EcoPure MW_MW25_450215A - Manual (Page 13)

...................................... AUTOMATIC WATER SOFTENER
WATER AND WATER CONDITIONING
WATER..................................................................................................................................
Man’s very existence depends on water. It is one of
the basic commodities of life. Water is best as nature
provides it, is a common misconception. Practically
all natural water needs refinement or treatment to
make it safe to drink or more satisfactory to use.
The earth’s water supply cycle starts in the upper
cloud layers. As it falls to the earth as rain or snow, it
picks up impurities and gases from the atmosphere.
Landing on earth, it seeps over and through the
ground, dissolving earth minerals. Passing through
limestone, it dissolves calcium and magnesium, the
hardness minerals. Iron deposits impart iron to the
water. Acidity and sediments are other water
conditions.
Municipal water supplies come from surface
reservoirs, such as lakes and rivers, or from
underground reservoirs. Usually, municipalities
chlorinate the water to make it safe to drink.
Sediment is removed by filtration. Tastes and odors
are reduced or eliminated. The water is conditioned
to comply with certain specifications. However,
hardness minerals, tastes and odors are not always
reduced to the most desirable levels.
Underground reservoirs provide our private water
supplies. Because the water is raw and untreated, it
can have varying amounts of hardness, iron, tastes,
odors, acidity, or combinations of these. Different
localities and water levels affect mineral content.
WATER CONDITIONING ......................................................................................................
Water conditioning is the treatment of four general
conditions. These are: Hardness, Iron, Acidity,
Sediments.
HARDNESS is a term to describe the presence of
calcium and magnesium minerals in water. A
chemical analysis accurately measures the amount
of minerals in grain weight. For example, one gallon
of water with five grains per gallon (gpg) hardness
has dissolved minerals, that if solidified, about equals
the size of one ordinary aspirin tablet. One gallon of
water, 25 gpg hard, has a mineral content equal in
size to five aspirin tablets. Water hardness varies
greatly across the country. It generally contains from
3 to 100 gpg.
Hard water affects living in general. Hardness
minerals combine with soap to make a soap curd.
The curd greatly reduces the cleaning action of soap.
Precipitated hardness minerals form a crust on
cooking utensils, appliances, and plumbing fixtures.
Even the tastes of foods are affected. A water
softener removes the hardness minerals to eliminate
these problems, and others.
Sodium Information: Water softeners using sodium
chloride (salt) for regeneration add sodium to the
water. Persons on sodium restricted diets should
consider the added sodium as part of their overall
intake.
IRON in water is measured in parts per million (ppm).
The total* ppm of iron, and type or types*, is
determined by chemical analysis. Four different types
of iron in water are: { Ferrous (clear water), |
Ferric (red water), } Bacterial and organically bound
iron, ~ Colloidal and inorganically bound iron (ferrous
or ferric).
*Water may contain one or more of the four types of
iron and any combination of these. Total iron is the
sum of the contents.
{ Ferrous (clear water) iron is soluble and dissolves
in water. It is usually detected by taking a sample of
water in a clear bottle or glass. Immediately after
taking, the sample is clear. As the water sample
stands, it gradually clouds and turns slightly yellow or
brown as air oxidizes the iron. This usually occurs in
15 to 30 minutes. A water softener will remove
moderate amounts of this type of iron (see
specifications).
| Ferric (red water), and } Bacterial and organically
bound irons are insoluble. This iron is visible
immediately when drawn from a faucet because it
has oxidized before reaching the home. It appears as
small cloudy yellow, orange, or reddish suspended
particles. After the water stands for a period of time,
the particles settle to the bottom of the container.
Generally these irons are removed from water by
filtration. Chlorination is also recommended for
bacterial iron.
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