A water technician pointed out to me the other day that if you’re going on vacation or not going to use your water ionizer for more than a few days, you should take proper precautions to prevent bacteria from growing in the unused filters. It’s a very simple thing to do.

1. Remove your water ionizer filters and let them drain in the sink drain for an hour or two.
2. Put them in a plastic bag and then into the refrigerator for storage.
3. Do this with any prefilters you are using as well.

Another thing you could do, if you don’t like this idea for some reason, is to get a neighbor or friend to come over every day or two to your home and pour a gallon or two of ionized water [of course they should hopefully drink this ionized water rather than just pour it down the drain]. This way the filters are provided with clean fresh water every day or two and the water won’t go stale.

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Using a Water Ionizer with Prefiltration for Toxic, Softened or Very Hard Water is Healthier & Easier than Ever Now!

Check Out These Filtration Systems for Use With Your Water Ionizer:

Chanson Nano Filtration: 

[See Complete Description Below] This is what I think is probably the best, practical filtration to use with people who are using “softened” water, are using well-water, are on kidney dialysis, who have Aids, other illnesses or just people who want to get the very best, finest filtration of the water. There are no great complications with this system as there are with RO [reverse osmosis]. The Nano-Filtration System will remove up to 99.9% contaminants, it removes salt and 100% of germs and viruses, but will allow some healthy disolved minerals to pass through. Because it removes salt, it can be used with a whole-house sodium or potasium based water softener. It has almost as fine of a filtration as RO, but you probably won’t need a remineralizer. http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/nano $655. [yearly replacement costs average out to about $150.]

Reverse Osmosis Remineralizer System

Reverse Osmosis [RO is actually the best filtration, however there are lots of complications with it: slower water flow, takes up a lot of space, lowers the water pressure going to the water ionizer, harder to install, has a tiny hint of a rubbery taste (due to the rubber bladder in the storage tank), there's potentially more maintenance needed (might even need a plumber) and you will NEED to remineralize it before it's healthy to drink.] RO will remove up to 99.9% contaminants, it also removes salt and 100% of germs and viruses. Because it removes salt, it can be used with a whole-house sodium or potasium based water softener.  http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/RO-System $379.99 [yearly replacement costs average out to about $125.]

Chanson Ultra Filtration: 

[This is most practical filtration to use with people who are on kidney dialysis, who have Aids or other illnesses, or are using well-water that isn't excessively high in TDS or hardness. There are no great complications with this system as there are with RO. The Ultra-Filtration System will remove up to 97% contaminants and over 99% of germs and viruses. It has a .01M filtration and is designed in such a way as to backwash itself, so you will not experience the clogging associated with other .01 filters. Plus the Chanson Ultra Filtration is very attractive, and would look great on your counter if you needed to put it there.  http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/Ultra-Filter-System $285.

H3 for City Water:

The H3 can come with either of the 2 styles of housings [above]. The 2nd, more attractive style, is for counter-top use. The H3 can be totally customized to your water. We can even set it up to remove toxins and then add back organic alkaline minerals if you want. It can be reduced in size to have only 2 filter housings [in which case it would be called an H2. For most people living in the city, county or areas where a company or municipality treats the water, this is  the absolute best, most practical filtration. City water doesn't typically  have problems with bacteria and viruses, because the water is treated and many harmful toxins have been removed. But a municipal water supply does have potential problems with fluoride, chloramine, lead, iron, arsenic, and a host of other toxins. The filters in this system will remove city water contaminants up to up to 99% of contaminants, but it's not designed to remove germs and viruses. You shouldn't have a need for removing germs and viruses if your water has been treated by a municipality or water company. The H3 usually has a GAC (granulated active carbon), a KDF filter and an activated alumina filter, however as stated earlier, it can be customized to any situation, desire or need. http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/H3 $198. Also see: http://alkalinewaterplus.info/blog/uploaded/H3pre-filter.pdf

Customized Prefiltration:

Depending on the water ionizer you get, you may or may need all of what is in the H3 or H2 prefilters [above]. Sometimes customized prefiltration [one or 2 prefilters specifically targeting what you want to remove] is the best and cheapest thing for you to do. http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/OtherPrefilters

Internal Water Ionizer Filtration:

Water ionizers remove about 85% of all acidic toxins. Also, many water ionizer filters are designed do a good enough job of getting toxins out and a great deal of toxins out of your water. The Jupiter Biostone Plus filter removes fluoride, chlorine, chloramine, and many other toxins that are specifically found in municipal water supplies. If you already get pretty good water which is treated by a water company, I feel the Biostone Plus is sufficient filtration all by itself! The KYK dual filtration also handles the fluoride, chloramine, chlorine, etc. very well all by itself. So, study the components of your water ionizer’s on-board filter system, and you may find that by itself your water ionizer’s on-board filtration is just fine all by itself.

Because I’m so Impressed With the New Nano Filtration System, the Rest of this Post is Devoted to Telling You about that System…

Nano Filtration System Front     Nano Filtration System Back

All About the New Chanson Nano-Filtration System!

Prior to the Chanson Nano-Filtration System nothing would remove sodium chloride [salt] from your water except reverse-osmosis. Now with the Chanson Nano-Filtration System, you can use this instead of reverse osmosis as literally the best pre-filter system to use with your water ionizer. Reverse osmosis has plagued people with its slowness, the amount of space it takes up, its reduced pressure of water flow, and with its limitations to how much ionized water you can make at one time. Now every single one of those problems are handled with the new Chanson Nano-Filtration System!

The Ultimate of Water Ionizer Filtration has Arrived, and Couldn’t be Easier!

