As the owner of a Water Filter it is very important that you take ownership of your equipment. By that I mean that you become knowledgeable with the basic controls and any regular maintenance chores that you should be doing.

Single Tank Electronic Filters are amongst the most common Water Filters. Due to the single tank design these Filters have to Backwash/Clean themselves at 2 am. During the Backwash process the Filter Media is being stirred up by water flow and this means that the Filter can’t treat the water. The solution to this is to start the process at 2 am when everyone is asleep. Of course there are set backs to this. At Secondwind we carry the Kinetico product line which uses a Twin Tank design of Non Electric Filters and Water Softeners that don’t stop working when they Backwash. However there are still many Single Tank Filters out there in the field.

For those of you that do have a Single Tank System it is very important to keep the timers set correctly. This is important because otherwise the Filter could be Backwashing at a time when you are using the Water and that would mean that untreated Water can get into the Home. Timers can slow down as they get older. You can also experience power outages and Daylight Savings time changes twice a year. Setting the Timer is usually quite simple. You should be able to find it spelled out in your Owners Manual and only takes a few seconds to do. It could save you from some seriously bad water. There are also those of you out there that have Water Treatment Equipment in your homes that treat for Primary contaminants like Arsenic, Uranium, Nitrates,and Radium. These systems should be checked regularly especially after any power outages to assure that the systems are working when you need them.

If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6 saying, “Thanks for reading, and remember to check those timers, and enjoy your great water”…

As the owner of a Water Filter it is important that you realize that your Filter is only as good as the well pump that’s serving it.

All Water Filters get dirty after a while and need to clean themselves by Backwashing the Filter Media. The minimum Backwash flow rate required for your Filter is dependant on the type of Filter Media in the tank.

A Certified Water Specialist can determine the well pump flow rate and then design the right sized Filter System for your location that will Backwash properly for many years to come.

One thing to remember is that Well Pumps do get old and quite often they will slow down before they come to a stop. If you are noticing that the toilet takes longer than normal to refill or that your lawn sprinkler doesn’t constantly throw water as far as it used to, you might have an old well pump on its way out. You might also notice that the Pressure in the shower drops off after a few minutes, or that the Tub takes longer to fill. These are all signs of a pumping issue. This is important because if the Flow of water from the pump to the Filter isn’t high enough the Filter Media in the Tank will not expand and rinse itself properly. This problem if left unresolved will cause damage to your Water Filter over time. The Water quality will suffer and the Media may cement into a solid mass. Quite often the water will channel through the Media Bed rather than Filtering. In some cases it is not possible to break up the Hard Media and it is necessary to replace the entire Water Treatment System. This can go for Water Softener Systems as well. However Water Softener Resin weighs considerably less than Filter Media. So a Water Softener will Backwash/Regenerate at much lower Flow Rates than a Filter.

The important point to take from all of this is that any drop in Pump Flow could potentially cause damage to your Water System. So it’s important to have your Pump serviced quickly if a drop in Flow occurs, and then have your water Filter serviced.

If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6 saying, “Thanks for reading, and remember that your Water Filter is only as good as the Pump serving it, and enjoy your great water”…

Secondwind Water Systems puts a huge emphasis on servicing our existing customer base. Because of this, our service volume continues to grow by 20% annually, even during this economy. One thing that amazes us here is that others in the industry don’t seem to put the same attention into retaining their customer base. Eventually the vast majority of Water Treatment Systems are left abandoned by the installers with very little documentation as to why they were originally installed.

As the owner of a Water Filter it’s very important that you know what type of Media is inside of your filter. There are many types of Filter media such as Calcite, Corosex, Filter Ag, Birm, Macrolite, Pyrolox, Greensand, Carbon, and the list goes on and on. This information isn’t important at first when things are new and working well. Eventually however the Filter will either require the addition of new media or possibly a complete rebedding. Knowing what is inside of a Filter Tank can save time and that usually means saving money as well.

Medias in a Filter System rub together during the Backwash
Cycle. The rubbing/grinding will cause the Media to decrease in size, getting smaller and smaller over the years, until it slips off into the water stream.

Sacrificial Medias such as Calcite and Corosex will dissolve into the Water as they come in contact with Acidity. Eventually the Filter Tank will be completely ineffective unless it is recharged. For best results Sacrificial Neutralizing Medias should be replaced about once a year. As always this can vary from site to site.

Absorptive Medias will eventually become exhausted and can actually dump into the water stream if Rebedding doesn’t occur in a timely fashion.

A Certified Water Specialist can usually determine the type of Media in your Filter by taking some out of the Media from the Tank and looking at it. However this means removing the system from the plumbing and drain line, and unscrewing the Valve from the tank, just to get to the Media, so that they can quote for service. $$$$$ That’s going to be an expensive quote because it will be for two trips out and removing the valve twice. It’s so much easier to find out what the Media is and write it on the Tank with a Marker when the system is new…

If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6 saying, “Thanks for reading, and remember its whats on the inside that counts, enjoy your great water”…

Has anyone noticed the change in the weather lately? As the owner of a Water Filter it’s important that you take notice of the change in Temperature and prepare for the cold weather in advance. If you own a Water Softener I recommend that you stock up your basement with Softener Salt before the Snow flies. It can make for much easier work now than later.

Don’t worry though Water Treatment Equipment can be installed any time of year, as long as it isn’t exposed to Freezing temperatures. I have seen a few frozen systems. Once they thaw out the Tanks/Valves and piping will crack and become useless. Not a pretty site. Also, most Softener Resins should not be allowed to Freeze, even when dry.

Recently I was at a Home performing a site evaluation and I saw a drain line going out through a basement wall and draining onto the ground, under a deck. A great idea, until it freezes. This problem if left unattended will freeze up eventually, causing either a flooded basement, or a Filter System that can’t backwash and eventually malfunctions. Whether the drain line is running to sewer, septic, or a dry well the line needs to be designed properly to avoid freezing.

If you have any Water questions please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com or call 1-800-287-5767. Until next time this is Chris Saltmarsh CWS-6 saying keep warm and enjoy your great water…