Is Alkaline Water Good for You?

Posted June 29, 2020 by Ken Christopher

Close-up of a glass of alkaline water with ice cubes and bubbles, illustrating the refreshing look of mineralized, high-pH water.

Is alkaline water good for you? That depends on what you’re looking for. Alkaline water filter systems are marketed for their health benefits, from hydration to acid reflux relief. But a reverse osmosis water system has a different job. It focuses on removing harmful substances, not changing pH.

If you’re comparing reverse osmosis vs alkaline water, know that these systems work in different ways. Many alkalizing water filter products make big promises, but not all claims are backed by science.

In this Rayne Water guide, you’ll see how alkaline water is made, what it can do, and which benefits hold up under scrutiny.

Key Takeaways

What “alkaline” means: Alkaline water has a pH above 7, typically between 8 and 9, either from natural minerals or electrolysis.
Limited scientific support: A small study found that water with a pH of 8.8 can inactivate the digestive enzyme pepsin (PubMed), but human trials remain scarce.
Body pH is self‐regulating: Your lungs and kidneys keep blood pH between 7.35 and 7.45, so drinking alkaline water has minimal impact on systemic acidity.
Safety and purity: Not all alkaline water is filtered. An alkaline water filter system or a reverse osmosis setup ensures you’re not trading acidity for unwanted contaminants.
Cost and sustainability: Bottled alkaline water often carries a premium and generates plastic waste. Home RO systems with optional alkalizing filter add‐ons provide a more eco‐friendly, cost‐effective solution.

What Is Alkaline Water?

Macro shot of a water droplet splash, symbolizing the purity and clarity of reverse osmosis or filtered water.

Alkaline water has a higher pH than regular drinking water, making it less acidic. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14 and measures how acidic or basic a substance is, based on its hydrogen ion concentration.

Substances with a pH value of 0 are very acidic, while a pH of 14 is very alkaline. Lemon juice is fairly acidic with a pH of 2. Ammonia is moderately basic at around 11.

Pure water sits in the middle with a neutral pH of 7, and tap water is usually close to neutral, though it can vary depending on mineral content. Many water suppliers also adjust pH to protect their pipes.

The alkaline water you see on store shelves usually has a pH of 8 or 9. In some cases, water becomes alkaline naturally due to high levels of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and certain salts. This mineral content not only influences the pH but also affects the water’s taste and perceived benefits.

Natural vs Artificial Alkalinity

There are two main ways to get alkaline water:

Natural alkaline water: This water comes from mineral-rich springs where it absorbs alkaline minerals from rocks, raising its pH naturally.
Artificially produced alkaline water: This water is made through a process called electrolysis, which separates water into acidic and alkaline parts using electricity. Bottled alkaline water and many home devices use this method. Some products add minerals with an alkalizing water filter or even simple baking soda drops.

Alkaline Water Filter Systems

An alkaline water filter system can increase the pH of your tap water and add minerals like calcium or magnesium. Some systems combine an alkalizing water filter with reverse osmosis for extra purification. This makes it easier to compare reverse osmosis vs alkaline water solutions for your home.

What Are the Claimed Benefits of Alkaline Water?

Alkaline water has been a preferred hydration choice for many people for years.

Claims about its health benefits date back over a century, with early proponents believing it could help with issues like liver congestion and digestive discomfort.

While the specifics of those early claims have faded, modern marketing still leans heavily on the idea that alkaline water supports hydration, detoxification, and overall wellness. These perceived benefits continue to drive its popularity today, even as scientific research remains ongoing.

Commonly Marketed Claims

Alkaline water is often sold as a wellness solution. Marketers claim it neutralizes acid in the body, balances dietary acidity, and aids digestion.

Some say it enhances hydration, leading to better absorption, higher energy, and fewer symptoms of acid reflux. Other claims include benefits like long-term bone health, weight loss, and protection against certain cancers.

One popular benefit is acid reflux relief. The idea is that alkaline water, with a higher pH, can counteract acidic foods and ease digestion. In a lab study, alkaline water at a pH of 8.8 deactivated pepsin, the main enzyme involved in acid reflux. However, evidence in humans is limited, and more research is needed to confirm this benefit outside the lab.

What Does the Science Say?

Many brands promote alkaline water for metabolism boosts, stronger bones, and even slowing aging or preventing disease. Some cite the theory that cancer thrives in acidic environments and suggest alkaline water provides protection. But current research does not support these claims.

A meta-analysis of alkaline diets found no scientific evidence that alkaline water can prevent or treat cancer.

Alkaline water is also said to help regulate pH levels. In reality, your body already manages internal pH well, mainly through the lungs and kidneys. Healthy people maintain a steady blood pH between 7.35 and 7.45, no matter what they eat or drink.

When you consume foods or beverages that are acidic or alkaline, your stomach acids and pancreas secretions work to keep things balanced. In other words, your body naturally neutralizes what you eat and drink to maintain a healthy internal environment.

What the Research Actually Says

A 2016 meta-analysis in BMJ Open found no solid evidence that an alkaline diet prevents or treats cancer.
A study published on PubMed showed that water with a pH of 8.8 deactivated pepsin in vitro, but human trials are limited. Further research would need to be done on people to confirm any benefit for acid reflux.
Your body regulates blood pH (7.35–7.45) through lung and kidney function. Drinking alkaline water has only a transient effect on stomach acidity before it is neutralized.
Many “benefits” are anecdotal or based on small, non-peer-reviewed studies. Reputable sources like the Mayo Clinic and NIH urge caution until larger-scale human trials confirm clinical effects.

Can Alkaline Water Be Harmful?

While alkaline water may not deliver on all the promised health benefits immediately, it isn’t necessarily bad for you.

The alkalinity in the water you consume will be neutralized when it is consumed.

Natural alkaline water also contains beneficial minerals and salts that might help with any nutrient deficiency in your body. However, it is also important to remember that not all alkaline water contains minerals. Ionized alkaline water may not contain any minerals at all, depending on how it has been processed.

For most healthy individuals, drinking alkaline water poses little risk. However, there are a few considerations:

Temporary stomach acidity changes: Shifts in stomach pH could impair digestion if you rely solely on alkaline water.
Lack of minerals: Some ionized alkaline water systems strip out minerals, leaving you with pH-adjusted but nutrient-poor water.
Contaminant risk: Not all alkaline water is filtered. Bottled or home-made alkaline water may still contain bacteria, heavy metals, or other pollutants if not treated properly.
Cost and waste: Premium pricing and single-use plastic bottles increase your environmental footprint without proven health returns.

As we’ve mentioned, one potential risk with alkaline water is that it isn’t necessarily filtered.

This can pose a very real risk by exposing you to unwanted contaminants. So, before you purchase a bottle of alkaline water, be sure to check the mineral content and the manufacturer first. To avoid consuming potentially harmful contaminants, consider seeking out drinking water sources that have undergone filtration, such as reverse osmosis (RO) filtered water.

A great number of people wonder, is reverse osmosis water alkaline? It isn’t. To be safe, it’s important to consume water from a water filtration system.

Reverse Osmosis vs. Alkaline Water

Person filling a reusable water bottle at the kitchen sink, highlighting eco-friendly hydration with filtered or reverse osmosis water

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water

Removes contaminants: Filters out up to 99% of arsenic, lead, nitrates, fluoride, microbes, and VOCs.
Neutral pH: RO water generally measures 6.5–7.5 on the pH scale.
Carbon pre- and post-filters: Most systems include activated carbon to improve taste, remove chlorine, and reduce disinfection byproducts.
Consistent purity: Ideal for households concerned about tap water quality.

Alkaline Water

Higher pH: Typically 8–9, achieved naturally or by electrolysis.
Mineral content varies: May contain calcium and magnesium, but it depends on the source and process.
Not guaranteed clean: Unless paired with filtration, alkaline water can carry the same contaminants as unfiltered tap water.
Higher cost: Bottled alkaline water sells at a significant premium over tap water.

Comparison Table: Reverse Osmosis vs. Alkaline Water

Feature	Reverse Osmosis (OS)	Alkaline Water
Contaminant Removal	Excellent (arsenic, lead, VOCs, microbes)	Varies, often minimal
pH Level	Neutral to slightly acidic (6.5—7.5)	Alkaline (8-9 or higher)
Mineral Content	Low (minerals are removed)	Can be high, low, or none
Health Claims	Proven contaminant removal	Claims: hydration, acid balance, digestion (evidence mixed)
Filter System Cost	Moderate upfront, low ongoing	Higher if bottled, moderate if home filter
Environmental Impact	Low (especially with reusable bottles)	High if bottled; low if using an alkalizing water filter at home
Typical Use	Whole-house or under-sink, safe for all	Bottled, countertop, or tap filters
Best For	Maximum safety, contaminant removal	Those who want a higher pH or mineralized taste.

What to Drink Instead of Bottled Alkaline Water

If you’re concerned about the health impact of the water you drink, there are other great options available. The best option is to filter your own water with a reverse osmosis filtration system.

Reverse Osmosis Filter Systems

Reverse osmosis works by forcing water through a semipermeable barrier with tiny pores.

These pores let water molecules pass, while blocking larger contaminants. RO water treatment systems consistently provide clean, filtered drinking water, and they remain affordable for homes and businesses.

Here are a few of the core benefits of an RO system when compared to alkaline or other bottled water:

Lower Cost

Filtering your own water with an RO system can dramatically lower your spending on drinking water. Bottled water costs anywhere from 200 to 10,000 times more than tap water, and is often just filtered tap water. Alkaline water is sold at an even higher premium because of its supposed health benefits.

