for you and your family brings peace of mind and a better quality of life for everyone.

Update 4/29/18: I just had my semi-annual water test done and discovered coliform bacteria in "my water"!  I have a 22-year-old well that had a bad seal on the cap. As they say now "My Bad".  No using water for two days as the well gets sanitized and flushed. Then sanitizing the house and all the water treatment equipment, Iron filter, water softener, and reverse osmosis drinking water system, for another day.

You know the expression "Happy Wife, Happy Life"? I can assure you now you don't want to test that expression!




Below you will find links to important information related to topics in this article:

Homeowners Guide to Your Well.

Insect in Water Wells

Well Care Information Sheets

Well Care Information: Well Caps

www.beauchampwater.com

Good Water, Good Life!

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply
872 N Old US 23 Brighton, MI 48114
810 632 2000

Hard, Rusty, Smelly Water Problems Inside and Outside the Home?

Recently we had a couple from Milford, MI call that had an old ozone filtration system that failed.  They had sediment filters before and after everything to try and catch all the iron in the water inside and outside the home.  This system also fed their outside irrigation system.  They had been through several water softeners and many service calls on the ozone system in the 14 years since the system had been installed.  The ozone generator had died, the filters tanks were iron-bound and had been removed, the water softener stopped working, the water pressure in the house was very low and the irrigation system would not work at all.

Ozone systems were great for treating iron and odor problems along with many other water problems, especially bacteria in the water when they first came out but there are much more efficient ways to treat rusty, smell, hard water issues now.  Although ozone can still be a preferred method to treat difficult bacteria issues such as iron bacteria and coliform bacteria.  Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply removed the entire system, including the old galvanized well/contact tank (replaced it with a captive air bladder tank) and re-plumbed everything from before the well tank, through the new system, irrigation system and to the household plumbing.  As a matter of fact, we took out over sixty feet of plumbing that was totally fouled with oxidized iron. See pictures below,

Duplex AIO filtration systems were installed to accommodate the flow rates required for the irrigation system and household water use and a new high efficient water softener was installed.  This system is now much more efficient with very little maintenance, other than adding salt periodically.  They went from using over 140# of water softener salt per month to 40# of salt use per month.  That is a savings of over $1000.00 in 5 years!

As you can see by these pictures the entire system, including the plumbing lines, was fouled with iron and needed to be replaced.  The pipe shown here, coming out of the well tank, is a 1" PVC line that is so fouled with iron I could not fit the tip of my pen in it!  They were getting maybe five gallons per minute flow rate to the water treatment system, in the house, and to the irrigation system.

This is the picture of the ozone system, well tank, water softener, and filters before it was removed.  Now that is a plumbing nightmare!

The new water treatment system feeds the household water with iron-free softened water and supplies iron-free water for the irrigation system so there are no rust stains on the home's exterior, landscaping, driveways/sidewalks, property and that mailbox that is always brown from rust.

In summation; It is all about the proper solutions for water treatment problems. That is why Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply does not tell you what you need.  We work with you to provide practical, sensible, cost effective water treatment solutions to help your family solve those hard, rusty, smelly, water problems and provide the quality water you expect for your home and family.

Here are some useful links relevant to the information in this article;

wwwbeauchampwater.com

Ozonation in Water Treatment

Ozone Fact Sheet

EPA: Household Wells

EPA: Michigan Drinking Water

Water Quality Association

Beauchamp Water Facebook

Good Water, Good Life!

Beauchamp Water Treatment Solutions

872 N Old US 23

Brighton, MI 48114

810-632-2000

Reverse Osmosis: What is it and why you should have one.

Reverse Osmosis is a filtration method where water is forced through a semi permeable membrane to reduce total dissolved solids and contaminants to supply fresh drinking water.  A typical residential reverse osmosis system will have 3 to 5 stages of filtration consisting of a 5 micron pre-filter or Carbon block filter, Reverse Osmosis Membrane, Activated carbon post filter, In-line post carbon filter and holding tank.  The pre-filter is simply designed to remove sediment and some particulates before the membrane or protect the membrane from chlorinated water supplies with a Carbon block pre-filter.  The RO membrane is the primary stage of filtration and removes up to 99% of contaminants in the water.  Many of these contaminants are VOC’s (Volatile Organic Chemicals) which the carbon filtration stage is designed to reduce/remove and polish the water as a final phase before delivery to the faucet or refrigerator.

