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How Can Cooling Towers Increase the Risk of Legionnaires’ Disease?

circulating cooling system for industrial applicationsPoor maintenance of water systems can bring negative effects both to the environment and to people’s health. In fact, Legionnaires’ disease can develop in water systems and spread through tiny droplets that people can breathe in.

For this reason, it’s crucial to maintain your water cooling towers not only to prevent spreading such a disease but also to keep your water system efficient. You can achieve this with the use of chemical-free water treatment designed for cooling towers.

Legionnaires’ Disease

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by a bacterium called Legionella. You can get this disease if you inhale the air that contains the bacteria. Those who have a weak immune system are at risk for the disease.

Symptoms may start with a headache, chills, muscle pain, and high fever with over 104 F (40 C). But Legionnaires’ disease normally begins to develop two to 10 days after the exposure to legionella.

You may also develop other symptoms after several days. These include a cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, mental changes like confusion, and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Legionnaires’ disease spreads due to several causes. But it is usually associated with complex water systems such as cooling towers, decorative fountains, and hot tubs from hotels, hospitals, and home plumbing systems.

Preventing the Disease

There are ways to prevent Legionnaires’ disease, which involves a thorough clean up and disinfection of water systems as well as pools and spas.

If you have been exposed to the Legionella bacteria, it is best to see a doctor right away to minimize the recovery period and prevent severe complications. There are antibiotics available that can help to kill the bacteria.

Additionally, facilities that use cooling tower water systems should be familiar with the protocol that aims to prevent Legionnaires’ disease. This protocol pertains to proper maintenance and practices related to evaporative cooling systems.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that cases of this disease in the US reach up to 5,000. Given this number, it is essential to act immediately to reduce the risk of a disease outbreak.

Chemical-Free Solution

Cooling towers use a substantial volume of water. As a result, they are prone to scaling and corrosion because minerals from the water build up over time. Reliable water treatment can help prevent these issues and make your water systems more efficient. This treatment will allow you to maintain your cooling towers better. It may also lead to immediate and automatic returns on your facility’s energy consumption and water usage.

If you use chemical-free treatments, you’re not only enhancing the efficiency of your cooling towers, but you also reduce adverse impact to the environment.

Our eco-friendly water treatment allows you to save water, energy, time, and money. We’re able to help you do so because we use proprietary magnetic water conditioning technology that is effective in controlling corrosion and scale. More importantly, our water treatment does not use chemicals, which maintains the purity of the water in your systems.

Contact us today to know more about our products.

Scale and the Risks It Poses to Your Plumbing System

Plumbing accessoriesIt is hard to tell when scale is plaguing your water supply at home since it accumulates in the interior of plumbing systems. The water in your pipes is not pure and carries some minerals, metals, and other elements. When it passes through your pipes, it builds up into scale, slowly shrinking the size of passable space and causing slow damage to your plumbing.

Scale can also grow on your equipment and its parts, causing major operational difficulties. Thus, hiring a professional to address this problem is important. There are many solutions to scale, but you need to choose one that is safest for your household and your water supply.

What Is Scale?

Scale is a buildup of minerals and other deposits in areas that come in contact with water, including pipes and plumbing fixtures. It occurs mostly when minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, are in a heated or pressurized area. Because it contains metal particles, it can cause certain parts of a pipe to corrode, resulting in severe damage.

The only way to remove or reduce scale buildup is by water-softening. Plumbers and other home repair professionals may use chemicals in the process, but healthier, chemical-free solutions are available.

Without repairs and other solutions, your plumbing system and connected equipment may take on several types of damage.

Tube Damage

Scale is a form of metal salt and can cause corrosion and erosion, especially to pipes that have too much buildup. A piece of equipment that uses water and has been running for a long time may also have the same result.

Lower Output, Higher Cost

When scale builds up, your pipes’ space becomes narrow, reducing the amount of water that could pass through. As a result, your pipe becomes less efficient, and you end up spending on pipes that do not carry as much water as it should. Homes with severe scale buildup could be spending a lot on water and maintenance costs.

Increased Maintenance

When you leave your pipes and equipment to collect enough scale, you risk worsening the damage on your plumbing system. If your pipes are often damaged and need too many repairs, you could be spending a lot on maintenance and repair services. It could also reach the point where addressing the scale problem and preventing future buildup might be more affordable than fixing or replacing the damaged pipes and equipment.