With an RO system, you filter out contaminants at home, making your tap water taste great for a fraction of the price. Although RO systems require an upfront investment, their ongoing expenses are low. This makes it easy to enjoy gallons of fresh, filtered water without the recurring costs.

Less Waste

Alkaline water is typically sold in plastic bottles, which leads to massive amounts of waste entering the environment every year. One of the most effective ways to reduce the environmental impact of your drinking water is to filter your own tap water at home and use reusable bottles when you leave the house.

Fewer Contaminants

If you want consistently fewer contaminants in your drinking water, there’s no better option than a reverse osmosis filtration system in your home.

RO systems are excellent for removing a wide range of contaminants from drinking water, including microbes such as protozoa, viruses, bacteria, as well as contaminants like arsenic, sulfates, nitrates, and other chemical contaminants.

Alongside these unwanted substances, RO systems typically include activated carbon pre- and post- filters, which remove disinfectants like chlorine in water and other substances or chemicals that alter the taste of your drinking water.

San Diego tap water contains disinfection byproducts like bromate and chlorite, which can also be removed using a home water filtration system.

Alkalizing Filter Add-Ons (Optional)

Some reverse osmosis systems can be upgraded with an alkalizing water filter. This optional add-on lets you reintroduce healthy minerals after filtration, giving you a customizable balance of purity, taste, and alkalinity.

If you’re comparing reverse osmosis vs alkaline water, this hybrid approach delivers the best of both worlds for eco-conscious, cost-focused, or health-minded users.

In summary, using a home alkaline water filter system or pairing an RO filter with an alkalizing water filter lets you control quality, reduce cost, and avoid the waste and premium price of bottled alkaline water.

Should You Use an Alkaline Water Filter System at Home?

Display of bottled alkaline water against a blue background, showing the premium marketing of high-pH water products.

Pros

An alkaline water filter system offers pure convenience. Just turn on the tap, and you have water that tastes crisp and smooth. Some say it even has a slight sweetness, thanks to minerals like calcium and magnesium.

These minerals add more than flavor. They help support your daily intake. With an alkalizing water filter, ordinary tap water becomes something you actually want to drink. Most countertop units take up very little space and require almost no installation.

There’s no need to schedule bottle deliveries or fuss with refills. If you’re interested in water that feels refreshing and want to upgrade your hydration routine, this filter system makes it easy to start.

Cons

Even the best alkaline water filter system comes with some trade-offs.

Many models raise pH and add minerals, but do not filter out all harmful contaminants. If your tap water carries lead, pesticides, or industrial byproducts, these filters may not be enough.

The health benefits of alkaline water are not proven, despite bold marketing claims. Some alkalizing water filter brands charge high prices for features that add little value to filtration quality.

When you look at reverse osmosis vs alkaline water systems, RO often wins for deeper contaminant removal. Think about your own priorities before investing in a new filter. Sometimes a basic carbon filter is all you need. Other times, only complete purification feels right.

Alkaline Water vs. Clean, Filtered Water

Hand holding a glass of clean, filtered water in front of a home water filtration system, representing the benefits of reverse osmosis water for purity and safety.

Alkaline water is often promoted for health benefits, but more research is needed to confirm its long-term effects. Bottled alkaline water can be expensive, produce waste, and may contain contaminants since it’s not always purified.

If you want safer, more affordable drinking water, consider a reverse osmosis (RO) filtration system at home. RO systems remove contaminants and provide clean, filtered water for daily use, offering better value and less waste than bottled options.

If you enjoy alkaline water, you can add an alkalizing filter after RO to restore minerals and improve taste, combining safety and personal preference. For more details on setting up RO or alkaline filtration, reach out to Rayne Water.

FAQs

1. What’s the main difference between an alkaline water filter system and reverse osmosis?

An alkaline water filter system raises the pH of your water, often by adding minerals like calcium and magnesium. In contrast, reverse osmosis removes a wide range of contaminants through multi-stage filtration but produces water that is typically neutral or slightly acidic.

If you’re weighing the benefits of reverse osmosis vs alkaline water, know that RO offers more comprehensive contaminant removal, while alkaline filters focus on pH and taste.

2. Can I use an alkalizing water filter with my existing reverse osmosis system?

Yes, you can pair an alkalizing water filter with a reverse osmosis system.

This setup lets you enjoy clean, purified water from your RO system while reintroducing beneficial minerals and boosting pH at the final stage. Many homeowners choose this hybrid approach to get the advantages of both reverse osmosis and alkaline water in one solution.

3. Does an alkaline water filter system remove harmful contaminants?

Most alkaline water filter systems are designed to adjust pH and add minerals, but they may not effectively remove harmful contaminants like lead, pesticides, or industrial chemicals. For maximum safety, many people opt for a reverse osmosis system followed by an alkalizing water filter. This approach delivers clean, great-tasting water every time.

4. Is there any real health benefit to using an alkaline water filter system at home?

Scientific evidence on the health benefits of alkaline water is still limited. While some people enjoy the taste and claim it helps with hydration or digestion, the main advantage of an alkalizing water filter is improved flavor and mineral content. For reliable contaminant removal, reverse osmosis remains the gold standard.

5. What should I look for when choosing between reverse osmosis vs alkaline water systems?

Think about your water quality needs. If your priority is removing as many contaminants as possible, a reverse osmosis system is the best choice. If you want to boost pH and enhance taste, an alkaline water filter system or an alkalizing water filter add-on may suit you. For those who want both, consider combining the two for the cleanest, most refreshing drinking water.

How Much Chlorine is in Tap Water?

Posted June 29, 2020 by Ken Christopher

*Reviewed by Ken Christopher, Senior Vice President at Rayne Dealership Corporation

Though we need water every day of our life, most of us don’t think too deeply about the journey of our tap water before it pours from our faucet. In the past, access to clean drinking water could literally be a life and death struggle. Today, we simply have to create an account with the local community water supplier.

Not only is access to water significantly easier than it was in the past, but the water we drink is also better. A key reason for this is disinfection. Disinfection of our water supply is an incredibly important component of our national public health system, and the backbone of water disinfection is the use of the chemical additive chlorine or chloramine. But how much is in tap water? How does it affect your water? Is chlorinated water safe to drink? The answers to these questions and others that you may have about chlorine/chloramine in your tap water are crucial for making an informed decision about what types and levels of contaminants, disinfectants and other substances you are comfortable having in your drinking water supply.

Why is Chlorine Added to Drinking Water?

Chlorine is added to drinking water to protect against harmful microbes and waterborne diseases. Treating drinking water is not a new process, but the transition to chlorination of water sources represents an important shift that had immense public health consequences. Chlorinated tap water typically has a high chlorine level and can even taste similar to pool water. Without a carbon filter or ascorbic acid, the free chlorine level in most city treated water may be higher than it should be for healthy water consumption.

While early treatment of drinking water dates back to at least 4000 B.C., it was primarily intended to address unpleasant tastes or smells in the water. It wasn’t until the understanding of germ theory emerged in the late 19th century that it became clear that microbes could spread disease through the water. Early efforts are reducing the number of microbes in water mapped closely to existing efforts to reduce turbidity in water, which is the cloudy appearance water can take on from suspended particles. Filtration was accomplished by passing water slowly through the sand, but it became clear that this filtration process didn’t remove all disease-causing microbes.

Some of the most destructive and lethal pathogens, including dysentery, cholera and typhoid were transmitted through water prior to the adoption of chlorination. The first city to add chlorine to drinking water was Jersey City in 1908, and the use of chlorine to treat drinking water subsequently spread throughout the United States as it became clear that it helped reduce the transmission of waterborne disease.

How Effective is Chlorination?

Chlorination is thought to be the primary way that outbreaks of waterborne diseases were reduced in the United States. For example, prior to chlorine treatment of drinking water systems, typhoid fever was responsible for a comparable death rate to modern automobile accidents. Roughly 25 in 100,000 people were killed every year in the United States from typhoid fever. Following the widespread adoption of chlorination, deaths from typhoid fever were nearly eliminated. The same is true for a wide range of other waterborne contaminants, including diseases caused by waterborne viruses, bacteria and protozoa.

Despite its effectiveness, chlorine isn’t the only substance used in water treatment. Many treatment facilities may use the chemical chloramine as well. Chloramine is usually used as an alternative to chlorination. Specifically, monochloramine is used to disinfect water, and shouldn’t be confused with dichloramine or trichloramine which are often used in indoor swimming pools. Chloramine treatment has been around since 1929, and many millions of Americans drink water that has been treated with chloramine.

Both chlorine and chloramine have drawbacks. One of the main drawbacks of chlorine in tap water is that it doesn’t last for a long period of time. Since it is necessary to ensure a sufficient level of disinfectant remains in the water after it has been treated but before it arrives at your tap, some community water suppliers turn to chloramine which is longer-lasting to provide ongoing protection against microbes.

Perhaps the most significant drawback of chlorine, chloramine, and other disinfection processes is that they produce disinfection byproducts in the water when they come into contact with organic material. These byproducts have potential health impacts that we’ll discuss in greater detail in a subsequent section.

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Safe Levels of Chlorine in Drinking Water

Though chlorination has proven to be a powerful tool for ensuring many people have safe access to drinking water in the United States, it isn’t without drawbacks or health risks. Like other contaminants in drinking water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined threshold values, known as the Maximum Residual Disinfectant Level (MRDL), for how much chlorine can be in drinking water while still being considered safe for consumption. Currently, this level is less than 4 milligrams per liter (mg/L) or 4 parts per million (ppm).

