FAQ
1. What is Hard Water?
According to the United States Geological Survey, 85% of US homes have hard water. Hard Water is water that has a high mineral content. The content of the water consists of high levels of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates in water and together represent Total Hardness (TH). While hard water is not generally dangerous to safety or health, it does have damaging effects decreasing the lifespan and efficiency to household water systems. Lime scale can build up over time clogging pipes, water heaters, and any appliances that use water. This scale clogs pipes and may decrease the life of toilets by 70% and water taps by 40%.
| CLASSIFICATION | GRAINS/GALLON (gpg) |
|---|
| Soft Water | Less than 1 gpg |
| Slightly Hard | 1 to 3.5 gpg |
| Moderately Hard | 3.5 to 7 gpg |
| Hard | 7 to 10.5 gpg |
| Very Hard | 10.5 gpg and higher |
2. What is water softening?
Water softening uses the principles of ion exchange. The calcium and magnesium ions in the water are replaced with sodium ions. Sodium does not precipitate out into the pipes nor does it react badly with soap. To accomplish the ion replacement, the water in the house runs through a bed of resin beads covered with sodium ions. As the water flows past the sodium ions, they swap places with the hardness causing ions. When the beads have a low concentration of sodium ions left, it can no longer soften the water. At this point regeneration begins. Back-flushing with saltwater recharges the resin bed. The resulting saltwater and mineral ion solution is then rinsed away, and the resin beads are ready to start the process all over again. .
3. How long does a water softener last?
A good water softener will last many years. Softeners that were installed in the 1980's may still work, and many need little maintenance, except for filling them with salt as needed.
4. Why is soft water beneficial?
*
In the Kitchen:
- Dishes and china will sparkle, using less dish soap and dish washing detergents.
- With soft water, a quick once over cleans sinks and fixtures. Reduces stubborn soap scum so cleaning doesn't feel like such a chore. Floors, countertops, and woodwork clean better with soft water too.
In the Bathroom:
- Soap will make a great lather.
- Conditioned water leaves your skin feeling smoother after showering, shaving, and washing.
- Hair will be softer and more manageable.
- Reduces soap scum and residue buildup on showers, tubs, and sinks.
- Saves you time and money by reducing scrubbing time in the bathroom and reducing soap, shampoo and bathroom cleaner usage by nearly 50%.
Plumbing and Appliances:
- Increases water heater efficiency by almost 30% and extends the life of your water heater by many years.
- Improves water flow and pressure by eliminating calcium buildup in pipes.
- Reduces mineral stains and odors on clothing and on plumbing fixtures.
- Clothes and linens are cleaner, brighter, softer and last longer. Adds life to dishwashers and washing machines.
- Cuts down on laundry detergent and fabric softener use by 50%, saving you money!
*Source: GE literature
5. What is the difference between filtering water and softening water?
Water filtration by definition simply means to strain out the impurities from a water source. By passing water through a media bed, particles (iron, sulfide or other organic matter) are trapped and filtered water passes through the bed.
Softening water involves "ion exchange" to remove dissolved minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron which cannot be trapped in a media bed.
6. What is the difference between time-metered regeneration and on-demand regeneration?
The type of controller a softener has plays a very important role in the actual softening process. It can mean the difference between having soft water when you need it or having to wait for the water you want.
There are many softeners out today that have a time-metered controller. This means that you program the softener to regenerate as often as you think it should. Corrigan's softeners feature the Logix series controller with a Smart, Variable Reserve feature that learns your family's water usage and adjusts to demand. Regenerating only when needed saves you money on salt and water while simultaneously increasing the life expectancy of the softener.
7. How often should I add salt to my softener?
The amount of salt needed depends on your family's water usage. The more water that is used the more your system regenerates. The more your system regenerates the more salt needs to be added. Usually water softeners are checked about once a month. To guarantee your softener is producing soft water, the salt level should be kept at least half-full at all times.
8. Is softened water safe to drink?
The sodium in softened water may be harmful to people on restrictive salt diets. But, this depends on the strictness of the diet itself. In normal dietary considerations, the additional sodium produced by softening is insignificant. In an extremely restrictive diet, one should drink neither hard nor soft water, but demineralized or distilled water. Ultimately, if a patient is on a very restricted regimen, he should follow the physician's instructions regarding water intake.
9. Should softened water be used for watering my lawn, garden, and houseplants?
In watering houseplants, distilled water or rainwater is the best choice. While softened water is not the best for houseplants, it can still be used safely. Make sure to water heavily each time so that the minerals deposited in the soil during the previous watering are washed away.
