Premier Water Blog » Reverse Osmosis

Biaggi’s – Maple Grove, MN gets Pure Water!

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:22:14 +0000

Pureoflow has been building a reputation of excellence in the restaurant industry. By providing the highest quality water, Pureoflow is able to not only improve the quality of beverages and ice, but also significantly reduce a restaurant’s water quality related expenses (an average of $415 per month.)

Biaggi's Pureoflow system

Ecolab has a proven track record as the market leader in restaurant chemical supplies like soaps and rinse aids. In Maple Grove, MN they had a problem – no matter how “soft” the water was, they simply could not help Biaggi’s Restaurant achieve the glassware quality they wanted. The problem was not hard water, but Total Dissolved Solids or “TDS”.

There are 1000′s of contaminants that contribute to the TDS level, many of which are in the form of a salt or a metal. 0ppm would indicate “pure water”. 100ppm is the limit for clear ice cubes. Biaggi’s TDS was 565ppm! Their water was soft, the softener was working, but their water was a real problem!

Pureoflow worked closely with Ecolab to help them with Biaggi’s water. Ecolab provided over a dozen water meters throughout the restaurant to precisely measure water use by each faucet, dishwasher, icemaker, coffee maker, etc. Once the data was collected, Pureoflow designed a system that would meet Biaggi’s tight space requirements while providing the volume of water needed.

Crystal clear ice cubes!

The Pureoflow system uses a combination of filters and a patented GE membrane technology that provides salt-free softening and purification. All system components are secured in a tamper-proof locking cabinet. This single system replaced a water softener, and dozens of filters throughout the restaurant.

Biaggi’s high TDS level was reduced to a very manageable 40ppm. Glassware is crystal-clear, the ice looks like diamonds, and their coffee and beverages taste amazing!

Premier Water, Pureoflow, and Ecolab will continue to work together to improve the restaurant industry in the Twin Cities. Customers get a better dining experience, restaurants reduce their costs, and less salt and filters end up in the environment! Learn more about the Pureoflow system!

Premier Water Case Study: Grace Lutheran Church in Deephaven, MN saves money with clean water

admin — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:49:33 +0000

Grace Lutheran Church in Deephaven, MN had been fighting with their well water for years. The old mechanical Fleck 2750 water softener used 1,000’s of pounds of salt each year, and did a poor job of removing the iron from the water. Every toilet in the church was orange, and the entire kitchen would smell like rotten eggs when there was heavy water usage.

Bottled Water Cooler

The poor water quality prompted Grace to install multiple bottled water coolers for drinking water and coffee, but that ended up costing the church over $1,600 each year.

5 gallon water bottles

In addition to cost, Grace had problems with storage space and microbial growth inside the water coolers. Several coolers required constant disinfection to eliminate the swampy, musty smell and taste that kept returning. The 5 gallon bottles would routinely pile up and were hard to store conveniently.

After reviewing the different options, Grace Lutheran decided to completely overhaul their water system. Premier Water was chosen as a local company with expertise in problem-water applications.

The new water system was completed in 4 phases:

Remove and recycle the old water softener
Design and install an iron filtration system to remove the iron and odor
Install a high efficiency water softener to treat the hard water
Return the rental coolers and bottles to their owner
Install several reverse osmosis purification systems that would supply pure water to bottle-less water coolers throughout the Church

New Iron Filter System

Hellenbrand H125 Iron Curtain System
We started with a dedicated 2-stage iron filtration system as it would solve a majority of the water problems. In Step 1, water is sprayed through a compressed pocket of air inside a large pressurized aeration vessel. As the water and air mix, the iron molecules and hydrogen sulfide gas precipitate out of the water. In Step 2, a large filter vessel is used to capture those precipitated molecules and periodically flush them away. The unique design of the filter vessel uses 30% less water to clean and gives 40% better filtration than other filters on the market.

