Appalachian Water and Soil Analysis, Inc.
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How To Install Your Own Water Treatment SystemHow to Begin Step One: The first step is to determine what kind of treatment, if any, the water will need. This is impossible to do correctly without proper testing. Your water may not need any treatment, but you can't know unless you test. We recommend the following:
Step Two: Determine the most effective purification technology available to purify your water. Once test results are available you can refer to the table below to determine what water treatment you wish to install. Start at the left and work your way down. Almost all systems will need (and you may already have) a filter to remove sand, silt, clay, and turbidity (this is called a mechanical filter or sediment filter). If your tests indicate bacterial contamination (especially coliforms or E. coli) then you may also want to install a chlorination or disinfection system. Note that ultraviolet (UV) and ozonation systems are also excellent disinfection systems, but for them to work properly you need to "pretreat" your water to purify it of interferences before running it through the UV filter or ozonator. That's why they are found far to the right in the top row. If you have undesirable odors or hydrogen sulfide you may want to install an oxidizing filter or activated carbon filter. And so on.... continue using the table. You must install these devices in the given order or they may not work effectively or at all. For example, if you do not install the sediment filter (if you need one) and do install an activated carbon filter, the sediment in the water will inactivate the carbon filter and make it essentially useless. If, however, you have no sediment in the water, you do not need a sediment filter. Testing for turbidity can give you a better idea of what you will need. Most Effective Purification Technologies Table
If you already have the test results available, we can perform an ....analysis of your water testing / treatment results and make recommendations for the type of treatment you need --- for just $45.00. We get paid for our expertise, knowledge and experience, and you get accurate trustable information that you can use to buy your testing and water treatment equipment at the lowest prices and at a vendor / store of your choice. We will tell you exactly what you need to look for. Your water analysis MUST provide enough information to determine what must be removed and how the water must be conditioned to allow for proper purification. Parameters like pH, concentrations of iron, manganese, calcium, sulfate, and others, although they may not be a problem in your water, will definitely affect what kind of system will work to remove impurities. For example, some systems will not work at all - no matter how good or expensive they are, if the pH is above or below a certain level. So even if your water is not acidic, the design of the system must take into account many factors that may seem unimportant to you. More examples: turbidity above certain levels will choke even the best activated carbon / charcoal filter and make it useless. Water will go through the system, and appear to have been purified, but the impurities will NOT have been removed. Very low iron and manganese levels will be removed with a water softener, but above these very minimal levels, an oxidizing system must be employed, and softening does almost nothing to help. We can go on, but the point we are trying to make is that you don't need to understand these intricacies, and most sales clerks do not understand these intricacies, but we make it our business to know these things, and can therefore recommend the appropriate tests and the best purification technologies for your needs. You no longer have to use a "trial and error" approach with your own money, if you are willing to spend a little to "do it right" from the beginning.
Step Three: Decide how much of the water in your house you want to treat. Two factors will need to be considered.
Once you have decided on your water treatment goals, there are two options to consider. Do you want to treat all the water in your home or do you just need to treat the drinking water? Do you want a "Point of Entry System" or a "Point of Use" system, or some combination of the two? Point of entry systems are generally more expensive but treat all the water that goes to every water outlet in the house. Point of use systems are more economical but just as effective. However they treat only the water going to specific areas, such as the kitchen sink. They are most often used to treat drinking and cooking water to remove any toxic substances that may be present. And, they will pay for themselves if you stop buying bottled water. 1. Whole house system - (point of entry system - treats all the water coming into the house)
2. Drinking water - This can be a
Step Four: Once you have decided on a system, the Fourth Step (installation) is a matter of plumbing that system into the existing water supply at the appropriate location. Do-it-yourselfers can save a lot of money doing this, but it does require some basic plumbing skill. Whole house systems are usually better left to professional plumbers, but a handy homeowner can even do these himself/herself, if he/she does some homework and is skillful with his or her hands. We do not include any instructions here for actually installing these systems because it varies so much from system to systems and because it is outside the scope of this article. However, you may be able to use this information to decide whether or not you want to tackle a project like this. With the information from the first three steps you can now go to any home improvement store and find what you need and get guidance on how to install the particular systems they have available. The diagrams below show, in principle, how it is done. Several considerations are important: Install the system at a location that does not freeze. Install the system at a location that is convenient to access, especially if it will be used by elderly or infirmed individuals, because it will need to be accessed for routine maintenance at least once to four times per year. Often, you will need to replace filter cartridges during this process or replenish chemicals. A typical example of an under-the-sink system follows, but many systems come with instructions for installation, so look at the specific system you wish to purchase, and follow the instructions for that system. The following is taken from a manufacturers installation instructions:
Do-it-yourselfers can save a lot of money by performing the installations themselves. When pricing and installing systems be sure to take into account 1. Are the filter cartridges included in the price, or do they have to be purchased separately? 2. Is the installation kit complete?
3. Be sure to include some room to allow for removal and replacement of cartridges when planning a location for installation 4. Use self adhesive stickers and put dates on cartridges when filters are replaced for proper maintenance 5. Have the pre-filtration water and post filtration water tested within one week of system installation 6. Put filter maintenance on your calendar. Check cartridges every 3 months. Have the system tested once a year to be sure it is producing the quality of water you want. For More Information The following links will be invaluable in getting more information about systems that are available and installation of those systems, as well as providing additional information on cost and function of various systems. We receive no compensation or consideration of any kind from these companies, so please do not consider this an advertisement or endorsement of their products. You will need to make your own choices about reliability, quality, cost, etc. http://www.puritec.com/residential/water/ for Puritek brand devices and systems http://www.everpure.com/ or http://www.drinkingpure.com/ for Everpure Systems http://www.remco.com/roidx.htm for large systems http://www.airwatersolutions.com/ro.html Kinetico http://www.appliedozone.com/aos-1c_ozone_countertop.html http://alpine.jeffotto.com/products/water.htm http://www.lenntech.com/disinfection.htm http://www.promolife.com/products/ozoneh2o.htm ozonation – the latest and best in water disinfection But NOT recommended for indoor air purification. ttp://www.barnsteadthermolyne.com/index.cfm Barnstead International Research Grade Water Purification http://www.thstore.com/default.asp Health Store for selections of different brands http://www.nsf.org/info/aboutnsf.html for information about certification of purification devices
We have an adapter (click here) you can purchase for only $19.95 that allows you to test your reverse osmosis water very easily, so you will know exactly when to replace the membrane cartridge. For more information write us at dr_e@awsa.info or purchase the device on line. We are not connected with any government agency, or regulatory entity. We are completely independent and able to help you without reporting to ANYONE. We are committed to protecting your privacy and personal or company interests, and we guarantee the highest levels of security
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