Do not wait for scale buildup to worsen and affect your plumbing system, and inconvenience you and your family.  If you suspect that your piping system and plumbing equipment at home are at risk of scale damage, call a professional immediately and have your plumbing checked.

From pipes to dishwashers, heaters, and other equipment, Superior Water Conditioners provides reliable and efficient residential water treatment services in Fort Wayne. We dissolve existing scale and protect your systems from future buildup through non-chemical methods, keeping your plumbing’s life expectancy high and your water safe and healthy.

Click here to learn more about our residential water treatment systems.

How Can Water Conditioners Preserve Your Plumbing System?

Water conditioners can make your water supply better. The system filters and removes chlorine, thus, improving the taste of the water. It can also reduce your risk for skin problems. Other than ensuring clean, quality water, water conditioners can prolong the lifespan of your plumbing system.

Our residential water treatment services for Wayne can find the right water conditioner to preserve your plumbing system.

The Culprit Behind the Failure of Plumbing Systems

Hard water leads to the buildup of magnesium and calcium in your plumbing fixtures. The mineral deposits can calcify and become harder to remove.

Untreated water doesn’t only accumulate in your water heater or your shower. It can clog up the pipes of your home in the long run. Clogged pipes can slow down the flow of your water. Your pipes and hoses may corrode due to the buildup, which will increase and cause your mechanism. The clogged pipes can wear-and-tear or permanently damage your pipes.

You can protect your pipes from limescale and other mineral buildups and corrosion with a water conditioner system.

The System’s Process

Water conditioners can treat the water which, in turn, dissolves existing limescale. This protects your plumbing system not just from existing scale buildup but also from future contaminants.

Periodic flushing, however, is necessary to remove loose scale or mud from the very bottom of the tank. This will result in an increased life expectancy and better performance for your plumbing system.

You can also expect optimum water pressure for your entire home with adequate water conditioning.

Reaping the Benefits

Other than safeguarding your plumbing system, water conditioners can also increase the lifespan of your household appliances. You won’t have to worry about the system wreaking havoc in your washing machines or water heaters.

With effective and efficient appliances, you save you time. You no longer have to wait for a long time for running water because the water conditioner gets rid of the anomalies that obstruct water flow.

You also save money because you don’t have to worry about maintenance costs. You could reduce energy costs because the water system functions well enough to get rid of the clogs that slow down the water flow in pipes.

The Best Option for Water Treatment

We know that a chemical-free water treatment is a suitable choice for your home. Such treatment will keep your appliances safe, protect your plumbing system, and keep your family healthy. With our superior water conditioners, we can help you achieve all three, and maintain the peak efficiency of your plumbing systems.

There are multiple types of water conditioners, from the usual carbon filtration to catalytic media softeners. We use magnetic water conditioner technology, which protects industrial, commercial, and residential plumbing systems from hard water and scale corrosion.

Our team can work on the following applications and determine the right water conditioner to ensure clean, safe, and constant supply for your home:

  • Water Heater Applications
  • Main Line Applications
  • Humidifier Applications
  • Automatic Ice Maker Applications
  • Pretreatment of Reverse Osmosis Systems
  • Garden Hose Applications
  • Geothermal System Applications
  • Solar Heater Applications
  • Swamp Coolers

Whatever your concern, we’re here to assist you. For inquiries, please contact us today.

Hard Water is Hard on Your Home Appliances, Too

It is no secret that hard water — unfiltered water with high mineral content — can adversely affect your skin and hair. But did you know that hard water can be detrimental to your home appliances, too? In some cases, hard water is the culprit why many appliances end up in the junkyard before their time.

How Hard Water Damages Your Appliances

Hard water causes calcium and magnesium buildup that decreases the flow rate or clogs the plumbing system in your home. Hard water may also erode your plumbing fixtures due to its high pH levels. These negative impacts extend to your water-consuming home appliances, such as:

  • Water Heater

One thing that lowers the efficiency of a water heater and drives up its operating costs is hard water. The minerals from hard water settle in the bottom of the water heater tank, creating an extra layer that heat has to pass through to produce warm water in your home. This layer of minerals grows over time, causing longer heating cycles or reducing the efficiency of the heater.

Of course, when your water heater works harder than it used to, it raises the home’s electricity bill. It also leads to your water heater breaking down earlier than expected, forcing you to spend money on costly repair costs or a new one.