The Nano-Filtration System is a high capacity, high pressure, fast-working, and super effective way to get those pesky chemicals [including salt] out of your water! The nano-filter will reduce, but not eliminate calcium, sodium, magnesium, potasium and other alkaline minerals. This is good, because you should not need to remineralize your nano-filtered water [however you might just need or want to throw some coral calcium chunks into your mineral port].

Nano-Filtration Also Filters out Bacteria!

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System uses high pressure to separate contamimants from the water supply. Water is forced through a membrane that has tiny holes which are no larger than, .00001(micron) this causes VOC’s [Volatile organic compounds], SOC’s [Synthetic Organic Chemicals], bacteria, virus and a host of other unwanted contaminants to be removed. The Chanson Nano-filter is considered an anti-bacterial device since the smallest bacteria known to man is larger than these filter pores and will be filtered out.

Nano Filtration Also Filters out Salt!

This means you can use it with a sodium-based whole house water softener! While the Chanson Nano-filter removes many, if not all, contaminants it allows the healthy minerals to pass through. The Chanson Nano-Filtration System’s semi-permeable membrane also rejects most multi-valent ions for example, salt. Salt is made up of two elements Sodium (Na) and Chloride (CL) together they make up NaCl or table salt. The nano-filter will allow Sodium or Chloride to pass thorough but rejects the multi-valent ion NaCl, which can be harmful when consumed in large quantities.

How does the Chanson Nano-Filtration System work with water ionizers?

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System is the premier pre-filtration system available for water ionizers today.  The Chanson Nano-Filtration System is suitable for ionizers because the size of the pores on the system’s membrane is .0001-.00001 so it removes bacteria, virus’ and dangerous elements but allows the valuable minerals through for your body to absorb.  Furthermore, a defining characteristic of nano-filter membranes is that they reject multivalent ions such as calcium and sulfate.  Because of this fact, the nano-filtration system works naturally as a water softener without any harsh chemicals or salt solutions needed.  Many times people will attach their RO (reverse osmosis) system to their ionizer for its filtration purposes however these RO systems strip the water of its vital nutrients and minerals.  The Chanson Nano-Filtration System will remove dangerous pathogens as well as dangerous elements but allow the health boosting minerals and nutrients to still be present in our water.

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System Can Make Your Ionized Water Even Healthier for You. 

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System will provide superior filtration technology unsurpassed by any other filter on the market, and it is to install and USE! No more pressurizing the tank, as with reverse osmosis! No more spending hours trouble-shooting why the pressure isn’t good enough! This system is the answer to problems with reverse osmosis!

Benefits of the Chanson Water Nano-Filtration System

• Low cost of operation
• Low energy cost
• Lower discharge and less waste water than typical Reverse Osmosis system.
• Reduction of Heavy Metals (removes 95%)
• Reduction of water hardness
• Reduction/ Removal virus’, bacteria, VOC’s,  and Pesticides.
• Reduction of Nitrates and Sulfides
• Reduction of the salt content (brackish water).
• Chemical -Free filtration (No use of salt)
• pH of the water can be altered for better health.
• Ideal for municipal water supply, well water, river and rain water.
• Removes Iron, Lime and other problem causing chemicals often neglected by water softeners.  

There are hundreds of toxins and poisons that standard water filters cannot remove, leaving health conscious people in the past with only two (2) choices: Distillation and Reverse Osmosis (RO).  RO has by the far been the most preferred choice of filtration up till now however; there are many problems with RO systems.  Now you have another choice!

The Chanson Nano-Filtration System provides a solution to the water ionizer filtration dilemma. 

Amazing filtration properties none of the negative properties associated with “super” filtration. 

Advantages of Using the Chanson Nano-Filter vs. RO With Your Water Ionizer:

• Nano-filtration allows healthy essential minerals to pass thru keeping the water closer to how nature makes it.
• No storage tank needed, unlimited “on demand” water supply!
• No Storage tank, no rubber taste, mold or fungus issues!
• Lowest waste water, only 1 gallon down the drain to 1 gallon made!
• Superior in taste.

Disadvantages of Using Reverse Osmosis With Your Water Ionizer:

• Removes all good minerals from the water leaving it acidic and very oxidizing…so needs to be remineralized. 
• Needs a large storage tank that takes up room underneath the sink. 
• The above mentioned tanks are breeding grounds for mold and fungus.
• The rubber bladder in the tank may leave a slight rubbery taste in the water.
• Minimum Storage ability often leaving the customer out of water.
• Much of the filtered water is wasted, often time 5-6 gallons used for every one gallon produced. 
• Higher operating costs and more maintenance…might need a plumber

Elements Removed by the Chanson Nano-Filter:

Over 90% removed:
Bacteria, Barium, Bicarbonate, Bromine, Chloride, Chlorine, Chromium, Copper, Cyanide, Cyptosporidium, Fluoride, Giardia Lamblia, Water Hardness, Legionella (Parasite), Magnesium, Manganese, Mercury, Nickel, Silver, Turbidity, and Viruses.

Over 85% removed:
Aluminum, Cadmium, Calcium, Carbon Tetrachloride, Lead, Nitrate, Organics, Pesticides, Potassium, Radium, Silica, SOC’s, Sodium, Strontium, THM’s, TOC, and Uranium.  VOC’s 75%

Over 50% removed:
Arsenic, Benzene, Borate, and Selenium

• Note: The average replacement cost of the nano-filter is $128.00 per year. This price includes the membrane and the replacement filters.
• You only have to replace the membrane every two – three years.
• The replacement filters are replaced yearly.

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I’ve been drinking ionized water for years and only just recently started using reverse-osmosis-remineralized-water as my source water. I had no subjective knowledge of reverse osmosis prior to about 6 months ago, so I am writing this blog post for others who are in that situation.

