Q: What is a drinking water standard?
A: Under the authority of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), EPA sets standards for approximately 90 contaminants in drinking water. For each of these contaminants, EPA sets a legal limit, called a maximum contaminant level, or requires a certain treatment. Water suppliers may not provide water that doesn't meet these standards. Water that meets these standards is safe to drink, although people with severely compromised immune systems and children may have special needs. For a more detailed description, read about how standards are set or about EPA's Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water.

Q: Is my water safe to drink?
A: A definitive answer for countries as large as the United States and Canada is impossible, of course, but for the most part, yes. Nearly all public water supplies in the United States meet the US Environmental Protection Agency's standards for safe drinking water.

Q: Where does my drinking water come from?
A: Drinking water can come from either ground water sources (via wells) or surface water sources (such as rivers, lakes, and streams). Nationally, most water systems use a ground water source (80%), but most people (66%) are served by a water system that uses surface water. This is because large metropolitan areas tend to rely on surface water, whereas small and rural areas tend to rely on ground water. In addition, 10-20% of people have their own private well for drinking water. To find the source of your drinking water, check your annual water quality report or call your water supplier.

Q: Where is the major source of does my drinking water?
A: There are two major sources of drinking water: surface water and groundwater. Surface water comes from lakes, reservoirs, and rivers. Groundwater comes from wells that the water supplier drills into aquifers. An aquifer is an underground geologic formation through which water flows slowly. Most large cities in the United States use surface water, and most small towns use groundwater. Some water suppliers buy treated water from others (wholesalers) and then provide water to their customers, often without further treatment.

Q: Where does drinking water come from?
A: Drinking water can come from different resources. For one, it can be pumped from the ground through wells. This groundwater is than purified, so that it will contain no more contaminants and is suited to drink. Drinking water can also be prepared directly from surface water resources, such as rivers, lakes and streams. Usually surface water has to undergo many more purification steps than groundwater to become suited to drink. Preparing drinking water out of surface water is much more expensive due to this. Still 66% of all people are served by a water system that uses surface water. Part of our drinking water is pumped from the ground, usually under sand dunes. In sand dunes water can also be infiltrated. As it sinks into the ground through the dunes it is naturally purified. This costs much less money than the purification of surface water. Part of our drinking water originates from dune water.

Q: What is the best water for Coffee?
A: After visiting with many coffee people, we have gathered the following as a basis for recommending the "perfect water" for coffee.

1. All oxidants removed. (Chlorine or other such "sanitizers".)
2. All organics removed. (You know, dead fish, tadpoles, THM's, insecticides, pesticides, etc.)
3. TDS (total dissolved solids) from 60 to 100 ppm (parts per million)
4. Hardness of about 3-4 grains per gallon. (51.3 to 68.4 ppm)
5. Low sodium water, i.e., less than 10 mg/L.
6. pH depends on the Bean you are using, plus the method of extraction.
7. Iron, Manganese and copper gone, or less than 0.02 ppm.

Q: What is the best way to get this type of water?
A: There is no single answer for this question, however, if we assume you are getting your water from a municipal supply, we assume the Iron and Manganese problems are taken care of by the city plant. (Some towns may not solve these problems, you be the judge!) Copper may come from the supply itself, or, if the water is aggressive enough, it may actually be picked off the copper plumbing in your house as it sits overnight in the pipes. (Lead can also be leached out of the older "sweat" joints that may have used solder that contained lead.) It is best to "clear the pipes" the first thing in the morning before using any water for ingestion. Simply run enough water to clear your pipes of the 'overnight' standing water that may have picked up the harmful metals from your pipes, use it to water your houseplants. If we use a good, properly sized carbon filter, we will substantially reduce the organics and oxidants in the water, as well as remove most of the particulates.

However, we still have TDS and Hardness to worry about. If we soften the water, we do not reduce the TDS, we simply exchange the hardness minerals for Sodium, which we don't want for coffee! The best answer (usually) is the reverse osmosis system. This system usually has a particulate and carbon filter (organics, oxidants and particulates are reduced); and a membrane (reduces the TDS by about 90%, including hardness, sodium and others as well); all linked together in one flow path. We can greatly improve the coffee by using any one of the above mentioned methods, but if we combine them, we get, for all practical purposes, the best water for your coffee! Rule of thumb: With an RO System, whatever impurities were in the water are typically reduced by 90% or more, leaving only water behind, which is what we really wanted, anyway.

Q: What is a boil water order?
A: A boil water order is issued by public health officials when there is a concern that a disaster or other event has the potential to contaminate the water supply. Boiling your water is an effective way to ensure that your water is safe to drink. When a Boil Water Order is issued, you should make sure that any water used for drinking is boiled at least three minutes (five minutes at higher altitudes) to make sure that the water is safe. If you still have power, refrigerate the water after boiling.

Q: "If I drink too much water, I have to go to the bathroom all the time."
A: Now you're catching on. If you drink the one and only liquid your body needs to stay healthy - pure nutrient rich, water - you will eliminate body fluids often. This keeps toxins flushed out of your body, it keeps body fats and toxic food wastes from putrefying inside your intestinal walls, bladder and kidneys, and it keeps body weight down as you excrete what the body doesn't want to store. You will experience more energy, less body toxins, and a sense of well-being.

Q: What do you recommend I do if I want to conserve water and follow the guidance to flush my water lines?
A: There are a number of simple steps you can take to conserve water and also follow the recommendation to flush your water line prior to use. In the morning take a shower or run your washing machine or dishwasher and flush your tap for 60 seconds prior to drinking any tap water. When you run water from the faucet, fill up jugs or other containers with water and use it later to water your garden or household plants. Once your lines are flushed, you should fill up several clean jugs of water and place them in the refrigerator for drinking.

Q: Can hot water be run through the filter?
A: The biggest problem with hot water is the sloughing off of chemicals / compounds which had been adsorbed. The heat causes the carbon pores to open up, which could result in lead or chemicals being released into the water. And, the carbon would not effectively reduce contaminants in the water. Hot water is usually under 212 degrees, and that isn't hot enough to alter the raw materials, so there wouldn't be any damage to the filter itself. If someone does run hot water through the filter, they should immediately run cold water through until the filter cools and then flush the filter for about 3 minutes. The filter then will again perform effectively. And, don't drink the hot water.

Q: If I leave on vacation, do I have to disconnect my filter?
A: Do not allow water to sit in the unit for extended periods of time (10 or more days) without being used. If the unit is to be left unused for more than 10 days, drain all the water from the system and remove the filter. Upon your return reconnect the filter in the housing and continue use. In the event water does sit in the unit for 10 days, the system should be flushed by allowing water to flow to waste for about 3 minutes; then you can continue to use the filter.