Aquafer FAQs

QUESTION: What do the Aquafer water conditioner systems do?

ANSWER:
a. It prevents the formation of hard water scale in water heaters and pipes.
b. It will stop the formation of hard water scale on shower doors and fixtures
c. It will prevent hard water “bathtub ring” and allow the use of less soap and detergent.
d. It removes chlorine and chloramine from the water to improve taste, odor and the unhealthy effects of chlorine.
e. Heavy metals such as lead are significantly reduced.

QUESTION: This sounds like a combination water softener and carbon filter. Is this true?

ANSWER: This is true, but with many exciting features included in the Aquafer.

QUESTION: What are some of these features of the Aquafer?

ANSWER: First, it is all done in one space saving tank that measures under 48” high and only takes up a circle of one-foot diameter on the floor. Second, there are no regeneration chemicals like salt.

QUESTION: Does a regular softener use a lot of salt?

ANSWER: It depends on the hardness of the water and also the number of people in the home. Based on averages the savings would be over 700 pounds of salt a year. That’s $75-$100 a year or almost a $1,000 over the 10 year life of a softener. Not to mention the back braking job of lugging all of that salt.

QUESTION: Are there other advantages of the Aquafer?

ANSWER. Certainly. A big one is that the Aquafer NEVER regenerates so there is never water discharged to the drain.

QUESTION: Do regular softeners waste a lot of water?

ANSWER: Again it depends on the water hardness, softener design, and the family size. But the average would be about 10,000 gallons a year.

QUESTION: It sounds like the Aquafer is very friendly to the environment. Is this true?

ANSWER: Yes it is. Also in many parts of the US there is legislation pending to stop the discharge of the salt into municipal sewers. You can imagine the problems that would be caused by hundreds or thousands of softeners in a single city.

QUESTION: Are there even more advantages with the Aquafer?

ANSWER: Yes there are. The unit has no valve mechanism and thus no need for electricity. Though the cost of electricity is quite low for most softeners the cost of installation is often lowered because no outlet is needed. With no valve there are no moving parts so service is eliminated.

QUESTION: You mentioned filtration of chlorine. Won’t there be a need to replace the Carbon?

ANSWER: We don’t use carbon. We use a special material that will last for millions of gallons called KDF. Expected life is for over 10 years of normal use.

QUESTION: How does the Aquafer work?

ANSWER: The scale prevention process is quite easy. We use a patented combination catalytic and magnetic chamber to change the calcium (hardness) of the water from a dissolved material to sub microscopic particles that wash through the plumbing system without being able to connect themselves to the pipes or heater. In this form they will not react with soaps or detergents either. We have found that magnets alone do not work as effectively so that is why we precede the magnets with a catalytic device.

QUESTION: What about the chlorine removal?

ANSWER: The material we employ uses a process that turns the chlorine to a chloride which is a form that is non-detectable in the water.

QUESTION: Will the water test soft in the Aquafer?

ANSWER: No. The test chemicals are designed to put the hardness back into solution. Once back into solution they will show hardness on test kits.

QUESTION: I thought all equipment had to have a valve. Why not yours?

ANSWER: Because we have a constant upward flow path that keeps the filter media always moving and not packing down or collecting dirt.

QUESTION: Can the Aquafer be used on all water supplies.

ANSWER: No! We must know something of the chemistry of the water. In particular the Calcium hardness, total alkalinity, and pH. From this we can establish the Langelier’s index and apply it to our lab test data. We estimate that about 85% of all municipal water supplies can be treated. If on a private well we would encourage a test or an evaluation of existing test data.

QUESTION: Am I correct in summarizing by saying that the Aquafer uses no chemicals, has no valve, has no moving parts uses no electricity, discharges no water to drain, will prevent the problems of hard water and will stop chlorine taste and odor for 10 years or more.

ANSWER: Yes.

QUESTION: Is there anything special about the water from the Aquafer compared to water that has gone through a regular salt using softener?

ANSWER: Yes. First, there will not be the slippery feel on your skin when you shower or bathe. This “feel” comes from the Sodium reacting with your body oils. Secondly, we add nothing  to the water such as sodium mentioned previously. This could be important to someone on a low sodium diet.

QUESTION: Any other special things about the water?

ANSWER: There is an unusual phenomenon that takes place. The surface tension of the water is reduced. This is often referred to as making the water “wetter”. It simply means that the water can penetrate a plant more effectively and deeper so that the plants are more hardy and grow better. With a standard salt type softener, that water is actually harmful to plants.

 

QUESTION: Is this all brand new technology, or has there been some experience in actual use?

ANSWER: We have employed catalytic and magnetic processes for the Aquafer since 1994. We have also used the special filter material for that period of time. There were over 1,000 units placed worldwide in the first 5 years.

 

QUESTION: Has the performance been reliable?

ANSWER: Yes. We have had fewer than ½% field problems and without exception they resulted from situations where Aquafers were placed on water supplies that were outside of the limits that we have established through testing. Again, we strongly advise that we be consulted if there are any questions on the water.

 

QUESTION: Are there any general guidelines that can be used on the water chemistry where the use of the Aquafer would be O.K.?

ANSWER: We are a high tech firm and dislike to generalize, but we are usually safe on hardness up to 20 grains, pH of 7.5 or less, and a visibly clear water. This as stated before, would include about 85% of municipal water supplies.