There are many reasons one might need to use reverse osmosis. But, there is a serious problem with Reverse osmosis, and that is: it takes too much out of the water, leaving it void of all the healthy minerals and leaving it acidic as a result. RO used to be considered unhealthy, “dead water”. However, now, with the use of the Water Remineralizer, RO water is a healthy source water to use with a water ionizer. With my reverse osmosis system, the RO water before being remineralized is about a pH of 4, and after remineralization it’s about a 9 pH. If you’re not happy with your municipal water, co-op or well water as a healthy enough source for your ionized water, reverse osmosis might be the very best option for you.

Reverse osmosis was originally developed to remove salt from seawater. Which prior to that time, only distillation would do this trick. So if you use a whole house sodium-based water softener, something like a reverse-osmosis-remineralizer-system would be needed for your drinking water.  

To give you an idea of just how small of a particle an RO system will filter out, here’s a chart that might help you grasp it:

• A 1 micron filter  will filter out particles up to 1millionth of a meter [or 1 thousandth of a millimeter] [or the width of a single strand of hair].
• A .1 micron filter will filter particles 10 times smaller than 1 micron.
• A .01 micron filter will filter particles 100 times smaller than 1 micron.
• A reverse osmosis unit will filter particles from 1,000 times up to one million times smaller than 1 micron.

There is another problem with reverse osmosis: that is the time to filter using RO is very slow. Before I got my reverse-osmosis-remineralizer system I could get a gallon jug filled, no problem, for my husband to take to work with him, but now [with the RO system hooked in] the pressure drops too low after about 2 quarts. Then you have to wait for 20 minutes to fill up the rest of the gallon. So, you may not be able to get all the water you want, when you want it with RO.

I’m not really complaining [too much], because…

I LOVE MY NEW REVERSE-OSMOSIS-REMINERALIZER-SYSTEM!

But, for someone wanting ionized water on the run, just keep it in mind that using reverse osmosis as your source water will slow things down, and you may run out of water during heavy-use times.

I did a series of videos, trying to figure things out with my reverse osmosis system – so I could answer my customers’ questions and communicate more accurately about reverse osmosis systems in general. Those videos follow this short section giving brief answers to the main questions I think people need answered. This is a work-in-progress, so I’ll post what I have so far done and learned…but add to it later as I find out more answers to my own questions.

How Much Does an RO System Cut Your Water Flow to the Water Ionizer?

The RO System cuts the pressure to the water ionizer quite a bit, so it is capable of flowing through the water ionizer about 40% slower — almost in half [in my observation]. So, a glass of water takes about twice the time to fill using RO as it would using your regular municipal water.

How Much Water Does a 6-Gallon Reverse Osmosis Tank Hold?

It holds about 4 1/2 gallons of water. The rest is filled with air [pressurized], which is necessary for maintaining the water pressure.

Using a 6-Gallon Tank, How Much Ionized Water in One Pouring Can I Expect to be Able to Get?

After the initial 40 ounces or so of ionized water production, there is a severe lessening in the water pressure to where it slows down so much the water ionizer stops ionizing [or ionizes the water only intermittently].

How Can you Tell How Much Water is in a Full Tank?

Water weighs about 8.35 pounds per gallon. Knowing the weight of the empty tank [11 lbs.] and the weight of the full tank [46 lbs] you can mathematically figure out the amount of water in the “6 gallon” tank. [35/8.35 = 4.2 gallons]

Here I am Weighing the Full RO Tank

Here I am Talking a Little About the Way the RO and Remineralizer Work

Here I Am Showing You How Much RO Water Will Flow through the Water Ionizer Before the Flow Rate Gets Too Slow.

Here I Am Weighing the Tank to See How Many Gallons [Total] Were Run Through the Water Ionizer

The tank weighed 38.8 pounds after pouring close to 2 quarts of alkaline water from the water ionizer [as opposed to 45.8 pounds full]. So it lost 7 pounds, which is the equavalent of about a little more than 3/4 gallon. So…

How much water can you flow through a water ionizer before the pressure drops too much?

Ans.: About 3/4 gallon out of the 4.5 gallons in the tank.

That having been said, the tank will replenish that 3/4 gallon in a pretty short time. So, in about 20 minutes you should be able to get another 2 quarts of ionized water from your water ionizer.

As I stated earlier, I’m still learning. As I refine my skills and knowledge related to reverse osmosis systems I’ll share that knowledge here. I do have a feeling I could pressurize my tank better and that should help in getting more ionized water at a time.

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It is becoming more and more popular for well-water users to hook up to a…

WATER IONIZER!

I’ve been amazed to find out how many people all over the US, in every state, are well-water users! There’s an astounding number! I’ve also learned over the years that though wells can give you great water, there can also be some serious problems with well-water too. There’s not just one kind of well, so I’ll try to address all of the things that I’ve come across, in hopes to be able to assure all well-water users that no matter what the problem with your water [if any], we can fix it. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t use a water ionizer with well water. What they are probably referring to is that you shouldn’t use a water ionizer with well water if you don’t know what’s in your well water. And once you know what’s in it, you can fix whatever it is [if there is a problem] and not only can, but should, use a water ionizer with it. A water ionizer will give you lots of extra filtration and protection as long as you pre-filter it correctly.

Giving yourself an excellent and healthy source of ionized drinking water:

Do not just hook a water ionizer into your plumbing [if you're a well-water user] without doing comprehensive testing! 

Municipalities, water companies and co-ops test water frequently, and they must report at least once per year the results of those tests. If you belong to a co-op or municipality, you can get a copy of their “water quality report” either online or by calling them. Look on your water bill for the number.

