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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

Case Study: Residential Iron Filtration System in Deephaven, MN

admin — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:47:46 +0000

October 2009

Deephaven, MN is a city that is well known for having poor water quality. Private well owners constantly battle with high levels of iron, hydrogen sulfide, water hardness, and even arsenic.

Old Iron Filter System

We first serviced our clients in 2007 by replacing an old softener with a new high efficiency Hague WaterMax softener. This system improved water pressure and used 70% less salt than their old Fleck water softener.

The existing 10” x 47” iron filter was in bad shape, and had been partially disabled by other sub contractors over the years. At the homeowner’s request, we re-built the control head and added a new air relief valve to try and get this system to “limp along”.

By October, 2009 the old iron filter was failing again. The rust stains and rotten egg smell were starting to take it’s toll on the plumbing, water softener AND the homeowner. It was time for a real iron filter system:

“We just COULD NOT get the iron and odor filtered out of the water for a constant, clean water supply. We wanted water that was always clean, odor-free and soft. We wanted a solution that would work.”

Why the Previous Iron Filter System Failed:

- Inadequate Iron and Hydrogen sulfide capacity

- Iron and Hydrogen Sulfide were not completely oxidized

- Undersized filter vessel only provided 2.7gpm (gallons per minute) flow (enough for 1 faucet)

- Iron-clogged plumbing reduced the filter’s backwash ability (clean itself)

- Frequent power outages constantly disrupted the filter’s settings

New Iron Filter System

The Premier Water Solution:
The old ¾” copper was replaced with new 1” copper for less restriction and improved backwashing (cleaning) ability. We used a Hellenbrand Iron Curtain system with a 13”x54” dedicated aeration tank was used to pre-treat the water and oxidize the iron and hydrogen sulfide for better filtration. A 13”x54” vessel using vertical depth filtration replaced the small 10” filter to handle heavier water flow rate needs up to 8gpm.

A special distributor was also used to reduce waste water by 30% over the old system. A digital controller runs the system and holds all settings up to 2 ½ years during power loss to combat the frequent power outages here.

The new system completely eliminated the rust stains and odor problems, the softener now works more efficiently, and waste water was reduced. The results speak for themselves:

My freshly washed clothes now smell like a clean fresh load of laundry. Brushing my teeth is no longer a gross experience with smelly water.

Your staff worked very hard to solve our water issues, and truly care about customer satisfaction.

Initial Results:
System Flow Rate: 2.7gpm
Iron Bleed-Through: 6ppm*

Final Results:
System Flow Rate: 8.0gpm
Iron Bleed-Through: 0ppm*

*0.3ppm is the iron limit before staining begins

Click Here to Download this Case Study