We are moving to a home with very high lead and iron levels as well as very hard water. I am looking for a water filtration/softener system that does not use salt, but I don't want to read reviews on a company website. I think it will be biased. I am not having much luck locating a site that has a lot of good information. For the water filtration system, I am only finding filters that deal with iron. I need one that deals with lead as well. Would the same filter work for both. Our water also has a high sulfur content as it smells like rotten eggs. What are your suggestions?Thanks,
Pam
Lead, Lead, Lead....Okay – prepare yourself for lots of information.
Lead removal is not simple. The only surefire ways to completely remove lead are reverse osmosis or distillation, and another method I came across in my research which I am not very familiar with called “activated alumina”. If your lead levels are already above the action level of 15 micrograms, you may need one of these options just for drinking, no matter what you decide for the rest of your home. Reverse Osmosis will also remove the iron, but is normally a point of use application (under the kitchen sink) as opposed to whole house filtration. Distillation has a very limited output. From what I have been able to find out about the activated alumina, it will remove lead, arsenic and (yay) fluoride, but does not do anything to remove any other contaminants, specifically chlorine or disinfection by-products....
GAC Granular Activated Carbon filters (that's what we use) vary in their effectiveness, but do an adequate job of removing low levels of lead. They work best when the pH of your water is not acidic; meaning close to 7. A pH measurement of 7 is neutral – lower pH is acidic or corrosive. There is a relationship between the corrosiveness of the water and the amount of lead because corrosive water will leach lead from anywhere it can find it.
Mineral-rich water is not as corrosive and will leach less lead from your pipes or fixtures than demineralized (softened) water. Minerals are the alkaline component of water and keep the pH higher. If you removed the minerals with a softener of any kind you will have more corrosive water and lower pH. Softeners are not recommended for homes with lead issues. Here is a link to confirm this information – from a non-commercial source.
Keep in mind all this is dependent upon what water you have to start with – naturally hard water is less corrosive and naturally soft water is more corrosive. Sometimes your water’s pH is even adjusted at your water treatment plant – you can check by looking at your water report or finding it on their website.
Iron - If you have regular municipal water with iron it will easily be filtered out with GAC. (Iron removal is not a problem unless you have a well and the iron is a bacterial iron. There are bacteria whose waste contains iron. All organisms excrete waste when they die. The last thing that happens in our well water systems is the copper ionization, which is lethal to the bacteria. In well systems with this kind of iron, we treat the well to eliminate the bacteria before the water is ionized – that solves the problem for about a year.)
Sulfur Dioxide is also easily taken care of by our system – we have so many testimonials that you can read on the main ecosmarte website that talk about solving the problem of rotten egg smell.
You have a fairly complicated water situation there and it will need a more intricate solution than usual. What I would recommend is our ECOsmarte filter for the house (that will take care of the sulfur and iron) and a “Zero Waste” reverse osmosis system (new RO system that does not waste as much water) for your kitchen drinking/cooking water.
If you have a well – it gets even more involved – more factors to consider in getting the clean, odorless, safe drinking water you really desire. But we excel at dealing with problem wells – we do a 150 point lab test and custom build a system to meet your specific water needs.
As for the water hardness issue, ECOsmarte guarantees satisfaction with hard water issues up to 25 grains of hardness while leaving the minerals in the water. The copper ions change the structure of the minerals to keep them in solution up to 150 degrees (perfect for dishwashers, washing machines and hot water heaters). This is the easiest part of your water solution (assuming your water hardness is 25 grains or under)!
Good luck!
If you readers are by some strange chance craving even more information about lead...this is a letter I wrote to the local paper!
A higher incidence of lead poisoning appeared when many water companies switched from straight chlorine to chloramines (chlorine and ammonia) for water disinfection. The reason they changed their method of disinfection was to reduce the levels of 2 EPA regulated disinfection by-products – trihalomethanes (THM) and haloacetic acids (HAA). Using chloramine definitely reduced the levels of THMs and HAAs. But there were some unanticipated consequences. Chloramine leaches lead from wherever it can get it, whether old pipes, old pipe solder or even brass fixtures, which must contain no more than 8% lead if manufactured after 1997. (Somehow, the EPA legally classifies 8% lead as “lead-free”.) The good news is that California has passed a state-level standard that will reduce the current 8 percent lead level to .25 percent in pipes and plumbing fixtures as of 2010.
There have been several studies which confirm a link between chloramine and lead in drinking water. The initial hypothesis arose from elevated levels of lead in drinking water in Washington DC and Greenville NC after the switch to chloramine disinfection began.
http://pubs.acs.org/subscribe/journals/esthag-w/2006/apr/science/rr_chloramines.html
It has been estimated that up to 20 % of the total lead exposure in children can be attributed to consuming contaminated water.
http://www.water-research.net/lead.html
What to do?
First, have your water tested for lead content to find out if your water is within safe standards. Laboratory tests cost between $20 and $100. If your lead levels exceed the standards, you need to take action. The lead levels published in your water report may not accurately represent the levels in your particular plumbing. Lead levels are highest in the first faucet draw in the morning, after the water has sat in the pipes all night long. You can reduce the amount of lead by flushing the lines in the morning, and hopefully saving or using the water so as not to waste it. Granular activated carbon filters will remove lower levels of lead, and reverse osmosis and distillation will all remove levels over the action level of 15 micrograms. The lower the pH of the water incoming in your pipes, the more likelihood it will leach lead, because lower pH water is more corrosive. Most water in Ventura County is 7.0 or above, which is not considered corrosive, but softened water increases the lead leaching characteristics of water, because it lowers the pH to a slightly acidic level. It is an accepted fact that softened water leaches lead because of its acidity. So don’t use a water softener! Water softeners waste water and put damaging chlorides into the environment anyway. There are many effective alternative methods of eliminating hard water problems, such as copper ionization. An ideal solution is a whole house water filtration system that does not remove the minerals from your water and filters using GAC (granular activated carbon). If you have lead levels above 15 micrograms, you will want to consider a reverse osmosis system for your drinking water in addition to the whole house filtration.
Addendum: Consider the new "Zero Waste" RO system - purportedly no water waste. A shame to have to drink acidic, demineralized water because of the lead problem - but if you are one of the few who have high levels of lead in your drinking water, it is a very serious issue. Lead bioaccumulates in your body and is excreted very slowly over a period of years - you do not want it in your body!