If you own a well, you are probably the only one that tests your well water. And so, you’re responsible to your own health and your family’s to test at least a suggested amount of once per year. Some municipalities will test your water for you if you bring a sample in. However many don’t. The easiest way I know to test your well water if you don’t have someone to do it free for you is to use my Comprehensive Well Water Test Kit .  It’s very cheap and easy to do. It’s pretty comprehensive, and is designed for well-water in particular. With this test kit, you can find out instantly how much of each common well-water toxin you have and how this compares with the EPA guidelines. Then you send the test to me: support@alkaline-water-plus.info and request a free engineer’s analysis.

What happens, if you have something in your water that could be unhealthy, is that my water engineers will recommend the exact prefilters you need to fix the problem. Examples of common well-water toxins or problem elements are:  arsenic and lead, sulphur and iron, lime and excessive hardness,  bacteria, nitrates, and heavy metals. While your regular water ionizer filter gets most of the bad stuff out of your water, it may not get all.

Water ionizers will cause a greater concentration of certain elements in your ionized drinking water  [if they're alkaline], and those elements [if they're harmful] are the ones you want to focus on for prefiltration.

Bacteria:

The cheapest way to handle bacteria in your well water is to disinfect it with chlorine. I know — yuck! But, of all the elements, chlorine is the easiest to filter out of your water. The cheapest carbon block [charcoal] filter will filter out the chlorine. Chlorine is unstable, bonds with the carbon in the filter, and thus gets removed from the water. Personally, if it were me, I’d use the chlorine, kill the bacteria, and then hook up a cheap carbon block whole-house filter to get rid of chlorine and sediment prior to going into the house. It will get the chlorine out of all of your water. This would be healthier for bath and shower use. When the water is heated, the chlorine turns into gas and you breathe it in. This kind of inexpensive prefiltering also saves the life of your more expensive water ionizer filter. It is smart to get your sediment out if you have a lot of it. Why have a more expensive filter get all gunked up with sediment when an inexpensive carbon block prefilter can do the job!  Word of caution: Do not disinfect your well-water with chloramine [a mixture of chlorine plus amonia]! Once the chlorine has bonded to the amonia, it becomes very stable, and thus greatly reducing any filter’s effectiveness in getting rid of it. Also, don’t use other disinfectants which may not filter out well. Just use chlorine.

If you just can’t stomach putting chlorine into your well water you will need to do something about bacteria and viruses that could get into your well water. I suggest to purchase a UV [ultraviolet} light and use a Bacteria Prefilter. The bacteria prefilter is actually pretty cheap, but the UV light can be pricey. You can get a small UV filter to just use with your drinking water that is pretty inexpensive. They both need about yearly replacement parts. I would personally not use either a bacteria prefilter or UV light all by itself. The .02M or .01 filter is designed to catch the bacteria, because the pores of the prefilter are so small that bacteria are not supposed to be able to get through. But I'd wonder about this. The Jupiter water ionizers have a .01M filter, and the Jupiter engineers still say that the water should be treated before putting it through the ionizer.

Hydrogen Sulfides:

This is a poisonous sulfer toxin that can enter a well system unpredictably. You may have no sign of it one day and after a heavy rain all of a sudden have it in your well water! The sign for this is a smell of "rotten eggs". The only way right at this time to get rid of this is a special sulphur prefilter, which is inexpensive, but needs to be replaced about yearly. 

Iron: This is a metal that in large amounts can harm your water ionizer. It's probably not great for you either in its inorganic form. The signs for it is a yellow color to your water. It's caused by old cast-iron pipes or other iron things rusting and leaching into your water. Usually you find this situation in older communities or buildings with older plumbing systems that haven't been renovated, but you can find it in wells. You can get an Iron Prefilter for fairly cheaply and the iron and sulphur are filtered out with the same prefilter.

Sand and Sediment: Your ionizer filters will filter out sand and sediment, but these things can clog up your water ionizer filter and cause it to become less effective prematurely. If your source water has a lot of sand or sediment in it, you are wise to get a sediment or carbon block prefilter.  Or there is a small device, called a sand catcher, that you can put into your water line. This has to be emptied constantly though, so that's a hassle.

Lead: This is found in older homes and communities and is a source of "lead poisoning" so needs to be handled for health reasons, but it can be found in wells too. Lead could harm you of course, but it can also harm your water ionizer by interfering with the electrolysis [due to the fact that it's a magnetic metal]. If you have lead in your source water, you should use the Fluoride/Lead/Arsenic prefilter, which is inexpensive.

Heavy Metals: If you have radium in your water or other heavy metals, you can purchase a Heavy Metal prefilter for a fairly inexpensive price.

Is Your Water too Hard? If you don’t want to filter out the calcium in your source water, but it’s a little too hard and is potentially damaging your water ionizer [or reducing the pH/ORP] due to scaling, then the best thing you can use is an Elimination of Scaling Device. Second to that I suggest the Ionizer Armor.  Sometimes water can be so hard that you need a whole house softener. I advise you not to get the sodium or potasium based softeners. These make the water unhealthy for you to drink and you can’t use source-water that has an excess of sodium or potasium with your water ionizer. Both sodium and potasium are electrical conductors, and an excess of these would interfere with the electronics of ionization. This could cause your water ionizer to break down prematurely. They are also not good for the environment either. Too much sodium and potasium dumped into sewer pipes finds its way to rivers and streams and overloads them with sodium and potasium…upsetting the balance of nature. Fresh-water fish do not want salt!

• If you need to soften the water in your whole house, the best thing you can do for your health, the water ionizer, and the environment is to get an all-natural whole house softener that doesn’t use sodium or potasium, such as the Water Dove Whole House Softener.
• If you don’t use a whole-house softener [but have excessively hard water or excessive TDS] I suggest the Chanson Nano-Filtration System or Reverse Osmosis [see below].
• If you do use a whole-house sodium-based or potasium-based water softener, I suggest the Chanson Nano-Filtration System or Reverse Osmosis [see below].