It is important to recognize that the levels set by the EPA are broad guidelines that may not be ideal for everyone. Some individuals have sensitivities to certain chemicals, including chlorine, which may lead to health concerns. Chlorine in water is also problematic if it’s used during dialysis treatment, which requires large amounts of water to clean waste out of the dialysis patient’s blood.

The levels of chlorine or chloramine in drinking water vary depending on a variety of factors. An easy way to get a basic understanding of the levels of disinfectants in your drinking water is to check the most recent water quality report published by your community water supplier. Most community water suppliers publish these reports on an annual or semi-annual basis, and while they don’t tell you how much disinfectant is in your water at any given time they will give you a general understanding of how your water supplier is treating the water that is piped to your home and what the levels of residual disinfectant in the water are. For example, this 2018 water quality report published by the City of San Diego shows that residual levels of chloramine exist in san diego tap water at an average of 1.9 ppm and range from undetectable levels to 3.4 ppm.

Disinfection Byproducts

Any discussion of chlorine levels in water must also include information about disinfection byproducts (DBPs) and their risks. Treatment using chlorine, chloramine, ozone, or nearly any other disinfection method used on a large scale will produce byproducts in the water. From a public health perspective, the risks that disinfectants and their by-products pose must be weighed against the obvious public health benefit that disinfection offers.

DBPs form when disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine are added to water and react with organic materials in the water. The most common DBPs are:

Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)
Haloacetic acids (HAA5)
Chlorite
Chlorate
Bromate

There are known health risks associated with the consumption of DBPs. For example, THMs are considered possibly carcinogenic. These compounds form when free chlorine comes into contact with organic material in water. Common THMs include chloroform, bromodichloromethane, bromoform and dibromochloromethane.

Reducing Levels of Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts

While disinfectants like chlorine and chloramine are a valuable component of our modern community water supplies, there are some very good reasons for removing these contaminants from your water once it arrives at your home. Though consumption of disinfectants and their byproducts are considered safer than potentially contracting a waterborne disease, they may pose a health risk when consumed over time. Additionally, disinfectants and their byproducts alter the taste and smell of the water you are consuming. Removing these substances from your water can ensure you limit exposure to contaminants while also enhancing the taste and smell of your water. If the water has arrived safely at your home, there is no need to maintain chlorine or chloramine treatment. The proper water filter system for your water source can remove the chlorine taste, ammonia, chlorine, and other disinfectants present in your drinking water supply.

Curious about how to get chlorine out of water? The most effective form of filtration for removing disinfectants and their byproducts is by using an activated carbon filter. Activated carbon is a special type of carbon that has been treated with heat or oxygen to expand its surface area. Once water enters an activated carbon system, disinfectants like chlorine or its byproducts are trapped on the surface of the carbon through a process known as adhesion.

Activated carbon filtration is also great for removing other contaminants that may alter the smell or taste of your water, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Filtration systems utilizing activated carbon come in different forms, including systems that filter all of the water in your home or smaller systems that provide filtered water at a specific tap. To understand the best water filtration system for you, contact Rayne Water so that one of our water quality experts can assess your needs and find the right system for you.

Home water filtration systems are also an excellent way to save money on your drinking water. Many people consume bottled water because they prefer the taste, without realizing that they can achieve the same great tasting water with their own filtration system. Though some bottled water such as alkaline water is marketed for its perceived health benefits, it is often better for your long-term health to limit your exposure to contaminants. If you’re wondering, “is alkaline water good for you?”, check out our recent article on the subject to explore the topic in greater detail. You may be surprised to find that the pH of tap water has far less of an impact on health than ensuring your drinking water is free of contaminants.

Closing Thoughts

Chlorine is the most common chemical used by water suppliers for disinfection in the United States. While chlorine provides an enormous public health benefit, it isn’t without drawbacks. Chlorine alters the smell and taste of the water we drink and bathe with. When chlorine is added to water it reacts with organic material to form disinfection byproducts, which may increase the risk of certain cancers when consumed over long periods of time.

On a national scale, the health risks that disinfectants like chlorine and their byproducts pose to public health are small compared to the benefit that they provide. However, at an individual level it is up to us to determine if we are comfortable with the risk that being exposed to these chemicals and their byproducts carry.

Thankfully there are effective filtration systems for removing disinfectants, their byproducts, and a wide range of other contaminants that may remain in the water coming out of your tap. To learn about the best water treatment systems for dealing with chlorine, chloramines, and other chemicals, contact Rayne today. One of our water quality experts will help you find the best water treatment system for you. Whether you’re looking for water treatment for your home or business, our expert staff at Rayne Water have got you covered!

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How to Save Money on Drinking Water During COVID-19

Posted June 17, 2020 by Ken Christopher

In response to the growing economic toll stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, many households have begun to tighten their budgets. One area that may be overlooked when budgeting is how costly drinking water can be. If you rely on purchasing cases of bottled water or a bottled water delivery service and you’re looking for ways to cut costs around your home, it may be time to consider filtering your own drinking water. By making a simple shift towards filtration within your own home you can reduce ongoing expenses and increase your access to clean, filtered water on demand.

Have you thought About Your Water Costs Recently?

Water is a fundamental necessity, and how you get your water can have important implications for your health. But where you source your drinking water from, comes at a cost. Due to the fact that this is viewed as a necessity, many people don’t take a close look at how much they are spending on their water each month.

The two primary ways people access drinking water in the United States is through their tap or from bottled water. Bottled water has only recently become the most popular beverage in the United States after it displaced carbonated soft drinks. Let’s take a look at the average costs of these water sources, so you can see how the cost of your drinking water can add up over time.

The Cost of Tap Water

If you are drinking water from a tap, it can actually be fairly difficult to understand how much your drinking water costs. The portion of your water that you drink is rolled into your total water consumption from your municipal water supplier, which obscures the true cost of drinking straight from your tap.

Using tap water as your primary drinking water source is very, very inexpensive . The Environmental Protection Agency estimated that the average cost of 1,000 gallons of water from a municipal water supplier in the United States in 2016 was only $3.38. This means a gallon of tap water costs on average less than a penny.

If you consumed your total daily recommended water intake at home throughout the year your total drinking water costs would be less than a single dollar. This is assuming that the average male requires 100 ounces per day of drinking water, and the average female requires 73 ounces per day.

Even for large families, tap water is an incredibly cost-effective source for drinking water. While many people find the taste of tap water less palatable than bottled water, effective home water treatment can mitigate or eliminate unpleasant odors and tastes.

The Cost of Bottled Water

The cost of bottled water can vary substantially depending on where you are, where you buy it, what brand it is, and whether it is bought in bulk or not. Bottled water has become a normal part of many shopper’s grocery trips, where a case or two are thrown on the cart without ever really considering the cost. What you may not realize is that the bottled water in your cart is, on average, more expensive than gasoline or milk.

A breakdown of bottled water costs at The Balance uses an average cost of $0.70 per 16.9 ounce bottle of water. Using this average to estimate costs it was found that total annual water costs were approximately $1262 on average.

Keep in mind that this total cost assumes an average cost-per-bottle that may not reflect the price you are paying for water. The brand of bottled water you purchase, where you purchase it, and how often you drink bottled water will all play a role in determining your water costs. However, what is very clear is how substantially more expensive bottled water is than municipal tap water.

Bottled water can also come from bulk delivery services, where 5-gallon jugs of water are delivered to your home and business where they are mounted in a dispenser. Bottled water delivery services are often considered the more cost-effective means of getting bottled water. The International Bottled Water Association pegs the average price-per-gallon of bottled water from all sources including bottled water delivery at $1.11 While this estimated cost is very low compared to most others, it is a simple way to demonstrate that even an ounce of the cheapest bottled water costs three times more than the cost of a gallon of tap water.

Driving Down Your Drinking Water Expenses

The fastest and most effective way to rapidly scale down your drinking water budget is to switch from bottled water to tap water. The problem is that many people who prefer to drink bottled water don’t want to do that. Two of the main reasons many people prefer far more costly bottled water is because of a perceived health benefit, and a preference for the taste of bottled water. These are both very important concerns when it comes to drinking water, so let’s take a look at each of them in a bit more detail.

Safety and Health Concerns

Many people perceive bottled water to be a safer alternative to tap water. This is encouraged through a variety of factors including savvy marketing that emphasizes the health aspects of clean water combined with the grim reality that water quality violations occur every year in the United States. But is bottled water actually different or safer from tap water?

The answer is more complicated than you might think. Many bottled water brands simply treat and repackage tap water. Once repackaged, the water falls under the regulatory authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), rather than the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which regulates water delivered through community water supplies. While the FDA requires bottled water suppliers to adhere to certain requirements, including testing their products, the FDA doesn’t usually test the water on their own.

This leaves a large degree of room for bottled water suppliers to do as much or as little testing on their water as they’d like. Investigative efforts by Consumer Reports found that while contamination of bottled water still occurred, it was much more difficult for consumers to find out about water quality violations with a community water supplier who has mandated reporting requirements. Tests of bottled water have found many of the same contaminants that contribute to water quality violations in community water supplies, such as high levels of arsenic. Through their own testing, Consumer Reports found that 6 percent of bottled water brands had a product that contained levels of contaminants that exceeded either state or federal thresholds.

What the testing by Consumer Reports demonstrates is that bottled water can still contain contaminants, sometimes in levels that exceed regulatory requirements. Often, the water in the bottle came from a municipal tap before it underwent further treatment. While treatment can remove some impurities, the act of storing, packaging and transporting the water can also introduce its own risks.

