There’s no question that the quality of the water you drink is important to you and your family. But drinking water quality can no longer be taken for granted. There are a number of contaminants that can affect the quality of your private well water. Even municipally treated water that meets all federal guidelines can contain bacteria, viruses and protozoa along with a host of other contaminants.*Many have turned to bottled water. Unfortunately, the bottled water industry is poorly regulated, and in many cases, its quality is no better than your tap water. You also need to consider the impact that bottled water has on our environment. We can provide you with the best drinking water possible. Our water specialists can help you identify what’s in your water with a free water analysis. We can then recommend the drinking water system that best suits your specific water treatment needs. Drinking Water Systems Reverse Osmosis Systems – We offer a multi-stage system with reverse osmosis technology. It filters water by trapping contaminants in a semi permeable membrane that only water can pass through. Our system also offers FlexFiltration where a variety of cartridges is available to tailor your systems to your individual treatment needs. From cartridges that remove arsenic or volatile organic compounds to ones that will give you biopure water, we have what you need to customize your system now and later, if your water treatment needs should change. Taste, Odor and Chlorine Removal Systems – Uses carbon filtration to remove unpleasant tastes, odors and chlorine. Both whole house and under-the-sink models are available. Not sure what you need? We can help. Our water specialists will test your water, see if it contains anything of concern and then recommend any needed solutions. We’ll even design a system suited to your specific water treatment needs. A free water analysis is a great way to get started. Contact us to schedule yours today. GET A QUICK QUOTE | FREE WATER ANALYSIS *These contaminants are not necessarily in your water.

What does your water taste like? ...If you have an answer to this question, then you're not drinking pure water! Any number of things can make your water have a taste, from chlorine to particulates and bacteria! Tired of tasting your water? See what Kinetico can do for you. Drinking water Drinking water is probably one of the most important considerations people think about these days. Although tap water is verified “safe” by state and local authorities, it often does not taste good. The importance we place on drinking water is easily seen in the rapid growth of the bottled water industry. Unfortunately, this industry is very poorly regulated and the consumer should always question the actual quality of bottled water. In fact, studies have shown that about 25% of commercially available bottled water is actually packaged tap water. The best method of ensuring high purity drinking and cooking water in the home is by using a process known as Reverse Osmosis (RO). Reverse Osmosis was developed in the late 1950's with support from the U.S. government, as an economical method of desalinating seawater. Reverse osmosis is sometimes called “hyperfiltration” and represents the very low end of the filtration spectrum. The Kinetico Kro-GX and VX Plus Deluxe drinking water systems offer distinct advantages over other systems on the market today. These systems conveniently mount under the sink, in the crawl, garage or basement, and they feed a separate faucet at the sink and can also feed the refrigerator.   Reverse Osmosis Systems With the exception of distillation, RO is the only known process that can effectively remove the following types of impurities: Particulate matter, turbidity, sediment, etc. Colloidal matter Total Dissolved Solids Toxic Metals Radioactive elements Microorganisms Flouride/flourine Asbestos Pesticides and Herbicides Heavier organic molecules (MW>300)

5-Stage Water Purification Process

A five-micron sediment pre-filter: This removes any fine particulate in the source water. For well water a standard wound-fiber filter is used whereas with a chlorinated supply, a combination carbon-fiber filter element is used to reduce chlorine which can damage the membrane.
The RO membrane module: The Kinetico Kro-Plus utilizes the latest technology thin-film composite (TFC) membrane for the maximum contaminant removal efficiency.
A non-corrosive Quick-Flo storage tank: Since the RO purification process is relatively slow, permeate water is stored in a sanitary tank made of all inert materials. This allows RO water to be available at all times. The Quick-Flo tank, which uses line pressure rather than air pressure to deliver the water, is standard with the Plus Deluxe system. Air bladder storage tanks are also available is different sizes depending on the needs of the customer.
The patented MACguard Filterä: The MACguard filter module is the polishing filter of the Kinetico system and contains a densely compacted carbon block. This final filter reduces VOCs in the permeate water as well as any residual chlorine, and unpleasant tastes and odors.
A special lead-free faucet: The system has its own faucet which is made free of lead or other metals that might leach into the permeate water. Faucets are available in several colors and metal finishes to match home décor.

