Fullerton, California’s water report looks pretty good overall. They are constantly checking water levels for contaminants, bacteria, and other harmful elements. According to the 2010 water quality report found online, all levels of substances are under state and federal standards. But towards the bottom of the report, something pops out; a small section outlining the dangers of lead in tap water. The City of Fullerton admits that they will provide high-quality drinking water, but cannot take responsibility for the materials in plumbing components, and service lines. They suggest that if you are concerned about the amount of lead in your tap water, to get it tested.

Another problem inevitably found in tap water in this area is hard water. As water flows over rocks and soil, it picks up many naturally occurring elements as they dissolve. Many minerals end up in the water, making it “hard.” The higher the concentration in the water, the harder the water is. While hard water doesn’t pose health threats, it does cause problems for common household activities like showering, washing clothing, and washing dishes.

Most times, hard water is visible through the results it creates. For example, hard water usually results in soap scum, film left on the body and hands, hair that is limp, dingy and short-lived clothing articles, increased scale in pipes and kitchen appliances like coffee pots or pasta pots, and clogged pipes due to this buildup.

Hard water shortens the life of your appliances and clothing, costing more money than necessary. It also reduces the ability of your soaps and shampoos to actually cleanse and do their job. The “squeaky clean” feeling on your body after washing is actually a tell-tale sign of hard water. It promotes a false feeling of cleanliness. Eliminating hard water is a personal decision and should work for your home or office. Many people choose water treatment systems or water softeners. Rayne of Fullerton is a top water treatment company that combines affordable pricing with eco-friendly solutions and great customer service so you don’t have to choose a company based on just one of these areas. We have a variety of systems like water filters, exchange tank services, water softeners, reverse osmosis, water conditioners, water coolers, and many more. Rayne is the best solution for hard water, which in California, seems to be hard to avoid.

The simplest way to determine the hardness of water is the lather/froth test: soap or toothpaste, when agitated, lathers easily in soft water but not in hard water. Hardness in water can cause water to form scales and a resistance to soap. In fact the calcium and magnesium causing the water hardness partly block the oil emulsifying action simple soap formulations use in cleaning action. The calcium and magnesium form an insoluble precipitate observed as a soap scum and extra large amounts of soap have to be used to counteract this. This obviously shows that having hard water costs your pocketbook in the amount of soap you must use in the shower, the clothes washer, and the dishwasher to simply get things clean. The long-term impact that hard water can have on household plumbing and appliances can be extremely costly. The calcifications left behind from hard water can cause corrosion that leads to expensive repairs or even appliance replacements for water heaters, washing machines and dishwashers.

There is a simple way to stop this invariable leak from your pocketbook; a good quality water softening system will solve that hard water problem. With a water softener installed in your home, you will see a considerable decrease in the amount of soaps and detergents needed for even the largest of projects. Less soap and detergent means a longer lifespan of usefulness for clothing and household fixtures. Clothes can last 33% longer with up to 80% savings on soap and cleaning aids and up to 75% savings on wear and tear of your plumbing and appliances. A good quality water softener can save an average family of four between $1,400 and $1,700 per year and can be quite inexpensive to purchase or rent.

There are many products on the market today such as filtration systems, ceramic media, and even magnets that claim to condition your water, but only a water softener or a reverse osmosis /water purifier system can actually soften hard water. With a water softener , your glasses and dishes can sparkle again, your fixtures and shower doors are clear again, and rust and hard water soap scum stains can be a distant memory. A little time and effort spent now on choosing and installing a water softener in your home can save you a lot of time and money cleaning later.

Historically, the EPA had almost non-existent oversight of any drinking water limitations. But, after much research in recent decades and concern for health effects resulting from harmful pollutants in drinking water, the EPA created several regulations for amounts of minerals and other present elements in drinking water sources. Still, as new evidence is unveiled, there is a debate over whether or not these regulations are strict enough to keep the American public safe.

The EPA admits in the article that there is concern for the increasing threats in drinking water and that our water is only “generally” safe. Furthermore, data shows that no state in the country, with the exception of the District of Colombia, provides its citizens with purely safe drinking water, and all states have water systems with reported health violations and have a population served by contaminated water systems.

In a time where environmental debate and awareness is at its peak, millions of Americans are still faced with unsafe drinking water without even knowing it, or the levels of harmful substances they are taking in.

The threats that still cause health concerns are occurring for numerous reasons, many of which are outlined in detail in the article. Among these reasons are the bypassing of contaminants in filtration or treatment plants, naturally-occurring formations, water pollution, and underground injection. Currently, the EPA regulates 91 contaminants, but tens of thousands of chemicals leak into water sources each year. These chemicals potentially can have very serious health effects when ingested in large amounts and many Americans face this danger each time they drink from their own well or faucet.

State and national agencies and individuals pledge to continue reviewing regulatory levels and work to improve the technologies used to produce safe drinking water. But what many Americans already know, and others should look into, is that there is already this technology available with one call to Rayne of Fullerton. Several options are available, including water coolers, reverse osmosis, de-ionized water and great service at an affordable price for any home or office. Don’t join the once popular phenomenon of bottled water either. Not all bottled water is proven to be any safer than tap water. In fact, besides leaving behind a big price tag, it also leaves behind non-biodegradable plastic waste. It is this waste that leads to the vicious cycle between drinking water and the pollutants that make it unsafe. The drinking water systems offered by Rayne leave behind no waste and are eco-friendly.