Too many prefilters needed? I offer three “comprehensive filtering systems” for well-water users. These are the most effective filtering methods for well-water users, because they offer complete filtration of everything listed above. These systems are described in the next section. The first two, Reverse osmosis and nano-filtration, are the systems I suggest for people who have excessive water hardness, excessive TDS, and/or are using a whole-house sodium-based water softener. If you are a well-water user and your water is very hard or has excessively high TDS, my #1 recommendation to you is the Chanson Nano-Filtration System [see below], because it’s easier, allows for a better water flow, has no complications to worry about, takes up less space, and produces better-tasting water (no rubber bladder, so no rubber taste). If you use well water, but don’t have problems with water hardness or TDS, then the best filtration system for you would be the Chanson Ultra Filtration, described below. 

The Ultimate Water Ionizer Comprehensive Filtration Systems for Well-Water Users:

#1 Chanson Nano Filtration: [This is what I now consider to be the best, most practical filtration to use with people who are using "softened" water, are using well-water, are on kidney dialysis, who have Aids, other illnesses or just people who want to get the very best, finest filtration of the water. There are no great complications with this system as there are with RO [reverse osmosis]. The Nano-Filtration System will remove up to 99.9% contaminants, it removes salt and 100% of germs and viruses, but will allow some healthy disolved minerals to pass through, which is a good thing. Because it removes salt, it can be used with a whole-house sodium or potasium based water softener. It has almost as fine of a filtration as RO, but you probably won’t need a remineralizer. http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/nano $655. [yearly replacement costs averages to about $150.]

Reverse Osmosis: If you really want to get everything out of your water and start fresh with only the right organic plant-source minerals and trace minerals for perfect water ionization, then I recommend the Reverse-Osmosis-with-Remineralizer System that was designed by IonLife water experts especially for use with water ionizers. It’s inexpensive and includes the tank and everything you need! [RO is the best filtration, however there are complications with this: slower water flow, lower water pressure, harder to install, more maintenance, might need a plumber and you will NEED to remineralize it before it's healthy to drink.] Reverse osmosis also involves using a rubber bladder, so there might be a rubbery taste to the water. RO will remove up to 99.9% contaminants, it also removes salt and 100% of germs and viruses. Because it removes salt, it can be used with a whole-house sodium or potasium based water softener. http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/RO-System $379.99 [yearly replacement costs averages to about $125.]

Chanson Ultra Filtration: [This is what I now consider to be the 3rd best, practical filtration to use with people who are on kidney dialysis, who have Aids or other illnesses, or are using well-water which is not excessively hard. There are no great complications with this system as there are with RO. The Ultra-Filtration System will remove up to 97% contaminants and over 99% of germs and viruses. It has a .01M filtration and is designed in such a way as to backwash itself, so you will not experience the clogging associated with other .01 filters.  http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com/product/Ultra-Filter-System $285.

What do water ionizer prefilters look like and how do you install them?

In this video I explain and demonstrate the water ionizer prefilter. Water ionizer prefilters can be found on my Other Products page. Most people don't realize that water ionizer prefilters can be benefitial to your health, and your water ionizer's health. This demonstration shows you an up-close look at a single housing with a prefilter inside. Housings for prefilters come single, double and triple for convenience and ease of use. Here's the video:

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Water Ionizer Owners: How do you know it’s time to clean your water ionizer?

• If your water ionizer’s pH is dropping over time it’s time to clean.
• If your water ionizer’s flow-rate is slowing down it’s time to clean.
• If you see a whitish film forming around your alkaline spout [flexi-hose] it’s time to clean.
• If it’s been a year, and/or you’re getting ready to change your filters [and you've not given your water ionizer a good cleaning yet], it could be the best time to clean! [Please Note: Using the EOS (Elimination of Scaling) device may prolong or even eliminate the necessity for the cleaning that is described below.]

Why Would a Water Ionizer Need a Vinegar Wash?

• Water ionizers do a good job of cleaning themselves, with their acid washes or in the case of Jupiter, alternating polarity inside the water cell, your electrodes will be squeaky clean, but there are lots of hoses & connectors inside a water ionizer that may get clogged. Even if you’re using RO [reverse osmosis] remineralized water to ionize with, you still have calcium in your source water and a concentration of calcium coming out of your alkaline spout. Calcium is a crystalline mineral and because of its crystal shape — it collects, sticks & clogs. That’s what calcium does. You need calcium though, because you can’t ionize water that’s too soft.
  • Basically the minimum amount of TDS [total dissolved solids] to ionize well is 100 ppm [parts per million]. So even with soft or non-hard water, when you have a water ionizer a little periodic washing [maybe annually] may be needed from time to time.
• If you live in a hard water area [over 320 ppm of TDS or over 19 grains], with extra calcium in your water, you may need to do these periodic cleanings even more often [perhaps monthly] to keep your water ionizer clean inside. You can find out the hardness [TDS & Calcium levels in your water] by calling the number on your water bill.
  • If you’re noticing the need to do these periodic cleanings more than twice a year, you may want to consider purchasing an EOS or “scale-block prefilter” or just do more acid washes [push the acid water button more often].
  • If you have the Chanson model, it can be programmed to your water hardness and set to a customized frequency of acid washes.
    • Let’s say you drink your alkaline water at 9.5 pH (or Level 3), there is absolutely no reason why you couldn’t push the acid water level 3 button and get your drinking water out of the bottom hose once a day. This may be a smart thing to do if you’re finding your hard water build-up to be too frequent.
• If your TDS is way too high [over 625ppm] you may even be smart to consider hooking in a reverse-osmosis-remineralizer which would then bring your TDS down to the proper range for ionization without the over-kill. 
• Another possibility for handling TDS that is way-out above the “appliance kill range” is a whole house [natural-sodium-free] water filter & softener, such as the Dove System which I sell on my site. Never use a sodium exchange water softener.
  • It’s unhealthy for you [too much sodium]
  • It’s not good for the water ionizer [tends to corrode]
  • It gets concentrated in your alkaline drinking water [so it's double unhealthy when ionized]
  • It’s bad for the environment [where does all that salt-water go?]

