commercial water treatment

Chemicals in water

5 Chemicals Commonly Found in Drinking Water

Everyone loves cold water pouring out of their faucets on a hot summer day, as well as hot water flowing out of the showerhead.  What is coming out of that faucet, though can be concerning?  There is any number of less than healthy man-made chemicals that can reduce the pleasure of freshwater.

Pharmaceuticals: Prescription drugs can get into the water supply when people choose to flush unused medications down the toilet or sink.   

Vinyl chloride: This is a cancer-causing material used in making PVC plastic products, as some pipes.  It can leach from older PVC piping and it has been found in the drinking water of some communities.

Chemical additives to water: Not all chemicals in water are monitored or regulated, like the common perchlorate and PFOA/PFOS which are chemical cousins of Teflon. These chemicals are found in many of Americans’ tapwater supplies. There has been a push to get PFOA/PFOS regulated in New Jersey.

Lead: Lead is a heavy metal that leaches from lead pipes and plumbing fixtures, as when the water flowing through them is corrosive; water with a pH value below 7.0 is considered acidic.  Lead can cause neurological and behavioral problems in children and adverse health effects in adults.  While more often an issue in towns and cities with older systems, what is often forgotten is that new brass features and faucets can still have a high amount of lead.

Nitrates: These are a widespread contaminant also known as fertilizer. Runoff from farms or factory farms can go into both surface and groundwater and wind up in drinking water.  The EPA (EPA.GOV) set a limit of 10 parts per million for nitrates, which can be harmful to pregnant women and infants.

Getting your water tested yearly can keep you on top of the quality of your water.  From historic Jim Thorpe to Stroudsburg keeping your water fresh, refreshing, and free of additives, Spring Rain can help you decide which filtrations system is best for you! Call them today!

Chemicals / commercial water treatment / residential water treatment - 06/15/2021
Scale Removal

What is Scale and How to Remove It?

In several areas in the Lehigh Valley and more importantly in areas of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton that have very hard water. And that often cause scale and scale buildup. The problem with the buildup of scale in your pipes, is that it means your water heater is working harder to heat and pump water through your home. Not only that, but if there is scale in your pipes, there is more than likely scale within your water heater, which can build up between the heating elements and the water. This makes the heater work harder to heat to an expected temperature which over time will increase energy bills. Scaling occurs when water has high levels of minerals like calcium carbonate, which will build-up on surfaces, like pipes or showerhead.

Scale buildup can ruin your shower's water pressure, and your pipes. Instead of a steady flow of water, it often will come out in spurts and dribbles. It is important to maintain your home pipe systems and appliances like the washing machine, and dishwasher as well as the boiler or hot water heater.  The reality is saving your pipe system turns expensive when scale buildup affects all your pipes.  This isn’t covered under the home’s warranty as the extensive scale is evidence of not doing proper maintenance on the home’s plumbing systems.  

That costs you, as a homeowner, money as more energy is needed to get appliances to the right temperature.

Hard water is a quality of water that contains dissolved compounds of calcium and magnesium and, sometimes, other metallic elements.

Evidence of scale:

  • Decreased pressure as water has less room to flow in pipes.
  • Yellowing of clothes.
  • Rings in the bathtubs or sink.
  • Spots on your glasses when taken from the dishwasher.
  • White, chalky buildup in your showerhead or faucets.

Water hardness means that soap is harder to lather because of the development of an insoluble curd-like soap precipitate in the water.  It makes for more work to be done to remove soap curd on bathtubs, sinks, and shower stalls.  Evaporated water leaves behind calcium and magnesium salts which are primarily responsible for most scaling in pipes and water heaters and cause numerous problems in laundry, kitchen, and bath. Hardness is usually expressed in grains per gallon as calcium carbonate equivalent. The harder the water, the more scale backs up the home’s water systems from heating, showering, and cleaning.

The experts at Spring Rain have products and systems, including water softners, that can help reduce or eliminate scale from your pipes!  Calling them is the first step in improving the care of your pipes and water systems, which will also help with your energy bills.

commercial water treatment / Hard Water / residential water treatment - 04/15/2021
LV Water Concerns

Lehigh Valley Water Concerns

Turning on the water faucet in your home and having tasty, beneficial water come out ought to be a given. However, due to the nature of water in the Lehigh Valley, which stretches from Easton to Bethlehem, the water is not always as good as it could be for you and your family. Water comes to homes from a variety of sources via the water authorities 5 water sources and privately dug wells.

Sometimes through no fault of the Lehigh Water Authority, contaminants get into the water supply through the pipes in the home. One of these contaminants is lead. Lead in your pipes can mean lead in your water supply. Having a variety of items, including a lead service line, copper plumbing or brass fixtures can all be conduits for lead in your water. According to the EPA, the maximum contaminant level goal for lead in drinking water at zero because lead is a toxic metal that can be harmful to human health even at low exposure levels (epa.gov 2020).

Other water contaminants:

  • High iron content - In the Lehigh Valley iron in the water is noted as orange-brown stains in sinks, toilets, and appliances.
  • Manganese - can affect water systems as water has been in contact with rock for an extended period.
  • These two minerals often occur together in privately dug wells, as they both leach from the rock.
  • Water tainted with high levels of iron can cause skin problems and have negative impacts on your health.
  • There have been cases of small bacteria which feed off the iron that can be harmful if digested.

Sulfur, on the other hand, is noticeable from its signature rotten egg smell. This can happen in some deeply dug wells.  This foul-smelling gas is created via oil deposits and decaying plants beneath the earth’s surface. While hydrogen sulfide does not harm you directly, it can cause diarrhea, dehydration, or nausea.  This should be tested by a professional and resolved.

Whether from a private well or a municipal water facility, contaminants can enter your water supply.  Testing your water on a yearly basis is recommended.

The professionals at Spring Rain Ultra Pure Water can assist and advise you on different filtration systems which can filter out lead, iron, and manganese from your water supply as these can be harmful to your family and your home appliances. Leaving you to enjoy contaminant-free refreshing water.

commercial water treatment / Hard Water / residential water treatment - 03/15/2021

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