| Q.
What is Ecoli? top
of page A. A bacteria living in the intestines
of man and animals. When testing the water supplies it is
very easy to test for bacteria and is an indicator that other
more harmful pathogens are present. The harmful ones such
as E0157 are more difficult and expensive to test for.
Q. Why must I have this treatment
installed? I have never had a days illness and my granny lived
to be 94years old.
A. You have probably built up immunity to the bacteria present
and the occasional upset caused by virulent bacteria was probably
put down to a ‘bad pint of beer’. People visiting
your house would not be immune and could be more susceptible
to any bacteria. If you are in food preparation or catering
in any way to the public you should have treatment plant installed.
Q. Why have they never found any
bacteria before? top of page
A. Weather has a lot of influence on both chemicals and bacteria
analysis. Recent surveys show that most surface water supplies
fail if the tests are carried out within 3 days of rain and
may pass within dry periods. Contamination is often the result
of bacteria in animal droppings. They thrive in a nice warm
intestine, fed three times a day and multiply rapidly. Once
excreted into the hostile world, they have a limited life,
usually up to 3 days. If it does not rain then the droppings
and hence the bacteria don’t get washed in. Also, they
tend to ‘clump’ together in the water so your
analysis is really a ‘snapshot’ of the water at
a particular time, and cannot be used as an exact interpretation.
Also, specific pathogens such as Cryptosporidium & Giardia
do not show up on the test methods.
Q. Why does the hot water tank leak
and have green spots? top of
page
Why does the soap go blue or green?
Why does my wife’s blonde hair turn green?
Why have I got blue/green stains on all the sanitary fittings?
A. All these are an indication of low pH or ‘acid water’.
The rain in the U.K. often has a pH valve or hydrogen ion
value of between 5 and 6. It is therefore aggressive to metals.
Dependent on the type of land it flows over the acid level
can be increased i.e. the pH lowered. It therefore corrodes
any metals it comes into contact with. In your property the
copper is dissolved, particularly the ‘hot acid’
in your hot water cylinder. The copper reacts with soaps and
dyes causing the discolouration you see. In extreme cases
it reacts with blonde dyes resulting in unusual hair colour.
If this happened with your wife she may not be a natural blonde!
Q. My old hot water cylinder lasted
for years but the new one only a few years. Has the acid level
got worse? top of page
A. The answer to this is probably yes. Industrial pollution,
particularly sulphur dioxide from power stations has increased
resulting in acid rain. In addition, the tanks are now manufactured
from much thinner material resulting in quicker penetration
by the water.
Q. Does treating the water alter
the taste? top of page
A. It depends on the treatment. Using ultra-violet light
to destroy bacteria does not affect the taste. It is a physical
process, not a chemical process, however the water must be
pre-treated. The minimum requirement is a sediment filter
to stop particles of dirt shielding bacteria from the U.V.
light. Unlike chlorine, which does affect the taste and is
a chemical process. Chlorination therefore takes time for
the reaction to take place – usually 45 minutes. Ultra-violet
is instant and does not require the addition of chemicals.
pH correction may cause a slight change in taste if this is
fitted. Care is however taken to prevent this or minimise
it.
Q. Can I just treat drinking water?
The rest I’m not bothered about! top
of page
A. No. The regulations are quite clear and sensible. From
a bacteria viewpoint all water must be treated. Where children
are concerned you never know which tap they will drink from.
Another point is if the water is contaminated with sheep droppings,
do you really want to shower in it? If you have any open wounds
– would you want to bathe them in infected water?
Q. How big is the U.V.? top
of page
A. The size is shown in the literature. It is usually 1m
in length. It is however the flow-rate which is critical and
the energy level. Whilst the lamp should generate enough energy
to destroy bacteria, it can only treat a certain rate of flow.
Since the ultra-violet unit must be capable of meeting the
peak flow demands it must treat sufficient for your needs.
Each tap runs at between 6 and 8 litres/minute. The U.V. must
therefore be capable of treating generally in excess of one
tap and possibly two or more if you take in account other
demands. The energy levels are important.