It’s up to you to take care of your water ionizer and keep it safe and protected against scaling. The rest of this post is explaining a basic procedure that can help de-scale a clogged up water ionizer or just help any water ionizer by giving it the periodic cleaning that it wants:

Here is the Vinegar Wash Procedure:

A vinegar wash is probably the cheapest and most effective type of special cleaning you can do. Here are the steps: [Note: I have not personally used this technique, because I've not had any of the symptoms saying I need to do it. These steps have been supplied by a water ionizer technician, and I believe they should work. When it's time for me to change my filters in my Athena water ionzier, I'll do a video of it and re-post this blog with the video-demo at that time.]

What you will need:

• You should save your old used-up filters in the refrigerator in a plastic zip-lock bag to use for your vinegar washes. This procedure will ruin your filter for anything but another vinegar wash.
• 1 gallon white vinegar.

Begining Your Water Ionizers Vinegar Wash:

1. Take the acid hose and raise it to a position where the water won’t run out. Tape it there, temporarily for the Wash.
2. Make sure your water ionizer has the old [used up] and drained filters in it.
   • If these have been used recently, make sure they’ve been drained. [Take them out and drain them for 2 hours in a dish drain (standing upright). then replace them.]
3. Open the calcium port [if there is one] and if it’s full of water — empty it. Remove the calcium basket. Then fill the chamber with vinegar. Replace lid.
4. Curve the spout upwards and pour vinegar down the spout until full. [If spout is clogged, remove it and let it sit immersed in vinegar for a few hours before you get to this step.
5. Let sit overnight or until unclogged/cleaned inside out.
6. Lower the acid hose to the normal position.
7. Run water through the ionizer.
8. Repeat process if the ionizer is still clogged.

[Note: If you have a very clogged water ionizer...don't worry if it is very slow-flowing or a trickle at first. The calcium build-up will eventually dissolve with this technique.]

Rinsing the Water Ionizer:

Some water ionizer companies have their own cleaning cartridge they sell you to clean your water ionizer annually or semi-annually [as needed]. If this is the case, I would suggest to do the periodic cleaning according to your water ionizer’s manufacturer, however the steps outlined in this blog are steps you can use with any water ionizer to clean it. If you’re not sure if your water ionizer company has a cleaning cartridge or not, call 1-888-MY-ALKALINE [Cathie] and I’ll let you know.

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Water Ionizers will help filter out some of the pharmaceuticals and poisons, but not all.

Back in 2002 a study by the USGS [United States Geological Survey] revealed traces of pharmaceuticals and other man-made poisons showing up in our water supplies. Since then other studies, such as an extensive study by the associated press, have exposed more and more drugs and other poisons that are making their way back into our drinking water. These drugs are scary enough on their own [anti-depressants, hormones, pain killers, etc.], but combined…who knows what the effect into the future will be. Literally, wherever testing was done, drugs were found in the drinking water. So, cities which were not implicated in having particular drugs in their water probably do have them, but just hasn’t been tested for them yet. No mandatory testing has been passed through congress, even though years have passed since the drugs-in-our-water problems were exposed. Here is one of the many news videos on the subject:

When is the FDA and/or EPA going to require all water to be tested for pharmaceuticals? I wouldn’t trust that it’s going to happen any time soon. The reason I think this is …look at all the municipalities still fluoridating water! Years ago fluoride was seen in many studies as a link to learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s, fluoridosis in young children, and other diseases. It’s also been proven that the only actual benefit for fluoride is when it’s applied topically [i.e. in toothpaste]. We literally take the toxic waste from the aluminum manufacturing plants [AKA - fluoride] and dump it intentionally into the water supply! How dumb is that?! So, with a track record like that, I’m not going to bet on the government, all by itself — with no pressure from massive amounts of people, is going to fix the pharmaceutical problem. Here’s one of many fluoride warning videos:

Here’s another reason I don’t trust the government to anytime soon fix this problem: Look at the newest water treatment chemical being dumped into our water: chloramine! Chlorine kills the germs, and is easy to filter out of the water, but chloramine [chlorine combined with ammonia] is now the water disinfectant of choice! Chloramine is much harder to remove from your drinking water and it requires special filtration. The Jupiter and KYK companies so far have included filtering material in their filters for Chloramine, but not all companies have caught up with this latest government craze.

With all that being said, there is some help for ordinary people to protect against the fluorides, chloramines, and now pharmaceudicals.: water ionization. Of course water ionizers will not completely eradicate the drugs-in-our-water problem, but here are some of the ways they can help:

• One of the best ways to protect yourself from all the junk is to install an Reverse-Osmosis-Remineralizer system and water ionizer. It will remove the junk for one, but then also the water will be so much healthier for you that you will hopefully not be one of those people contributing to the pharmaceuticals problem [because you won't be using them].
• Or just get a water ionizer. A water ionizer all by itself will help eliminate over 85% of the acidic elements in the water. Fluoride is acidic, so falls in this category. Plus, as stated above, if you’re healthier, you won’t be contributing to the problem as much.

• With your water ionizer purchase, you can order a fluoride, lead and arsenic pre-filter and/or many other pre-filters.

Is reverse-osmosis good enough? No. This will still be contributing to the problem, because it’s not healthy for you to drink water that has no minerals in it. It’s dead-water and tends to become acidic and unhealthy for you.

