Ask The Water Doctor

Elevated levels of iron (often called "rust") is a common water quality issue for many well owners. The fact that iron makes up five percent of the earth's crust and elementary iron readily dissolves in groundwater is one of the reasons it is so prevalent in wells. Iron is dissolved from the rocks and minerals that form aquifers. Generally, the longer the groundwater is underground and flowing through cracks, crevices, and pores, the higher the concentration of iron is likely to be.

Shocking cases of water contamination have captured news headlines in recent years. In February 2023, a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio spilled toxic chemicals into the Ohio River and surrounding waterways. And in August 2022, the failure of a water treatment plant in Jackson, Mississippi left thousands of residents unable to access safe drinking water. These crises have left many people wondering if they need to take precautions to prevent water contaminants, such as installing a whole house water filter.

Elevated levels of iron (often called "rust") is a common water quality issue for many well owners. The fact that iron makes up five percent of the earth's crust and elementary iron readily dissolves in groundwater is one of the reasons it is so prevalent in wells. Iron is dissolved from the rocks and minerals that form aquifers. Generally, the longer the groundwater is underground and flowing through cracks, crevices, and pores, the higher the concentration of iron is likely to be.

The Aftereffects. Unless you live under a rock, you are likely aware that a freight train derailed in a small town in Ohio near the Pennsylvania state line at about 9 PM on February 3rd. There were more than 100 cars on this train, about twenty of which were classified as carrying “Hazardous Materials.” It turns out some of those cars were carrying vinyl chloride. Vinyl ch...

NOTE: This is a 2023 update of a blog published in 2015. For over a decade, marketing companies have been selling customers on the idea of salt-free water softeners. It's unfortunate that salt-free water softeners don't really exist. The Encyclopaedia Britannica defines soft water as, “Water that is free from dissolved salts of such metals as calcium, iron, or magnesi...

How to know when to change your water filters and why you should. Before we can discuss changing water filters. First, what is a water filter? Wikipedia defines “water filter” like this: “A water filter removes impurities by lowering contamination of water using a fine physical barrier, a chemical process, or a biological process.” Simply put, a water filter is a method used to filt...

In recent years, bottled water has become increasingly popular. However, there are many reasons why drinking bottled water is not a smart choice for your health or our planet. The top 5 reasons you should avoid bottled water. 1. Money - With prices for single bottles ranging from $1-$5, buying bottled water can get expensive very quickly. And if you're buying multiple bottles...

When we proposed adding this to our website, and adopting the phrase into our company lexicon, the words weren't just a gimmick for marketing, but a thoughtful expression spoken with conviction. At US Water Systems, we strive daily to be the “good guys of water.” We understand the importance of clean water and the impact it can have on individuals and communities. That's why we h...

I had a customer ask me this very question recently, and it is a worthy question, so I will attempt to answer it for them. When I say, "Third Party Websites," I mean sites like Amazon, E-Bay, Wal Mart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc. Some of our competitors sell on these sites and many wonder why we do not do the same. Before I do answer the question, I have to say that we do sell a little bit on Am...

Ever since Clack Corporation came out with their commercial water softener valves (and when I say "commercial," I mean 1.5", 2" and 3" valves), there has been constant discussion about which valve is the best in water conditioning circles - Clack or Fleck? Clack has made great inroads into Fleck's commercial business and it is difficult for me to say what is the most popular system today. ...

For the past several weeks, we have been getting calls from customers who need parts for their Pelican Water System. In case you don't know, Pelican Water Systems was founded in Deland, Florida in 2007 and went through Private Equity Financing before they were acquired and merged into Pentair Water Solutions in 2019. As of several weeks ago, I cannot find Pelican Water Systems anywhere, as they ...

For about ten (10) years, I was on the Board of Directors for a non-profit that provided water purification systems for people in Haiti. In cities like Port-Au-Prince and surrounding areas, nearly 3,000,000 people live without a public water supply, a sewer system and rarely have their trash picked up. Of course, this is a very rainy country and when it rains, sewage and the like spread easily due...