  • Dishwasher

Do your glasses and silverware come out of the dishwasher spotty? Those white spots are mineral salts, left behind when the hard water evaporates from your dishes. The bigger problem, however, is that these mineral salts not only settle on your plates and utensils — they build up in every part of your dishwasher.

Over time, these salt buildups rust and damage the many metal parts of your dishwasher, including pumps and heating element parts. The average lifespan of dishwashers is 10 years, but when you have hard water at home, the life expectancy of your dishwasher lowers to seven years.

  • Washing Machine

Hard water leads to lime scale and other mineral buildups on your washing machine’s heating element. Over time, this buildup increases and causes the heating mechanism to fail. Limescale buildup also corrodes the pipes and hoses, resulting in the early breakdown of your machine (which is supposed to last for many years).

Indeed, hard water is hard on your water-consuming home appliances, including the high-efficiency ones. High-efficiency appliances are supposed to help you cut back on energy consumption and save money. If hard water enters those appliances, however, their efficiency will inevitably decrease as months and years go by. It means you will not receive the energy savings you should be getting.

If you want to ensure the efficiency of your water-using appliances, start by having your hard water at home filtered or treated. In that case, Superior Water Conditioners is here to help. We install residential water treatment systems in Fort Wayne. With our superior system, you can protect your plumbing network from limescale buildup and mineral deposits, as well as keep the life expectancy of your home appliances.

Contact us today to know more.

Chemical-Free Alternatives to Industrial Water Treatments

As the world becomes more environmentally aware, more people are demanding that industries start using chemical-free alternatives to industrial water treatments.

Today, water treatment plants will use several chemicals to treat, clean, and process sewage and wastewater. Unfortunately, this process creates many toxic byproducts.

To get around this, companies from around the world have started finding new ways to treat wastewater. In Fort Wayne, industrial water treatment providers have started using chemical-free alternatives to their treatment systems. Here are some options for treatment plants to consider.

Anaerobic Treatments

Anaerobic Waste Water Treatment, or AWWT, is a type of treatment that is usually used in sewage and wastewater treatment plants.

AWWT uses anaerobic organisms – organisms that don’t require oxygen –  to break down and digest biodegradable material in wastewater and turn it into biogas. The water is then sent to a sewage or wastewater plant for further treatment.

Bacteria are introduced into a reservoir of wastewater, where they immediately start to break down organic waste and turn it into various acids and compounds. These acids and compounds are then turned into methane gas, which can then be collected and used as a source of renewable energy.

Although AWWT can greatly reduce the amount of sludge in sewage and wastewater, it does nothing in terms of preventing scale build-up in industrial pipes.

Nanotechnology

In recent years, scientists from around the world have started using nano-based technology to help in the treatment of potable water in arid regions.

Nanotechnology is a field of science that uses microscopic materials and machines. In the case of water treatment, scientists use a variety of nanotech to provide water treatment solutions, particularly in impoverished areas of the world.

One of the more promising pieces of nanotechnology is Carbon Nanotubes or CNT. CNT’s are a form of carbon with a cylindrical nanostructure. The CNT is then deployed into wastewater, where the nanotech proceeds to absorb contaminants. CNT’s also have antimicrobial properties, and the entire process does not produce toxic byproducts.

While promising, nanotechnology for water treatment is still a long way from being used on an industrial scale for commercial or municipal wastewater treatment plants. This is due to its high production costs.

Multi-Field Magnets                                                                                               

The use of magnets and magnetic fields in water treatment plants has seen promising results over the past few years. Multi-field magnets reduce corrosion, scale deposits, and suspended particles in water, which can drastically reduce waste materials prior to treatment.

Water is passed through magnetized pipes, where the minerals and particles suspended in the water have their state of matter altered in such a way that they don’t turn into scale deposits. Once their state of matter is altered, the minerals form light aragonite talc which coats the bottom of pipes and other equipment, preventing free oxygen in the water from damaging metallic surfaces. The excessive solids and particles settle in the bottom and are easily removed during bleed-offs.

While magnetic field technology does not completely eradicate all bacteria or microbes from wastewater, it is one of the most promising chemical-free alternatives in the wastewater treatment industry. This is because the multi-field magnetic technology requires no chemicals, has zero toxic byproducts, and is easy to install.

In Texas, Superior Water Conditioners is the leading provider of water treatment and water conditioning solutions for industrial, commercial, and residential clients. Our services use the latest technologies coupled with over 50 years of experience in engineering and customer relations. Contact us today and we’ll provide you with the most up-to-date solution for your water conditioning needs.

