| Is my water safe to drink? How do I find out if it is? |
| Whether or not your water is safe to drink depends on the level and type of contaminants in it. If you are on city water, the city should already have regulated the level of these contaminants to bring it down to a safe level. Regardless, knowing what is in your water is always a good idea. Our company can conduct numerous tests at no cost to tell you what is in your water. For a more thorough analysis, water samples are sent to a lab for further testing. [Top] |
| What happened with Alamosa’s water recently? Can this happen to me? |
| No one is entirely certain of what went on in Alamosa recently. All we know is that the water coming from their treatment plant was somehow contaminated with salmonella. If you are on well water, this is a very real threat because there is no way to regulate what is in your water supply. On city water, this is less of a concern because the city treats our water with chlorine and chloramines to kill any bacteria that could be in the water. Although this protects us, there is never a guarantee that your water is completely safe. [Top] |
| What types of bacterial / viral contaminants are found in city water? |
| There are many different types of bacteria and viruses that can enter our water supply. On city water, disinfection procedures including the addition of chlorine and/or chloramines are in place to kill bacteria to keep you from getting sick. [Top] |
| What sorts of pharmaceuticals are being found in the water? Are they harmful (levels)? |
| A recent CBS Evening news segment listed 26 trace pharmaceuticals found in United States drinking water supplies. The list included caffeine, ibuprofen, codeine, prednisone, and amoxicillin, to name a few. The levels detected have been identified as far below levels that are of health risk to humans, however it is still a potential threat and protecting your drinking water is always a good idea. Reverse osmosis has been found to be one of the most effective ways to remove pharmaceuticals and many other contaminants from your water. [Top] |
| Why would I need soft water? What is hard water anyway? |
| Hard water is water that has any level of dissolved rock in it. The calcium and magnesium can cause all sorts of issues, including dry skin and hair, faster breakdown of linens in the laundry, and scale buildup on your shower doors, faucets, dishware, and every other water using appliance in the house, including your plumbing. A water softener not only solves every one of these problems, but also causes your soaps to work more efficiently, resulting in a significant drop in the amount of soap you use. This makes everything easier on the environment and on your wallet as well. Whether or not a softener is beneficial to you depends on how much hardness is in your water. We offer free water tests, which can answer this question for you. [Top] |
| How does hard water affect my skin? |
| When you wash your hands or take a shower in hard water, the dissolved rock reacts with your soap to create “bathtub ring”, which sticks in the pores of your skin. That “squeaky clean” feeling is because you still have rock and soap stuck to your skin that no amount of rinsing can completely remove. Now that your pores are clogged, your natural oils can no longer moisten your skin, resulting in dryness where you need to use lotions as a replacement. Our Colorado climate can contribute as well, which is what most people think the problem is. By softening your water, your skin can heal and you’ll find the lotions much less necessary. [Top] |
| Will a soft water system affect my septic tank? |
| The idea that softened water will negatively affect your septic tank is a myth. The impression is that the high levels of sodium will adversely affect the bacteria in the tank. On the contrary, it has been shown that the slightly elevated concentration of sodium actually brings the tank to a more optimal range for bacterial growth and can promote development. Also, the amount of water backwashed from a softener is actually less than a typical washing machine, so the increased water flow is not of concern. [Top] |
| Don’t water filters and softeners use more / waste water? |
| Yes, softeners do require some additional water to backwash the system, however the efficiencies found on our equipment and many others on the market actually use as much as or far less water than many of your day to day activities, like taking showers, doing laundry, and washing dishes. For instance, our city water softener only uses 13 gal of water to regenerate. And by switching to soft water, you drastically cut down you soap usage, which is a very generous trade out for a few extra gallons of water every few days. [Top] |
| I hear that using soft water helps the environment…why? |
| With soft water, you can cut back on your soap usage by up to 75%. This means that you put that much less soap and chemicals down the drain, and you also go through far less soap containers which can end up in our landfills if you don’t recycle. Also, you can switch to using all natural soaps because the chemicals found in traditional detergents are no longer necessary to fight the hardness that was previously in your water. This further reduces chemical use, and is easier on your pocketbook. [Top] |
| Why should I buy a Kinetico system over your competition? |
| Kinetico systems are built to last a lifetime. They are entirely non-electric, and have been engineered to eliminate almost all the problems and headaches associated with water softeners. Our backwashing systems have a twin tank design, so that you never run out of soft, conditioned water, no matter how much you use. We have some of the most efficient products on the market, and we have an on-demand system, which means that the system only functions when you need it: when the water is running. It won’t regenerate in the middle of the night and disrupt your sleep. Plus, you can go on vacation and never have to worry about wasted water and salt. And once it’s installed, there is only one step to upkeep: add salt. Simple. Our reverse osmosis systems are also unique, carrying several patents that give us a longer lasting, more efficient product. Cartridge changes are as easy as a twist of the wrist and you never have to guess when they need to be changed. To top it all off, we have some of the best warranties on the market and we back them up. [Top] |
| Aren’t minerals in my water good for me? |
Minerals are an important part of your daily diet. However, the level of beneficial minerals in your water is small, and removing them should have very little effect on your health. If you are avoiding treating your water just because you don’t want to lose minerals, Kinetico has a wonderful alternative for you. Our new reverse osmosis system, called the K5, has options for adding additional benefits to our already outstanding product. One of the additional cartridge options you can add to the system is called the “mineral plus”, which adds calcium and magnesium back into your treated drinking water supply just before it comes out your tap. Other add on cartridges include bacteria and virus protection, arsenic guard, volatile organic compound guard, and perchlorate guard.
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| Why do I want fluoride taken out of my water? Isn’t fluoride good for my teeth? |
| Fluoride is good for your teeth; however it is a heavy metal and is not good for the rest of your body. If you feel you have a fluoride deficiency, there are other alternatives that you can talk to your dentist about, like fluoride toothpaste, drops and tablets.
Dr. Arvid Carlsson, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Medicine, writes in the statement, Professionals' Statement Calling for an End to Water Fluoridation, “Fluoridation is against all principles of modern pharmacology. It's really obsolete."
Ken Cook, president of the Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based watchdog organization, states, "It is time for the US to recognize that fluoridation has serious risks that far outweigh any minor benefits, and unlike many other environmental issues, it's as easy to end as turning off a valve at the water plant."
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| What do you test for in your free-in-home tests? |
| We test for hardness, iron, pH, total dissolved solids, and chlorine. If you have problem water, or water with additional concerns, we test for nitrates, hydrogen sulfide, and other contaminants. Additionally, when needed, we send water samples to an EPA approved laboratory for many other more involved tests. [Top] |
| Does using salt (in softeners) affect my plumbing or the environment? |
| The salt in the small doses that we use does not have any adverse effects on your plumbing or any other part of your house. Because it removes harmful minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iron that definitely cause problems with your plumbing, the consideration of having a small sodium residual instead is beneficial. The environment will feel little or no effect of having additional sodium in your water supply. Many water supplies are already high in natural sodium, and because salt is a naturally occurring mineral, it is far less harmful than all the other manmade materials that we constantly send down the drain. [Top] |