Taste

The taste of water is very subjective, but it is an important factor in how we hydrate ourselves. Many people simply prefer the taste of bottled water, but why is that the case if many suppliers of bottled water use tap water in the first place?

Nearly all tap water in the United States is treated with disinfectants to neutralize microbes. The most common disinfectant used is chlorine, which imparts a distinct odor and taste to the water that is unappealing for many. In addition to chlorine, ammonia is sometimes added to drinking water to form chloramines. These chloramines are considered a secondary disinfection tool that provides long-term protection against the growth of microbes. Unfortunately, chloramines also alter the taste and smell of tap water.

The mineral content of your water will also alter the taste. Many bottled water suppliers remove a portion of the mineral content in the water they process, causing it to taste differently than the water in your tap.

How to Eliminate the Bottle and Get Great Tasting Water

If you don’t find the taste of tap water pleasant, or you are worried about unwanted contaminants in your tap water, the most cost-effective solution is to filter your own drinking water. Installing a drinking water filtration system allows you to reduce ongoing expenses while providing consistent protection against a wide range of contaminants.

The best home drinking water systems use reverse osmosis to reduce contaminants. Reverse osmosis forces tap water through a specialized membrane with tiny pores that allow water molecules through but limit larger contaminants. Rayne Water reverse-osmosis systems also include an activated carbon post-filter, which captures disinfectants and their byproducts such as chlorine and chloramines, as well as other harmful contaminants like volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Closing Thoughts

If you’re looking for effective ways to cut costs during the COVID-19 pandemic, consider cutting your bottled water consumption. With home water filtration you can have access to great-tasting water with fewer contaminants at far less cost than bottled water. With a Rayne Water treatment system, you’ll have access to as many gallons of drinking water as you need on demand. At the same time, you’ll significantly reduce the environmental impact of your drinking water by creating a bottleless, sustainable solution for clean drinking water for years to come.

To learn more about how a Rayne Water system can save you money, contact us today. One of our water quality specialists will help you find a water treatment solution that fits your needs and gives you access to clean, filtered drinking water at a fraction of the cost of bottled water.

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How Much Does Bottled Water Cost Your Household

Posted June 17, 2020 by Ken Christopher

*Reviewed by Ken Christopher, Senior Vice President at Rayne Dealership Corporation

During the economic uncertainty surrounding the current pandemic, many people are looking for ways to cut their monthly expenses. One of the ways to do this is by looking at how much they are spending on their drinking water each month. If you’ve been asking yourself, “ how much does bottled water cost ?”, you may be surprised by the answer.

How Much Does a Gallon of Bottled Water Cost ?

According to the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA), the average price per gallon of bottled water was $1.11 in 2016, the most recent year published. That’s about $405.15 a year. This number may sound lower than what you pay for a 16oz bottled water, even if you buy it in bulk at the grocery store. That’s because it includes bottled water from all sources, including a 5-gallon water delivery service, and it’s a nationwide average.

Other estimates for how much is a bottle of water , or how much is a case of water , vary greatly due to regional variations, as well as price variations between brands and retailers. A survey of popular brands sold on Amazon done by The Balance found that the average cost of a 16.9-ounce plastic water bottle was around $0.70, which is $1,022 a year if you drink 4 water bottles a day.

How Much is a Gallon of Tap Water?

The cost of bottled water may sound small, but let’s consider how inexpensive a gallon of tap water is. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that in 2016 the average cost of 1,000 gallons of tap water from a municipal supplier was $3.38.

The one issue is, tap water is not nearly as great as the pristine results of filtered water in a water bottle. What’s the easy fix for this? A reverse osmosis filtration system . An RO filter can produce 30 gallons a day of clean, purified water that’s freshly ready for you to drink at the ease of your sink. Giving you drinking water at the inexpensive cost of tap water but great quality like bottled water (if not better).

Average Annual Bottled Water Cost

Let’s take a moment to add up how much bottled water would cost throughout the year, since that tends to provide a clearer picture of the total costs of drinking water. Here we’re going to assume that the average male requires 100 ounces of drinking water per day, and the average female requires 73 ounces per day. We’ll also assume that they are getting all of that water from bottled water.

If bottled water is about $0.04 per ounce, the average person would spend about $3.50 each day and $1,460 annually.

There’s a large gap between these two estimates, and most people’s bottled water costs probably fall somewhere between them. What is important to note is how quickly the cost of bottled water adds up, even if it may seem like a value relative to other brands of bottled water.

Determining Your Own Water Costs

The most accurate way to determine how much your household is spending on bottled water. First add the total cost of your bottled water for a week, then multiply it by 52. That will give you the best idea of how much bottled water is costing your household.

Cutting Your Drinking Water Costs

The most effective way to cut down how much you are spending on drinking water is to eliminate bottled water entirely. Installing a drinking water filtration system, such as a reverse-osmosis system under your sink, offers the ability to have gallons of on-demand drinking water at a fraction of the cost of bottled water.

The fact is, much of the bottled water sold today is actually municipal water that has undergone some type of additional treatment. You can do the same thing at a fraction of the cost with a reverse osmosis system. RO systems remove contaminants and impurities that cause your water to have a poor taste and odor, as well as contaminants that may pose a health risk.

Installing your own drinking water filtration system gives you greater control over how your water is treated, while significantly lowering the cost of your drinking water. Plus with a reverse osmosis filtration system, it’s clean and purified water guaranteed.

The cost breakdown of a reverse osmosis filtration system is $25/mo, which is .0002 cents per oz (since an RO system produces 30 gallons a day) compared to .04 cents per oz like a bottle of water (that’s 200x cheaper!).

Closing Thoughts

While many people prefer the taste of bottled water over tap water, what they may not realize is that their bottled water comes at a premium hundreds or even thousands of times higher than the equivalent cost of tap water. Daily consumption of tap water as the primary drinking water source costs around $1.00 for males and slightly less for females on average throughout the United States. In contrast, even the lowest estimates for the average cost of bottled water make it hundreds of times more expensive. Also, the water cost compares small to the environmental impact of plastic waste from bottled water consumption.

Save Costs on Water: Install a Water Filtration System in Your Home

If you are looking for a way to cut costs but still have a great drinking water taste, consider installing a Rayne Water filtration system. Our drinking water filtration system uses the process of reverse osmosis to provide you with the best water supply. It’ll be a nice walk to your kitchen sink where you can fill your reusable water bottle with premium filtered tap water and not worry about wasting plastic or costing your wallet.

Please contact us today so that one of our water quality experts can help you find the best water system treatment option for your home or business.

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Can the COVID-19 Virus Spread Through Drinking Water

Posted May 19, 2020 by Ken Christopher

*Reviewed by Ken Christopher, Senior Vice President at Rayne Dealership Corporation

The current COVID-19 public health emergency is an unprecedented event in anyone’s living memory that has disrupted daily lives, slowed the economy, and forced Americans living under stay-at-home orders to shelter indoors.

Though social distancing measures appear to be having an effect on the growth of the pandemic, with cases in the United States topping 1 million and over 50,000 deaths currently according to the New York Times, the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a problem that will remain with us for the foreseeable future.

The novel coronavirus, known as SARS-CoV-2, has demonstrated a remarkably high rate of transmissibility. The effects of the disease it causes, known as COVID-19, have proven to be equally devastating. As we have all adapted to living in a world where the surfaces we touch and the people we come into contact with pose a potential threat, many people have begun to reexamine the things around us that have the potential to carry and transmit the coronavirus.

Let’s take a closer look at whether SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can be transmitted through drinking water.

Can the Coronavirus Spread Through Tap Water?

According to guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), SARS-CoV-2 has not been detected in drinking water. Current guidance by the CDC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the World Health Organization (WHO), indicates that water supplied by municipal water suppliers remains safe to drink.

While much remains unknown about the virus, current guidance suggests that traditional water treatment processes used by municipal water suppliers are effective at either removing or inactivating the virus that causes COVID-19.

Standard drinking water treatment processes, such as adding chlorine to municipal water or treating it with ultraviolet light, appear to be effective at neutralizing the coronavirus. This makes sense, given that these treatment processes are used to neutralize other more common viruses that cause outbreaks in drinking water systems. These include Hepatitis A, Norovirus, and Rotavirus.

What Can I Do If I’m Still Concerned?

It is understandable during this difficult time to seek out additional ways to protect the health of yourself, your family, and by extension your community. While current CDC guidance suggests that the risk of contracting COVID-19 through tap water is low provided proper water treatment occurs if you wish to further limit your risk there are viable home water treatment options.

The most effective water treatment option against viruses is reverse osmosis. Reverse osmosis systems force water through a specialized membrane containing very small pores. Those pores allow water molecules to move through, but keep larger contaminants out. Reverse osmosis systems are highly effective at removing viruses, as well as a wide range of other contaminants. These systems are small enough to be installed under your sink, yet powerful enough to provide tens of gallons of fresh, clean drinking water for you and your family each day.

Reverse osmosis drinking water filtration systems are a great option for individuals, families, and businesses that are seeking extra protection against any unexpected rise in contaminants in their drinking water. Though the risk from contracting COVID-19 from treated municipal water supplies is thought to be low, there is a wide range of other contaminants that pose a health risk that reverse osmosis systems are also effective at removing. This makes reverse osmosis systems a great choice if you’re looking for on-demand filtered drinking water at your tap.

Closing Thoughts

Guidance from the CDC, WHO, and EPA remains clear that the risk of contracting COVID-19 from tap water is very unlikely. However, to stay cautious, community water suppliers use treatment methods that remove or inactivate viruses. These treatment methods, including chlorine and ultraviolet light, are also believed to be effective against SARS-CoV-2.

