While on call this weekend, I received two calls from do-it-yourselfers that made things worse. One of them tried to change an ultra violet light lamp that disinfected their water. He damaged another part in the unit and ended up with water that was not safe to drink. The other took his softener control head apart so he could manually regenerate it because the manual control was broken. He also damaged another part and had to tolerate high iron water until we could fix or replace the valve, which will cost many hundreds of dollars at the least.

In general, do-it-yourselfers should stay away from water treatment equipment. The consequence of failure is just too high. I’ll talk about this further in our next e-newsletter.  Click on “The Water Break” to subscribe to our e-newsletter.

Thank you!

Steve

The reason that I say “too easy” is because it is not unusual for some customers to just keep their brine tanks full and forget what they are really attempting to do. It’s not enough to just keep your Brine Tank full of Softener Salt. In fact if you have an efficient Kinetico Water Treatment System you might never want to completely fill your Brine Tank. It is just as important that you see the Salt dropping down in the Brine Tank as it is to add Salt.

If Salt sits still in a Brine tank for too long it will start to slowly dissolve due to Humidity. The weight of this partially dissolved Salt pushing down upon itself can cause a bridging effect. This will stop the salt from dropping down in the Brine Tank.  Although there are many reasons why a Brine Tank might bridge, the most common ones are too much salt, and not enough water consumption.

If the Salt stops being consumed by the Softener that is a sign that there is a problem in the system, not a sign that everything is all set. Eventually the system will fail, and if you have Adsorbers following your Softener you may not realize that there is Iron or Manganese fouling your expensive Adsorption Media.

One easy solution is to keep a log near your system and journal all of your interactions with your system.  Over time you will know how much Salt you use on average, and if you vary by more than 20% on average call your Water Treatment Company for service. It is best to call for service soon, before the equipment becomes seriously damaged.

Thank you for your continued support of Secondwind Water Systems. We truly appreciate your business and referrals. If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767.  Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6, saying, “Thanks for reading!, and enjoy your great water”… : )

Finally the rain is back and many wells have returned to their pre-drought levels. The thing that concerns me most about this quick recovery is what is that water bringing along with it. Changes in the level of the water table can bring on changes in the contaminant levels also. Lot’s of rain can cause Bacterial contamination, low pH, and surface water intrusion, especially if you are on an overburden well, such as a dug well, point well or pit well. Even on a deep Bedrock well, as the water table level changes so does the flow of water through the various cracks and capillaries that eventually lead to your faucet.

It would certainly make sense to investigate what changes may be occurring in your drinking water. Make this a year to have your Water Quality tested by a State and EPA Certified Lab. You will be able to rest easy once again and enjoy the fact that the drought is finally, and completely over.

Thank you for your continued support of Secondwind Water Systems. We truly appreciate your business and referrals. If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767.  Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6, saying, “Thanks for reading!, and enjoy your great water”… : )

Recently, I was called out to a Residential site to take a look at a water system that has been experiencing some Iron bleed through. By the way, I don’t usually get the easy ones! Over the course of the first year following the installation of the system the Soluble (Ferrous) Iron had increase significantly, going up to 4 mg/l. When the customer called about the Iron staining we dispatched a service tech, who adjusted the Disk setting on the Kinetico Softener. The new Disk and Salt settings were both correct, and by the book.

So, then why was the customer seeing Iron stains in the shower stall? I know of several reasons why this could happen, and so I went out to investigate the situation for myself. After testing the water and inspecting the Water Softener for mechanical/chemistry/hydraulics issues it appeared that there was nothing wrong, except that there was that stain. Knowing that stains don’t lie I dug deeper into the matter and asked the customer about her lifestyle.

I found out that the customer lives alone and spends several days at work in a row, long days and short evenings. She showers at work sometimes and also picks up her dry cleaning at work. By the end of the conversation I realized that we had identified the reason for the staining. The Softener settings were by the book. Unfortunately, the book was not written for this customer. For an average Family of 4, that is home everyday the Softener would be regenerating every3-4 days, and that’s perfect. After doing the math I estimated that her Water Softener might only be regenerating once a month.  This means that all of that Iron sits in the Softener and oxidizes on the Resin. That’s a bad thing, by the way! Adjustments to the Softener Disk settings have made a big difference in the water quality now. The system will be cleaning itself much more frequently, and after the water has been completely Iron free for a reasonable period of time we will turn down the Salt dosage. As the customers family grows we can again adjust the settings of the Softener to match the customer changing lifestyle and reduce Waste water.

Even the best Equipment Manufacturers can only pre-design their Systems to perform under what is referred to as Normal Operating Conditions. No matter where you choose to purchase your water treatment system, working closely with a local WQA Certified Water Specialist to design a Robust water treatment design that matches your lifestyle is always your best approach to solving Water problems for good.

Thank you for your continued support of Secondwind Water Systems. We truly appreciate your business and referrals. If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6, saying, “Thanks for reading!, and enjoy your great water”… : )

I think it has to do with the fact that most folks are finished with their vacations, the kids are all back to School and folks are just spending more time indoors, looking out. There is also a sense of urgency this time of year to get those projects finished before the White Stuff flies (shhhhh!!!). 

Fall is also a good time to think ahead and stock up on supplies like Softener Salt and Cartridges, have your system serviced, and have your water quality tested. Some of our customers have only one way in and out of their Water Treatment areas, and that becomes harder and harder to access as the weather gets colder.  

Along with Fall comes the changing of the clocks and many of our customers have electric timers that need to be reset twice a year to keep their water quality consistent. I’ll be writing more on that next time.

