Pure Water Occasional, January, 2024
 
Happy New Year from Pure Water Products, the Pure Water Gazette, and the Pure Water Occasional.

 
In this first of 2024 Occasional you will hear about water testing, treatment of sulfur, dry pellet chlorinators, reverse osmosis shutoff systems, AerMax units, AI in water treatment, high ocean temperatures, plastics in water and in our bodies, the great drought in the rainforest , and, as always, there is much, much more. 

Thank you for reading, and sincere thanks from Pure Water Products for your continuing support.  
 
Thanks for reading!

Please visit the Pure Water Gazette, where you will find hundreds of articles about water and water treatment, and the Pure Water Products website, where there is much information about water treatment and specific information about the products we offer. On both of these information-rich sites, pop-up ads and other distractions are strictly against the law.
 
 

 
 
Should You Get a Water Test Done Before Buying Water Treatment Equipment?

 
 
If you are treating city water, not necessarily.  If your water comes from a private well, almost certainly.
 
Your city probably posts its water quality report on its website and this report will usually tell you what you need to know about your water.  However, contaminants like iron, turbidity, and lead can look good in the water tested at the water plant but may be elevated in the water that comes out of your home's faucets. A lot can happen in the piping between the point of testing and your  home. The city report will tell you if there is PFAs or other dangerous regulated contaminants in the water, but it may not tell you if the city disinfects your water with regular chlorine or more difficult to treat chloramine. The disinfectant used is something you need to know before buying whole  house water treatment. Another item of interest to many city water users is fluoride, and the city's report will tell you if fluoride is added.
 
With well water, it is always best to start with a water test. 
 
Many water treatment issues require knowledge of several characteristics of water that can only be determined by testing.  For example, with well water simple observation may tell you that you have iron in your water, but in order to treat the iron properly you need to know not only how much iron you have but also the pH of the water and often the dissolved oxygen content.  It’s best to know if iron bacteria are present and if there are other problems that can be addressed at the same time.  Iron and hardness, for example, can often be fixed with a single treatment device, a conventional water softener, and if there is odor to the water you can get rid of that as well if you choose the correct iron treatment.  You also need to know if there is manganese present, since iron and manganese can be reduced with the same treatment.  Simply buying an “iron filter” from a big box store or a website might work, but it’s likely to be only a partial solution to your problem.
 
A good water analysis can also alert you to serious problems you didn’t know you had–like an elevated level of arsenic or chromium–or it can give you assurance that your water does not have hidden contaminants that can damage your health.  If the water you drink every day has a dangerous amount of lead or pesticides, you definitely want to know it, but it is equally valuable to know that your water is not contaminated.
 
In fact, I believe that the great value of a water test is not necessarily finding out what’s bad about your water but specifically what is good about it.  When a good test shows that your water is safe, the test is well worth the price for the reassurance it gives you.
 
Fortunately, many good water testing services are now available and the cost of most is reasonable. Please visit the Pure Water Products website to learn more about our National Testing Laboratories water test kits.
 
 
 
 

Sulfur & Groundwater

Gazette’s Introductory Note: The piece below is adapted from an information sheet provided by the non-profit Water Systems Council.  It addresses one of the more confusing topics in water treatment, the “sulfur” or rotten egg smell in well water. Bad smelling water is variously attributed to sulfur, sulfate, or hydrogen sulfide. This document seeks to shed some light on the origin and treatment of bad smelling water. 
 
What is Sulfur?


Two forms of sulfur are commonly found in drinking water: hydrogen sulfide and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Both forms are nuisances that usually do not pose a health risk at the concentrations found in domestic wells.
Hydrogen sulfide gas occurs naturally in some ground water that contains decaying organic matter, such as wetlands, marshes, swamps, river beds. It may be found in deep or shallow wells. Hydrogen sulfide is often present in wells drilled in shale or sandstone, or near coal or peat deposits or oil fields.
Sulfate is a combination of sulfur and oxygen, and is part of naturally occurring minerals in some soil and rock. The mineral dissolves over time and is released into ground water. Sulfur odor is produced when a non-harmful sulfur-reducing bacteria digests a small amount of the sulfate mineral.
 
What are the health effects of Sulfur?

The EPA considers sulfur a secondary water contaminant, with no direct threat to human health. Sulfate gives water a bitter taste and can have a laxative effect that may lead to dehydration. Hydrogen sulfide gives water a “rotten egg” odor and taste, and can cause nausea.
Hydrogen sulfide is corrosive to metals such as iron, steel, copper and brass. It can tarnish silverware and discolor copper and brass utensils. Hydrogen sulfide can also cause yellow or black stains on kitchen and bathroom fixtures. Coffee, tea and other beverages made with water containing hydrogen sulfide may be discolored and the appearance and taste of cooked foods can be affected. High concentrations of dissolved hydrogen sulfide also can foul the resin bed of an ion exchange water softener.
How do I test for Sulfur?

