ECOsmarte blog

So let's talk about taking minerals out of drinking water. I had a bit of a head to head with a couple of people on an informational board where a person wrote in asking about a solution for her well water. Without fail the responders recommended she use a softener for the hardness and RO (reverse osmosis) for drinking water. Then they began to discuss the various pros and cons of a couple of systems, one of which was actually called EcoWater. This kind of fried me - because I know all the reasons that softeners and RO are absolutely NOT environmentally friendly or ecologically beneficial (or even benign). So, tell me how can a company who does the following in any way claim to be ECO-anything? RO water wastes 3-4 gallons for every gallon it produces Water softeners put harmful chlorides into the environment (whether potassium or sodium) Water softeners waste even more water by regenerating approximately 2-3 times per week at 50 gallons a pop for an average family of 4 - do the math - that's 100-150 gallons of wasted water a week Water softeners require regular servicing, using significant fuel for service trucks, and causing increased carbon emissions into the atmosphere. So that's all about the environmental costs...which sound pretty significant to me, considering ECOsmarte does, like, none of the above. Thus ensued a varied and spirited discussion about whether ECOsmarte technology was valid and/or effective and why tried and true salt softener/RO combinations are all they could see their (limited) way though to considering. To be fair - they are purveyors of salt/RO systems and I am obviously a purveyor of a new (and superior) technology option. So of course we were debating each other. Then one of the contributors seized on something I wrote about leaving the minerals in the water. Specifically: "The healthy minerals stay in the water where your body needs them". His reply:

" I am always a bit confused on the thinking here. What minerals from water do we depend on? I try not to confuse what miniscule[sic] amount of INORGANIC minerals that might be in the water that could possibly replace the organic minerals we get from a proper diet and mineral/vitamin suppliments[sic]. That always seems to be little more than a marketing ploy. I believe that water should be a transporter of nutrients and not a supplier. Unless my doctor prescribes that I drink 14 gallons of HIGH MINERAL content of water, I would never depend on H20 to provide my nutritional daily needs.

When I am spurred on to do a bit of research, it's always an exciting time. I mean, you can find out just about anything on the internet. Yet one must be careful because you can find contrasting views on most everything, too. Information obtained from websites that are selling things that benefit from the opinions or "facts" expressed are suspect. Formal studies are preferable, from objective sources. Articles can be tricky - because the person writing the article can have an investment in what they say being true, no matter how seemingly official the place you find the article. So imagine my delight when I found a study by the World Health Organization (no less), on the health aspects of calcium and magnesium in drinking water and the potential health consequences of long term consumption of demineralized, remineralized and altered mineral content drinking waters. Excerpts:

“Over 80 observational epidemiological studies have been reported in the published literature since 1957 (Calderon) relating water hardness and cardiovascular disease risks. Most, but not all of the studies found an inverse (protective) association between cardiovascular disease mortality and increased water hardness (measured by calcium carbonate or another hardness parameter and/or the calcium and magnesium content of the water. ….The group concluded that there is sufficient epidemiological evidence of an inverse relationship between calcium and magnesium concentrations in drinking water and ischemic heart disease mortality, and that consumption of water containing calcium and magnesium, and therefore all the reintroduction of Mg and Ca into demineralized water in the remineralization process would likely provide health benefits in those consumer populations. ….In addition, limited but suggestive evidence exists for benefits associated with other diseases (stroke, renal stone formation, cognitive impairment in the elderly, very low birth weight, bone fractures among children, pregnancy complications, hypertension and possibly some cancers). Hard water is a reliable and stable source of calcium and sometimes magnesium although the absolute and relative concentrations will vary greatly by source. Consumption of moderately hard water containing typical amounts of calcium and magnesium may provide an important incremental percentage of their daily intake. Inadequate total dietary intakes of calcium and magnesium are common worldwide. Therefore, an incremental contribution from drinking water can be an important supplement to approach more ideal total daily intakes. Moreover, hard water can reduce the losses of calcium, magnesium and other essential minerals from food during cooking. If low mineralized water is used for food and beverage production, reduced levels of Ca, Mg and other essential elements would also occur in those products. Low intakes would occur not only because of the lower contribution of these minerals from water used in beverages, but also because of the high losses of the minerals from food products (e.g. vegetables, cereals, potatoes, or meat) into water during cooking.”