Until then grab yourself a nice warm Fleece, a good leaf rake, and enjoy the most beautiful time of year to be in New Hampshire. 

Thank you for your continued support of Secondwind Water Systems. We truly appreciate your business and referrals. If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6, saying, “Thanks for reading!, and enjoy your great water”… : )

Radon Air-strippers blow filtered air through water. The water is usually at atmospheric pressure and must be re-pressurized before sending it off to the homes distribution system. Although many Air-stripper have high quality air intake filters and hepa filters it is still possible for air-borne Bacteria to enter the water stream. To control the growth of Bacteria, it would be optimal if everyone would follow their Air-stripper with a Chlorinator or an Ultra Violet light sterilization system. Unfortunately, the cost of Radon Air-strippers is considered so high that adding on a Sterilization step afterwards is usually cost prohibitive. So what to do?

Have your system professionally sterilized on an Annual basis! This will keep Air-Borne bacteria from getting out of control. The last thing that you want is to have Bio Slime forming in the Air-stripper. Not only is it disgusting, it will actually plug up the holes in the Air-stripper over time affecting it’s Radon reduction efficiency.

In addition to Sterilizing the Air-stripper and checking all of it’s Mechanical functions, it is also important to have the Solenoids checked for bleed-through. Usually the Solenoids do not suffer from catastrophic failure, all at once. They start out by leaking  just a little bit. The water in the Air-stripper will rise slightly overnight, then you get up and take a shower, which returns the water level back to normal. Then you go off to work and the water starts to rise again, and then someone comes home and runs water. This cycle can go on for quite a long time and you wouldn’t ever realize that there is a problem, until you go away for a couple days, or a week, just to return home and find your basement full of water.

I don’t want to sound threatening or overbearing about this. It is just the plain honest truth about what can happen with these systems, if they are left to deteriorate. They need Annual Preventative Maintenance just like your Furnace. Do that and you will have many many years of reliable service from your system.

Thank you for your continued support of Secondwind Water Systems. We truly appreciate your business and referrals. If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6, saying, “Thanks for reading!, and enjoy your great water”… : )

Download the ad here: Secondwind Sales Job Ad

Secondwind Water Systems, a leader in the water treatment industry, is looking to expand its sales force. This doesn’t happen but once in a blue moon because our sales people love it here. We are growing and are looking for someone who is self driven with a desire to succeed and to build something with us.

This is an outside sales position, meeting customers in their homes and performing water analysis and product demonstrations. You will be expected to learn water treatment concepts and take examinations. You will be responsible for a geography and can expect many warm leads, but networking and prospecting will also be an important part of this job, using creative methods and some programs that are already in place.

Training pay is offered and our new sales representative can expect to be operating at full capacity with 45-90 days. After training, this is a base & commission position with a range of $50,000 to $80,000 + possible depending on your energy level and commitment.

Qualified candidates should have:
• A minimum of two years of successful selling of products or service, or the ability to convince us you’ll be great even though you don’t have the experience
• Excellent communication skills, personable, good work ethic, and a positive attitude.
• Willingness to adapt to a constantly changing environment.
• Ability and willingness to work flexible hours including some nights and some weekends.
• Valid driver’s license with a good driving record.
• A vehicle with insurance.

Send your resume to Humanresources@secondwindwater.com

Secondwind Water Systems
735 East Industrial Park Drive
Manchester NH 03109

1-800-287-5767

Removing radon from the water is only half of the fun. In order to truly be rid of the Gas it is very important to follow safe venting practices. Vent stack exhaust should be at least ten feet, above the ground, or any platforms. They should also be ten feet away from any radon re-entry point such as a window, door, adjacent building, or other openings such as a sky light.

On older systems it is very very important to check the actual end of the exhaust pipe. Most systems are installed to EPA venting protocols. However over time changes may have occurred such as additions, new roof lines, and windows. One definite mistake is if the vent is open on the end allowing rain or snow to enter. The end of the vertical vent stack should have at least one 90 degree bend with a screen on the end. We generally attach a fitting that resembles a dryer vent at the end of the 90, that has a flapper and a screen. The last thing that you want is an open pipe pointing straight up, that allows  Precipitation fouled with Bacteria to flow down the vent and into your Water.  The absolute worst case would be wildlife nesting your vent pipe. They really love the warm air coming from the pipe in the Winter. So check your vents! 

Thank you for your continued support of Secondwind Water Systems. We truly appreciate your business and referrals. If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6, saying, “Thanks for reading!, and enjoy your great water”… : )

Uranium decays into Radium. Radium decays into Radon. This process takes Millions of years to occur, but still you can’t have Radon without Uranium and Radium having been around at some point. So, there are some relationships between high levels of Radon in Water and Uranium in Water. This doesn’t mean that if you have one that you will definitely have the other. It just means that if you have one, that you are more likely to have the other. Therefore if you know that there is high Radon in the raw Water it would be practical to have the drinking water tested for Uranium.

There are many people with very strong feelings regarding the Radon removal industry. This is brought on mostly by conflicting information available on line, and the fact that there is no set EPA maximum contaminant level for Radon in Water. Uranium is a very different story. There is a set EPA maximum level for Uranium in Water, 30 ug/l. People don’t question whether or not Uranium is bad for their health.   

If you do test your water and find that there are high levels of Uranium in the water, there are Water Treatment Systems available that do a great job of removing it. The test is only about $35 at most independent labs. As for your past exposure to Uranium in Water that you have already consumed, just think of it as quitting smoking. The best thing that you can do is quit, now!

Thank you for your continued support of Secondwind Water Systems. We truly appreciate your business and referrals. If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6, saying, “Thanks for reading!, and enjoy your great water”… : )