Testing for hydrogen sulfide can be difficult because the gas escapes into the atmosphere so quickly. Onsite testing is the most accurate method for determining hydrogen sulfide concentration, especially if the odor is excessive. Hydrogen sulfide concentrations greater than 5 mg/L are more difficult to treat and could require special testing methods to assure accuracy.
Sulfate-reducing bacteria is rarely tested, however testing for sulfate ion (mineral) concentration is. The premise is: if a rotten egg odor is present and the sulfate ion concentration is excessive – greater than 150 mg/L – the odor is created by sulfate-reducing bacteria.
The EPA sets standards for secondary water contaminants based on taste, odor, color, corrosiveness, foaming and staining properties. Hydrogen sulfide is not regulated because any concentration high enough to pose a health hazard will also make the water too unpalatable to drink. The EPA’s secondary limit for sulfate in drinking water is 250 parts per million (ppm).
What are the treatments for Sulfur in drinking water?
Treatment options depend on the form (whether hydrogen sulfide or sulfate-reducing bacteria) and quantities of the “rotten egg odor-producing” contaminants. Hydrogen sulfide treatment is with chlorination or aeration followed by filtration. Often, treatment for hydrogen sulfide is the same as for iron and manganese, allowing the removal of all three contaminants in one process.
Most water heater anode rods contain some sulfate so, in the presence of sulfate-reducing bacteria, a rotten egg odor is created in the hot water only. If this occurs, the first course of action is to replace the anode rod with an aluminum-based rod which limits the sulfate and therefore stops the odor.
Sulfate-reducing bacteria is treated with continuous chlorination. Removing sulfate mineral is difficult and usually not feasible, so chlorination kills the bacteria instead. The chlorination process involves a chemical feed pump system that injects a chlorine solution into the inlet of a retention tank that must be installed in the house piping. The retention tank must hold enough water to provide a 20-minute time period for the chlorine to react with the bacteria. The capacity needed for the retention tank can be calculated by multiplying the well pump output times 20. A continuous chlorine residual of 1.0 mg/L is required at the outlet of the retention tank to assure the bacteria were destroyed. Since chlorine can be combined with natural organic matter, it’s always recommended that an activated carbon filter be installed after the retention tank to remove the chlorine.
 
 
 
 

Dry Pellet Chlorinator

 

A Dry Pellet Chlorinator is a relatively simple device. It sits on top of the well and drops chlorine pellets into the well much in the same way that a gumball machine dispenses chewing gum.

Using chemicals isn't our favorite thing, but sometimes chlorination is the best answer to well problems. Chlorine, of course, is the municipal water supplier's standard approach to disinfection, and it performs the same function for well owners.
In addition, chlorine is a powerful and effective oxidizer that can be used to treat common well problems like iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfide. Typical well treatment involves chlorinating the water then following with filtration. The most commonly used filter medium is carbon, which not only removes the chlorine and makes the water more healthful and aesthetically pleasing, but also filters out oxidized iron, sulfur, iron bacteria, and particulate matter.
 
 
 
 
The pellet bottle itself is screwed onto the dispensing unit. When the bottle is empty (a bottle usually lasts several weeks), a new bottle of pellets replaces it. A clean and easy operation.
Dry pellet chlorinators offer several advantages over liquid chlorine-feed systems. They're very easy to install, they are trouble-free, and they usually require no retention tank. They free you of the messy and unpleasant job of chlorine solution preparation. You are assured consistent chlorine delivery without concerns for evaporation or freezing. Chlorine pellets are dry, clean, and concentrated. A single 3.5 pound container will usually treat the water supply of a family of four for several months. Since they do the job inside the well itself, where the problem is, the whole well and pump system stays clean and problem-free.
We offer the best dry-pellet dispenser on the market, the very popular Well Pro system. It comes in four models — all priced identically. You need to know only if your well pump uses 115 volts or 220 volts and to decide if you want the “interrupter” feature which shuts the Well Pro system down any time the well pump runs over fifteen minutes. This is a safety feature to avoid over chlorination, and it is recommended in most cases. Almost all our Well Pro sales are 220-volt units with interrupter.
Operation of the chlorinator is simple. The unit is wired into your well pump's electrical supply so that it runs while the pump runs and shuts off when the pump shuts off. As it runs, it drops one to three (it is adjustable) small chlorine pellets into the well per minute. The highly concentrated pellets sink into the well and dissolve slowly, killing bacteria and cleaning up iron and sulfide problems. When the water leaves the well, it passes through a backwashing filter (usually carbon) for removal of oxidized particles and final polish. If a carbon filter is used, the chlorine will also be removed, so that the water that enters the home will be very clean and chlorine-free.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The illustration above shows the correct order of treatment stages. The retention tank is not necessary in most dry pellet installations because the well itself provides plenty of rentention time for the chlorine to do its job. Also, the softener may not be needed. 

