McCowin Water Filtration

As water treatment experts, we are asked many questions about all things “water.”
Here are a few of the most commonly asked ones:

1. Are soft water and drinking water systems one and the same?
No. Soft water systems remove calcium and magnesium from the water and drinking water systems remove everything else resulting in pure drinking water.

2. Can you have a soft water system if you also have a tank-less hot water heater?
Yes. In fact, many manufacturers of tank-less water heaters require a softening system in the home to protect their product from damage caused from the hard water.

3. Is putting a drinking water system in my home worth the cost?
Most of the time, yes. The average family of 4 spends about $35.00 to $75.00 each month on bottled water. At that rate, most systems pay for themselves in 8 to 16 months.

4. What about my pets? Tap water is OK for them, right?
Not really. If you are giving your pets tap water, they are ingesting chlorine, chloramines, hard minerals and other particles that are not possible for their bodies to assimilate. If you wouldn’t want your family to ingest those things, why would you let your pet? Most veterinarians recommend filtered water.

5. Does “pure” water go bad if it stays in a plastic bottle for too long?
Yes. Pure water will eventually break down the plastic that it’s stored in. Also, keeping water in areas where the temperature rises above 82 degrees will expedite this breakdown of the plastic.

6. Do pharmaceuticals really get into our water?
Yes. As of this writing, our Municipal Water Treatment Plants do not have the capability to remove the pharmaceuticals found in the water.

7. Do you have filtering systems that will remove pharmaceuticals?
Yes, we do.

8. Do refrigerator filters do a good job of filtering the water?
Refrigerator filters do remove about 25% of the larger particles coming from the tap, but a good Reverse Osmosis System will remove 99% of all impurities.

Did you know, that because of its slow rate of decay, a large majority of all plastics ever produced still exist today – somewhere?

Now when you realize that just bottled water alone produces up to 1.5 billion tons of plastic bottle waste every year, we have a serious issue that needs to be addressed.

The plastic used to bottle beverages is high quality and most definitely in demand by recyclers, yet over 80% of the plastic bottles are just simply thrown away!

And of those 80%, what percentage actually makes it to a garbage can? There is a high volume of current plastic waste floating on the major oceans of the world, causing a great risk to the health of the marine life, killing birds and fish who mistake it for food.

We all want to have clean, filtered drinking water but at what cost to the health of our environment are we willing to go to have it?

The smart and “green” solution? Filter your own tap water (such as reverse osmosis home filter) and “bottle” it in a reusable, environmentally safe container, such as stainless steel or glass.

Everyone wins!

We can credit the use of chlorine disinfection in our water for dramatically reducing our potential for acquiring serious diseases, such as Typhoid Fever, Dysentery and Legionnaire’s Disease.

However, it is not uncommon today to find levels of chlorine in our tap water that exceed those recommended as safe for most swimming pools. We need chlorine treated water delivered to our front door, but should we let it inside our home?

We believe the answer is “NO!” 

Chlorine and chloramines can have an adverse effect on a cellular level when we consume it. But a much greater danger lurks in our bath and shower water. Because it is a poison that kills waterborne pathogens, there is an increased risk of cancer and other ailments caused by absorption through the skin while bathing or showering. 

But even more dangerous is inhaled air containing chlorine byproducts that can contain up to 100 times the chemical levels of the incoming water.  Chemicals “vaporize” into steam in the bath or shower. Then   we breathe in this chemical-laden steam which goes directly into our bloodstream, rather than being filtered through the kidneys or the digestive system, increasing production of free-radicals, causing damage to cells and  prolonged exposure to carcinogens.

So what should we do?

Take control of the levels of chlorine coming into your home. Effective, environmentally sound, whole-house technology is available and reasonably affordable to provide a chemical free home with regards to water and resultant air contamination.

Bottled water sales have tripled over the last 10  years, partly because of the widening concern about the quality of tap water as well as convincing marketing assurance that bottled water is pure and safe to drink.  But the truth is, somewhere between 25 – 40% of all bottled water is actually, bottled tap water.