Water Conditioners Prevent Inefficiencies in Food Service Equipment

In the food industry, water quality is a prime concern. Apart from its use in cooking, major food service equipment, such as steamers, dishwashers, and boilers, need water to function. It is imperative, therefore, that the water that enters and passes through them won’t hamper their function.

Unfortunately, about 85% of the country is run on hard water — including commercial machinery and equipment. This type of water contains trace minerals that build up in pipes and appliances, damaging them and impeding their respective functions in the long run.

Business and homeowners should invest in water conditioners, which treat the water to prevent minerals from forming a hard scale on surfaces and pipe linings. Allow us to show how water conditioners prevent inefficiencies in your food service equipment.

Preventing Limescale Build-up

The primary advantage of having a water conditioning system is that it prevents limescale build-up. These chalky deposits of calcium carbonate restrict water flow in pipes and appliances. If the equipment has very narrow pipes, they will operate less efficiently and clog over time.

Some tanks and boilers can lose a little bit of their capacity due to prolonged exposure to hard water, too — a few millimeters of limescale deposit reduces the heater’s ability to warm the water, in fact.

Installing a water conditioner helps ensure that water flows freely through the pipes. This helps foodservice equipment run efficiency.

Maintaining the Right Temperatures and Preserving Food Quality

Limescale build-up can disrupt the temperatures in food service equipment, hindering heat transfer, prolonging cooking time, and wasting energy.  It prevents steamers and coffeemakers from heating up their contents quickly, for instance. In cases where temperature is critical to sanitation, limescale build-up can compromise food safety.

Limescale has a porous surface conducive to bacteria growth, which also jeopardizes food safety and affects food quality (e.g., it can give ice created from ice makers an unpleasant taste).

Because water conditioners inhibit limescale build-up, they prevent these problems and the inefficiencies that come along with them. By preventing limescale deposits from forming, temperatures won’t be disrupted, and food quality won’t be compromised.

Keeping Dishes and Silverware Clean

Hard water leaves residue from trace minerals like calcium and magnesium on dishes, glasses, and utensils. Even if this is not directly harmful to one’s health, it is still unsightly and unprofessional to serve stained tableware to your guests; nobody wants to eat with spoons and bowls covered with a white film.

Manually removing these deposits is a time-consuming task. If you use dishwashers often, it is in your best interests to install a water conditioner. Since it prevents limescale build-up, it keeps your tableware clean and ready for use. Additionally, water conditioners reduce the surface tension of water, further decreasing spotting on dishes and silverware.

If you want to make sure that your food service equipment runs efficiently, let Superior Water Conditioners help. As one of the leading water treatment companies in Fort Wayne, we offer top-of-the-line water conditioners that treat water to make it suitable for food service equipment use.

Leave it to our experts to find the right water conditioning solution for you. This way, we’ll help prevent inefficiencies in your kitchen or facility.

Call us at 260-456-3596 or fill out our form today.

Saving Your Plumbing or the Environment: Why Not Both?

Hard water, which contains dissolved calcium and magnesium, has no severe impact on human health. It can, however, significantly damage your plumbing over time. The dissolved minerals will inevitably harden, build-up inside your pipes, and increase the water pressure. So, aside from blocked pipes, you could also be charged higher water bills.

In households where limescale has already accumulated within the water pipes, residents resort to a quick solution: liquid limescale removers. But, while effective, they can also be harmful to the environment.

At Superior Water Conditioners, you won’t have to choose between extending the life of your plumbing and doing your part in preserving the environment. As water conditioning system manufacturers, our products allow you to do both!

Too Salty!

Liquid limescale removers often contain a high concentration of salt, which is effective at removing limescale. It comes, however, at the expense of the environment: runoff from the chemical remover can re-enter nature, especially if the public infrastructure for water treatment is not up to date.

An excess of sodium in the ground reduces its potential to sustain plant life. So, when the salt accumulates in the root zone, it affects the plants’ ability to absorb water and dehydrates them in the long run. Additionally, runoff contains oil and rust, both of which are toxic to terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

The Chemical-Free Approach

Fortunately, technology now allows us to “soften” hard water without needing to use chemicals or salts. We can do this through the “magnetic treatment,” a procedure that we use at Superior Water Conditioners.

Instead of introducing chemical substances into your pipes, we use technology to change the ionic charges of the magnesium and calcium in the water. This disrupts their natural tendency to bond and form limescale along the inner lining of your water pipes. The beauty of this technology is that it can remove existing scale while preventing further buildup from occurring.

