- Aquaferwater.com offers the
most comprehensive website catalog for all whole house water
filters and water conditioners. This webpage will provide practical
insights into our no-salt water hard water conditioners as well
as provide answers to common questions asked by our customers.
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- For more information
on RainDance Water Systems and our complete water softening systems,
magnetic water conditioners, and well water treatment catalog
please see our main company website @ www.raindancewatersystems.com
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- aquafer waterSource
- (AWS Whole House Water Filters)
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Water Conditioner
Questions? LIVE CHAT |
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- Frequently Asked Questions And
Answers
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- What is a
whole house water filter ?
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- Answer: A whole
house water filter, also known as a point of entry filter is
designed to filter all the incoming water to your home.
What is Hard
Water ?
Answer: The term hardness refers
to the quantity of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water.
These minerals, which come primarily from limestone type rock
formations, are found to some degree in almost all natural waters.
Calcium and magnesium cause problems for two principal reasons:
When the water is warmed, they
precipitate out of solution and form a hard, rock-like scale.
This scale accelerates corrosion, restricts flow, and reduces
heat transfer in water heaters and boilers.
When they combine with soap, they react to form a curd, which
interferes with cleaning, dries out skin, and leaves deposits
on plumbing and clothes (bathtub ring; ring around the collar).
The minerals in hard water gradually settle out forming a hard
scale. Scale centimeters thick can build up over time in hard
water areas. Scale build up will eventually clog pipe, and can
decrease the life of toilet flushing units by 70 percent and
water faucets by 40 percent according to a report published by
the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Hardness scale can
also shorten life of washing equipment, dishwashers, and clothes
washers by as much as 30 percent according to the AWWA report.
Hardness is measured in parts
per million (or the equivalent mg/L) or in grains per gallon
(gpg). Note: if the water analysis is given in ppm as CaCO3 then
1 gpg = 17.1 ppm. There is no established limit for the acceptable
level of hardness in water, but it is generally considered to
become problematic at around 3 gpg.
Levels of hardness are referred
to as follows:
Soft Water: 0 - 1 grains per
gallon (gpg)
Slightly Hard Water: 1 - 4 grains per gallon (gpg)
Moderately Hard Water: 4 - 7 grains per gallon (gpg)
Hard Water: 7 - 10 grains per gallon (gpg)
Very Hard Water: Over 10 grains per gallon (gpg)
What is the Aquafer
Water Source(AWS)& how does it work?
The Aquafer Water Source Filtration &
Scale Prevention System Filters
the effects of common water problems through the use of a 4-step
process
1st Step
Untreated water enters the Aquafer
Water Source flowing through a deep layer of KDF filtration media
to filter unwanted chlorine tastes and odors.
2nd Step
The filtered water passes through
a spring-loaded chamber which creates a small pressure drop.
This pressure drop initiates the formation of calcium hardness
crystals.
3rd Step
The calcium hardness crystals
then pass through a catalytic surface which greatly multiplies
the number of crystals. It is the last two steps (pressure drop
& catalytic surface) that makes the Aquafer Water Source Filtration &
Scale Prevention System significantly
more effective than other treatment systems.
4th Step
The multitude of calcium crystals
pass through a strong magnetic field which serves to hold the
crystals in suspension rendering them harmless up to 72 hours
to your plumbing & plumbing fixtures.
The entire process bonds calcium
ions to each other rather than to your plumbing and plumbing
fixtures. A simple damp cloth (if at all) is more than sufficient
to remove any residual mineral deposits rather than the usual
abrasives and "elbow grease" that is normally required.
The Aquafer
Water Source Filtration & Scale Prevention System will also provide filtered drinking
water at every tap. The surface tension of the water is also
reduced which results in a higher quality of water absorption
into the human body and plant life.
Question: What
does the unit do?
Answer:
a. It reduces the formation of
hard water scale in water heaters & pipes
b. It will reduce the formation of hard water scale on shower
doors & fixtures.
c. It will prevent hard water "bathtub ring" and allow
the use of less soap and detergent.
d. It filters chlorine from the water to improve taste and odor.
Question: What
are some of these features?
Answer: First, it is all done in one space saving tank that measures
under 55" high and only takes up a circle of one-foot diameter
on the floor. Second, there are no regeneration chemicals like
salt used at all. Third we have added a pre and post filter for
even better water quality. The Aquafer Water Source also includes:
(1) 5 micron sediment prefilter for filtering large particals,
sediment and rust and a (1) 1 micron whole house carbon block
post filter for additional filtration. Note: The Pre and Post
should be replaced approximately every 12 months
Question: Does
a regular softener use a lot of salt?
Answer: It depends on the hardness of the water and also the
number of people in the home. Based on the averages the savings
would be over 700 pounds of salt a year. That's $75-$100 a year
or almost a $1,000 over the 10 year life of a softener. Not to
mention the back braking job of lugging all of that salt.
Question: Are
there other advantages?