Although the FDA has rules to prevent misleading claims of water purity, some bottlers will still label their product as “spring water” even though it was pumped out of a well and may be chemically treated.

While we deserve the assurance that our bottled water is safe, the only way to be completely sure you are drinking safe, pure water is to filter the tap water in your own home.

Liter for liter, bottled water costs hundreds of times as much as the stuff that gushes from the tap, but otherwise it isn’t so different—except that it’s subject to a good deal less monitoring, says Peter Gleick, author of Bottled and Sold. In fact, between 25 and 45 percent of the bottled water sold in the United States originates as tap water. Here are some other ways your bottled water is different.

1. Actually tap water
These bottled waters are drawn from the tap. In some cases, bottlers add minerals and filter or distill the water.

•Alaska Premium Glacier
•Aquafina
•Dasani
•Glacéau Smartwater
•Nestlé Pure Life
•Yosemite

2. Sugar water

•Vitaminwater: 125 calories, 33 grams of sugar per 20-ounce bottle. (In response to a lawsuit, lawyers for Coca-Cola said, “No consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking that Vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”)
•O.N.E. Coconut Water: 60 calories, 14 grams of sugar per 11.2-ounce container.
•SoBe LifeWater (antioxidant flavors): 100 calories, 24 grams of sugarper 20-ounce bottle.
3. Financially demanding (but shipping is free)

•Bling Water: “The Ten Thousand” is a 750-milliliter bottle of water that sells for $2,600. The bottle has more than 10,000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals.
•Acqua di Cristallo Tributo a Modigliani: A 1,250-milliliter gold-plated bottle of water costs $3,600.
4. Geographically challenged
From natural springs? Maybe. But Gleick points out that the springs aren’t where you’d think.

•Arctic Clear (source of water: Tennessee)
•Arctic Falls Bottled (New Jersey)
•Arctic Springs (California)
•Arctic Wolf Spring (New Jersey)
•Glacier Mountain Natural Spring (New Jersey)
•Glacier Mountain Bottled (Ohio)
•Everest (Texas)
5. Ecologically challenging

•Fiji: bottled and shipped from Viti Levu, Fiji (7,800 miles to New York City)
•Voss: bottled in Southern Norway
•Perrier: bottled in Vergèze, France
•Evian: bottled in the Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France
•Antipodes: bottled in Whakatane, New Zealand
6. Intellectually bewildering

•H2Om: “While you drink in the delicious spring water, you are living in the ‘now,’ and you are naturally in a grateful state of being.”
•Holy Drinking Water: “If you are a sinner or evil in nature, this product may cause burning, intense heat, sweating, skin irritation, rashes, itchiness, vomiting, bloodshot and watery eyes, pale skin color, and oral irritations.”

A Reverse Osmosis water filter is – in our opinion – better than most bottled water. The best brands of bottled water use reverse osmosis filters, but many bottlers do not. Be sure and check the label..often you’ll see that the water source is city water! (see NRDC report below)

Plus R.O. systems offer water that just plain tastes better..without the strange taste of some bottled or distilled water.

Should we trust bottled water?

Well, the truth is that bottled water sold in the United States is not always filtered and not necessarily cleaner or safer than most tap water, according to a four-year scientific study recently made public by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).

The NRDC’s study included testing of more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water. While most of the tested waters were found to be of high quality, some brands were significantly contaminated.

About one-third of the waters tested contained levels of contamination including synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic (at least one sample exceeded allowable limits under either state or bottled water industry standards or guidelines).

As mentioned above, about a quarter of all bottled water is actually bottled tap water, according to government and industry estimates (some estimates go as high as 40 percent).

The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) has some very important information on other potential problems with bottled water.

Apparently another case of, “if you want it done right, do it yourself…
We strongly recommend buying you own water filter to ensure that the water you’re drinking is the safest.