Q. How long will the U.V. last? top
of page
A. The basic unit should have a life of many years, although
the lamp does degrade with use, a 12-month life is normal.
This is longer than some other manufactured units and even
at the end of its life, leaves safety margins in levels of
disinfection. The CleanStream system is installed with your
health as a priority and as such we carry out full annual
services on all equipment.
Q. How much do the lamps cost? top
of page
A. They vary but current range is between £20 and £50
depending on wattage. We recommend that you check spare lamp
price and availability before you buy a U.V., we’ll
be happy to assist in this
Q. Can I just put in a filter without
an ultra-violet unit? top of
page
A. Not if the supply is a surface water supply. If a filter
is fitted it can make matters worse unless a U.V. is fitted.
The filter can harbour bacteria and in certain circumstances
promote bacterial growth. It is therefore essential the two
be integrated carefully. Research on borehole supplies show
that over 20% of these are contaminated with bacteria so;
again UV should be considered as an option.
Q. Will I need a pump? top
of page
A. A U.V. does not cause any significant pressure loss; it
will however treat only a certain flow rate. With CleanStream
care is taken to ensure no significant pressure restriction
is placed on the system. A sediment filter will cause some
restriction dependent on how clean it is. The neutralising
filters need more pressure, approximately 20m head. (2 Bar).
Often therefore a pump is required but this a relatively low
cost part of the system.
IRON
Q. My supply is a borehole supply.
It is high in iron. Can you help? top
of page
A. Yes. You need an iron removal filter. Firstly however
we need some details. What levels of iron are present? Usually
this is given in the report from the analyst. The units will
be in mg / litre (milligrammes per litre) or µg / litre
(microgrammes per litre). The maximum allowable values are
0.2mg/litre.
One mg / litre is one part per million, one µg/litre
is one part per 1000 million!!!
Q. How big is the filter and how
much will it cost? top of page
A. That depends on the iron levels. Up to 5mg/litre we can
use our ‘B’ type filter. Over that the ‘T’
filter is needed. A site visit would be required but costs
could be between £900 and £1800 dependent on what
we find. As far as size is concerned, it is nearly 6ft (1830mm)
tall and looks a bit like an oxyacetylene bottle with a clock
on top.
Q. Where does it go? top
of page
A. On the raw water supply into your property, typically
in a garage or outbuilding, definitely not a loft!
The WaterPac cabinets we supply as an option can accommodate
all the equipment necessary they even include a tank. Why
not ask for a specific quote?
Q. How long does an iron removal
filter last? top of page
A. Indefinitely. The media used to remove iron acts as a
catalyst. However, if the water is acidic then an additional
media is used in the filter to correct this and will need
topping up usually once per year. We can arrange this on our
service visit.
Q. The water is clear but often
the hot tap is very dirty or the water is dirty sometimes.
Why? top of page
A. The iron in the water is in solution and is in the form
of ferrous oxide. The filter introduces some air into the
water to oxidise the iron to ferric oxide and this is insoluble.
It therefore comes out in the filter. Also the pH of the water
needs to be around 8.5 to ensure the iron level is low. Thus
often there are two media in the filter.
Q. How is the filter cleaned? top
of page
A. Automatically, usually twice per week. A timeclock selects
a backwash of the filter to clean out the iron sludge and
pass it through a ½” pipe to a surface water
drain. Usually this is done at night but the clock can be
set to clean the filter at other times.
Q. Will the filter treat other problems?
top of page
A. Yes. Manganese is often present in irony water or ochre
water as it is often referred to. The filter will remove the
manganese. Again the process is to form insoluble oxides and
hydroxides. Tests have shown that the filter will also deal
with a range of metals e.g. aluminium and cadmium but we need
to see an analysis to determine the best media.
NITRATES
Q. What about nitrates? top
of page
A. Nitrates are removed by a different process, needing an
additional filter or filters. With nitrates we need to know
both sulphate and chloride levels to advise on a suitable
treatment.