 

Reverse Osmosis Shutoff Problems

 
Here is a typical customer question regarding an undersink reverse osmosis unit that doesn’t seem to be shutting off properly:
 
In the past week or so we’ve noticed a dramatic uptick — or trickle — of the filter.  That is, we’ve been hearing sometimes for a couple hours at a time, for a week every day, what I’m calling the usual but much less frequent “back flow” into the drain pipe that happens during filtration under normal conditions.  Whereas it used to be heard only once a month — in other words, so infrequently that we almost didn’t notice it.

The “backflow” that the RO owner describes is actually the unit’s normal flow to drain.  Whether you hear it or not, there is always a trickle of water running to the drain while the unit is filling the storage tank.  The drain water’s function is to carry away the impurities that have been rejected by the RO membrane. The trickle to drain happens when the  unit is making water to fill the tank.  When the tank is full, it stops.
 
 
RO Units Don’t Follow Human Logic
 

There are a number of reasons why you start hearing water run into the drainpipe when you have not heard it before. The most common are a change in water pressure or a change in temperature, causing the water to fall a bit differently into the drain pipe. When drain water slides down the wall of the pipe, you don’t hear it, but if the pressure is a bit stronger it can fall into a small pool of water that has gathered in the pipe and you’ll hear it fall. (If the drain saddle is installed on a horizonal rather than a vertical pipe, you will hardly ever hear the drain flow.)
 
If it sometimes takes much longer than  you would expect to fill the tank, that’s usually because the last time the unit made water its production was shut off prematurely with the tank only partially full. The next time the unit begins making water, it will take longer than you expect to refill the storage tank. 
 
Here’s a common situation.  The unit is filling the tank when an event like a toilet flush or a shower lowers incoming pressure and the production stops because the shutoff system thinks that the tank is full.  (Yes, I know, RO units don’t think.) The way that the shutoff system determines the amount of water in the tank is by monitoring the pressure inside the tank and comparing it to the pressure of the tap water going into the unit. The unit fills the tank until the pressure in the tank equals about 2/3 of the pressure of the inlet water. If the inlet pressure goes down (as happens when a toilet is flushed), the production of water to fill the tank can be interrupted.  The next time there is a demand for water (e.g., the RO faucet is opened), the pressure in the storage tank goes down and production starts.  In this case it will take a lot longer to top off the tank than you would expect because the tank was only partially full. 
 
 
To Determine If There Is a Problem
 

The first thing to do is to determine if the shutoff system is working properly. Probably the easiest way to determine if the system is working is before going to bed to run enough water through the unit to start production, then check it the next morning. If it has shut off during the night everything is probably working fine. 
 
A quicker way is to turn off the valve on top of the storage tank (off is with the valve handle at right angles with the tube), then open the RO faucet. The water should run at a uniform trickle or small stream. This is the water that the unit is producing in real time. Next, turn off the faucet. Water should stop running to drain within 3 or 4 minutes. If closing the faucet stops production and keeps it off, the shutoff system is working fine. (Turning off the tank valve simulates a full tank. If you prefer, it makes the RO unit think the tank is full.)
 
 
If water continues to run with the tank valve closed, the unit needs attention.  The most likely parts that need replacement are the hydraulic shutoff valve (the disc-shaped part mounted on the membrane housing that has 4 tubes) or, less likely, the check valve (one way valve) in the permeate tube.  It is the small cigar-shaped item installed in the short tube that connects the left end of the membrane housing with the shutoff valve.
 
Red Flag

If the water you hear in the drain line sounds more like a rushing river than a gentle trickle and it never stops, turn off the inlet water to the unit and leave it off until a repair is made.  The offending part is the flow restrictor. That’s the larger of the two cigar-shaped items in the drain tube.
 
 

 
 

 

 
 
Tons of Information
 
We've been collecting information about water and water treatment since the 1980s. We invite you to make use of it.
 