What about reverse-osmosis-remineralized water. That’s better, but the healthiest water [provided it's made with clean, non-toxic, water] is ionized water. There simply is no comparison.

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Water Ionizer News Flash! About a week ago I saw the best [lowest] acid water ever!

It was when Ronnie [from Chanson USA] and I were testing the Chanson VS70 water ionizer for its lowest acid water. Normally Ronnie just runs the Chanson water ionizers at full flow and gets around a 2.7 low acid pH. Actually that’s incredible considering how fast the flow rate was! But last week Ronnie asked me if I wanted to see how low the chanson water ionizer’s acid water could get. [I thought I had seen the lowest]. So of course I said, “Yes!” Then Ronnie slowed down the rate of flow on the VS70 water ionizer and my pH meter had it reading at 2.2 acidity. Ronnie’s meter [which was just calibrated that morning] had the pH level at 1.89! I can tell you that I was spellbound! I don’t know how the Chanson ionizer is able to get that low of an acidity, but for anyone who is looking for getting the lowest acid water possible I definitely recommend it.

The Water Ionizer With a Mineral Port Has an Extra Benefit!

Ronnie did say that the source water of where they’re located has a lot to do with the ability to get that low of a pH. There’s a lot of saline in their water. For people living in other locations, there is a mineral port in the Chanson Water ionizer that allows you to add Himilayan rock salt to the water prior to ionization. You would only do this once a month at most, according to Ronnie. He said the salt can be added only to pour the high alkaline/low acid water then removed from the mineral basket immediately after. His reasoning for this caution was that salt can harm the water ionizer if left in there for a long period. Acid water will be good for up to 90 days, according to Ronnie. So there should be no need to do this “low acid water making routine” too often anyway. For the most part, beauty water [skin toner] and plant water is best gotten from the acid water coming out of the bottom hose when you’re pouring your drinking level alkaline ionized water. You wouldn’t use the disinfectent levels of acid water on your body unless it was for a cut, infection or maybe a mouth wash.

Calcium is also a very popular thing to add to your source water and can be done easily if your water ionizer has a mineral port. Never add table salt or powdered calcium…only slow-disolving chunks or beads [like the bulk coral calcium I sell in my Alkaline Water Plus online store]. Coral calcium assists in ionizing water at drinking levels, but to get the strongest alkaline/acid levels [for cleaning, grease-cutting, stain-removing and disinfecting purposes] the addition of rock salt to the mineral port is probably going to work best.

Don’t forget to check your water ionizer’s instruction manual to ensure you’re not voiding any warranty before adding rock salt to your mineral basket. The only two water ionizers that have mineral ports and baskets that I know of are the Chanson water ionizers and the Jupiter water ionizers. I know you are within your warranty with Chanson to occasionally add the rock salt to get your low acid water [around once a month] just as long as you don’t leave the salt in there when you’re done, and I’m pretty sure the same would be true for Jupiter.  

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I just love my new Athena Water Ionizer and my new IonLife Reverse-Osmosis-with-Remineralizer Set up!

For years I was really against reverse osmosis, because it took all the minerals out of the water and left it as “dead water”, as the Japanese refer to it. I’ve been drinking ionized water for about 17 years and have loved every minute of it. Buying water ionizer in my opinion is the healthiest thing a person can do!

I changed my mind about RO when IonLife came out with their new Reverse-Osmosis-with-Remineralizer!

The thing that sold me was the remineralizer! The Remineralizer cartridge puts back organic coral calcium plus 70+ organic trace minerals. Actually I would pay for this advantage alone. Organic plant source minerals are much healthier for your body and don’t cause the problems that inorganic [rock-based] minerals do. Another thing that sold me was the price! I’ve usually heard of RO costing up around $2000.00 or so, but this whole RO system with the 6 gallon storage tank & remineralizer, especially designed to give enough pressure and the right minerals for water ionization with organic plant-source minerals custom-designed to be perfect for a water ionizer….only costs $379.00! 

I was a little leary of hooking up an RO. It seemed so complicated. But now in hindsight, it was pretty easy to do! Here’s a quick look at what the RO system entails:

After drinking ionized water from this new RO system with remineralizer for the past few weeks, I can say I really love it! It feels good to my body! I love the fact that the sodium and fluoride are removed so well! I’m very happy with my decision to do this! I’ve done some comparison testing between the RO as a source water and the St. Louis tap water and the RO source water seems to be ionizing the water as well as the tap water. Unfortunately, my ORP meter is on the blink and I’m waiting for my new one to come in. I’ll be doing some comparison videos soon.

Here’s another thing I’m really happy I decided to do…

Buy my new Athena Water Ionizer!

This was a fantastic decision! The Melody water ionizer is truly everything I’ve ever said it was: well-made, tests great for pH and ORP, great filtration, and it is the best water ionizer you can get for the price! However, the Athena is just a bit better. The bit better is mostly in the area of ORP. The Athena water ionizer gets a better ORP per unit of pH than all of the other water ionizers for drinking the healthiest water possible at whatever level of pH you’re able to drink it at.

