Water Qualities

The various qualities of water used for drinking differ greatly from both the source, water treatment and other additional considerations. Well water can be as varied as municipal water and both sources have the potential to be contaminated to differing degrees. Our drinking water can have more or less life giving qualities depending on the characteristic nature of what we are drinking. Optimal qualities are considered living water and then there is the opposite.

bottled water

Even bottled water has had recalls and in many brands at times are found to have unacceptable concentrations of a substance or microorganism. Some contaminants are not regulated or screened at all. Most people would not dispute the overall importance of high quality or living drinking water but many would not really understand the quality differences and how it pertains to the water they are drinking or perhaps to their overall health in general. It really is that important!

Qualities:

  • Clean: This is one of the more considerate of the water qualities. Contaminants in your drinking water just will not be acceptable for optimum health or in the extreme to life itself.
  • Total dissolved solids (TDS) Referring to the amount of small suspended particles and can be found in many forms.
  • Hardness commonly measured in grains of hardness and a lesser or greater amount of alkaline minerals present in the water.
  • pH level is a measure of potential hydrogen but commonly refers to acid pH or alkaline pH on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 14 with 7pH being considered neutral.
  • Minerals: The amount and type present in the source water. These minerals can be acid or alkaline. Fluoride for example is a naturally occurring acidic mineral.
  • Micro-clustering: Water varies in the way the molecules are clumped together however smaller groups are considered micro-clustered.
  • Oxidation Reduction Potential: Also known as Redox potential measured in millivolt of a positive or negative charge of water.
  • Dissolved oxygen: with larger amounts favorable to helpful aerobic bacteria in the GI tract. This extra oxygen may also be beneficial with the digestive process.
  • Colloidal Aspect: The amount of small suspended minerals in the water. It could be viewed as similar to TDS but being very stable in nature.
Biostone Filter

Biostone Filter This filter that comes standard with our water ionizers is highly effective at cleaning contaminants but still leaving beneficial alkaline minerals. A certified metal scan before and after filtration through the biostone filter clearly shows highly effective filtration of these substances.

Reverse osmosis systems do a great job of cleaning or purifying water however lack the overall qualities of live alkaline and ionized water. When water becomes too contaminated then an RO system would be the system of choice especially for larger home applications. An alternative is an under sink installation of our RO system that has a pre-filter for adding essential alkaline mineral back to the pure water and has been specifically designed for use with our water ionizers. This allows for ionization and for giving back live qualities to your drinking water.

We do have a mineral pre-filter designed for use with your existing RO system and with our machine. These are typically installed under the kitchen sink and the AP Family and AP Sense models are ideal for this situation. An optional under sink kit with the new dual faucets would needed to be installed as well. We have installed these systems and it really does a great job of producing clean alkaline ionized live water and the convenience of dedicated dual faucets at the sink. The dual faucets have an alkaline and an acid spout.

It would only be fair to mention other home drinking water systems such as carbon block filtration and similar filtration systems. These systems do a good job of cleaning drinking water in some cases however very hard water still remains a problem in terms of scaling in the hot water heater, plumbing and plumbing fixtures. However the qualities of live water go beyond clean.

Also it would be good to state that this web page is not intended to go into information about municipal water treatment plants etc. as this would be beyond the scope of this web site. Suffice it to state that water treatment technology is very good and the amount of water being processed is astronomical.

Then again too, the addition of chlorine, chloramines and fluoride are but just some of the current concerns of our mainstream health conscious population. There are also seasonal changes in quality of municipal water from runoff and sediment or from low water levels in the heat of summer that may result in algae blooms. However rarely does city water have live qualities such as those produced by our water ionizers.

TDS refers to the suspension of all combined organic and inorganic compounds found in a liquid as a colloidal, ionized or molecular form. These suspended particles are generally less than 2 microns across. A vast array of solids, chemicals and contaminants can be associated with TDS and can come from agricultural runoff to heavy rains bringing TDS to reservoirs. Total dissolved solids are not necessarily contaminants or chemicals and may not have adverse health effects. The quality of our drinking water can change greatly regionally due to TDS.