Understanding Reverse Osmosis

The RO process makes use of something called the semi-permeable membrane. Surprisingly enough, it looks a lot like common household sandwich wrap and is composed of very similar polymers (typically polyamides). Many layers of polymer are wrapped in a spiral fashion around a hollow core where the filtered or “permeate” water exits the membrane.

The semi-permeable RO membrane provides two distinct water treatment processes…

First, it is the ultimate mechanical filter, straining out virtually all particulate matter, turbidity, bacteria, microorganisms, and asbestos - even single molecules of the heavier organics. To appreciate the fineness of this ultra-filter, as it is referred to in the industry, its pores are on the order of .0005 microns or .0000002 (two ten-millionths) of an inch!

Second, it removes dissolved impurities (e.g. mineral salts, toxic metals) - those even smaller than the water molecules themselves - by the reverse osmosis process. This fraction of materials is normally called the Total Dissolved Solids or TDS. TDS values are normally measured using a conductivity probe and range from 10 to 1000 PPM in normal water supplies. The EPA has recommended a threshold of 500 PPM as the maximum concentration of TDS in drinking water.

To understand reverse osmosis, first consider normal osmosis, which is the same process happening all the time at the cellular level in living organisms (the cell wall is a semi-permeable membrane). In normal osmosis, the “osmotic pressure” causes water to permeate the membrane from the side with fewer impurities to the side with more impurities causing the impurity content on both sides to approach equal values (equilibrium). Click here to view the two processes are compared.

In reverse osmosis, the process is forced to go backwards by applying pressure to the membrane from the high-impurity side. This pressure forces the water back through the membrane resulting in purified water on the permeate side. Reverse osmosis membranes have the ability to remove and reject a wide spectrum of impurities from water and they do it with very minimal energy usage. In fact, it just requires normal household water pressure. As contaminants are removed from the water by the RO membrane, they are automatically diverted to a waste drain so they don't build up in the system as with conventional filters and purification devices. The flow of impurities to the drain is often referred to as reject water. Although RO membranes are very effective at removing contaminants, a slight amount of impurities from the source water may still exist in the purified water. The percentage passing depends on such things as membrane polymer type, membrane condition (e.g. age, cleanliness), and driving pressure (energy), but is normally less than 5% of initial content. In addition, RO membranes are ineffective in removing the lighter, low molecular weight volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as THMs, TCE, vinyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, etc. They are too small to be removed by the straining action or the ultra-filtration ability of the membrane and their chemical structure is such that they are not repelled by the membrane surface. Since these are some of the most toxic of the chemical contaminants found in tap water, it is important they by removed by a carbon filter added to the RO system. All RO systems come equipped with a final activated carbon filter, known as a “polishing filter” for this purpose.

Processes Compared

In each case there are two regions of water with different levels of impurities separated by the semi-permeable membrane.

Well Disinfection/Chlorine

Tired of your bathroom smelling like a swimming pool? There's no need to have those extra chemicals added to your water. We've got a way to disinfect your water without chemicals and remove the chlorine!

The Cause and Effect:

A very large number of residents and homeowners rely on source waters from surface reservoirs like lakes, or else are on community well water supplies. To conform to EPA regulations, all municipal and community water utilities must sanitize the water before distribution.

By far, chlorination is the most common method of sanitization. Although the use of chlorine for disinfecting has yielded incredible reductions in the risks associated with water-borne bacteria and disease over many years, and has undoubtedly saved many lives, it is not without its own set of problems.

There is virtually no reason why anyone should drink chlorinated tap water. The situation is analogous to the plastic bag that you place your vegetables in on the way home from the store. The bag serves a useful purpose it protects the produce, just like chlorine protects your water, but you will not eat the bag once you are ready to eat the produce. You will naturally discard it. This is exactly what should be done with the chlorine once it reaches the home in the water supply.

Chlorine has a very distinctive smell that most people find unpleasant, and some find overwhelming. There is also the "itch factor" -- chlorine can cause certain skin types to become itchy, irritated, and dry. Chlorine can also cause the swelling or deterioration of rubber seals in faucets, leading to eventual breakdown and leakage. The concentration of chlorine in municipal water supplies on any given day varies substantially. The range is from less than 0.1 PPM to greater than 1.0 PPM, which is the minimum level found in public swimming pools. The EPA MCL for total chlorine is 4.0 PPM.