Hellenbrand H125 Water Softener
Step 3 of our new water system used the Hellenbrand H125 light commercial water system to remove hard water scale from the now iron-free water. By removing the iron first, we were able to use 37.5% less salt. The new system regenerates on a metered/on-demand schedule and uses variable reserve technology that precisely adjusts to changing water use. The previous system regenerated with salt and water every third day – even if no one was using water! With the Hellenbrand iron filter and high efficiency softener, we were able to reduce salt by almost 60%.

Reverse Osmosis System

Reverse Osmosis Systems and Bottle-less Water Coolers
Step 4 – provide clean drinking water. Bottled water coolers are open environments that collect debris in the air and eventually grow bacteria. Reverse osmosis systems squeeze water through small pores roughly 1000x thinner than a human hair to literally make pure water one drop at a time. Once purified, the water is held in a pressurized storage tank, and pumped to a bottle-less water cooler. The whole system is 100% sealed. The result is pure, fresh water that stays clean! In addition to better drinking water quality, operating costs were cut by 81%!

Conclusion
The system was neatly installed in two mechanical rooms, an office, a choir room, and a commercial kitchen. All iron filter and softener tanks have dedicated bypass valves and can be easily disconnected for future service/cleaning. The reverse osmosis systems were wall-mounted at eye level to make future filter changes a snap. Lastly, the bottle-less coolers are completely sealed for sanitary water storage.

Bottle-less Water Cooler

Grace Lutheran now has soft, iron-free, odor-free water throughout the church. The drinking water for the Parish and Pre-School is pure, clean, and fresh!

“The odor and rust is gone. We used to get complaints about a rotten egg smell but we don’t get those anymore. The drinking water is clean and tastes great.”
B. Hendrickson – Facilities Manager

Water Quality Before
Hardness: 20gpg*
Total Iron: 3ppm**
TDS: 375ppm***

Water Quality After
Hardness: 0.5gpg
Total Iron: 0.0ppm
TDS: 27ppm

*5gpg is the average national hardness
**0.3ppm iron is the limit before staining begins
***100ppm+ TDS decreases ice cube clarity

Click here to download this case study as a PDF

Premier Water is a Chanhassen, MN based company that provides residential and commercial water softening, filtration, and purification solutions. Capabilities range from small point-of-use systems up to high volume whole-house/whole-business applications. Please call (952) 479-4553 for more details.

Case Study: Complete Well Water System Overhaul in Deephaven, MN

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 21:41:20 +0000

Local author and financial expert Rob Severson had typical Deephaven well water: rusty, stinky, and hard. He had rented a water softener for years, and it kind of worked. They still fought rust stains, cringed at the odor, and they had to buy bottled water. They were ready for an upgrade.

“I was in the middle of a kitchen remodel and didn’t want my new appliances to get destroyed like the old ones. We had constant rust problems that were affecting our home and my wife’s hair too.”

Rob contacted Premier Water to design a water treatment system to meet his needs:

Completely eliminate the iron and odor issues, not just a “partial solution
Minimal salt used by a water softener
Clean, fresh tasting water – without bottles!
Eliminate the lifelong expense of renting, bottled water delivery, and heavy salt use

Of the 3 packages we designed, Rob chose a great package using the following systems:

Hellenbrand Iron Curtain Filter

Hellenbrand H125 Iron Curtain System
We started with a dedicated 2-stage iron filtration system as it would solve a majority of the water problems. In Step 1, water is sprayed through a compressed pocket of air inside a 13”x54” pressurized aeration vessel. As the water and air mix, the iron molecules and hydrogen sulfide gas precipitate out of the water. In Step 2, a 13”x54” filter vessel is used to capture those precipitated molecules and periodically flush them away. The unique design of the filter vessel uses 30% less water to clean and gives 40% better filtration than other filters on the market.

Hellenbrand Water Softener

Hellenbrand H125 Water Softener
Step 3 of our new water system used the Hellenbrand H125 light commercial water system to remove hard water scale from the iron-free water. By removing the iron first, we were able to use 59.6% less salt. The new system regenerates on a metered/on-demand schedule and uses variable reserve technology that precisely adjusts to changing water use. The previous system regenerated with salt and water every other day – even if no one was using water! With the Hellenbrand iron filter and high efficiency softener, we were able to reduce salt by almost 80%.