Most household budgets don’t leave a lot of room for unnecessary waste.  An often overlooked budget waster is hard water.
Hard water often is not an obvious problem to people who have had no opportunity to compare it with soft water. It is usually difficult to see or taste any difference between hard and soft water. The minerals that make water hard (calcium and magnesium) are usually tasteless and completely dissolved.
The differences between hard and soft water become obvious in bathing and cleaning chores. Hard water leaves a residue that combines with soap to produce a “soap curd” that must itself be cleaned off. Hard water also leaves soap curd on laundry.
Hardness minerals affect laundry gradually. People accustomed to washing in hard water may not notice the quicker fading of colors and yellowing of whites; shortened fabric life; increased wear on the washing machine; and extra detergent, hot water, and rinse and wash cycles it takes to get laundry clean. Yet the waste is there, working away at the family budget. Fortunately, hard water can be softened, and soft water virtually eliminates these problems and their financial impacts.
Hard Water problems:
Hard water can affect everything from soap’s ability to clean to the life span of the washing machine. A study conducted by the American Institute of Laundering determined that detergent and laundering costs are twice as high in hard water compared with soft water.
Fabric life and appearance:
A Purdue University study found that fabrics washed in hard water wear out up to 15 percent quicker than fabrics washed in soft water. This is probably due to the presence of hardness residues in the fabric, making it stiffer and causing increased friction and wear on the fabric as it flexes.
The Purdue study also found that colors fade and whites darken more quickly in hard water. In addition, the study found that laundry washed in hard water becomes re-soiled with greater ease.
Washing machines:
The dissolved minerals in hard water tend to collect in water-using appliances and shorten their life. The buildup of hard water minerals can clog pipes and cause excessive wear on moving parts. As a result washing machines run with hard water can wear out up to 30 percent quicker, according to a study reported by the American Water Works Association. A washer that might otherwise last 10 years will likely last only 7 years when run with hard water.
Solution: Water softening
The best solution to hard water problems is to use soft water. Earlier generations coined the phrase “hard water” because they found it hard to wash with. Their solution was to collect soft rainwater in a barrel.
Municipal water softening:
Some water utilities offer municipal softening, but municipally softened water falls short of being soft water. Municipal treatment is generally done in areas with extremely hard water, and the end water is still often in the hard to moderately hard range. Municipal softening is also inefficient because all the community’s water is softened, including water that is ultimately used to water lawns and clean public streets.
Household water softeners:
Household water softeners generally provide the most economically effective source of soft water for home and business use. A typical water softener works on the principal of “cation exchange” in which the ions of hardness minerals (an ion is an electrically charged atom or group of atoms) are exchanged for sodium ions, effectively reducing the concentration of hardness minerals in the water to insignificant levels.
As the water enters the softener, it passes over a resin bed in a special tank. The resin is made up of tiny synthetic beads that attract and hold sodium or potassium ions. The beads give up these ions in exchange for the hardness ions whenever they encounter them.
After a period of use, the sodium or potassium ions are completely exchanged and the unit has to be “backwashed” or “regenerated” to recharge the resin beads with sodium or potassium ions. Recharging requires the use of sodium or potassium chloride loaded into a “brine tank.” The sodium or potassium salt dissolves in water to form a brine, which recharges the system.
Recharging is generally done by one of two methods. Automatic softeners start recharging on a set time cycle according to anticipated need. The Demand Initiated Regeneration (DIR) process uses a meter or sensor to monitor the actual hardness levels of the water or the amount of water the unit has processed and regenerates the unit as necessary.
Water softening and drinking water:
Use of sodium ions in water softeners does not make the water noticeably salty or cause a significant increase in a person’s sodium intake. A person who drinks eight 12-ounce glasses of softened water per day (softened from 20 gpg) takes in less than 10 percent of his or her typical dietary sodium intake from this source. In fact, the Federal Drug Administration defines water that would result from softening 100 gpg hard water (where many more sodium ions would be exchanged than is typically the case) as a “low sodium” beverage. This level of sodium should affect only those individuals on a significantly restricted diet. People who feel they fall into this category should consult their doctor.
Conclusion:
Hard water can cost you hundreds of dollars in extra detergent, extra hot water, unnecessary rinse cycles, fabrics that lose their usefulness, and washing machines that wear out before their time. Soft water greatly reduces this waste and gets laundry cleaner as well.
Many of softened water’s benefits apply to areas besides laundry. Bathroom and kitchen cleaning is easier, water heaters operate more efficiently and last longer, dishes get cleaner with less detergent, dishwashers last longer, and even bathing is free of the hard water deposits that dry out skin and dull hair. When it all adds up, hard water is an economic waste that can be done without.