For outside sprinkling, the use of softened water is, first and foremost, wasteful. It could also be harmful, especially where the concentration of hardness minerals is heavy. The sodium replacing the hardness minerals could retard growth or even kill plants and grass.
10. Why does my drinking water sometimes appear cloudy or milky?
Air in the water can create a cloudy or milky appearance. Turning on a faucet releases pressure in the water piping system, causing hundreds of tiny air bubbles to form. Like the carbon dioxide in soft drinks, the air bubbles will disappear after a few minutes.
11. Why does my drinking water taste funny or smell like "rotten-egg," and will this water make me sick?
The three most commons reasons for bad tasting or smelling water are: chlorine, hydrogen sulfide, or algae growth. A funny taste can come from the chlorine that is added to the water to kill germs. Hydrogen sulfide gas dissolved in the water causes a rotten-egg odor in some groundwater. As algae grow in surface water sources, they give off harmless, smelly chemicals that can cause unpleasant tastes in drinking water. Generally, the chemicals that cause a bad taste or odor in drinking water, while unpleasant, will not make you sick. Corrigan Water Solutions has many water filtration and conditioning options to remedy any taste, color, or odor problems that may be in your water. See Water Concerns and Solutions for more information on treating hydrogen sulfide and improving the aesthetic qualities of your drinking water.
12. Why does my water sometimes have a reddish or yellowish color?
Rust in household water pipes or in water pipes under city streets can create the reddish or yellowish color. The rust is a compound of iron and oxygen that is harmless in drinking water but can stain clothes and porcelain fixtures.
Corrigan Water Solutions has several proven methods to treat all iron problems. See Water Concerns and Solutions for more information on iron removal.
13. What is Reverse Osmosis (R.O.) and how does it work?
Reverse Osmosis was developed in the late 1950's under U.S. Government funding, as a method of desalinating seawater. Today, reverse osmosis takes the credit as one of the most thorough methods of water filtration available. It is used by most bottled water companies and by many industries that require virtually pure water. Now, this advanced technology is available to homes and offices everywhere.
The Merlin Reverse Osmosis system uses multiple stages of filtration including sediment and carbon filtration and Reverse Osmosis. This water treatment process removes undesirable materials from water by using pressure to force the water molecules through a semi permeable membrane. The main component of Reverse Osmosis is the membrane. It is responsible for rejecting up to 99.8% of the total dissolved solids in the water. Water molecules are forced through a .0001-micron semi-permeable membrane by water pressure. Long sheets of the membrane are tightly rolled together up around a hollow central tube in a spiral fashion. This rolled up configuration is commonly referred to as a spiral wound membrane. For the membrane to do its job it must be in some type of container (membrane housing) so pressure can be maintained on its surface. It is this pressure that supplies the energy to force the water through the membrane, separating it from unwanted substances. The most ingenious aspect of Reverse Osmosis is that the substances left behind are automatically diverted to a waste drain so they don't build up in the system as with conventional filtering systems. This is why R.O. membranes can last so long and perform like new with minimum maintenance even after years of operation.
14. What is meant by Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)?
By the time water reaches your tap it has come into contact with many sources for potential contamination. The various minerals, salts, and solids that have been dissolved by the water during this period are called Total Dissolved Solids.
15. My water is terrible, is Reverse Osmosis really going to make my water taste better?
No matter how poor your water quality may be, Reverse Osmosis will remove up to 99.8% of contaminants in your water. The final result is high-quality water that simply put, tastes great!
16. What is the difference between the Merlin R.O. System and the faucet-mount/pitchers?
Faucet/Pitcher filters are able to remove some contaminants from your water using granular activated carbon, or in some cases carbon blocks. Activated carbon is commonly used for dechlorination and for reducing trace and soluble materials such as organic chemicals and radon from water. These type of devices are limited to the types of contaminates that they can effectively remove from your water based upon the type and amount of carbon contained within the filter. Corrigan's system incorporates four stages of filtration technology providing the best quality water available. The strength behind our system, the R.O. membrane, is responsible for reducing many difficult water contaminants such as arsenic, chromium, radium, and total dissolved solids. The combination of these technologies, mainly with the use of the R.O., is how Corrigan's system can provide water some find to be better than bottled water.
