No one ever expects to have a problem with their Water Treatment System, in fact the odds are very low that you will. However when you have over 10,000 customers there is always bound to be a glitch somewhere. In most cases the issue is usually solved by troubleshooting over the phone.

The majority of the issues that arise are related to either a worn out well pump or a plugged up Pre-Filter Cartridge. The simplest way to quickly find out if the problem is in the well pump is to put your Treatment System in bypass. For easy instructions about how to use your system bypass visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com .

If the Cartridge Filter is plugged the water will surge to the house when you open the bypass. If the pump is burnt out there will still be no water to the house, but at least you will know that it is not the Water Treatment System. Once you have this much figured out you will know whether to call a well/pump company or a Water Treatment Company.

The important thing to accomplish while troubleshooting over the phone is to get the customer to relax and be your eyes and ears at the site. Usually you will discover a solution to the problem quickly and everyone goes back to their busy day. Sometimes the solution is harder to find and can take more time, in most cases patience rules the day. There are many experianced troubleshooters here at Secondwind call us anytime.

Thank you for your continued support of Secondwind Water Systems. We truly appreciate your business and referrals. 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 enjoy your great water”… : )

When is a Water Softener not a Water Softener? When it’s an Anion Conditioner. Even though there is no noticeable difference between the two Water Treatment Systems the results are completely opposite. Cations exchange systems, ” Water Softeners” remove positively charged particles from the water, such as Iron, Manganese, Hardness, and Radium. Where as, Anion Exchange Systems remove negatively charged particles from Water, such as Alkalinity, Sulphates, Phosphates, Arsenate, and Uranium. Both of these Systems operate using Sodium Chloride (Salt) as a regenerant. Water Softeners use the Sodium molecules, and Anion Conditioners use the Chloride molecules.

Anion Exchange can lower the pH of the water making it Acidic. Be careful when choosing a Water Treatment Company to work with, that they are addressing corrosion control after the Anion System. If you have any question regarding corrosion control please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com .

Another big difference between these two Systems is the quantity and type of Salt used. Many Salt manufacturers have a specialty salt line that use Acids and cleansers to clean off excess Iron from Cation Resin. This type of Iron Remover or Resin Saver salt must not be used on Anion Conditioners or it will foul the Resin quickly. Also Anion Conditioners when used for the reduction of Arsenate and Uranium may not need to regenerate for very prolonged periods of time. If the Brine Tank has too much salt in it it will Bridge over and not Regenerate properly which will result in poor Water Quality. With most Anion Conditioners we only recommend adding a one month supply of salt at a time. For the best Maintenance of an Anion Conditioner Brine Tank we recommend that you allow the salt to drop down to the water line before refilling it. Then add a one month Supply of salt to the tank.

We truly appreciate your business and referrals. 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!, Have a great day, and enjoy your great water”… : )

Anything mechanical will eventually require service. Preventative Maintenance (PM) reduces the pain associated with waiting for a service call. Being proactive regarding PM instead of waiting for a service emergency will make your life and your water flow much smoother. Airstrippers for Radon in Water reduction are a prime example where PM can save you a lot of headaches.

There are many different Models of Airstrippers available. They all use the same basic principles of reducing the water pressure by blowing air through the Water to create bubbles that reduce the surface tension on the Water, thus releasing the gasses from the water. The gasses are then vented to the outdoors in such a way as to meet U.S.E.P.A. safety standards. The Water is then re-pressurized and safe to flow off to the building.

The Water flow going into the Airstripper is controlled by floats that open and close Solenoid valves attached to the plumbing. The Water flows through the Solenoids into the Airstripper tank, which is not necessarily Water tight because of the Air Blower and Vent pipe. If there were no Solenoid valves the Water would flow into the Airstripper at full force and spray out of the overflow valve or air Blower until the well ran dry. Fortunately when the Solenoids fail it is not usually a catastrophic failure. It is more of a slow weeping of water. There is a lot more to all this than I can describe in this short blog and all systems are different, but this should give you a decent idea of how these Airstripping system work in general. If you would like to learn more about Radon Airstrippers please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com .

Checking and replacing Solenoid valves on a regular basis is very important. When Solenoids get old they will start to weep Water through into the Airstripper. This usually goes unnoticed because most people run their Water at least once every 8 hours, or so. As the Water level in the Airstripper starts to rise up someone will eventually come along and run the Water. This allows the Water level to return to normal, and so the cycle keeps repeating itself over and over, unnoticed. When people seem to notice a problem is when they return home from Vacation or a long weekend away. The excess Water trickles into the Airstripper and eventually ends up on the floor. This is an avoidable problem so please have your Airstripper serviced regularly. When those service cards come in the mail, call us right away.

We truly appreciate your business and referrals. 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!, Remember to service your Airstripper every year, and enjoy your great water”… : )

Knowing how to avoid problems in the Brine Tank is a great way to keep your Water Softener working consistently. At Secondwind we use only Morton Salt. This is not a Commercial for Morton, just an acknowledgement that Morton delivers a very consistent product, low in impurities because of its pelletizing process.

Most Residential Brine Tanks will have a 3 inch wide tube going down one side, called the Brine Well. At Secondwind we carry the Kinetico Product Line. The Brine Well in a Kinetico contains a Float assembly that allows for only a certain amount of water to enter the Brine Tank. Thus allowing only a specific amount of Salt to be dissolved per cycle. Kinetico Brine valves are only a 5 year service item, because they are constantly bathed in Soft water. If you would like more information on Kinetico Water Treatment Systems please visit our website at www.secondwindwater.com. Not everyone has a Kinetico and because there are a lot of Electric type Water Softeners out there in the field, the Brine Float Safety does deserve more discussion.

In most Electric Water Softeners water is forced through a small apparatus known as a Brine Valve that works similar to a Venturi. In a Venturi water passes through a passage way that grows ever smaller and smaller, causing the water to go faster and faster also increasing the pressure. Then suddenly the passageway becomes big. This results in a Vacuum which is used to pull the Salt Brine solution from the Brine Tank. In most Electric Water Softeners the water passing through the Brine Valve is untreated and dirty. All it takes is a large piece of Sand or Accumulated Iron to plug up the Brine Valve and reduce the Vacuum affect. Once that happens the System can’t suck out the Salt Brine in the allotted amount of time given by the Timer. Then the Softener sends refill water into the Brine tank. Just imagine putting 2 gallons in and only taking 1 gallon out. After several cycles like that the Brine tank will eventually over flow onto the floor. That’s why the Brine Tank on an Electric Water Softener has a Brine Well and a Brine Float Safety Switch inside. When the Brine Valve plugs and the water starts to rise up the Float will rise up also, shutting off the water to avoid a flood.

I don’t expect you to remember all of this about Brine Valves and Venturis, and such. Just remember this! If the water in your Brine Tank rises up to the level of the Brine Float Safety Switch call your Water Treatment Specialist immediately for service. The Manufacturer of most Electric Water Softeners will recommend Maintenance on their systems Annually and this is one of the major reasons for it.

I hope that these tips help you in taking ownership of your water treatment system. They are really quite simple, but often overlooked.

We truly appreciate your business and referrals. 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!, Keep an eye on your Brine Tank Safety, and enjoy your great water”… : )