E. Porter,  Textiles and Consumer – Environment Specialist

Sales of bottled water in this country have exploded in recent years, largely as a result of a public perception of purity driven by advertisements and packaging labels featuring pristine glaciers and crystal-clear mountain springs. But bottled water sold in the United States is not necessarily cleaner or safer than most tap water, according to a four-year scientific study recently made public by NRDC (Natural Resource Defense Council).

NRDC’s study included testing of more than 1,000 bottles of 103 brands of bottled water. While most of the tested waters were found to be of high quality, some brands were contaminated: about one-third of the waters tested contained levels of contamination — including synthetic organic chemicals, bacteria, and arsenic — in at least one sample that exceeded allowable limits under either state or bottled water industry standards or guidelines.

A key NRDC finding is that bottled water regulations are inadequate to assure consumers of either purity or safety, although both the federal government and the states have bottled water safety programs. At the national level, the Food and Drug Administration is responsible for bottled water safety, but the FDA’s rules completely exempt waters that are packaged and sold within the same state, which account for between 60 and 70 percent of all bottled water sold in the United States (roughly one out of five states don’t regulate these waters either). The FDA also exempts carbonated water and seltzer, and fewer than half of the states require carbonated waters to meet their own bottled water standards.

Even when bottled waters are covered by the FDA’s rules, they are subject to less rigorous testing and purity standards than those which apply to city tap water. For example, bottled water is required to be tested less frequently than city tap water for bacteria and chemical contaminants. In addition, bottled water rules allow for some contamination by E. coli or fecal coliform (which indicate possible contamination with fecal matter), contrary to tap water rules, which prohibit any confirmed contamination with these bacteria. Similarly, there are no requirements for bottled water to be disinfected or tested for parasites such as cryptosporidium or giardia, unlike the rules for big city tap water systems that use surface water sources. This leaves open the possibility that some bottled water may present a health threat to people with weakened immune systems, such as the frail elderly, some infants, transplant or cancer patients, or people with HIV/AIDS.

So then how can you be sure you are drinking pure non-contaminated water?  In our opinion, the only way to be sure is to filter your tap water at home using a Reverse Osmosis filtering system. That way, you know your water is truly pure!

Cancer-causing chemical found in 89 percent of cities sampled – From Environmental Working Group (Report)

Laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group (EWG) have detected hexavalent chromium, the carcinogenic “Erin Brockovich chemical,” in tap water from 31 of 35 American cities. The highest levels were in Norman, Okla.; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Riverside, Calif. In all, water samples from 25 cities contained the toxic metal at concentrations above the safe maximum recently proposed by California regulators.

The National Toxicology Program has concluded that hexavalent chromium (also called chromium-6) in drinking water shows “clear evidence of carcinogenic activity” in laboratory animals, increasing the risk of gastrointestinal tumors. In September 2010, a draft toxicological review by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) similarly found that hexavalent chromium in tap water is “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”

In 2009, California officials proposed setting a “public health goal” for hexavalent chromium in drinking water of 0.06 parts per billion (ppb) to reduce cancer risk. This was the first step toward establishing a statewide enforceable limit. Despite mounting evidence of its toxic effects, the EPA has not set a legal limit for hexavalent chromium in tap water nationally and does not require water utilities to test for it. In 25 cities where EWG’s testing detected chromium-6 — in the first publicly available national survey for the contaminant — it was found in concentrations exceeding California’s proposed maximum, in one case at a level more than 200 times higher.

At least 74 million Americans in 42 states drink chromium-polluted tap water, much of it likely in the cancer-causing hexavalent form. Given the scope of exposure and the magnitude of the potential risk, EWG believes the EPA should move expeditiously to establish a legal limit for chromium-6 and require public water suppliers to test for it.