Q. What systems are available? top
of page
A. Reverse Osmosis and Ion Exchange are the two systems used.
Reverse Osmosis is a very slow method of producing high quality
water by removing virtually all impurities in the supply.
This type of system produces only a few gallons per day.
Ion Exchange can cope with much higher flow rates and uses
a filter media specially designed to remove nitrates from
the water. It can almost be considered as a ‘chemical
magnet’, which swaps nitrates for chlorides.
Q. Which system is best? top
of page
A. Both produce nitrate free water. We would need to discuss
your requirements in detail to select the best system to suit
your needs. This would all form part of our free water evaluation
survey and recommendation.
GENERAL:
Q. I have had other quotes and your
system seems expensive. Why is that? top
of page
A. The water treatment equipment available today covers a
wide range of products, some good, some bad. Some work and
some don’t. The buyer often does not have the ability
to make a technical evaluation. Our system is engineered to
meet your specific analysis and your house needs. It includes
all the necessary isolation and non-return valves to enable
servicing to take place. In addition, we fully meet the 1991
Water Regulations. Ask for recommendations and the guarantee
from other suppliers and remember, it’s not worth spending
money on something you are going to use everyday unless you
spend it wisely.
Q. How often does the filter require
servicing? top of page
A. We aim for a minimum time between services of 12 months.
It will depend however on the water quality and the amount
of water used. Some units have been working successfully for
up to 4 years without any attention.
Q. If I put in a sediment filter,
how long will it last? top
of page
A. That depends on how dirty your water gets and how much
you use. Remember that with CleanStream we recommend a site
survey (now termed – “Sanitary Survey” in
the regulations). This tries to resolve these problems and
advise on any preventative measures which can be taken to
safeguard your supply. The water supply is an extremely valuable
asset to your property. Without a clean and adequate supply
your property is worthless. It makes sense to safeguard it.
Q. The water gravity feeds from
the stream into a tank. Where does the equipment fit? top
of page
A. If the tank is in your loft the U.V. could go on the outlet
of the tank but this could present some problems in certain
cases. However, care must be taken if the tank is elsewhere
e.g. in a barn. There is no point in sterilizing the water
to allow a dead bird to contaminate it by falling into an
open tank. A long-term view should be taken when deciding
on a system. Often it is useful to put the U.V. before the
tank, at the point of entry to the house and then tap the
drinking water off the rising main.
The addition of a small booster pump is well worth considering
giving good cold-water pressure throughout the property. The
house can then be plumbed as a mains supply with cold water
for drinking and washing off the main feed. This is not often
as big a modification as it may first appear and has very
major advantages.
In addition, we offer a range of cabinets, which house the
equipment outside the house. This allows a pre-built and tested
system to be easily fitted at your property.
Q. If I don’t have an analysis.
Where can I get one? top of
page
A. Your Environmental Health Department will arrange one
but will probably charge for it. It may cost anything up to
£120. We can however test for pH, iron, manganese, alkalinity
and aluminium on our visit to site.
Q. Can the equipment be installed
in the house? top of page
A. Yes, but remember you have a large surface area with cold
water inside. Condensation can be a problem although the filter
can be lagged.
Q. How much will a service cost?
top of page
A. Again it will vary with the type of equipment. You should
expect a ‘ballpark’ figure of £150.00 -
£ 250.00, a more accurate figure will be provided in
our final quotation.
Q. Do I need a U.V. on the borehole
supply? top of page
A. Not always. Borehole water is usually clear from bacteria
(20% are bacteriologically unsafe). If you have bacteria present
then they usually have found their way in due to some fault.
The most common being surface water running into the bore.
Check the drain at the wellhead and also check to see that
you are not feeding into a tank with something inside it i.e.:
birds, mice, rats etc;
A U.V. can however give added protection and peace of mind.
Q. There is a smell of bad eggs
in the water. What is it and can you cure it? top
of page
A. The smell is hydrogen sulphide coming from the bore. Generally
this can be cured, or at least greatly reduced, by aeration
of the water in the filter. In certain circumstances an additional
activated carbon cartridge may be required.
|
.