Most people will work their way up to level 3 of the alkaline water [equivalent to 9.5 pH]. At this level the Melody [using my source water in St. Louis] gives an ORP of about -450 or so, while the Athena will give about -550 with the same source water. You only really need an ORP of -250 to -300 to provide your body with plenty of antioxidants, so the extra ORP is nice to have, but not necessary. So which one should you buy: an Athena or a Melody? I usually think if the person is young [under 40] you can get away with a a lot more than when you’re 55 or so. So my advice is simple. If you can’t afford the Athena, then get the Melody! But if you’re over 55, then try to find a way to afford the Athena. This is advice given very lightly, and with no intention to sway you in any direction. I’m telling you this, because I get asked by so many people. Actually, I love all the water ionizers, and they all give great pH and ORP [well beyond what they need to] and they’re all great priced! So the real advice is to get a water ionizer [if you don't already have one] TODAY!Wishing You Water Wellness!
Sincerely,
Cathleen LoGrasso
Blog-Master
Email Us: Support@alkaline-water-plus.info
Website Home: http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com
Copyright © 2006 – 2009 Alkaline Water Plus
Call for a “Best Price Quote”
1-888-MY-ALKALINE

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Water ionizers filter out a lot of bad things, and some water ionizers have better filters than others. But no water ionizer by itself will filter out every bad thing you might have in your source water. Here are some things that a water ionizer may not filter out:

Bacteria: The Life water ionizer, with it’s UV light, promises to kill the bacteria if it comes through. However I haven’t seen proof as of yet that this does as it claims to do. Also, the UV light only lasts for 5 years and then needs to be replaced. That’s the best case scenario that I have seen so far for handling bacteria. The second best thing I’ve seen to handle bacteria is the Bacteria Filter. This costs $59.95 and requires an additional one-time expense of $49.95 for the pre-filter housing. This would have to be replaced yearly. Other than this, you could always just treat your water. The usual treatment is with Chlorine, which is easy to filter out with any water ionizer filter. Also, coming soon on the Alkaline Water Plus website, look for a UV light simple in-line add on system that costs under $200. start up costs plus the light needs to be replaced yearly for about $60.00. I will be offering this very soon!

Hydrogen Sulfides: This is a poisonous sulfer toxin that can enter a well system unpredictably. You may have no sign of it one day and after a heavy rain all of a sudden have it in your well water! The sign for this is a smell of “rotten eggs”. The only way right at this time to get rid of this is a special sulphur prefilter, which costs $69.00 and has to be replaced about yearly. [Please note: you would also need a pre-filter housing, which is a one-time cost of $49.95.]

Iron: This is a metal that in large amounts can harm your water ionizer. It’s probably not great for your health either [because it's not organic]. The signs for it is a yellow color to your water. It’s caused by old cast-iron pipes rusting and leaching into your water. Usually you find this situation in older communities or buildings with older plumbing systems that haven’t been renovated. You can get an Iron Prefilter for %59.99.

Sand and Sediment: Your ionizer filters will filter out sand and sediment, but these things can clog up your water ionizer filter and cause it to become less effective prematurely. If your source water has a lot of sand or sediment in it, you are wise to get a sediment prefilter. The filter cost is about $50.00 and should be replaced ~yearly.

Fluoride: Two water ionizer companies have now added filter media to their filters to filter out Fluoride [Jupiter Biostone Plus filter and the KYK filter]. Fluoride is usually added to municipal water and has been linked to Altzheimers, learning disabilities and other health hazards…and is the subject of much debate. If you need or want Fluoride removed from your water and don’t have the two filters mentioned, you can get a Fluoride prefilter for about $35.00 [plus housing is needed].

Lead: This is found in older homes and communities and is a source of “lead poisoning” so needs to be handled for health reasons, but lead also could harm your water ionizer by interfering with the electrolysis [due to the fact that it's a magnetic metal]. If you have lead in your source water, you should use the Fluoride/Lead/Arsenic prefilter, which is about $35.00 [plus housing is needed].

Heavy Metals: If you have radium in your water or other heavy metals, you can purchase a Heavy Metal prefilter for $79.95 [plus housing is needed].

Chloramine: If your water ionizer doesn’t filter chloramine [chlorine + amonia] which is now the disinfectant of choice for many municipalities, then you can purchase a Chloramine prefilter for 79.95 [plus housing is needed].

Is Your Water too Hard? If you don’t want to filter out the calcium in your source water, but it’s too hard and is potentially damaging your water ionizer [or reducing the pH/ORP] due to scaling, then the best thing you can use is an Elimination of Scaling Device. Second to that I suggest the Ionizer Armor. If you need or want to filter out some of the excess calcium, then you can get a Scale-Block Prefilter.

Too many prefilters needed? If you really want to get everything out of your water and start fresh with only the right organic plant-source minerals and trace minerals for perfect water ionization, then I recommend the Reverse-Osmosis-with-Remineralizer System that was designed by IonLife water experts especially for use with water ionizers. It’s only $375.00 & includes the tank and everything! I have one and I think it’s fantastic!Wishing You Water Wellness!
Sincerely,
Cathleen LoGrasso
Blog-Master
Email Us: Support@alkaline-water-plus.info
Website Home: http://www.alkalinewaterplus.com
Copyright © 2006 – 2009 Alkaline Water Plus
Call for a “Best Price Quote”
1-888-MY-ALKALINE

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Why Would You do anything else With a Water Ionizer other than Ionize Your Water?

One popular thing is to use a prefilter with a water ionizer. This is needed if you live in an area that has either very hard or very soft water. With very hard water there are things you can get which help extend the life of your water ionizer. One such thing is a scale-block prefilter that can remove some of the hard water elements from your water prior to it entering and potentially damaging your water ionizer. There are two other products that I recommend even more than the scale-block prefilter now [because they're cheaper and last longer]. These devices can really help with hard water problems, they’re all natural, and they don’t add anything to your water. They are: the Ionizer Armor, and the EOS Anti-Scaling Device. With very soft water or RO (reverse osmosis) what I recommend is called a remineralizer cartridge [which adds only natural, organic, plant-source calcite & coral calcium, with 70+ organic plant-source trace minerals]. The Remineralizer Kit comes with an ordinary prefilter housing.

I’ve devised the following chart for you to look at if you are uncertain of exactly what, when and why you would add any extra prefilters or gadgets into your line before your water ionizer. Since water ionizers are so expensive, this is of great interest [or should be] to people everywhere who own a water ionizer. Here’s the chart:

 Hope this helps!

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