TDS VS Hardness

It seems that the terms TDS and Hardness are often confused.  

We measure the water coming from the RO system for TDS and compare it to the TDS reading coming from the water source.  The formula is:

Incoming - Outgoing / Incoming

A 90% rejection rate or better means that the membrane on the RO system is working.

Hardness is used to measure if the water softener is working.  Knowing how hard the water is before running through the softener is the key to knowing if the water softener is working.  A reading of one grain of hardness is considered soft, but if the reading is lower grains than the incoming water, the softener is doing its job.  It is important to find out the average readings in your area.

Here is a handy chart to help compare the two readings.

Reverse Osmosis vs. Water Softener

Reverse Osmosis

An RO System has many benefits. It is fresher than stagnate bottle water and still has some minerals which are beneficial for your health. RO Systems are inexpensive compared to regularly buying & carrying bottled water and they are eco-friendly!

RO is the most convenient and effective method of water filtration. It filters water by squeezing water through a semi-permeable membrane, which is rated at 0.0001 micron (equals to 0.00000004 inch!). This is the technology used to make bottled water, it is also the only technology capable of desalinating sea water, making it into drinking water.
Non-RO water filters typically use a single activated carbon cartridge to treat water. They are much less effective, and the pore size on these filter media are much bigger, generally 0.5 – 10 micron. They can filter out coarse particles, sediments and elements only up to their micron rating. Anything finer and most dissolved substances cannot be filtered out. As a result, water is far less clean and safe compared to reverse osmosis filtration.

Water Softeners

Hard water is water that is contaminated with dissolved minerals:

Calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, lead and limestone – these can have a negative impact on you, your household and your pocketbook. Depending on where you live, contaminants from sewage, industrial waste and agricultural run-off can also seep into your water supply.

Hard water produces scale:

If there are stains or buildup on your sinks and bathtubs, if you have to use large amounts of soap to clean dishes or wash your hair or if your water tastes or smells odd, you probably have hard water. If left untreated, the minerals in hard water will cause yellow stains on plumbing fixtures and be deposited as scale, eventually clogging plumbing and shortening the life of appliances like washing machines, water heaters and dishwashers. Scale deposits not only cut down on the efficiency of these appliances, they cost you money, increasing both energy and maintenance bills.

Water softeners eliminate the effects of hard water:

They “soften” the water by removing the calcium and magnesium found there, extending the useful life of water heaters, washing machines, dishwashers, coffeemakers, humidifiers and household plumbing systems by as much as 30%.

For more information visit: http://pbjh2o.com/

Summer's Approaching-Stay Hydrated with Infused Water

Summer is quickly approaching. If you are tired of plain water try some of these infused water recipes.

The benefit of infused water is it is healthier than juice with nearly the same flavor and there are endless possibilities.

Watermelon Basil

Add about 2 cups of finely chopped fresh watermelon (without rind) to a gallon size glass jar. Add 15 leaves of muddled basil and filtered water to fill. Store in refrigerator and allow at least 4 hours to infuse.

Cucumber Mint

Thinly slice one cucumber. Peel if it isn’t organic! Add the sliced cucumbers to a ½ gallon glass jar, add 8 muddled fresh mint leaves, and fill with filtered water. Stir gently and place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Grape Orange

The hands-down kid favorite at our house. Place 2 cups of halved organic grapes into a gallon size glass jar. Add one orange, thinly sliced with rind on. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

Read more at: https://wellnessmama.com/3607/herb-fruit-infused-water/

Happy Halloween!

How to add a pH filter to your Reverse-Osmosis system.

Have you thought about upgrading your Reverse-Osmosis system to include a pH filter? 

These filters are either called alkaline filters or calcite filters which virtually do the same thing - they raise the pH of your water while adding in some nutrients to your water. pH is the acidity of your water, in a later blog we will go over the science behind your pH balance. Today we are going to briefly explain how to add one of these filters to your Reverse-Osmosis systems.

In order to add a pH filter to your system just remember it should be the 5th stage of filtration - before the smallest filter on top. This may seem intimidating at first, just remember to follow the flow. The pictures below will be best to demonstrate how the setup should be. 

