FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
- I am concerned about sodium in my diet and understand that my drinking water could contain some sodium. Is this true?
- Is sodium the same thing as salt?
- How do I know if there is sodium in my water supply?
- What exactly is a milligram of sodium?
- I have heard that the water softener I purchased to remove the hardness minerals from my water is adding sodium to my water supply. Is this true?
- How much sodium is added by my water softener?
- So if I have a water hardness reading of 20 grains per gallon my water softener will add 150 milligrams of sodium to each quart of my water?
- I truly enjoy all the benefits that my water softener gives me, but I have heard that drinking softened water is not good for me. Is this something I should be concerned about?
- What are some of the other sources of sodium in my daily diet?
- Although it is clear that most of my sodium intake is from food items, is there any way to get sodium-free drinking water without the inconvenience and expense of bottled water?
- What are these sodium-free drinking water systems and are they expensive?
- Do both the water distiller systems and reverse osmosis systems provide the same water quality?
- How can I get more information on reverse osmosis drinking water systems and water distillers?
- We live in an older home and water tests have showed that there is lead in my drinking water. Could purchasing a water filtration system help with removing this harmful chemical?
- What is hard water?
- There are so many different types of water filters on the market. How do I know which one to buy?
- Do you recycle used filters and cartridges? What do I do with mine after I change a filter or cartridge?
- All these systems to filter your water seem very expensive. I'm not sure I see the benefits of buying one. Why should I purchase a softener or water filter?
Answers
I am concerned about sodium in my diet and understand that my drinking water could contain some sodium. Is this true?
Yes. All water supplies contain some sodium. The amount varies depending upon geographical location and the water source.
Is sodium the same thing as salt?
No. Salt is chemically sodium chloride, with sodium consisting of 40% of the total by weight.
How do I know if there is sodium in my water supply?
There are several sources of water analysis information including provincial health agencies, local universities, private laboratories, and water treatment specialists. Laboratory results are usually expressed in parts per million or milligrams per litre.
What exactly is a milligram of sodium?
A milligram is one thousandth of a gram. One milligram of sodium dissolved in one quart of water can be thought of as roughly one minute in two years or one cent in $10,000.
I have heard that the water softener I purchased to remove the hardness minerals from my water is adding sodium to my water supply. Is this true?
Yes. When water containing hardness minerals is passed through a water softener the hardness minerals are exchanged for sodium.
How much sodium is added by my water softener?
The amount of sodium added is dependent upon the hardness of the water being softened. The following table can be used to determine how much sodium your water softener is adding to your water supply.
So if I have a water hardness reading of 20 grains per gallon my water softener will add 150 milligrams of sodium to each quart of my water?
Yes. This amount can then be added to the raw water sodium content to determine the amount of sodium in your softened water.
I truly enjoy all the benefits that my water softener gives me, but I have heard that drinking softened water is not good for me. Is this something I should be concerned about?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that the average person drinks two quarts of water a day. Therefore, if you were to drink water that contained 150 milligrams of sodium per quart, your total daily intake of sodium from your drinking water supply would be 300 milligrams. This amount may seem high, but when compared to the daily intake of sodium, which in the average adult is between 3000-6000 milligrams, it is easy to see that your drinking water contributes just a small percentage.
What are some of the other sources of sodium in my daily diet?
The following table lists the approximate sodium content of some common food items.
Although it is clear that most of my sodium intake is from food items, is there any way to get sodium-free drinking water without the inconvenience and expense of bottled water?
Yes. By using the latest technologies, sodium-free drinking water can be provided for all your drinking and cooking needs as conveniently as using your kitchen faucet.
What are these sodium-free drinking water systems and are they expensive?
There are a variety of systems on the market, but most are either reverse osmosis drinking water systems or water distiller systems. Either can provide gallons of sodium-free water for virtually pennies a day. This can add up to a substantial savings over using bottled water.
Do both the water distiller systems and reverse osmosis systems provide the same water quality?
No, in general water distiller systems will remove 99% of most contaminants found in your drinking water supply. Reverse osmosis systems will generally remove between 80-90% of most drinking water contaminants.
How can I get more information on reverse osmosis drinking water systems and water distillers?
As the quality of your drinking water is obviously very important to you, we suggest you contact a certified water treatment professional who can provide you with accurate information on the water treatment system you need.
→ Click here to find and contact a certified water treatment professional in your area
→Download the facts about Sodium in the PDF file "Sodium The Facts"
We live in an older home and water tests have showed that there is lead in my drinking water. Could purchasing a water filtration system help with removing this harmful chemical?
Yes. Eco Water has many products that can help with this. It is recommended that people in homes built before the mid 1950s filter their water; most of these homes will have elevated lead levels at some time because of older pipes. Ontario testing in 2008 and 2009 showed that almost 7 out of 10 homes that were built before the mid 1950s had higher than recommended lead levels in their drinking water.
What is hard water?
Hard water is the amount of minerals, calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate in your water. The most efficient way to remove this from your water supply is to install a water softener. The easiest way to determine whether or not your water is hard is to have it tested. However, you can usually detect hard water by evidence in your home:
→Soap scum on bathroom and shower tiles →Film left on the body resulting in dry skin and dull, limp hair →Increased build up of scale on plumbing fixtures and cooking utensils such as a tea kettle, coffee maker and dishwashers. →Clogged shower head and pipes ****Water softeners can save you money on total yearly water heating cost and usage!!
There are so many different types of water filters on the market. How do I know which one to buy?
We know not all water is the same and that's why your trained EcoWater Systems Dealer can test your home's water to identify the right product for you...for FREE!
Regardless of your water conditions, EcoWater Systems offers the appropriate solution.
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Filters available and benefits:
Do you recycle used filters and cartridges? What do I do with mine after I change a filter or cartridge?
EcoWater Canada is pleased to offer the first-ever recycling program specifically designed for used EcoWater Reverse Osmosis (RO) water filtration cartridges. Simply return your used cartridges to an Eco Water dealer (any make or model) and we will do the rest!
→Added Benefit... We are empowering our customers to take control of their health and environment. There are many things we can do without but water is not one of them. Our filtration systems give them the freedom to know their drinking water is consistently pure and free of pollutants and toxins. Now they have the added benefit of knowing the systems that deliver their clean filtered water are also environmentally friendly.
All these systems to filter your water seem very expensive. I am not sure I see the benefits of buying one. Why should I purchase a softener or water filter?
You Can Save Money and Energy! This chart is an estimation of savings for a family of four with ten grains per gallon of water hardness, and has installed a water softener:
Based on Data from: U.S. Dept. of commerce, U.S. Dept. of Labour, National Industrial Conference Board, Water Conditioning Research Assoc.,American Laundry Institute, U.S. Bureau of Standards, Univ. of New Mexico
With hard water, more chemicals and detergents are needed for cleaning. That means increased costs for detergents and more wastewater with impurities going to the sewer. That is not good for your business and not good for the environment.
Extremely hard water may shorten the life of plumbing and lessen the effectiveness of certain cleaning agents. When hard water is heated, the carbonates precipitate out of solution, forming scale in pipes and tea kettles.
In addition to narrowing and potentially clogging the pipes, scale prevents efficient heat transfer, so a water heater with scale will have to use a lot of energy to give you hot water. Soap is less effective in hard water because its reacts to form the calcium or magnesium salt of the organic acid of the soap. These salts are insoluble and form grayish soap scum, but no cleansing lather. Detergents, on the other hand, lather in both hard and soft water. Calcium and magnesium salts of the detergent's organic acids form, but these salts are soluble in water.