WATER SAMPLING AND LAB TESTING IN KELOWNA, VERNON, PENTICTON & KAMLOOPS
The Importance of Water Testing
Water Quality can no longer be taken for granted. There are many variables that can come into play: the possibility of contamination, our aging water distribution system, unknown well-water quality and the type of plumbing in your home, or building. And unbeknownst to many, municipalities can supply you with hard water. Municipalities are also supposed to provide you with water that meets federal standards.
Some water issues are obvious, others are invisible. Our local water professionals know your area and your water. Assure can/does provide our client’s with water analysis, so they can be armed with the information they need to make the right decisions for their water quality standards in their homes and businesses.
2. Many dissolved minerals, carbon compounds, and microbes find their way into drinking water.
3. Pollutants in drinking water may affect Human Health.
4. The only way to ensure the safety of your water supply is to have a periodic laboratory water analysis completed.
A 2009 study commissioned by the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) and conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute found that adding a water softener helps water heaters and major appliances operate as efficiently as possible, while preventing clogs in showerheads, faucets, and drains. For example, researchers ran dishwashers and washing machines for 30 days and 240 wash cycles. They ran softened water through half of the units, while using a hard water source for the others. At the end of the month, the washers using softened water were nearly free of scale buildup and the washers using hard water required scale removal to work well.
As for water heaters, the researchers found that when they used softened water, the units maintained their original factory efficiency rating for as long as 15 years. Running hard water through the units cut efficiency by up to 48 percent. Scale buildup shortened the lifespan of the heating elements inside electric water heaters, and some tankless water heaters using hard water failed after just 1.6 years.
The researchers found that showerheads performed well on soft water, but those running with hard water lost 75 percent of their flow rate in less than 18 months. When running hard water through faucets, the strainers on the faucets clogged within 19 days.
Bad water negatively affects health and wellness, but safe water is key to life — and good for you! Water has so many health benefits that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends drinking a minimum of eight cups (250 ml) every day.
Water and health are linked. According to the CDC, the top causes of disease outbreaks related to drinking water are Giardia intestinalis, Hepatitis A, Norovirus, and Shigella. Bad as that sounds, it’s far from a complete list. There are also health risks related to water contaminated with organic and inorganic matter, other bacteria and viruses and other pollutants.
Some studies link high levels of lead in drinking water to delays in physical and mental development, short attention spans, and learning difficulties in children. There’s also evidence that Arsenic in drinking water can lead to nerve, heart, skin, and blood vessel damage and Cryptosporidium is responsible for potentially life-threatening diarrhea.
Still, water is essential. The human body is, after all, 70% water, and although a human being can survive a month or more without food, a week without water can be fatal.
Is Your Water SAFE to Drink? Find Out Today!
Many people miss the telltale signs of hard water and blame the problems on inadequate cleaners and detergents and poor performing appliances. Or they resign themselves to the fact that these problems are simply a way of life. Dry skin and hair, bathtub ring, spots on glass and silverware, dull, dingy clothing, disappointing performance and a shortened life expectancy of water-using appliances are all frequently caused by hard water. Most don’t realize how much time, money and energy is spent fighting the hard water battle.
Take the first step and find out how hard your water is and if there are any other Safety issues.