| CONTAMINATES |
REVERSE OSMOSIS |
STANDARD FILTRATION PRODUCTS |
FAUCET-MOUNT / PITCHERS |
| Arsenic (Pentavalent)<=300 ppb Reduction* |
X | | |
| Perchlorate |
X | | |
| Barium Reduction |
X | | |
| Cadmium Reduction |
X | | |
| Copper Reduction |
X | | |
| Cyst Reduction (Faucet) |
X | X | X
(faucet only) |
| Chromium (Hexavalent) Reduction |
X | | |
| Fluoride Reduction |
X | | |
| Lead Reduction |
X | X | X |
| Radium 226/228 Reduction |
X | | |
| Selenium Reduction |
X | | |
| TDS Reduction |
X | | |
| Chromium (Trivalent) Reduction |
X | | |
| Turbidity Reduction |
X | X | X |
| Chlorine (taste and odor only)
| X | X | X |
17. What types of contaminants does the Merlin R.O. System remove?
Reduction of mineral components that make up total dissolved solids will vary up to a maximum of 99.8% depending on water chemistry and pressure?
| Specific Contaminant Performance |
|---|
| Contaminant |
Influent (avg mg/L) |
Effluent (avg mg/L) |
Effluent (max mg/L) |
Avg % Reduction |
|---|
| Arsenic(1) | 0.049 | 0.00265 | 0.00612 | 94.6 |
| Barium | 11.1 | 0.189 | 1.9 | 98.3% |
| Cadmium | 0.0307 | 0.0000704 | 0.0000704 | 99.8% |
| Chromium (VI) | 0.353 | 0.00742 | 0.0147 | 97.9% |
| Chromium (III) | 0.312 | 0.000624 | 0.00453 | 99.8% |
| Copper | 3.22 | 0.0721 | 0.0721 | 97.8% |
| Fluoride | 8.11 | 0.51 | 0.65 | 93.7% |
| Lead | 0.159 | 0.000628 | 0.000628 | 99.6% |
| Nitrate/Nitrite (as N)(2) | 29.8 | 5.34 | 6.31 | 81.9% |
| Radium 226/228 | | | | |
| Selenium | 0.113 | 0.00249 | 0.003 | 97.8% |
| Total Disolved Solids (TDS) | 745 | 76.5 | 93.9 | 89.5% |
1 - This system has been tested for the treatment of water containing pentavalent arsenic (also known as As(V), As(+5), or arsenate) at concentrations of 0.050mg/L or less. This system reduces pentavalen
t arsenic, but may not remove other formes of arsenic. This system is to be used on water supplies containing a detectable free-clorine residual at the system inlet or on water supplies that have been demonstrated to contain only pentavalent arsenic. Treatment with chloramines (combined chlorine) is not suffident to ensure complete conversion to trivalent arsenic to pentavalent arsenic. Please see the Arsenic Facts section of this performance data sheet.
2 - This system is acceptable for treatment of influent concentrations of no more than 27 mg/L nitrate and 3 mg/L nitrate in combination measured as N and is certified for nitrate/nitrite reduction only for water supplies with a pressure of 40 psi (2.76 bar) or greater.
Testing performed under standard laboratory conditions.
Actual results may vary.
|
18. How will I know the R.O. is working?
You will be able to tell by the taste and clarity of the water. For example, ice cubes made with the R.O. water are harder, clearer, and take longer to melt. When tap water ice cubes melt you will notice sediment on the bottom of your glass. This is not the case with ice cubes made from R.O. water.
19. Is it necessary to change the filters in the R.O. every six months?
Only the pre-filter should be changed every 6 months. The carbon post filter should be changed every 8-12 months and the membrane should be changed every 2-4 years. These timelines give an estimate for when it is time to change the filter. Corrigan understands that with today's busy lifestyle remembering to change your filters may not be your top priority. We will send you an email reminding you that it is time to change your filters and which ones need changing.
20. How much does it cost to replace the filters?
Over a one-year period, it averages to about $8 a month for all the high quality, great tasting water you can drink. This is still a fraction of the cost of bottled water. While the Merlin Reverse Osmosis System is designed to be user-friendly, for an additional charge, we will be happy to come out to your home, service your system and change your filters. Call today for more information!
21. Does the R.O unit have to be mounted under the kitchen sink?
No. The Merlin can be mounted in the basement or even in another room.
22. Can the R.O. be connected to my icemaker too?
Absolutely. The Merlin Reverse Osmosis System is designed to have 3 or more dispensing locations. The Merlin produces 750 gallons of great tasting water, so even if it is being used in many locations there is always enough water to go around.
23. I have a water softener; doesn't that treat my drinking water?
No. A water softener removes calcium and magnesium from the water and is usually installed at the point-of-entry to the house. A water softener is good for the home's plumbing and water related appliances, but does little to improve the taste or quality of your drinking water.