[Greenbuilding] Greenbuilding Digest, Vol 22, Issue 29

Tue Apr 29 12:10:57 CDT 2008

Hi Rebecca

Did not get your stuff... Seems like email problems again. Try reply
from here?

Scott Waterman
State Energy Programs Manager
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
Research and Rural Development Department
PO Box 101020
Anchorage, Alaska 99510-1020

(907) 330-8195 voice
(800)-478 2432 Toll-free
swaterma at ahfc.state.ak.us

www.ahfc.state.ak.us

Support Our Troops -  Use Less Energy! 

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Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 9:00 AM
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Subject: Greenbuilding Digest, Vol 22, Issue 29

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Today's Topics:

   1. Water Filters (Lawrence Lile)
   2. Water Filters (Lawrence Lile)
   3. Re: Water Filters (Sacie Lambertson)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:33:12 -0500
From: Lawrence Lile <LLile at projsolco.com>
Subject: [Greenbuilding] Water Filters
To: "greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org"
	<greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org>
Message-ID:

<AC254829C2A6324CB4DF94CED1DB37FB01CF03B3 at exchange.ProjSolCo.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

What do people think about home water filters?

Here is what I think -

1.  They are overrated.  Unless you have a specific water quality
problem, water (at least in the US) is generally pretty good and doesn't
require a filter.

2. That being said, I have one, because my water tests positive for
radon. It is very hard (15 grains per gallon), and is essentially
untreated chlorinated well water, from a public rural supply in
limestone country.  I'd rather not drink any radon, thank you. Rather
not breathe any either.  The filter at the kitchen sink combines
activated carbon and reverse osmosis, which gets rid of a lot of stuff.
I've radon tested the house and not found any radon problems in the
house as a whole.

3. I also have a sediment filter at the inlet to the house, because when
I first built the house the lines were full of a lot of sediment, and I
was worried about clogging up new equipment.  I probably do not need
this filter at all after a year of flushing out the lines.

So after a certain period you are supposed to change the filters out.
Most consumers skip this step, and slowly develop a sediment-filled
bacteria farm in their supposedly clean filtration system.  My brother
in law has an RO system from the 1980's that's never been changed,
despite my warnings.

My water filter even has a little light, which goes off after exactly 6
months even if you've never turned on the tap.  Hmmm. The
filter-change-indicator-idiot light doesn't connect with the reality of
water use.

Hacking this system a little, I decided to see if I can extend the life
of the expensive osmosis canister.  I reason that if the canister is
working correctly, then the water coming out of it should not test at
all for hardness.  So I'll change out the two less expensive carbon
canisters on six months intervals, and only change the RO canister when
my hardness test kit says the filter has quit working.  Hardness test
kit is in the mail, and was cheaper than a new RO filter.

If Radon weren't present, I might have put in a carbon filter system, or
none at all.  The RO system is expensive, but the only one that will get
rid of such contaminants.

I've a mind to scrap the big particle filter on the inlet to the house,
but I still worry about trashing expensive appliances that I just sunk a
lot of money into, with silt.

My hot water system runs on soft water, whereas the cold does not.  This
conserves water softener resources, prevents calcification of your water
heater, reduces salt flow into the sewer, but doesn't result in that
slick, can't-remove-the-soap super soft bathwater that 100% soft water
produces.

Egad, what a complex water system.  What have other people used, how
have things held up, do you ever change the filters?

------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:33:12 -0500
From: Lawrence Lile <LLile at projsolco.com>
Subject: [Greenbuilding] Water Filters
To: "greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org"
	<greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org>
Message-ID:

<AC254829C2A6324CB4DF94CED1DB37FB01CF03B3 at exchange.ProjSolCo.local>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

What do people think about home water filters?

Here is what I think -