Hague RO3500 Reverse Osmosis

Hague RO3500 Reverse Osmosis
Step 4 – provide clean drinking water. Private well systems operate at much lower water pressure than city water supplies. Reverse osmosis membranes become less efficient, and produce lower quality water under these circumstances. We used the 4 stage Hague RO3500 because it has an integrated non-electric, water-driven pump. This pump allowed us to overcome the pressure limitation and deliver a steady stream of pure, fresh drinking water.

Complete water system

Conclusion
The entire system was neatly installed along a wall in the basement mechanical room. All 3 iron filter and softener tanks have dedicated bypass valves and can be easily disconnected for future service/cleaning. The reverse osmosis system was wall-mounted at eye level to make future filter changes a snap.

Our client now has soft, iron-free, odor-free water throughout the entire home. The water coming through his refrigerator is pure, clean, and fresh!

“You did an excellent job setting up my system and explained everything thoroughly to me. I now give my water 5 out of 5 stars!”

Water Quality BEFORE
Hardness: 19gpg
Total Iron: 7ppm
TDS: 355ppm

Water Quality AFTER
Hardness: 0.5gpg
Total Iron: 0.0ppm
TDS: 25ppm

Click here to download this case study as a PDF

5gpg is the average national hardness
0.3ppm iron is the limit before staining begins
100ppm+ TDS decreases ice cube clarity

Case Study: Arsenic and Iron Removal – Plus Salt-Free Softening in Shorewood, MN

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 19:07:05 +0000

Well water in Shorewood, MN is known for high levels of iron, hydrogen sulfide, and water hardness. In the last few years, a surprising number of wells have tested positive for arsenic levels 3-7 times the legal limit.

Old Water System

Our client had been renting a softener and an iron filter from another company for over 10 years before we met them. Both systems were undersized and required constant service as they were not capable of handling the iron level in the water.

In late 2009, the homeowners heard rumors about high Arsenic in the Shorewood, MN area. After talking to local residents, they contacted
Premier Water to see what could be done.

We collected a water sample and had the water tested at a state certified lab. The results came back with 34.1ppb – 3.4x the legal limit for Arsenic.

“For 10 years, we had been buying organic food, and cooking it in water full of Arsenic. We couldn’t believe it. We wanted to make sure our kids could have a safe drink of water anywhere in the home.”

Why the Previous Water System Failed:

Iron Filter was too small and could not support the water flow rates this family required

Softener frequently ran out of salt

It had ZERO EFFECT on the Arsenic Levels!

New Water Treatment System

Our client wanted to start from scratch and take advantage of the new technology we had to offer. We designed a system with guaranteed iron and arsenic removal, plus salt-free softening.

The system we designed uses a 13”x54” Iron Filter that processes water roughly 7x slower than their previous system. This results in superior iron removal and initial arsenic precipitation and reduction.

We followed the iron filter with a Pureoflow Whole-House System that uses a proprietary membrane designed by GE Water & Process Technology. This membrane is actually designed to soften hard water – something that would destroy a normal membrane. The Pureoflow was successful at softening the water, reducing the TDS level, and the Arsenic levels were reduced well below the EPA limit!

“Our old rental equipment required constant service and used so much salt. We had ongoing problems with iron stains and were not confident the other company could handle Arsenic.

We love our new system – no rust, no salt, and NO ARSENIC!”

System Performance BEFORE:
Hardness: 21gpg
Total Iron: 4ppm
TDS: 261ppm
Arsenic: 34.1ppb
System Flow Rate: 5gpm

System Performance AFTER:
Hardness: 0gpg
Total Iron: 0ppm
TDS: 21ppm
Arsenic: 1.15ppb
System Flow Rate: 22gpm

5gpg is the average national hardness
0.3ppm iron is the limit before staining begins
10ppb is the legal limit for Arsenic

Click here to download this case study

Snow or Tap Water? Which is Higher Quality?