The Reverse Osmosis Process:

The RO membrane consists of many layers of spiral wound filaments which restrict the passage of contaminants and force them to the drain.  The product water is drawn from the inside of the membrane and sent to a storage tank before it goes through final carbon filtration as it goes to the RO faucet or refrigerator.  A typical residential Reverse Osmosis system can make anywhere from 10-75 gallons per day of high quality water depending on the TDS (Total dissolved solids) of the incoming water supply, feed pressure and temperature of the water. Generally the higher the TDS less product water and lower quality water will be created. For high TDS water a “Booster Pump” is used to boost the incoming water pressure to the membrane to improve quality and quantity of water produced.

Cutaway of a Reverse Osmosis Membrane and RO Membrane in filter housing:

Particulate size removal chart for a Reverse Osmosis system:

Diagram of a Reverse Osmosis System installation under a sink:

When feasible it is recommended to have the reverse osmosis system installed in the basement for easy maintenance, filter changes and to not tie up valuable space under the sink.  Larger storage tanks can be used when installed in the basement and product tanks can even be hung in the floor joists to help with water pressure to the RO faucet and refrigerator.  Delivery pumps can also be used to boost the pressure from the storage tank to run water across the basement, operate refrigerators efficiently and supply higher pressure to multiple locations and RO faucets.  RO filters are changed every 6-12 months and the RO membrane is changed every 3-7 years depending on water usage and incoming water quality to the RO.  Filters changes will run anywhere from $60 up to $120 depending on the RO system. RO membranes generally cost $80 to $120.  Anyone can change these filters but there are certain procedures that need to be followed when changing RO filters to protect against bacterial cross contamination from our hands that can potentially contaminate the RO.  Periodic sanitizing of the complete RO system is recommended to prevent possible contamination.

There are three styles of residential reverse osmosis systems:

   1.  Basic RO system with 3-5 stages of filtration

            2.  3-4 stage RO system with one piece manifold

  
   3.  3-5 stage RO system with quick change filters

 

Reverse Osmosis storage tanks come in many sizes to accommodate necessary water storage:

Rather than getting into the histrionics about all the dangerous things that can potentially be in our water and how they can be hazardous to our health, let’s just address ONE fact.  We all need to drink more water!  Our Doctors tell us that, our bodies tell us that every time we get thirsty and we all need to get away from drinking so many sugary drinks, energy drinks, coffee, drinks with artificial sweeteners, etc. Dehydration is actually the number one contributor to health related issues.  Our bodies are over 80% water so keeping hydrated is of the utmost importance and drinking water is the only way to rehydrate.

Having to constantly buy water, be it five gallon bottles or cases of bottled water for drinking, is time consuming, expensive and a pain to constantly be chasing water or scheduling delivery not to mention finding the space to store it all.  All of us need to drink more water and many of us are, evidenced by the bottled water that is flying off store shelves and being delivered weekly to households.  The bottled water industry has been growing by nearly 10% annually.  Hey, we are paying $1.00 or more for a twelve ounce bottle of water!  At that rate gasoline would be over $10 per gallon!  That is just ridiculous and on top of that bottled water is very loosely regulated for quality and potability.  A Reverse Osmosis drinking water system is the answer to this problem. It's the most practical way of giving us all the quality water we need (AT PENNIES PER GALLON) and will give your family high quality drinking water 24/7, 365 days a year. So do yourself a favor!  Go buy a Reverse Osmosis system for your family and DRINK UP there is plenty of water for everyone!

Here are some helpful links pertaining to reverse osmosis, drinking water contaminants, drinking water regulations and concerns about what may be in our water.

Wikipedia - What is Reverse Osmosis

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_osmosis

EPA - Drinking water contaminants

http://water.epa.gov/drink/contaminants/index.cfm

EPA - Ground water and Drinking water

http://water.epa.gov/drink/

Wikipedia - Contaminant levels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_Contaminant_Level

How Stuff Works - Reverse Osmosis

http://science.howstuffworks.com/reverse-osmosis.htm

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply

http://www.beauchampwater.com/

Good Water, Good Life!

Ray McConnell

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply
872 N Old US 23 Brighton, MI 48114
810-632-2000

www.beauchampwater.com

© All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply 2016

    Raymond McConnell