• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • PO Box 19283, Cleveland, OH 44119
  • 833-367-3972
  • Join EWQA
  • News
  • Member Area
    • Member Login Help
  • COVID-19 Update

EWQA

Eastern Water Quality Association

  • 2022 Conference
  • Spotlight
  • Events Calendar
  • About Us
    • Mission Statement
    • EWQA Code of Ethics
    • EWQA Scholarship Program
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact
  • Gallery
  • Cleaner Water Matters
    • Water Treatment Professionals
You are here: Home / Water Treatment

The Benefits of Good Water Quality

Bad water is bad for you, but safe water is key to life AND it's good for you!

Water has so many health benefits that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day.

Water and health are linked.

According to the CDC, the top causes of disease outbreaks related to drinking water are:

•  Giardia intestinalis

•  Hepatitis A

•  Norovirus

•  Shigella

As bad as that sounds, it’s far from a complete list. There are also health risks related to water contaminated with organic and inorganic matter, other bacteria and viruses and other pollutants.

Some studies link high levels of lead in drinking water to:

  • Delays in physical and mental development
  • Short attention spans
  • Learning difficulties in children.

There’s also evidence that arsenic in drinking water can:

  • Lead to nerve damage
  • Heart problems
  • Skin issues
  • Blood vessel damage.

And Cryptosporidium can be responsible for potentially life-threatening diarrhea.

Water is essential. The human body is, after all, 70% water, and although a human being can survive a month or more without food, a week without water can be fatal.

Good for Appliances, Too

High quality water is good for your home and appliances. Softened water can save you money by keeping appliances at top efficiency, and making them last longer. The amount of dish and laundry detergent you use can be cut by half, or even more, if you use softened water. You can also lower wash temperatures from hot to cold without a drop in performance, according to two other independent studies.

A 2009 study commissioned by the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF) and conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute found that adding a water softener helps water heaters and major appliances operate as efficiently as possible, while preventing clogs in showerheads, faucets, and drains.

For example, researchers ran dishwashers and washing machines for 30 days and 240 wash cycles. They ran softened water through half of the units, while using a hard water source for the others. At the end of the month, the washers using softened water were nearly free of scale buildup, but the washers using hard water required scale removal to work well.

As for water heaters, the researchers found that when they used softened water, the units maintained their original factory efficiency rating for as long as 15 years. Running hard water through the units cut efficiency by up to 48 percent. Scale buildup shortened the lifespan of the heating elements inside electric water heaters, and some tankless water heaters using hard water failed after just 1.6 years.

The researchers found that showerheads performed well on soft water, but those running with hard water lost 75 percent of their flow rate in less than 18 months. When running hard water through faucets, the strainers on the faucets clogged within 19 days.

Studies conducted by the independent test firm Scientific Services S/D, Inc., of New York, revealed the following benefits of softened water:

  • In washing machines, softened water can reduce detergent use by 50% and save energy by making it possible to wash in cold (60ºF) rather than hot (100ºF) water. Cold water washes with softened water achieved the same or better results when it came to removing stains and whitening fabrics.
  • In dishwashers, softened water can achieve the same cleaning results as unsoftened while using less than half as much detergent.

Primary Sidebar

Find A Water Quality Expert Near You

Why should you join EWQA?

By joining EWQA and participating in its programs and activities, the water treatment professional builds a network of colleagues that will benefit both their business and personal professional life.

Footer

Contact Us

833-367-3972
  • PO Box 19283
  • Cleveland, OH 44119

 

Our Mission

The Eastern Water Quality Association is dedicated to bringing together industry professions for the exchange of ideas; the sharing of information and, for the development of a unified legislative voice. In fulfilling its mission to members, the goal of the association is to help members provide quality water by promoting industry best practices, developing educational programs and advancing business ethics and profitability.

Upcoming Events

Coming Soon

Get Social

Quick Links

  • About the EWQA
  • Mission Statement
  • EWQA Conference
  • Water Treatment Professionals
  • Contact EWQA

© 2022 · EWQA · All Rights Reserved