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 04:20:37 +0000

It snowed a lot in Minnesota last week. Most people look out the window and either smile or wince when they see the white fluffy stuff.

I had a different reaction.

“I wonder if snow would make better drinking water than Plymouth’s tap water?”

We often measure water quality for our clients with a TDS meter. TDS, or Total Dissolved Solids, is a measure of all the “non-water” materials that have been dissolved into the water.

Pure water measures out at ZERO (0ppm or 0 parts per million). It’s made of Hydrogen and Oxygen.

Plymouth, MN tap water measures out around 310ppm and contains low levels of arsenic, chlorine, copper, lead, trihalomethanes, etc.

So I set out to compare the quality of snow to tap water.

The experiment was simple:

Step One: Obtain the a nice clear cup and a TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meter.

TDS Meter

Step Two: Fill cup with fresh snow from my driveway (also reduces future shoveling)

TDS Meter and Snow Sample

Step Three: Wait until snow has melted and water warms to room temperature.

TDS Meter and Snow

Results: As you can see, the melted snow tested out at 0ppm dissolved solids. This would make much higher quality drinking water than Plymouth’s tap water, and even many brands of bottled water. This is very similar to the water quality produced by our whole house Pureoflow system and our under sink Reverse Osmosis systems.

As you can see our in-house taste expert, Thor, was immediately drawn to the crisp, fresh taste this snow provided.

Cat drinking water

19 Million Americans Sick from Water Each Year, Records Show

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 19:47:51 +0000

After analyzing federal data, the New York Times found that 20 percent of the nation’s water treatment systems have violated key provisions of the Safe Drinking Water Act over the last five years.

That law requires communities to deliver safe tap water to local residents. But since 2004, the water provided to more than 49 million people has contained illegal concentrations of chemicals like arsenic or radioactive substances like uranium, as well as dangerous bacteria often found in sewage.

Regulators were informed of each of those violations as they occurred. But regulatory records show that fewer than 6 percent of the water systems that broke the law were ever fined or punished by state or federal officials, including those at the Environmental Protection Agency, which has ultimate responsibility for enforcing standards.

Studies indicate that drinking water contaminants are linked to millions of instances of illness within the United States each year.

In some instances, drinking water violations were one-time events, and probably posed little risk. But for hundreds of other systems, illegal contamination persisted for years, records show.

The New York Times has compiled and analyzed millions of records from water systems and regulators around the nation, as part of a series of articles about worsening pollution in American waters, and regulators’ response.

An analysis of E.P.A. data shows that Safe Drinking Water Act violations have occurred in parts of every state.

In the prosperous town of Ramsey, N.J., for instance, drinking water tests since 2004 have detected illegal concentrations of arsenic, a carcinogen, and the dry cleaning solvent tetrachloroethylene, which has also been linked to cancer.

In New York state, 205 water systems have broken the law by delivering tap water that contained illegal amounts of bacteria since 2004.

However, almost none of those systems were ever punished. Ramsey was not fined for its water violations, for example, though a Ramsey official said that filtration systems have been installed since then. In New York, only three water systems were penalized for bacteria violations, according to federal data.

It is unclear precisely how many American illnesses are linked to contaminated drinking water. Many of the most dangerous contaminants regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act have been tied to diseases like cancer that can take years to develop.

Scientific research indicates that as many as 19 million Americans may become ill each year due to just the parasites, viruses and bacteria in drinking water. Certain types of cancer — such as breast and prostate cancer — have risen over the past 30 years, and research indicates they are likely tied to pollutants like those found in drinking water.

The violations counted by the Times analysis include only situations where residents were exposed to dangerous contaminants, and exclude violations that involved paperwork or other minor problems.

