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