If you remain concerned about the quality of your water, our experts at Rayne Water are here to help. We carry many great water treatment systems that can provide you with clean, filtered water at your tap. We’ll consult with you to listen to your concerns about water, then make targeted recommendations for the best systems that meet your needs.

Ready to learn more about water treatment options for your home or business? Schedule a virtual demo of our products today, so that you can learn about great water treatment systems for your home or business, all from the comfort and safety of your own home.

Sources:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/expert-answers/can-coronavirus-spread-food-water/faq-20485479
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/catching-coronavirus-water/story?id=70245815
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/04/200403132347.htm

Book Virtual Water System Demos with Rayne Water

Posted May 19, 2020 by Ken Christopher

Are you curious about water treatment options for your home or business, but aren’t sure how you can find the right product for you? The current COVID-19 public health emergency has disrupted much of our daily lives. However, you can still get access to expert guidance on water treatment solutions for your home by booking a virtual demo with Rayne Water.

Rayne Water is an essential service, so we’re continuing to help our community members find the right water treatment solution for their needs. One of the ways we are doing that is by rolling out new virtual demos, which give you an opportunity to explore water treatment systems from the safety and comfort of your home.

What’s Changed

The COVID-19 public health emergency has changed nearly every facet of our daily lives, and it is hard to understate how the pandemic is continuing to reshape how we live and interact. It is important to communicate where we are at currently, and what we are doing to protect our customers.

At Rayne Water, we’re closely monitoring guidance from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as well as state and local health officials. Though stay-at-home orders have caused many businesses to temporarily cease operations, Rayne Water is considered an essential business and is continuing with normal operations.

We have implemented best practices recommended by the CDC and World Health Organization (WHO), including practicing safe hygiene, keeping hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes available for all employees, and encouraging employees who don’t feel well to stay at home. A comprehensive list of actions we’ve taken so far can be found at our COVID-19 Update.

One of the ways that we are striving to protect the health of our customers and employees is by expanding our use of technology to bring our products to you through virtual demos. We’ll continue to seek out new ways to provide the same great service we always have and get you access to quality water treatment options.

Water Softener Systems starting at only /mo. Try before you buy!

How a Virtual Demo Can Help You

A virtual demo can help you identify the right system for your needs. Understanding what different water treatment options are available to you can be a challenging task. There are many different types of products on the market, including water softeners, water conditioners, and reverse-osmosis water filtration systems. A virtual demo is one way that you can be quickly introduced to the various types of water treatment systems we offer, including how they work, what the advantage of the system is, and why you might choose it.

How Do I Know What Type of System I Need?

One of the best ways to narrow down your search for a water treatment system is to begin by determining what you want the system to do. Think about what specifically you don’t like about your water.

If you are tired of dealing with the impacts of water hardness, you’ll probably want to take a look at water softening systems. If your water has an unpleasant smell that you’d like to get rid of, a water conditioning system might be right for you. If you are looking for a cost-effective drinking water filtration system, you’ll probably want to start by taking a look at reverse-osmosis systems.

By starting at the problem and working your way back toward a solution, you’ll be more likely to find a solution that is right for you. Our technicians will also help you through this process by asking questions to find out what you don’t like about your current water and finding a treatment method that addresses that issue.

Common Types of Water Treatment

Whether you are tired of dealing with hard water, want to remove bad odors and tastes from your water, or are looking for a cost-effective alternative to bottled water, there’s a water treatment system that can fit your needs.

One thing to keep in mind when exploring water treatment options is that there generally isn’t a system that does everything. Rather, water treatment systems are usually highly effective at removing some contaminants and not others. This is because different treatment processes tend to have high effectiveness at certain types of contaminants, but are less effective against other contaminants.

The most common types of water filters for residential and business use tend to be water softening, water conditioning, and reverse-osmosis water filtration. Let’s take a look at how each of these functions in a bit more detail.

Water Softening

Water softening is the most common method of dealing with hard water. Hard water is water with a relatively high amount of dissolved minerals. These minerals include calcium, magnesium, and heavy metals such as lead and aluminum.

Water softening systems use a process known as ion-exchange to actually remove the heavy minerals from water. In a water softening system, hard mineral ions in water are exchanged with softer sodium ions.

Softened water won’t cause the scaling and soap scum that are common symptoms of hard water. Clothes washed in hard water tend to be more durable and their colors will last longer. Bathing in softened water allows your soap to lather fully, and it is easier to rinse off completely. Hair washed in softened water has more volume and vibrant color.

The benefits of water softening can be immense if you have hard water. Water softeners are a point-of-entry (POE) system so they provide softened water throughout your entire home. But, while water softeners will soften water by removing hard minerals, they won’t remove other contaminants that might be in your water. This is why some people choose to install a reverse-osmosis filtration system under their kitchen sink to provide filtered drinking water for their entire house in addition to a water softening system.

Water Conditioning

Water conditioners are sometimes considered a salt-free alternative to water softening systems, but this description doesn’t capture the differences between these two systems. Water conditioners and water softeners function in different ways and produce different results.

Water conditioners are typically used to remove the chemicals and compounds from your water that cause it to smell or taste bad. They do this through the use of granulated activated carbon, which is a special type of carbon that has been treated with heat or oxygen to give it a very large surface area. As organic contaminants pass through the activated carbon they are trapped on the surface of the carbon through a process known as adhesion.

Water conditioners are incredible for removing the disinfectant chlorine, chloramines, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other substances in your water that cause it to have an unpleasant taste or smell.

Some water conditioners can also be used to provide some of the benefits of softened water. These water conditioners don’t actually soften water, they alter the structure of the hard minerals so that they don’t cause scaling. The Rayne Spartan Series is an example of a water conditioning system that provides some of the benefits of softened water.

Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration

If you want a cost-effective alternative to bottled water, a reverse osmosis filtration system is a great place to start. Reverse osmosis systems filter out the vast majority of unwanted contaminants in your drinking water. They do this through the use of a specialized membrane that contains very small pores. These pores allow water molecules to pass through but block larger molecules.

Reverse osmosis is the same technology used in industrial-scale desalination plants, and the reverse osmosis system in your home will also remove salts from water. However, reverse osmosis systems remove far more contaminants than just salts. Reverse osmosis removes viruses, protozoa, bacteria, and coliforms. It also removes hard minerals, salts, arsenic, fluoride, nitrates, sulfates, and heavy metals such as copper, lead, and chromium.

Under sink reverse osmosis systems for residential use are most-often installed at a point-of-use (POU), to provide drinking water for the household. These systems are capable of providing many gallons of drinking water per day, making them a cost-effective alternative to bottled water. If you transition to reverse osmosis from bottled water, you’ll also produce less waste.

Closing Thoughts

At Rayne Water, we are doing everything in our power to continue to provide you with the cleanest water possible and the best water treatment systems on the market. As an essential business, we have remained open while closely adhering to safe practices outlined by the CDC and WHO. As the situation develops, we will continue to keep our customers and community members updated.

As part of our effort to continue to provide you with the best water treatment options, we’re deploying a new virtual demo option. Aren’t sure what type of water treatment system is right for you? Sign up for our virtual demo! Our knowledgeable technicians can introduce you to our lineup of systems and help you narrow down the treatment option that’s right for you.

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Are Home Improvements Tax Deductible

Posted June 17, 2020 by Ken Christopher

If you are considering doing some home improvement projects, you might be wondering whether those projects are tax-deductible. Standard deductions can have a big impact on your overall tax burden, so gaining a firm understanding of what home improvements are tax deductible is sensible for all homeowners.

How Does a Tax Deduction for Home Improvements Work?

Are home improvements tax deductible? Unfortunately, expenses made making home improvements aren’t deductible because they are considered personal expenses. This doesn’t mean that making improvements to your home can’t bring tax benefits. The tax benefits of home improvements are gained when you sell your home, rather than in the tax year that you spent money on the project.

To understand how this system works, you’ll need to understand the terminology used by the IRS to classify different types of home projects, as well as gain a sense of what your tax credit and cost basis is as a homeowner. If you are able to improve your home’s value (capital improvement), you increase your chances of keeping a higher amount of a tax free capital gain by increasing your cost basis of the property.

Improvement Versus Repair

One thing that gets confusing is whether a project around your house is an improvement or a repair. While these two terms have a similar meaning in an everyday sense, there are big differences when it comes to reaping your tax benefits.

Improvements can be primarily thought of as projects that add value to your home equity, although it can also be a project that adapts your primary residence to a new use or improves the life span of your home. Which home improvements add value to your home? Kitchen, plumbing, or bathroom upgrades are all considered home improvements because they increase the selling price of your home.

In contrast, a repair is something that may be necessary but doesn’t add value to your home with no profit as a result. There’s no comprehensive list of what qualifies as a repair, but some easy examples are replacing a drafty window, fixing a broken water heater, or repainting a room.

What is Your Tax Basis?

An important concept to understand regarding a standard deduction for home improvements is your tax basis. Your tax basis is the amount of money that you subtract from your sale price to determine your profit.

If your tax basis for a house is $200,000 and the selling price for your house is $300,000, your profit will be $100,000.

Each home improvement you make as a homeowner can be added to the tax basis of your home. Let’s look at an example of how this works in action:

You bought your home in 2010 with a purchase price of $100,000. You installed a new roof for $20,000 and expanded your home’s livable space with a finished basement for $30,000. In 2019 you sold your house with a selling price of $225,000. Your tax basis when you sold your house is the $100,000 you initially paid for it, plus the $50,000 for the roof and the basement. To calculate your profit from the house, you would subtract your tax basis ($150,000) from your final selling price ($225,000), resulting in a final profit of $75,000. This final profit is the taxable portion of the sale for the IRS.

