Many people are surprised when they learn that I am on call this week. The usual response is that I’m not a doctor, why am I on call.

Let me just say that there have been a few times when my pager went off at 10 o’clock at night and I have wondered the same thing! Truth be told though, if it was my house and I had no water or a leak, I would very relieved to have that on call Manager call me back. That’s really what it’s all about. Giving the customer what we would want, if we were in their shoes.

I’ve heard it all, from my pipes are burst, I ran out of Softener Salt on Monday and I waited until Friday night to call you, to there’s a strange odor in the sink. I even had a Marketing rep ask that I be paged on a weekend. Imagine that one, a Marketing emergency! lol

The vast majority of the pages are of legitimate concern and we all do our best to help the customer get back to enjoying their weekend. The main objective for the on-call Manager is to get the water back on. If there is a leak we want to assist the customer in bypassing or shutting down the leak. If there is no water we want to get the water back on, or determine if the blockage is a well pump problem, or a water treatment problem. Long ago Secondwind began labeling the 3 ball valve bypass on our Water Treatment Systems 1, 2, & 3. This makes it easy to put Systems in bypass over the phone. If you would like more information about your bypass go to our website at www.secondwindwater.com . We have put a lot of practical information on our website. So if a customer has a problem opening their Cartridge Filter or just has a question they can access info on line quickly and easily.

If there is no solution over the phone but to send out a technician to the site to solve the problem, and the customer wants to pay weekend rates, we have a Technician and a stocked Van ready to go at all times. With 10,000 customers out there the pager will go off sooner or later. The thing that makes it all worth it to me, is that it actually still makes me feel good to help someone get their Water back on, or solve a problem over the phone.

Soon my week will be over, Friday night at 5 pm, and I will be free from on-call for another 10 weeks. Yeah!

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 your Secondwind On Call, saying, “Thanks for reading!, and enjoy your great water”… : )

Last time, we discussed that pressure in the plumbing makes it almost impossible to open a Cartridge Filter, and how to release the pressure to make the job easier.

Today I would like to discuss another reason that Cartridges are hard to open, which is over tightening. This happens quite often because the Filter leaks, and has to be tightened until the dripping stops. The goal here is to be able to change the Cartridge when it plugs. So, lets spend some time on why Cartridges leak in the first place.

Usually the reason for the leak is that the O-Ring has become soiled with grit and sediment. When the Cartridge Housing is re-tightened the grit is then driven down into the O-Ring creating divots and wear spots. The O-Ring should also have a nice healthy layer of silicon, potable water grade, sealant on it to stop leaks. Next Time your Cartridge Filter leaks don’t just keep tightening it with the wrench. Stop and inspect the O-Ring, wipe off any Grit and Sediment from it and reapply the sealant if necessary. Many times there is enough sealant in the head of the Filter Housing to seal the O-Ring and get you out of an emergancy. You can just flip the O-ring over to get sealant from the underside onto both sides.

These easy steps can save you a world of frustration in a few months when its time to change the Cartridge. Remember O-Rings are cheap. Call us if you need some sealant and a new O-Ring. We will mail it right out to you. Or ask the technician for one when you schedule your next Service call.

Remember don’t overtighten your Filter and life will be a lot easier later on, and enjoy your great Water!

That’s right I’m talking directly to you Blog readers we’ve been counting the hits to our blog and have seen a steady increase in interest every single month. With that in mind we want to announce the creation of the new Secondwind Water Systems Facebook Fan Page. Please take the time to log into Facebook and become a fan of Secondwind Water Systems. We will be offering you opportunities to get involved in discussions on water quality issues and events. You will also find the Secondwind Water Blog and postings of the different things we are doing here at Secondwind.

We’re excited about it and hope that you will be joining us at the Secondwind Water Systems fan page and click on “Become a Fan”.

Until next time, enjoy your great water!!!

Many people in the Northeast own Acid Neutralizing Filters. These Water Treatment Systems allow Calcium to dissolve slowly into the Water stream over time. This will result in the reduction of Acidity, increase of pH, and also increase Calcium Hardness, which can result in a thin protective layer in the pipes. Although there can be some benefits to the low levels of Calcium in the water, too much can also result in scaling of the plumbing and fixtures. This is easily removed with a Water Softener which leaves the Acidity /pH levels corrected. It is very common to see both a Neutralizer and a Softener in a home.

The side effects of scaling usually result in a white chalky film in the sink area, glasses, silverware, and is usually worse in the hot water areas. It can also result in a solid sediment type particle that looks a lot like sand or fine rock particles. It has confused many a customer when they have a Filter and yet there is sediment in the water. One easy way to know if the sediment is from Calcium is to put some of the sediment and water into a glass and add some vinegar to it. Leave it some place safe over night and if the sediment disappears then it is very likely Calcium. If you are having any of these issues please call us for a free consultation.

Thanks for reading, and until next time enjoy your great Water!