Leave the minerals in, people! Stop wasting huge amounts of water with RO and water softeners. Stop putting chlorides into the environment. ECOsmarte Water is your solution.

What about potential reduction in water pressure while using a whole house filter? I have a fairly large house, 6000 sq feet, and I want to install the filter. But I am concerned about maintaining adequate flow rates and water pressure to the entire home during heavy water usage. Any thoughts??

Glad you asked, Michael. thanks for visiting the blog. Our basic system is sized for a 4K sq ft, 4 bathroom home with 1/4 acre of outside irrigation. From there we have a light commercial size and we can even use 2 light commercial systems in series to ensure your water flow is not restricted. We pay careful attention to the flow rate because not only do we want to be sure you have optimum water pressure and flow rate, we also want to make sure you have optimum water filtration and treatment with the ECOsmarte system. We size the system so that if all your showers were being used, dishwasher, washing machine and sprinklers going outside - you would still have optimum performance and adequate water pressure. ECOsmarte is not like reverse osmosis - no restriction of flow. Important factors are size of water pipe incoming, existing flow rate, size of property, # of bathrooms, acres of irrigation, and number of people.

As an example, a 5 acre ranch in Ojai (my first sale!) has 4 buildings, about 6K sq ft total, 5 bathrooms, 4 people and 2.5 acres of avocados. They chose to treat both their house water and irrigation water - so basically all the water on the property is pure and clean. We installed 2 light commercial tanks in series, and it handles the property perfectly.

Why treat the outside irrigation? Read here for more info.

Hi, I have a water well and live in the mountains. My water is hard. Do you have a better system than potassium in a water softener system? I also have a pool. I am very chemically sensitive and am now buying bottled water which I know is bad. I bought a filtering system call seagull or something, but can't use it because of the hard water situation..........HELP. gail

Hi Gail,
Thanks for your questions.
Our system is practically tailor-made for your situation. If you know the measurement of hardness of your well water – either in mg/L or in “grains” of hardness, that is the first step. It should be on your well report. ECOsmarte water systems guarantee satisfaction up to 25 grains of hardness, which is 427 mg/L.
Our system is far better than a potassium-based water softener for these reasons:
• ECOsmarte does not put harmful chlorides into the environment.
• We leave the healthy minerals in the water where your body needs them.
• ECOsmarte prevents hard water scaling and gives you maximum effectiveness of detergents and soaps.
• Existing scale in pipes is actually reduced.
• Unlike water softeners, you will have no monthly servicing or endless bills.
• No water waste – softeners typically waste approximately 50 gallons per regeneration – about 100 to 150 gallons per week. Backwash from ECOsmarte filtration tanks can even be safely used for supplemental irrigation.

And that’s just talking about the hard water solution part of the equation.

We excel at well water applications because the copper ions put into the water by our technology give you added protection against bacteria, Giardia, coliforms and Cryptosporidium. Copper is a very effective killing agent, and helps to ensure your water is clean and safe all the way up to your point of use. The oxidation part of our technology handles iron, manganese, and sulfur dioxide as well. Combine that with state-of-the-art components and filtration media – and you have a one-stop solution to water issues.

Part of the well package is an initial 150 point (I think it’s 150 now, used to be 140 but the lab keeps raising it) water test that informs us exactly what you need for your well. The system is custom assembled in our factory and shipped to you – specifically designed for your well. The best part is enjoying clean, pure water from every faucet…knowing you can actually drink the water while you are taking a shower if you want to.

How big is your pool (gallons)? What kind of filtration system do you use right now? Are you using Chlorine at the present? Our system is absolutely perfect for people who are chemically sensitive – there are no chemicals in an ECOsmarte pool!