Weighing the Tax Benefit of Home Improvements

In the past, raising your tax basis through mortgage interest and home improvements was one of the most effective ways to reduce your tax rate from selling your home. Recent changes to the law made this less necessary in some situations.

The current tax law stipulates that if you lived in your home for two of the five years before the real estate is sold, you won’t have to pay taxes on the first $250,000 of profit for single filers and $500,000 for married-filing jointly filers in the tax season you’re filing for.

So, if you are a single filer and anticipate receiving less than $250,000 in profit off of your home sale, you likely won’t see a benefit from including any expense from home improvements in your tax basis. The same can be said for married filers if their profit from the sale is less than $500,000.

The tax benefits of home improvements are much more likely to be a factor if you have lived in your residence for a long time and home real estate sales have steadily risen in your area. In this case, it is conceivable that some portion of your profit would be subject to taxes and understanding which home improvement is a deduction becomes much more important.

What Home Improvements Are Tax-Deductible When Selling?

Here we’ll provide a list of what home improvements are tax deductible when selling. There is no comprehensive list available, so it is important to remember that in order to be considered an improvement, the project must add value to the home and ultimately increase the profit of the sale. Here are a few of the most common home improvements ideas:

Bathroom remodel
Kitchen remodel
New roof
New air-conditioner
Adding a swimming pool
Adding a finished or unfinished basement
An addition
Water filtration system
Water softening system
Reverse-osmosis drinking water system
Energy-efficient water heater
Energy-efficient windows
Home security system
Drought-tolerant landscaping

The list of projects that can increase the selling price of your home is fairly extensive. One thing to keep in mind is that the improvement you make must still be present when you sell your house to be valid. For example, if you upgrade your air-conditioning unit, that same unit needs to be present when you sell the house in order to be added to your tax return.

Prioritizing Improvements That Add Value

Due to the recent changes in how homeowners’ sale profits are taxed, it can be a good idea to prioritize improvements that increase the selling price of your home. Unless you anticipate a profit exceeding the tax exemption threshold of $250,000 for single filers or $500,000 for married filers, your focus will probably be on improvements that add value rather than the tax benefit those improvements provide.

Improving Your Square Footage – Increasing the size of the livable space in your primary residence is one of the most effective ways of adding to the value of your home. Many people do this by building an addition or by adding a basement. These improvements can serve as a strong attraction for prospective homeowners that are looking for the biggest bang for their buck.
Boosting Your Curb Appeal – Making your house more visually appealing for potential homeowners is a tried and true method of adding value to your home. Consider giving your house a fresh coat of paint, so long as you are willing to do it yourself. Paying a professional might not offer a worthwhile return. The same is true for updating your landscaping. Professional landscaping can be expensive, but transitioning to low-maintenance plants that require less water can be attractive for environmentally conscious consumers.
Update Older Systems – Updating the core mechanical systems of your house, such as your plumbing, heating and air conditioning, and electrical can be beneficial for boosting your home’s value. Improving older systems can help alleviate the concerns of potential homeowners who may be worried about substantial repairs in the first few years of homeownership.
Offer Quality of Life Improvements – Many homebuyers are attracted to features that can help them reduce costs or maintenance when they move in. An example of an improvement in this category is installing a water softening system for your house. Water softening systems ensure that your appliances will maintain efficiency longer while eliminating unsightly and annoying soap scum and limescale. Installing a drinking water filtration system, whether for your whole house or under your sink with a reverse osmosis system, can be a strong attraction for discerning consumers.
Home improvements doubling as a medical expense – There is a possibility you can write off home improvements that are related to the cure, treatment, diagnosis, or prevention of an underlying medical condition or illness of someone in the house. For example, the addition of entry ramps, support bars, or lowering of cabinets and sinks can all be medically related home improvements.
Bathroom and Kitchen Remodeling – Remodeling your bathroom and kitchen are two of the most effective methods of improving your home’s selling price. If you do so, replace older appliances with newer energy-efficient appliances. Matching appliances are an added bonus. In your bathroom, changing out your toilet, sink, and fixtures can breathe new life into a dated room.

Final Thoughts

Most homeowners are curious about whether their home improvement project is tax-deductible. While home improvements aren’t tax-deductible in the year that they are done, they can be added to the value of your primary residence to raise your tax basis. Your tax basis is subtracted from your final selling price to determine your profit.

Although it was incredibly important to track your home improvement expenses in the past, recent changes to the tax law made it less of a priority. If the profit from your home sale is less than $250,000 for single filers or $500,000 for married filing jointly filers, you won’t face a tax penalty on your profits. If your profit exceeds those thresholds then including your home improvements in your tax basis makes sense.

Under the current law, it makes sense to prioritize home improvements that increase the selling price or closing cost of your home. These include improving the size of the living space in your home through an addition or basement or renovating your bathroom or kitchen. There are also laws on home office deduction that may be of interest to you. Improvements that add to the quality-of-life of the occupant, such as a water softening system for your whole house attract potential homeowners by reducing maintenance requirements and ongoing costs.

To learn more about the benefits of water softening and filtration systems, contact Rayne Water today.

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A Guide for How to Test Water Hardness

Posted May 19, 2020 by Ken Christopher

Have you ever wondered how to test water hardness in your house? The answer might be closer than you think. Hard water is the result of elevated mineral levels in the groundwater supply. While hard water may be potable water and not necessarily harmful to your health, it does result in a number of unpleasant effects with which you are probably familiar.

Figuring out how to determine water hardness isn’t necessarily a complex process. While there are detailed tests that can give you an accurate and exact measure of how hard your water is, determining whether or not you have hard water is a much simpler exercise.

In this article, we’re going to outline some easy to understand tips that can help you determine whether or not you have hard water. In doing so, we’ll explore some of the key effects that hard water can have around your house and on your body. Some of these are merely unsightly, while others can impact everything from the efficiency of your appliances to the moisture of your hair and skin. In the end, you might be surprised at the many ways that hard water has had an impact on your daily life and may be interested in a whole home water softener. Water Softening System.

What is Hard Water?

Hard water is water that has a high amount of minerals in it. The majority of these minerals are usually calcium carbonate and magnesium, however other minerals such as manganese and iron can also be found in hard water samples. The higher the mineral count in your water, the harder your water is considered.

Generally, water is thought of as “soft” if it has less than 1 Grain per Gallon (GPG) of calcium carbonate. A higher concentration than this is considered to be hard water, with varying degrees of calcium hardness assigned to different thresholds of calcium carbonate.

How Does Hard Water Form?

The formation of hard water occurs naturally through an interaction between water and the soil it passes through. Starting as precipitation, water is largely soft, though there may be small amounts of minerals contained in rainfall. Once that rainfall hits the ground, it begins to move into and through the soil.

The movement of water through the soil and into the rivers and aquifers that provide our water supply is long and arduous. As water passes through soil along the way, it dissolves the bonds of the mineral ions in the soil. These minerals are then carried along with the water into the water that reaches your tap.

In order for water to be hard, it must pass through soil that is rich in calcium carbonate and magnesium. This typically means chalk or limestone. Hard water can also contain high levels of iron if it moves through iron-rich soil. Put another way, the presence or absence of minerals in the soil around a groundwater source has a direct impact on how hard the water is.

This means that the hardness level of water can vary substantially based on where you live. Many parts of the United States have hard water. This is also why you might notice that the water feels different when you visit another state or country.

Testing for Hard Water

If you are wondering how to measure water hardness, there are a variety of different tests you can do to find out whether or not your water is hard. Most municipal water suppliers also publish information about what types of minerals and other substances the water piped into your house contains. These water quality reports can provide a valuable source of general information, such as where your local water is sourced from, how it is treated, and what types of organic and inorganic materials it might contain. An example of a local municipal water quality report can be found here.

Short of browsing a water quality report or testing a water sample directly at your tap using a water test kit or test strip, there are some easy observational methods that you can use to determine if your water is hard.

Do You Have Spots on Your Dishes?

If your dishes come out of the dishwasher with spots or a slight film on them, you probably have hard water. Those spots found on your dishes are mineral deposits left behind when the water used to wash the dish evaporates or is dried during the last part of the dishwasher cycle.

Have You Observed Mineral Buildup on Your Faucets and Fixtures?

You can definitely tell that you have hard water if you pay close attention to your plumbing fixtures. Those areas of your house that are in frequent contact with tap water will be the areas where you see the biggest impact of hard water, and nowhere else comes in contact with water as frequently as plumbing fixtures.

If you have noticed scaly buildup on your fixtures then you most likely have hard water. You may have noticed that the nozzles on your shower head become clogged over time. This occlusion is due to mineral deposits left behind by hard water. The same is true of the nozzles in your dishwasher, which slowly become closed off by mineral deposits over time.

Staining from mineral deposits on plumbing fixtures can also be different colors. White or gray stains tend to be from calcium carbonate, while areas with a high amount of iron in the water will produce reddish stains on fixtures and faucets.

Do You Get Soap Scum?

If you are constantly battling soap scum, you have hard water. Soap scum is a white, filmy layer often found in showers, in sinks, or on bathroom fixtures. Soap scum forms from a reaction between the minerals in water and the soap or detergent you use and leaves behind a solid substance that is difficult to clean.

Soap scum can combine with mold or trap mildew in it. It can also be extremely difficult to remove, particularly if it has been left in place for some time. Most often, soap scum is an unsightly nuisance that most people with hard water have just learned to live with.