Why are so many Americans drinking bottled water in preference to tap water? Reports show that tap water dangers include bacteria, contaminants, fluoride, arsenic, toxic chemicals, and much more. And bottled water companies are not afraid to tell people about these harmful effects.

On the other side of the debate, people are also studying the dangers of bottled water and the effects of plastic when it is not properly disposed of. One ecological website exposes the dangers of plastic waste and bottles as pollution in drainage systems, lakes, and rivers, which can also cause flooding and unsanitary water sources. These unsafe waters can carry disease into the household. The burning of plastics also leads to pollution, the majority of which is extremely toxic and can cause a host of health problems (cancer, asthma, etc.). And landfills leak into the Earth with toxic liquids and residues.

So instead of having to make bottled water such an integral part of your family’s health, choose a much safer option like a water filtration system. Why should you have to worry about the minerals or carcinogens associated with tap water? Or the harsh plastic chemicals and lax testing with bottled water? Rayne of Fullerton is an affordable solution for any of your water problems. They tackle common household problems that were mentioned above, like contaminations, minerals, toxins, hard water, and many other impurities that are proven to be found in both tap water and bottled water. To read more on the original article about plastics, click here.

Studies are now showing that there are pharmaceuticals showing up in tap water. Traces of prescription and non-prescription drugs alike are actually being ingested by Americans everyday. Anything from antibiotics, mood stabilizers, sex hormones, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen, among others, are all present in tap water around the country.

It’s easy enough to understand how the drugs get into the water. People take their medications and the remainder of what is not absorbed into the body is let out as waste. After it has been flushed down the toilet, the contaminated water ends up in lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and water treatment plants. Since the water treatment plants do not remove drug residue, nor are they obligated to, it ends up coming right back out of your faucet. The federal government has not pushed for any laws to regulate this health hazard, which is even more unsettling.

This is a huge problem. Most of the population of the United States is drinking tap water from municipal water systems. That means that mostly everybody is exposed to medications that they don’t need. On top of that, what will happen when their own medications are mixed with any amount of other unknown medications from their water?

The environmental impact needs to be taken into consideration as well. The fish in these waters have already been impacted. What about the wildlife that drinks from these bodies of water and the people that eat the fish and wildlife exposed to this water?

It has been said that the amount of pharmaceuticals in the tap water is so low that the danger is so little. There may not be huge amounts of hazards from one glass of water. But the long term effects are still unknown. Should we not be able to drink water with no danger at all?

The best way to really know what’s coming out of your faucet is to take full control over it. There are plenty of water filters, water coolers, and reverse osmosis systems out there to clean and treat your water. That includes removing unwanted drug residues. You have running water so you can drink it, cook with it, bath in it, and even swallow your own medications with it. Why risk taking someone else’s meds? Don’t waste time worrying about what’s in your drinking water when there are better options. Your health is in your hands.

If your home does not have a home water treatment system of any kind, consider this: without a water filtration system in your home, then YOU are the filter. Yes, your body has to sort out all the chemicals, sludge, and bacteria before your cells can absorb and use the water you drink.

If your water supply is treated by your community, you may be surprised to discover that the water you drink may still contain chlorine, nitrates, iron, sodium, and medical and prescription drugs. Municipalities simply cannot safeguard every drop of water – sometimes mistakes are made, systems are just unable to filter everything, and sometimes chemicals exist in a water supply that science has not yet decided if they are dangerous or not. So if you do not have a water-treatment system in your home, your body is the filter – responsible for eliminating these toxins from your system.

Private well owners have to monitor the quality of their own water. Wells can produce water with higher concentrations of iron, manganese, sulfates, and even arsenic, gasoline, the gasoline additive MTBE, and pesticides. In the very least, if you draw your water from a well or open water source then your water likely has a lot of silt and sediment in it. That earthy taste and musty smell mean one thing, your family could benefit from a reverse osmosis system.

A reverse osmosis system is an under-sink device that forces your water through a semi-permeable membrane before it comes through your tap. That membrane’s pores are so small that nearly all contaminant molecules are trapped and only clean water molecules are allowed to pass through. The trapped impurities are then flushed away.

A reverse osmosis system is able to filter out much of your water’s lead, copper, arsenic, cadmium, chlorine, giardia, pesticides, salt, trihalomethanes, sulfates, cysts, nitrates, and some bacteria and viruses. Additional treatment options are also available to eliminate hard water compounds like manganese and iron.

Typically installed under your kitchen and/or bathroom sink, a reverse osmosis system delivers up to 25 gallons of fresh and healthy drinking water everyday. The system can also be connected to your freezer’s ice maker for great-tasting ice. This means that you will no longer have to purchase bottled water – or should we say tap water in expensive plastic bottles – again. Not only is that a benefit for your body and wallet, it’s good for the environment as well.

A reverse osmosis system saves money , delivers healthy, great-tasting water to your sink, and stops plastic water bottle waste. So you decide. Get a water treatment system for your home – or let your body be the filter.

Water, however, is not a given and is not always a perfect substance. As you know, here in California, we have very hard water. That means that the water from your tap probably leaves a scaly film on your faucets and shower doors. And, for those of us who use water from public utilities, we may be exposed to disinfectant byproducts. It seems like water, while our richest blessing, also needs to be considered carefully. It is in this blog that we hope to discuss the water issues that are most important to you. We will keep you abreast of the latest water news for our area and the nation. We will advocate for higher quality water and groundwater protection. Most of all, we hope to communicate with you. If you have a topic that concerns you or that you’d like to read more about, please send us a comment on our blog page or send us an email. We welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Stay tuned as we build our blog.

Rayne of Fullerton