Dangers Related to Chlorine:

Probably the most significant dangers of chlorine are related to the disinfection by-products (DBPs) called trihalomethanes (THMs). These compounds are formed when free chlorine in the water reacts with naturally occurring organic material (like dead leaves etc.) in the water. Natural organics are more common in surface reservoirs than in wells, but are found to some level in all water supplies. THMs are a public health concern because of their suspected carcinogenic nature. There have been numerous studies linking THM concentrations to serious reproductive health problems such as spontaneous abortion, birth defects, low birth weight, and intrauterine growth retardation. To make matters more serious, a recent study at the UNC School of Public Health revealed that THM levels in women increased by a factor of four after taking a 10-minute shower in chlorinated water. Thus, chlorine and its byproducts are making their way into our bloodstreams through dermal absorption even if we are not drinking the tap water. The EPA, recognizing the dangers of THMs, has proposed using alternative disinfecting chemicals known as chloramines. LEARN MORE ABOUT THMs AND CHLORAMINES.

THMs and Chloramines

Trihalomethanes are comprised of four compounds, listed below:

Chloroform (CHCl3)

Bromodichloromethane (CHCl2BR)

Dibromochloromethane (CHClBR2)

Bromoform (CHBr3)

The EPA sets an MCL of 80 PPB (parts per billion) of Total Trihalomethanes in drinking water. Chloramines are compounds formed by mixing chlorine and ammonia. The common chloramines are shown below:

Monochloramine (NH2Cl)

Dichloramine (NHCl2)

Nitrogen Trichloride (NCl3)


These compounds tend to be more stable than chlorine, remaining in the water for a longer period, and do not readily form THMs like chlorine does. However, their disinfecting power is not as great as regular chlorine, and most municipalities will “shock” their systems once a year with chlorine gas to mitigate any resistant bacterial contamination. The use of chloramines is often done in combination with chlorine and in many instances both types of chlorine are present in the water. While the use of chloramines may mitigate THM formation, the health effects of the chlorine-ammonia mixtures are yet unknown.

The Solution:

We at Advanced Water Systems believe that chlorine and chloramines, and DBPs should be removed from all household water supplies. Once the water safely reaches the pressurized plumbing system of your home, there is no longer a need for the “protection” of chlorine. Kinetico offers two different pieces of equipment for removing chlorine, chloramines and the disinfection byproducts. READ MORE...

Kinetico offers two different pieces of equipment for removing chlorine, chloramines and the disinfection byproducts....

The Kinetico Dechlorinator is a large, single tank system that uses a granulated active carbon (GAC) media bed to adsorb the chlorine, chloramines, and THMs from the water. If the primary disinfectant is regular free chlorine, than coconut-shell GAC is the best choice. If chloramines are the dominant disinfectant, then a special grade of Catalytic Activated Carbon is best media choice. Regular GAC is not as effective on chloramines as catalytic carbon.

The Mach Series backwashing filter system, described earlier for filtration, can also be charged with GAC to act as a non-electric, metered, backwashing carbon system for removing chlorine. LEARN MORE

Besides chlorine, GAC and catalytic carbon also remove a range of other organics that can lead to foul tasting or smelling water. Granulated activated carbon is nothing more than specially prepared particles of elemental carbon (C). The particles have the unique characteristic of have a very large surface area and porosity for their size, giving many active sites where the organic compounds and chlorine can be adsorbed.

Unlike ion exchange and filtration, the trapped elemental are not filtered, but rather are “stuck” or adsorbed to the surface of the carbon. After some time, the carbon bed becomes loaded with contaminants. In the case of the single tank Dechlorinator, this means re-bedding the tank with new GAC. With the twin-tank Combination system using GAC, the life of the carbon beds are much longer because the system backwashes the carbon bed, the same way it backwashes the ceramic filter media mentioned earlier. The main difference is that it is more difficult to remove the adhered chlorine and other organics compared to washing out particulate trapping in the filter media. Because of this, eventually the GAC in the Combination system would also have to be renewed, although this takes typically longer.

The Kinetico Combination system designed to include GAC is called the 4060s OD GAC system. It is similar to the Combination Filter/Softener system, except that the upper tanks are filled with GAC, not ceramic filter media. Both the Combination and regular backwashing filter systems accomplish their backwashing and regeneration cycles using only clean, chlorine-free, soft water (for the Combination). The Combination Carbon/Softener is generally not applicable to chloramine removal since a larger bed of catalytic carbon is required for effective chloramine removal and typical flow rates of 5 GPM.

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