The Hair Test

Hard water can affect our lives in surprising ways. One of these is the effect of hard water on hair. You can test for water hardness by observing your hair – hair washed with hard water will begin to form a layer of minerals on the hair follicle. This mineral layer has a couple of effects that you may not have even realized were happening.

The first is that minerals make hair look dull. Typically, hair washed in hard water will, over time, become duller and lack the vibrancy of hair washed in soft water. Your hair might also be drier when washed with hard water vs. soft water. The minerals deposited by hard water makes it more difficult for moisturizers to penetrate your hair follicle, leading to drier hair over time.

The Hand Washing Test

This could also be considered the soap test, given the fact that it really comes down to how effectively your water washes away the soap. If you wash your hands with hard water and soap, you will probably notice that your hands can feel a bit dry and rough after all the soap has been visibly washed away, requiring lotion or oil. That dry feeling is from a thin layer of liquid soap sticking to the hard mineral left behind and sticking to your hand and is a common sign that your water is hard.

Another component of this test method applies to your skin as a whole. Individuals with hard water can have dry skin, which actually stems from that layer of soap that is left on your body after you get out of the shower.

How to Soften Water

If you realized through your observational tests that you probably have hard water, you might be wondering what makes water soft. Once you determine you have hard water, there are a couple of options for you.

Option 1

The first is to just live with the fact that you have hard water and deal with the issues associated with hard water in your home.

Option 2

The second solution is to install a water softener. What is a water softener? Water softeners are systems that are installed where your water comes into your house. Water Softeners generally consist of two tanks; a mineral tank that contains a negatively charged resin, and a brine tank that contains a sodium-rich solution. Both of these tanks work together to remove minerals from hard water in a process known as ion exchange.

A home water softener system functions by running the tap water coming into your house through the mineral tank, where the positively charged mineral ions are attracted to the negatively charged resin in the tank. These minerals are replaced with sodium ions in the water during the water softening process.

Once the resin in the mineral tank reaches its capacity, it will need to be recharged. With this process, water from the brine tank is pushed through the mineral tank where the sodium ions that also have a positive charge replace the mineral ions that are on the resin. Once the mineral ions have been flushed out of the tank completely, the tank is ready for further extraction of minerals from your hard water.

Is Soft Water Salty?

A water softener solution provides soft water for your entire home. One thing most people immediately wonder is whether the soft water that enters their home is salty, given the fact that there is now sodium that is attached to the water molecule. While there is sodium added to the water during this process, it doesn’t substantially raise the salinity of the water going through your house and doesn’t taste salty.

If the salt content of soft water concerns you, you could look into installing a reverse-osmosis home water filtration system at your sink tap, which would remove any excess sodium as well as bacteria or other contaminants that might be in your water.

Closing Thoughts

Testing to see if your water is hard doesn’t have to be a confusing process. The methods we’ve outlined above constitute an observational test that anyone can perform to quickly determine whether their water is hard. Key indicators of hard water are mineral buildup around faucets and plumbing fixtures, spots and film on dishes after they have been cleaned and dried, and ever-present soap scum or suds in your showers and on your sinks.

Alongside these indicators, there are some additional ways that you can tell your water or drinking water is hard. You may notice that your hair is dry and dull, both of which are often the result of a buildup of minerals from hard water on your hair follicles. Hard water can also cause the skin on your scalp and body to become more dry or irritated, which stems from a layer of soap left on the skin after it has been washed. This layer of soap is also why your hands might feel a bit dry after washing them in an area with hard water.

While hard water doesn’t have any huge negative health consequences, it does produce unsightly buildup and can impact the operational efficiency of equipment such as water heaters over time. If you live in an area with hard water, switching to soft water is as easy as installing a water softener into your home. Water softeners ensure that all of the water in your house is soft through an ion exchange process, whereby the mineral ions in hard water are extracted and replaced with sodium ions in soft water.

The tests we have outlined can give you a good idea of whether or not you have hard water. If you want to understand the total hardness of your water, or exactly how hard the water at your tap is, contact Rayne Water today to schedule a free water hardness test. Rayne Water is proud to serve California and Arizona. So if you need a water softener in Phoenix or a reverse osmosis system in San Diego… we’ve got you covered!

Sources:

Informational Guide: What is Water Conditioner

Posted April 19, 2020 by Ken Christopher

Water conditioners are a great alternative to water softener systems, but what is water conditioning exactly and how does it work? Understanding the details about what water conditioners are, how they are different from water softeners, and how they work can help you determine if a water conditioning system is right for your needs.

What is a Water Conditioner ?

Water conditioning is a type of water treatment that is often thought of as an alternative to water softening . However, these two types of systems function in very different ways and produce different results. Water conditioners are primarily used to remove unwanted contaminants like chlorine, chloramines, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Water conditioners also reduce levels of lead in water.

Not all water conditioners provide the same results. Some water conditioners are used as a salt-free alternative to water softening systems. These types of water conditioners provide some of the benefits of softened water, but don’t actually remove hard minerals from water.

Water conditioners are considered a type of physical water treatment. The benefits of physical water treatment methods like water conditioning are:

These systems don’t use chemical additives to alter the chemistry of the water supply;
Often limit or eliminate wastewater discharge;
Lower ongoing maintenance;
Lower pollution or disposal costs.

Water Conditioning vs Water Softening

If you are tired of dealing with the impact of hard water around your home, you’ll probably want to first look into a water softening system. These systems are a time-tested method of completely eliminating the effects of hard water around your home. While some water conditioners also provide the benefits of soft water, many don’t alter water hardness at all.

The easiest way to understand a water conditioner vs water softener is a water softener removes hard minerals from water and replaces them with sodium ions from a brine tank. In contrast, certain types of saltless water conditioners alter the structure of the hard minerals in water so they don’t cause scaling.

Conditioned water still contains minerals, however, some water conditioners alter the structure of those minerals so they don’t cause scaling around your home or in your appliances. With softened water, the minerals are actually removed from the water and sodium ions are exchanged in their place.

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What is Scaling?

One thing worth pausing on is the issue of scaling. The goal of water softeners and some types of water conditioners is to eliminate scaling, but what exactly is scaling?

Let’s start with the level of water hardness. Water is considered hard if it contains a relatively large amount of dissolved mineral ions. Most often the minerals contained in hard water are dissolved calcium and magnesium. These molecules are bound to the water molecule through an electrical charge and are picked up as water percolates through mineral-rich soil.

When hard water passes over a surface, such as your faucet, shower door, or even the inside of your plumbing, the minerals contained in the water supply precipitate out and bond to the surface they pass over. These mineral deposits are known as scaling.

Scaling may not seem like a big deal but it actually is! On surfaces around your home where scale forms are unsightly, often appearing as a whitish or yellowish deposit, and difficult to remove. But scaling also forms on the inside of your plumbing. Over time these scale deposits will reduce the flow of water through your pipes.

Scaling is a particular problem in appliances or machinery that heat water. In a residential setting, scaling will primarily impact your water heater, dishwasher, or coffee pot, reducing the efficiency and lifespan of those appliances. In a commercial setting, scaling can cause huge problems in industrial boilers. As scale builds in equipment and plumbing, systems experience a decrease in efficiency and equipment lifespan is shortened.

How Does a Water Conditioner Work ?

We have a broad understanding of what is water conditioner , and know that some types of water conditioners can change the physical structure of the hard minerals in the water, but how does this occur? In other terms, how does a water conditioner work ?

To answer this question it is important to understand that there are different types of water conditioners that offer different results. A traditional water conditioner like the Rayne Executive Series is used to provide whole-house water filtration. These systems filter out the chemicals and compounds that give your water a bad taste and smell, such as chlorine and VOCs.

There are also water conditioners that offer some of the benefits of softened water, such as the Rayne Spartan Serie s water conditioners. These water conditioners rely on a special type of resin bead known as template-assisted crystallization (TAC) media to alter the minerals in hard water so that they don’t cause scaling.

TAC media consists of small resin beads. Printed on those beads are catalytically active sites known as templates that encourage nucleation. As hard water enters the system, it passes over these beads. As the dissolved minerals in the hard water come into contact with the TAC media, a small amount of the mineral ions come together and form a crystal. This crystal is sometimes referred to as a seed-crystal because it serves as a foundation for other minerals to attach to. Once these seed-crystals form, other mineral ions in the water detach from the water molecules and attach to the seed-crystals.

Once the mineral ions in hard water are transformed into a crystalline structure they will not bond to surfaces the water passes over or through. This virtually eliminates scaling. Are you wondering, “ how long does water conditioner take to work ”? Surprisingly, the water filtration process happens instantly. With a water conditioner you’ll have the normal water flow you are used to, and lots of conditioned water on-demand.

If you are wondering about an electronic water conditioner and if they work , it’s difficult to make a judgment one way or another. Many people claim they work, and some experiments have supported that. Other research, however, has not demonstrated magnetic or electronic descalers are effective during their testing. If you are looking for consistent, repeatable scale prevention it is best to stick with water softening or a water conditioning system that uses TAC media.

Curious about what the Best Water Conditioner is for you? It depends on what you want out of your water conditioner. If you want water that smells and tastes better, a traditional water conditioning system may be ideal. If reducing the impact of hard water around your home is more important to you, then you’ll want to use a water conditioning system like the Rayne Spartan Series that provides many of the benefits of softened water.

Here are a couple of key features of water conditioners that are worth highlighting.