There is a vast amount of data not intended to be included here as this is only a brief description and how it relates to water quality in general. Too much TDS can affect ionization results with a water ionizer and the highest threshold would be 300ppm to maintain warranty. Reverse Osmosis can clean many of these high TDS waters up and allowing use with a water ionizer. Quality RO system with mineral cartridge

Too many alkaline minerals is considered hard water and the concentrations of these essential minerals change from one geographical location to another. Hard water can cause scaling in home plumbing including hot water heaters. Water softeners are used to neutralize these excess minerals and a common softening treatment system is the negative ion exchange water softener. These use salt in there systems and in doing so add sodium. Another system that is less common is the potassium water softener which removes alkaline minerals.

Water Ionizers need alkaline minerals for the conductively in electrolysis. Too much can cause scaling and lower effectiveness. Water softeners in general however, are not recommended for use with a water ionizer. Instead if the source water permits, the softener can be bypassed or pre-filtration is required to remove excess alkaline minerals. The use of our reverse osmosis system with a re-mineral filter are the best solution in certain situations. Please check with us first so that we may help you find the best solution.

pH Levels

Really this could be a lengthy subject but that is not the objective here. Rather it is just a brief overview and please note it relates to a particular water quality and not the sum total of water qualities. The combination of highest qualities will be covered at the bottom of the page.

pH means potential hydrogen and simply put, means the transfer of hydrogen ions that would determine the pH of water in a given situation. The pH scale goes from 0 to14 and right in the middle is neutral at 7pH. This is a logarithmic scale meaning that the difference for example between 7 and 8pH is ten times as alkaline. Our blood for example is ideal about 7.40pH.

Acidic water might be good for your skin but not desirable to drink. Alkaline water helps to balance the body out incrementally by providing beneficial anions and alkaline minerals such as calcium and magnesium which need to be assimilated into our bodies. This assimilation in turn gives the body the essential alkaline minerals necessary for releasing appropriate amount of buffering bicarbonates to neutralize excess acid and further benefits of absorbed anions.

pH is similar to redox potential because both represent the exchange of ions and an intensity factor. For example the greater capacity for ionization occurs when the difference between a negatively charged anion and a positively charged cation is greater. It's sort of like the difference between a weak magnet and a very strong magnet as the exchange of electrons happen when the attraction is great enough. With pH this is the sort of process that is characteristic of what occurs rather than characteristic of a buffering effect.

Not only does our water ionizers produce a good range of alkaline water but in conjunction with the other qualities gives the alkaline water a synergistic effect. Alkaline minerals also are a buffer in the duodenum and small intestine naturally produced as a bicarbonate by the body.

Although we have self regulating bodies diet, lifestyle and stress often take there toll. Metabolic acidosis is a real condition and what would happen say if you had a high acid diet or drank acid water day in and day out? Or lack assimilation of beneficial alkaline minerals like calcium? Or would it make sense that an intake of an alkaline diet and water be conducive to better health?

minerals

Minerals come in many forms and can be alkaline or acidic. For example fluoride is an acidic mineral and can naturally be found in water as can chloride. Most water naturally has minerals in it and sometimes there is a healthy balance of them and other times more often than not, there are too much of the wrong stuff. Nitrates can be an example of too much of the wrong stuff especially considering they are prevalent in agriculture, a by product of septic systems, and very often run off into watersheds or leech into ground water. This can be a problem for many water sources and adversely affect water quality.

Well water in particular should be monitored for these sort of problems and it is a good idea to have a comprehensive water test done to be sure of what your using and to address any water quality problems. However too much of a particular mineral can be a problem from municipal sources as well, even though our current water technology is very good. For example too many alkaline minerals or very hard ward water has given the water softening business a firm hold.