The first picture shows the membrane on the bottom going into the auto shut-off valve with red tubing.

The next picture shows red tubing going from the Auto Shut-off Valve to the Calcite filter. 

Remember to, "follow the flow."

The final picture to the left shows the calcite filter which connects to the polishing filter on top. Keep in mind the red tubing to the left of the Tee would go to your storage tank. You may notice that our setup uses 2 brackets to hold the Omnipure Calcite filter in place. You may need to pick up those brackets as well when you install the filter, if you don't have them no need to worry as the system will still work but we recommend the use of them.

If you pick up a Calcite filter or an Alkaline filter and need help installing it on your Reverse-Osmosis system give us a call, we'd be happy to help you out over the phone or in person. 

928-706-0546

The science of a water softener. How does it really work??

Well for starters you have to know how a water softener works.

How a water softener works is through a process called ionic exchange. Inside the water softener tank is a media called resin. When water passes through this media hard water minerals stick to the resin and leaves the water "soft". Check out one of our earlier blogs for some further information on how they work.

...well why do the hard water minerals stick to the resin?

Well this all comes down to the molecular level. When you get down to the molecular level you will hear of an ion having a particular charge in order to form a bond. In this case resin has a negative charge and the hard water minerals Calcium (CA++) and Magnesium(MA++) have a positive charge, but more importantly resin under a microscope looks like a ball of mesh. This is how the resin will catch these hard water minerals. These ions are charged such that they are drawn towards one another and the mesh of the resin aids in that as well. First the resin holds onto the sodium chloride (NA+) but once the resin comes in contact with hard water minerals, the sodium is detached and the Calcium and Magnesium are exchanged due to their more powerful positive charge. Refer to the picture below.

If you would like to have your water tested for hardness, cruise on over to our shop. We are located on 2775 Kiowa Blvd. North. Make sure to bring your water in a glass jar to get a more accurate reading. We'll even test your water on our site for free!

How does the Regeneration Cycle work?

If you have a water softener system then you've probably heard about the regeneration cycle. One common question we get all the time here at PB&J Water is how does it work?

...when does the water softener regenerate?

In our last blog we discussed how a water softener would need to regenerate after 11 days in relation to the grain rating. However a water softener regenerates after gallons used which is usually 800 gallons with a standard system. So if 800 gallons have been used then the system will regenerate at 2am. So if you continue to use water after 11 days and your system hasn't regenerated then you wouldn't get "soft" water anymore because the resin already has hard water minerals bonded to it. That's why it would NEED to regenerate to prolong the life of the resin and to ensure your house is getting soft water.

Today we will briefly discuss the Regeneration cycle, the different steps, and what they do.

Cycles of the regeneration process

Backwash/Rinse (10 minutes)

• The softener changes the flow of water by pushing water down the distributor and this forces the water up through the media and out to the drain line.
• Dirt and sediment also get removed during this process.

Brine Rinse (60 minutes)

• This is when the salt is added to the resin tank where it will stay until the next regeneration.
• The salty water is drawn out of the bottom of the brine tank to the resin tank. Once this water washes over the resin this is when the ionic exchange happens. Once the salty water comes in contact with the resin, the hard water mineral is let go in place of the salt due to the salt having a slightly positive charge. The minerals are then washed down to the distributor through the tube in the middle and out through the drain line. This step could also be referred to as the recharge cycle.

Rapid Rinse (6-8 minutes)

• Water washes the resin to remove excess salt but leaves enough for the softener to be in service. 

Settle Rinse (5 minutes)

• During this step the mineral bed is repacked to ensure proper flow during operation.

Brine Refill (6-8 minutes)

• This is the last step in the regeneration cycle. The brine tank gets refilled with water for the next regeneration cycle, then you are back in service.

If you have any questions regarding your water softener give us a call at 928-706-0546 and we would be happy to answer them for you. Also remember to pick up softener salt at our location if your getting pretty low, in fact we could even deliver it to your address!

Thanks for reading! Next time we will go over the science of a water softener system so stay tuned!