Point-of-Entry System – Water conditioners are generally a point-of-entry (POE) system. This means they are installed where your water line comes into your home so can condition all of the water entering your home.
Energy Efficient – One of the great features of water conditioners is how energy efficient they are! These systems require little to no power, reducing their environmental impact and ongoing operating costs.
No Brine Solution or Wastewater – Water softening systems, which function through a process known as ion exchange or reverse osmosis, require the use of a brine solution, or salty water, to regenerate the resin beads in their primary tank. While modern water softeners are incredibly efficient, they do produce some wastewater during the regeneration process. Some cities that rely on treated wastewater for irrigation actually ban the use of systems producing brine wastewater. This is more common in arid regions of the United States. In cities with brine restrictions, water conditioners like the Rayne Spartan System offer a viable and economical salt-free alternative that still allows you to avoid the effects of hard tap water.
Incorporated Multi-Media Water Filtration – At Rayne Water , our water conditioners come with integrated carbon filtration. Carbon filtration relies on granulated activated carbon (GAC), a type of carbon treated with heat or oxygen to expand its surface area. This allows activated carbon to trap contaminants through a process known as adhesion. Activated carbon is excellent at removing VOCs, a group of chemicals commonly found in drinking water. Activated carbon will also remove disinfectants like chlorine and their byproducts, which can alter the taste of your drinking water.

Closing Thoughts

Water conditioners are often promoted as a salt-free alternative to water softening systems, but it is important to understand how these systems differ from water softeners before you settle on a water treatment solution.

Most water conditioners remove the chemicals and compounds that give your water an unpleasant taste or smell. These include chlorine, chloramines, and VOCs. These types of water conditioners are an excellent treatment option if you don’t have hard water or aren’t concerned with eliminating hard water in your home.

Some water conditioners can also provide many of the benefits of softened water. Systems like the Rayne Spartan Series alter the structure of the hard minerals in the water so that it doesn’t cause scaling or buildup around your home. While these systems don’t remove hard minerals from water, they do offer a viable salt-free alternative to water softening systems.

Aren’t sure whether a water conditioner or water softener is right for you? Get in contact with Rayne Water today so one of our helpful water quality experts can help you assess your needs and make a targeted recommendation. It may also be helpful to have one of our technicians perform a water test so you can see exactly what is in your water, and find the most effective treatment solution for those unwanted contaminants and heavy metals.

To learn more about Rayne Water’s water conditioners please contact us today!

Sources

https://continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com/courses/multi-aia/the-intelligent-scale-solution–template-assisted-crystallization
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/567404
Vastyan, John. 2010. “Template-Assisted Crystallization.” Heating/Piping/Air Conditioning Engineering 82 (11): 34–37.

How Long Does Water Conditioner Take to Work

Posted April 19, 2020 by Ken Christopher

If you are in the process of installing a water conditioner, you are probably curious about how they work. Does this system facilitate reverse osmosis? Does it remove chlorine, chemicals and other heavy metals from tap water?

Most water conditioners remove chemical contaminants from your water, while some also alter the minerals in water so they don’t cause scaling, but how long does this process take to work? Let’s dive into the question of “ how does a water conditioner work ” and determine whether its function is a good fit for you!

How Does a Water Conditioner Work ?

Water conditioners work in different ways depending on what contaminants you want to be removed from your water. Many water conditioners remove chemical contaminants from water. These include chlorine, chloramines, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These chemicals and compounds alter the taste and smell of your water.

Some water conditioners also provide soft water benefits. Water conditioners achieve this feat through a process known as nucleation. To do this, water conditioners utilize special resin beads known as template-assisted crystallization (TAC) media. On TAC media are printed catalytically activated sites known as templates.

As water moves through these water conditioners it passes over the TAC media beads. A small proportion of the dissolved minerals in water come into contact with the template sites printed on the beads, where they are encouraged to come together in an ordered crystalline pattern. These initial steps form what is called a seed-crystal, which is a tiny crystal.

Once the seed-crystal has been formed it attracts other dissolved mineral ions that contribute to water hardness. The dissolved mineral ions prefer to attach and build the existing crystal rather than attach to other surfaces your water may come into contact with. Although your water conditioner only physically alters a small proportion of the mineral ions in your water, those changes are sufficient to encourage the remaining mineral ions in your hard tap water to change as well. This physical change in the mineral structure helps answer the question of what is a water conditioner .

One thing to note about the water conditioners that provide soft water benefits we’ve described here is that they specifically rely on TAC media to function. You might be wondering about electronic water conditioners. Do they work ? The answer is complicated. Some studies have shown a decrease in scaling associated with magnetic or electronic water conditioners, while others have not. Unlike electronic water conditioners, water conditioners using TAC media provide repeatable, consistent results.

How Long do Water Conditioners Take to Work?

Now that we’ve outlined the different results water conditioners can provide, you’re probably wondering how long does water conditioner take to work ? The good news is that conditioning water happens very quickly. You shouldn’t notice a decrease in flow rate, and water conditioners are capable of conditioning as much water as you need. This could mean gallons and gallons of water!

Whether you are using a water conditioner to remove chemicals altering the smell or taste of your water, or are using a water conditioner that provides some soft water benefits, water conditioning happens immediately. This allows you to condition water on-demand, rather than having to wait for it.

Why Consider a Water Conditioner?

Aren’t sure whether a water conditioner is right for you? Let’s take a look at a few of the top advantages of water conditioning systems.

Energy Efficient – Water conditioners operate passively and are incredibly energy efficient. This means your ongoing costs are lower when compared to other alternatives and you’ll have less of an environmental impact while making tap water safe.
No Brine – Do you live in an area with brine restrictions? If so, certain types of water conditioners, as opposed to water softeners , is the best alternative for treating water hardness.
Better Tasting and Smelling Water – Water conditioners remove many of the chemicals and compounds that alter the taste and smell of your water. If you are tired of smelling like chlorine after your shower or drinking water that has an odd taste, then a water conditioner may be right for you!

Closing Thoughts

How long does conditioned water take to work? No time at all! Water conditioning happens on demand.

Most water conditioners remove chemicals and compounds that give your water an unpleasant taste or smell. Additionally, some water conditioners can also provide the benefits of soft water without the use of salt! While these types of water conditioners don’t remove hard minerals from water, they do alter it in a way that reduces the impact of hard water around your home or business.

Aren’t sure whether a water conditioner vs water softener is right for you? Our specialists at Rayne can help! These two types of systems function in different ways and produce different results, so understanding what you want out of your water treatment system is crucial.

Contact Rayne Water today to find the Best Water Conditioner for your home or business.

Sources:

https://continuingeducation.bnpmedia.com/courses/multi-aia/the-intelligent-scale-solution–template-assisted-crystallization
https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/grants_loans/water_recycling/research/ion_exchange_water_softeners.pdf
https://www.osti.gov/biblio/567404
Vastyan, John. 2010. “Template-Assisted Crystallization.” Heating/Piping/Air Conditioning Engineering 82 (11): 34–37.

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Archive for the ‘Older’ Category

Key Takeaways

What Is Alkaline Water?

Natural vs Artificial Alkalinity

Alkaline Water Filter Systems

What Are the Claimed Benefits of Alkaline Water?

Commonly Marketed Claims

What Does the Science Say?

What the Research Actually Says

Can Alkaline Water Be Harmful?

Reverse Osmosis vs. Alkaline Water

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water

Alkaline Water

Comparison Table: Reverse Osmosis vs. Alkaline Water

What to Drink Instead of Bottled Alkaline Water

Reverse Osmosis Filter Systems

Lower Cost

Less Waste

Fewer Contaminants

Alkalizing Filter Add-Ons (Optional)

Should You Use an Alkaline Water Filter System at Home?

Pros

Cons

Alkaline Water vs. Clean, Filtered Water

FAQs

*Reviewed by Ken Christopher, Senior Vice President at Rayne Dealership Corporation

Why is Chlorine Added to Drinking Water?

How Effective is Chlorination?

Safe Levels of Chlorine in Drinking Water

Disinfection Byproducts

Reducing Levels of Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts

Closing Thoughts

Have you thought About Your Water Costs Recently?

The Cost of Tap Water

The Cost of Bottled Water

Driving Down Your Drinking Water Expenses

Safety and Health Concerns

Taste

How to Eliminate the Bottle and Get Great Tasting Water

Closing Thoughts

*Reviewed by Ken Christopher, Senior Vice President at Rayne Dealership Corporation

How Much Does a Gallon of Bottled Water Cost ?

How Much is a Gallon of Tap Water?

Average Annual Bottled Water Cost

Determining Your Own Water Costs

Cutting Your Drinking Water Costs

Closing Thoughts

Save Costs on Water: Install a Water Filtration System in Your Home

*Reviewed by Ken Christopher, Senior Vice President at Rayne Dealership Corporation

Can the Coronavirus Spread Through Tap Water?

What Can I Do If I’m Still Concerned?

Closing Thoughts

Sources:

What’s Changed

How a Virtual Demo Can Help You

How Do I Know What Type of System I Need?

Common Types of Water Treatment

Water Softening

Water Conditioning

Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration

Closing Thoughts

Sources:

How Does a Tax Deduction for Home Improvements Work?

Improvement Versus Repair

What is Your Tax Basis?

Weighing the Tax Benefit of Home Improvements

What Home Improvements Are Tax-Deductible When Selling?

Prioritizing Improvements That Add Value

Final Thoughts

Sources:

What is Hard Water?

How Does Hard Water Form?

Testing for Hard Water

Do You Have Spots on Your Dishes?

Have You Observed Mineral Buildup on Your Faucets and Fixtures?

Do You Get Soap Scum?

The Hair Test