The Pure Water Gazette website has well over a thousand articles on water and related issues. Read to your heart's content in a popup-free environment.
 
Pure Water Products main website has several tons of fairly well organized information about most aspects of water treatment. Please visit and read at leisure without insulting BUY NOW! intrusions.
 
We've lost track of how many back issues of the Pure Water Occasional we have archived, but you can find links to many of them here. 
 
 
 

 
AerMax Units Have Optional Vertical Pump Mounting Bracket
 
 
Our newest AerMax installation kit mounts the air pump on the tank itself. 

 
The traditional AerMax system that we've sold for many years now also comes with an optional installation kit. With the traditional AerMax unit, the air pump is wall mounted beside the treatment tank. The new optional installation system, pictured above, allows the air pump to be installed on top of the tank itself, providing a more compact, vibration-free mounting. The vertical mount system is now available, as is a timer control that makes installation much easier than before.  There is no performance difference between the convenitonal Aermax with wall mounted pump and the newer vertical assembly. 
 
Please call 888-382-3814 or go to this link for details about the vertically mounted unit.

 

 

Water News — January, 2024

How The Democratization Of AI Is Transforming Water Infrastructure Management

When AI first burst onto the scene, the most sophisticated platforms were confined to use at high-level, well-funded institutions. However, the democratization of AI has more recently allowed municipalities of all sizes to harness machine learning algorithms to predict water demand, detect leaks, and optimize distribution networks. AI-driven solutions enable more efficient resource allocation, reduced water waste, and improved overall infrastructure resilience.

Deregulating AI empowers local authorities to make data-informed decisions, enhancing their ability to address water challenges effectively and sustainably. As a result, the widespread adoption of AI in water infrastructure management contributes to the development of smarter, more resilient, and environmentally conscious communities.
 
Full article discussing AI in relation to water treatment from Water Online.  


We are now consuming a credit  card's worth of plastic daily.     Every year, we dump 10m tons of plastic into the ocean, and solving the problem will require regulatory action. But there are ways consumers can help.  Read this excellent Guardian plastics article for details. Also, see this Forbes report.

Ocean temperatures are "off the charts."

The ocean surface temperatures in 2023 were “off the charts,” accoding to authorities. The primary cause was another year of record carbon emissions, assisted by El Niño. Over the whole year, the average temperature was 0.1C above 2022, but in the second half of 2023 the temperature was an “astounding” 0.3C higher.

The scientists said the record level of stratification and reduced oxygen in the ocean would have “severe consequences” for ocean plant and animal life. Marine heatwaves struck across the oceans in 2023. Full article. 
 

Devastating Drought in Amazon Rainforest

The climate crisis turned the drought that struck the Amazon rainforest in 2023 into a devastating event

Source: The Guardian .
 
The climate crisis turned the drought that struck the Amazon rainforest in 2023 into a devastating event, a study has found.
 
The drought was the worst recorded in many places and hit the maximum “exceptional” level on the scientific scale. Without planet-warming emissions from the burning of oil, gas and coal, the drought would have been far less extreme, the analysis found.
 
It also showed the drought was made 30 times more likely to happen by global heating. The return of the natural El Niño climate phenomenon is associated with drier conditions but played only a small role, the scientists said.
 
The climate crisis is supercharging extreme weather across the planet, but the extreme Amazon drought is a stark and worrying example because the rainforest is already thought to be close to a tipping point into a drier state. This would result in a mass die-off of trees in the world’s most important store of carbon on land, releasing large amounts of CO2 and driving global temperatures even higher.
 
Millions of people in the Amazon have been affected by the drought, with some rivers at their lowest levels for more than a century. There have been drinking water shortages, failed crops and power cuts, as hydroelectric plants dried up. The drought also worsened wildfires and high water temperatures were linked to a mass mortality of river life, including the deaths of more than 150 endangered pink river dolphins in a single week. 
 
 
“The Amazon could make or break our fight against climate change,” said Regina Rodrigues, a professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, and part of the World Weather Attribution team that did the analysis.
 
“If we protect the forest, it will continue to act as the world’s largest land-based carbon sink,” she said. “But if we allow human-induced emissions and deforestation to push it through the tipping point, it will release large amounts of CO2. We need to protect the rainforest and move away from fossil fuels as quickly as possible.” 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Places to visit for additional information:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thanks for reading. The next Occasional will show up eventually--when you least expect it.
Pure Water Products, LLC, 523A N. Elm St., Denton, TX, 76201.  www.purewaterproducts.com. Call us at 888 382 3814, or email pwp@purewaterproducts.com.
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