The E.P.A. has reported that more than three million Americans have been exposed since 2005 to drinking water with illegal concentrations of arsenic and radioactive elements, both of which have been linked to cancer at small doses.

In some areas, the amount of radium detected in drinking water was 2,000% higher than the legal limit, according to E.P.A. data.

But federal regulators fined or punished fewer than 8 percent of water systems that violated the arsenic and radioactive standards. The E.P.A., in a statement, said that in a majority of situations, state regulators used informal methods — like providing technical assistance — to help systems that had violated the rules.

Many systems remained out of compliance, even after aid was offered, according to E.P.A. data. And for over a quarter of systems that violated the arsenic or radioactivity standards, there is no record that they were ever contacted by a regulator, even after they sent in paperwork revealing their violations.

Those figures are particularly worrisome, say researchers, because the Safe Drinking Water Act’s limits on arsenic are so weak to begin with.

A system could deliver tap water that puts residents at a 1-in-600 risk of developing bladder cancer from arsenic, and still comply with the law.

We will be sure to follow this story as it continues to develop. There have been 100′s of similar stories over the last decade – a sign that the general public is becoming more concerned about water quality.

Information like this makes a comprehensive water treatment system like the Pureoflow an easy choice when it comes to “piece of mind”. No matter what you start with, the right treatment system can deliver safe, clean drinking water.

NSF International Turns 65!

admin — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:54:34 +0000

NSF began in November 1944, when two professors from the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, and a public health official from Toledo, OH, saw a need to standardize the health requirements for commercial foodservice equipment.

Since that time, NSF has developed more than 72 American National Standards to protect food and water, dietary supplements, pools and spas, and consumer goods. NSF also tests and certifies a variety of products including water filters, pool and spa equipment, plastic and plumbing products, foodservice equipment, organic foods, nutritional ingredients, home appliances, kitchen utensils, green building materials and more.

The NSF Water Treatment and Distribution Systems Program verifies drinking water treatment chemicals and drinking water system components to ensure these products do not contribute contaminants to drinking water that could cause adverse health effects.

Through a comprehensive consensus process, the NSF Joint Committee on Drinking Water Treatment Units has developed key standards for evaluation and certification of drinking water treatment units. These include:

NSF/ANSI Standard 42: Drinking Water Treatment Units – Aesthetic Effects
Overview: This standard covers point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) systems designed to reduce specific aesthetic or non-health-related contaminants (chlorine, taste and odor, and particulates) that may be present in public or private drinking water.

NSF/ANSI Standard 53: Drinking Water Treatment Units – Health Effects
Overview: Standard 53 addresses point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) systems designed to reduce specific health-related contaminants, such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, lead, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether), that may be present in public or private drinking water.

NSF/ANSI Standard 58: Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Treatment Systems
Overview: This standard was developed for point-of-use (POU) reverse osmosis (RO) treatment systems. These systems typically consist of a pre-filter, RO membrane, and post-filter. Standard 58 includes contaminant reduction claims commonly treated using RO, including fluoride, hexavalent and trivalent chromium, total dissolved solids, nitrates, etc. that may be present in public or private drinking water.

NSF/ANSI Standard 44: Cation Exchange Water Softeners
Overview: This standard covers residential cation exchange water softeners designed to reduce hardness from public or private water supplies. Additionally, this standard can verify the system’s ability to reduce radium and barium.

NSF/ANSI Standard 55: Ultraviolet Microbiological Water Treatment Systems
Overview: This standard establishes requirements for point-of-use (POU) and point-of-entry (POE) non-public water supply (non-PWS) ultraviolet systems and includes two optional classifications. Class A systems (40,000 uwsec/cm2) are designed to disinfect and/or remove microorganisms from contaminated water, including bacteria and viruses, to a safe level. Class B systems (16,000 uw-sec/cm2) are designed for supplemental bactericidal treatment of public drinking water or other drinking water, which has been deemed acceptable by a local health agency.