Essentially micro-clustering refers to smaller groups of water molecules rather than a typical arrangement of 10 to 13 water molecules in a water cluster. Electrolysis within the water ionizer reduces the cluster to about half the size to 5 or 6 in a cluster. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance analysis clearly demonstrates the reduced cluster size by measuring the Hz frequency of both tap water and micro clustered water.

water cluster

This is significant because of better and quicker absorption, and the fact that our cells take in one molecule of water at a time. There are conduits into a cell that are known as aquaporins and there discovery led to a Nobel Peace prize in chemistry. It has been scientifically shown that larger clumps of water molecules tend to slow movement of nutrients through them. These aquaporins or water channels allow nutrients with water to pass through to nourish the individual cells.

However the significance of water that has a smaller cluster size begins in the duodenum and small intestine where most of water and nutrient absorption occur. A smaller cluster size allows nutrients to better flow through and to assimilate easier.(Ever notice a water droplet not going through a hole?) Also at this juncture, paired with -ORP, excess acid may be more effectively neutralized when a natural release of bicarbonate occurs. It would stand to reason that a higher quality water would be more effective in the process described.

Electron, Proton, Neutron

Also known as redox potential or ORP and refers to the ability to acquire electrons and be reduced. For example a positively charged cation or ion can be reduced by acquiring electrons from a negatively charged anion. This reduction potential can be measured in millivolt units and strong ionized water can have a -815mV ORP and is a powerful antioxidant because of the action of donating electrons to free radicals and thereby neutralizing them.

Oxidation is a process in which a molecule or ion loses electrons. Reduction is a process by which electrons are gained. This former description is the process of antioxidants donating the missing pair of electrons to a positively charged free radical and reduce it in electrical value and the potential for cell damage.

Of course there is so much more to it all but it really not the objective here to take it any further rather suffice it to state that a negative oxidation reduction potential or -ORP and is a very powerful antioxidant that reduces free radicals. It is significant to note that ionized water with a negative ORP has a much lighter atomic weight than more commonly known antioxidants like vitamin C. This lighter more soluble source of -ORP is quickly absorbed and utilized.

Dissolved Oxygen

There can be no doubt that a great deal of dissolved oxygen is in every freshly poured glass of ionized water. At first the water is clouded with oxygen and if one lets a glass set for an hour or so the entire sides and bottom will be coated with tiny bubbles. Given that we have beneficial aerobic flora in our GI tract then it stands to reason that ample amounts of oxygen in ionized water would be very beneficial.

The concept of significant dissolved oxygen in our drinking water and the benefits that this provides should be examined more closely. There are other factors in the process of digestion and elimination that should be considered... There are many testimonials from improved GI health relating to the daily consumption of alkaline and ionized water.

Dr. Henri Coanda

Small suspended particles in our drinking water can be very beneficial but not always. These small particles are usually not filtered out because of there very small size. Colloids are dispersed equally throughout the water when present and are not dissolved but suspended.

Beneficial alkaline colloids are very easily absorbed into the body and there has been much research on this subject and most notably on this website reference to Dr. Henri Coanda and Dr. Patrick Flanning.

Summary

The most desirable of all qualities of our drinking water really should be considered living water because it is providing the greatest amount of potential benefit to our health and wellbeing! Water is vital to our health and when we are drinking water with the combined best qualities it stands to reason that our health and well being would be optimized.

It is not to say that drinking ordinary tap, distilled, pure or bottled water is not indeed giving us water that we do need. Instead a point is being made about the varying qualities of drinking water and a point made that a higher quality of water with all of the desirable living qualities should be the most effective in hydrating and promoting optimum health.

Alkaline water

Our water ionizers under normal conditions produce clean healthy living water day after day. We think it is much better to take ordinary tap water and run it through one of our ionizers and impart better qualities than say buy bottled water for the rest of one's life!

There are circumstances when there are additional filtration needs in addition to the stand alone ionizer. Please contact us about your water issues and we will assist you to provide the best solution.

Top