So, with this chemical-free solution, you can hit two birds with one stone. You can save your plumbing from scale deposits while sparing the environment from harmful substances.

Get in touch with us to learn more about Superior Water Conditioners.

When Water Hits You Hard: How Hard Water Affects Your Home’s Plumbing System

One of the common water quality issues Americans face every day is hard water. This type of water contains excessive minerals (specifically magnesium and calcium), which create all sorts of problems from minor annoyances to potentially major plumbing issues. Therefore, when hard water is flowing inside your home, you may experience the following problems in your plumbing.

Stains on Your Fixtures

Hard water produces calcium deposits in your plumbing system, which appears yellow or white. They typically show up on your sinks, showerheads, and faucets. The build-up of these deposits can make your fixtures look filthy. Even if you find a way to get rid of the deposits, they will eventually reappear if hard water passes through your pipes.

Clogging of Pipes

While some consider the pipe fixture stains the least of their concerns, they must not ignore what hard water can do to the pipes. Similar to how high cholesterol can cause fat deposits to obstruct your arteries, the limescale building up inside the tubes will eventually impede the passage of water.

As a result, your plumbing system will have to work harder to compensate for a less efficient output. Eventually, the water pressure will become so low that you won’t have a choice but to replace your pipes.

Below Par Water Heater Performance

Hard water is bad news for water heaters as it decreases the appliance’s efficiency and drives up the operating cost. The limescale will settle to the bottom of the tank and form a layer that heat has to go through to warm the water. Moreover, you’ll need to flush water heaters every three months (as opposed to once a year) to efficiently remove the built-up deposits in the tank.

Fortunately, Superior Water Conditioners has a solution that will take care of your hard water problems. As an innovative water treatment company in Fort Wayne, we provide residential water treatment systems to help homeowners protect their fixtures and tanks from limescale accumulation and corrosion. With our system, you can extend the lifecycle of your plumbing system and maintain its peak efficiency.

Contact us today for more information about our water treatment system.

3 Signs of Hard Water Problem in Your Home You Should Never Ignore

We all learned in school that water consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. But, what many of us don’t realize is that some minerals can get into the water before it gets to our taps. Groundwater usually goes through limestone, where it may pick up magnesium, iron, or calcium deposits before it flows through the faucets in our home. This often results in hard water or water with a high mineral count.

While hard water isn’t exactly a health risk, it still can affect many of our daily tasks. In fact, here are some signs of hard water issues you should never ignore:

Strange Stains on Your Bathroom Fixtures

When you have hard water at home, you’ll likely see reddish or brown stains in your toilet and on other bathroom fixtures. This is because hard water, sometimes, contains iron deposits that can corrode your pipes. When pipes get rusty, the water flowing through them can result in stains that look like rust spots. You’ll have to use a vinegar solution or elbow grease to get rid of those stains. But unfortunately, the stains will keep reappearing until you address your rusty pipes, as well as hard water problem.

Pipes That Keep Getting Clogged

Other than becoming rusty, pipes also often get clogged because of hard water. Scale deposits build up inside the pipes and constrict the flow of water, causing clogs and backups. This can lead to other major plumbing issues, especially when not addressed immediately.

Dingy Clothes

Because of its calcium and magnesium deposits, hard water makes it difficult for soap detergent to do its job washing your clothes. So, you’ll end up with clothes that appear dingy and wear out faster. Plus, mineral deposits left on clothes can dry your skin and may worsen eczema symptoms.

Fixing your pipes and bathroom fixtures can cost you a lot of money. But, the damages due to hard water can even get worse if you and your family end up suffering from skin irritation issues and other annoyances. To address hard water problems, you need to get rid of the mineral deposits in the water. Take a look at how a Superior Water Conditioner residential water treatment system can help.

If you want to know more about water conditioners, don’t hesitate to contact us, today.

US Builders Review. Treating scale, the silent killer of water-powered systems

Superior Water Conditioners

water conditionerTreating scale, the silent killer of water-powered systems

In the medical world, high blood pressure is a “silent killer,” often caused by clogged arteries. The world of foodservice equipment, water heaters, steam boilers, cooling towers and other equipment that uses water, has its own silent killer: scale buildup and corrosion. Read more

https://www.usbuildersreview.com/case-studies/superior-water-conditioners/