NSF/ANSI Standard 62: Drinking Water Distillation Systems
Overview: Standard 62 covers distillation systems designed to reduce specific contaminants, including total arsenic, chromium, mercury, nitrate/nitrite, and microorganisms from public and private water supplies.

NSF Protocol P231: Microbiological Water Purifiers
Overview: Protocol P231 addresses systems that use chemical, mechanical, and/or physical technologies to filter and treat waters of unknown microbiological quality, but that are presumed to be potable.

Reverse Osmosis Cures Burnsville, MN Resident’s Water Problems

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:02:07 +0000

There has been quite a bit of press about the poor quality of water that Burnsville residents have been dealing with.

We installed a Hague RO3500 reverse osmosis system for a client several months ago – before the water quality problems were being highly publicized.

Our clients receive a free quality control check after installation as part of our routine service. During our review our client said:

“We are only drinking the water from our system, and have not noticed the bad taste everyone else is talking about.”

The Hague RO3500 was a good choice for this application because of the special “Prolonged Contact Filter” that improves adsorption of organic matter. This filter combined with an NSF certified membrane provide a nice alternative to smelly, distasteful tap water. Read more about the Hague Reverse Osmosis System.

116 Additional Water Contaminants May be Regulated by EPA

admin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:07:42 +0000

In September, 2009 the EPA released its third update to the “contaminant candidate list” (CCL 3). This is a list of substances which are not currently regulated in drinking water by the federal government but may be considered for future regulation.

The EPA and other stakeholders looked at 7,500 substances before coming up with the final list of 116 contaminants. After the EPA drew up a preliminary list, it added 10 pharmaceuticals, 1 antibiotic and 9 hormones, 2 disinfection byproducts, 5 microbes and firefighting foam. The full CCL 3 list of contaminants can be found at this EPA Web site: www.epa.gov/safewater/ccl

Many of these substances that appeared on CCL 1 in 1998 have been “rolled over” into CCL 2 and now CCL 3 — an indication that they’re still considered potentially harmful. Examples of some that appear on the new CCL 3 and were also on prior lists are adenoviruses (viruses that can cause respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses), acetochlor (a weed-control herbicide), vanadium (a natural element), and cyanotoxins (produced by blue-green algae).

The Water Quality Association (WQA) recently proposed that removal/reduction of the following 17 substances, some of which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or personal care products, could be priorities for developing new NSF/ANSI performance standards for drinking water treatment units. None of these are now regulated:

Atenolol: Beta blocker (heart) medication

Bisphenol A (BPA): Ingredient in plastic/EDC

Carbamazepine: Anti-seizure medication

DEET: Insecticide

Diazinon: Insecticide/EDC

Estrone: Steroid (estrogen hormone)

Ibuprofin: Pain medication

Linuron: Herbicide/EDC

Meprobamate: Anti-anxiety medication

Metolachlor: Pesticide

Naproxen: Pain medication

Nonyl phenol: Surfactant (cleaning compound)/EDC

Phenytoin: Anti-convulsant medication

Risperidone: Schizophrenia treatment

TCEP: Flame retardant

TCPP: Flame retardant

Trimethoprim: Antibiotic

Future Role of the Water Treatment Industry
The water treatment industry “can offer the most advanced technologies available for dealing with endocrine-disrupting, pharmaceutical and personal care product residues in drinking water,” says Joe Harrison, technical director of the Water Quality Association (WQA). “We welcome the EPA benchmarks to guide our product development and performances in this new emerging area.”

Harrison says there’s no single POU/POE technology that can address all emerging contaminants. He says, “It appears that reverse osmosis (RO), activated carbon blocks, and advanced oxidation, such as is achieved by combining in various degrees hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet light and/or ozone … may show effectiveness in treating many of these.”

Premier Water Technology has been dealing with problem water applications since 1978. As water quality continues to change, we are prepared to face the new challenges that lie ahead. We have a proven track record with known contaminants like Arsenic and Coliform Bacteria. It’s strange to think we will someday offer water treatment solutions for anxiety medications, hormones, and flame retardants.