Answer: Certainly, A big one is that this unit NEVER regenerates
so there is never water discharged down the drain.
Question: Do
regular water softeners waste a lot of water?
Answer: Again it depends on the water hardness, softener design,
and the family size. But the average would be about 10,000 gallons
a year.
Question: It
sounds like this unit is very friendly to the environment. Is
this true?
Answer: Yes it is. Also in many parts of the US there is legislation
pending to stop the discharge of the salt into municipal sewers.
You can imagine the problems that would be caused by hundreds
or thousands of softeners in a single city.
Question: Are
there even more advantages?
Answer: Yes there are. The unit has no valve mechanism and thus
no need for electricity. The cost of installation is often lowered
because no outlet is needed. With no valve there are no moving
parts so service is eliminated.
Question: You
mentioned filtration of chlorine. Won't there be a need to replace
the carbon?
Answer: We do not use carbon in the Aquafer tank. We use a special
material (KDF) that will last for millions of gallons. Expected
life is for over 15 + years of normal use.
Question: How
does it work?
Answer: The scale prevention process is quite easy. We use a
patented combination catalytic and magnetic chamber to change
the calcium (hardness) of the water from a dissolved material
to sub microscopic particles that wash through the plumbing system
without being able to connect themselves to the pipes or heaters.
In this form they will not react with soaps or detergents either.
We have found that magnets alone do not work as effectively so
that is why we precede the magnets with a catalytic device.
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Example of hard water
with and without our hard water conditioner.
This photo shows the inside of
two hot water heater pipes that were plumbed on the outlet of
two separate hot water heaters. The test was conducted over a
period of 324 days using 5,830 gallons of treated municipal water
(city water). One hot water heater had our scale prevention system
installed prior and one did not. You can see the dramatic difference
between the two water pipes. The one on the left (no scale prevention)
clearly indicates heavy hard water scale. The treated pipe on
the right has virtually no hard water scale build up.
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Question: What
about the chlorine removal?
Answer: The Hard Water is treated using the steps listed above.
For chlorine tastes and odors KDF is used. This process media
are high-purity copper-zinc formulations used in pretreatment,
whole house filters, primary treatment, and wastewater applications.
KDF media supplement or replace existing technologies to dramatically
extend system life, scale, and decrease maintenance.
Patented KDF process media are
100 percent recyclable and contain no chemical additives. Hospitals,
restaurants, municipal water treatment facilities, and homes
rely on KDF process media to filter chlorine tastes and odors
from their water.
Question: Will
the water test soft?
Answer: No. The test chemicals are designed to put the hardness
back into solution. Once back into solution they will show hardness
on test kits.
Question: I thought
all equipment had to have a valve. Why not yours?
Answer: Because we have a constant upward flow path that keeps
the filter media always moving and not packing down and collecting
dirt.
Question: Can
this unit be used on all water supplies?
Answer: NO! We must know something of the chemistry of the water.
In particular the Calcium hardness, total alkalinity, and pH.
From this we can establish the Langelier's index and apply it
to our lab test data. If on a private well we would encourage
a test or an evaluation of existing test data.
Question: Am
I correct in summarizing by saying that this unit uses no chemicals,
has no valve, has no moving parts uses no electricity, discharges
no water down the drain, will prevent the problems of hard water
and will stop chlorine taste & odor for 15 years or more.
Answer: YES!
Question: Is
there anything special about the water from this unit compared
to water that has gone through a salt using softener?
Answer: Yes. First, there will not be the slippery feel on your
skin when you shower or bathe. This feel comes from the sodium
reacting with your body oils. Secondly, we add nothing to the
water such as sodium mentioned previously. This could be important
to someone on a low sodium diet.
Question: Any
other special things about the water?
Answer: There is an unusual phenomenon that takes place. The
surface tension of the water is reduced. This is often referred
to as making the water "wetter". It simply means that
the water can penetrate a plant more effectively and deeper so
that the plants are more hardy and grow better. With a standard
salt type softener, that water is actually be harmful to plants.
Question: Is
this a brand new technology, or has there been some experience
in actual use?
Answer: We have employed catalytic and magnetic processes since
1994. We have also used the special filtration media (KDF) for
that period of time. There were over 1,000 units placed world
wide in the first 5 years.
Question: Has
the performance been reliable?
Answer: YES! WE have fewer than 1/2% field problems and without
exception they resulted from situations where the units were
placed on water supplies that were outside of the limits that
have been established through testing.
Question: Are
there any general guidelines that can be used on the water chemistry
where the use of this unit would be o.k.?
Answer: Hardness up to 25 grains, pH 8.5 or less and a visibly
clear water. this as stated before, Well water supplies should
be tested.
- RainDance Water Systems P.O. Box 2312 Ramona, Ca. 92065
- U.S. Toll Free: 1-877-788-8387 /
Outside The U.S. 760-788-8387
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Model: AWS-8 | Water Conditioner Model:
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Model: AWS-10 | Water Conditioner Model:
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