Is It Better to Rent or Buy a Water Softener?

Posted March 14, 2022 by Ken Christopher

Whether you’re starting to notice mineral buildup on your faucets in your new home or you have noticed it building up over the years, it’s never the wrong time to invest in your home’s water quality and eliminate hard water problems.

You might be wondering, “what is hard water and what exactly does a water softener do? Installing at-home water softeners can reduce the amount of “hard” minerals—like calcium and magnesium—in your water, therefore improving your appliance performance, as well as protect your plumbing and soft water for your skin, clothes and hair.

Before you take the plunge towards soft water, consider your options—should you rent or buy water softener equipment? The answer will depend on your personal preference. In this article, we’ll break down the benefits of buying vs renting to help you decide which investment type is right for you and your family.

Whether you choose to buy or rent a water softening system, you’ve still taken a step in the right direction—supplying your home with softer, cleaner water.

Renting vs. Buying: Which Is For You?

The decision to rent or buy water softener equipment isn’t all that different from other rent/buy quandaries—it all comes down to your personal opinion and preference.

But, comparing water softener systems to home-buying or renting isn’t the most helpful analogy. Instead, let’s consider a different example—a washer and dryer.

Your local appliance shop likely offers three options for purchasing a washer and dryer:

Payment in full
Payment in installments (financing)
Renting

If you’re determined on the model and are fully ready to upgrade your washer and dryer to newer, more efficient models, paying for the appliances in full is probably the simplest option. A benefit of this is that you don’t have to worry about paying interest or dealing with monthly payments.

If you aren’t too sure about what options best fit your needs, renting may be the right fit for you. If you finance your washer and dryer, you’ll have to make monthly payments and most likely pay interest as well.

Renting is an excellent option in a few scenarios:

You’re renting your home – If you don’t plan to live in your current home for life, or if you’re only temporarily renting a place to live while you save up to purchase real estate, renting equipment gives you the freedom to move your equipment to a new home or terminate your agreement if your next home already includes these appliances.
You can’t afford to pay in full right now, but don’t want to pay the interest – You simply can’t live without some appliances. Renting may not be the least expensive option over time, but if money is tight right now, it can provide an affordable, temporary solution to your needs.
You only need the appliances short-term – If you have a plan to purchase after setting aside money for a few months, you might still need these appliances in the interim. Short-term renting can meet your needs until you have the money to pay in full.

Just like funding any other appliance, deciding to buy, rent, or finance a water softener depends on several factors. Either way, you’re in the right direction for softened water that’s clean for all your water usage.

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

Reasons to Rent

If you’re still having a hard time deciding whether to rent or buy water softener equipment, let’s explore a few reasons why a water softener rental might be right for you and your water problems.

Freedom to Upgrade

Instead of thinking of renting as a temporary solution, consider it a research opportunity.

If you choose to rent equipment, you have a chance to “try before you buy.” You have multiple options for water softeners, and renting can allow you to sample all of your options.

There’s also another perk—you can upgrade your system at any time.

When you rent a water softener instead of buying, you have the freedom to make changes to your custom solution setup at any time.

Opportunity to Test Out Combined Systems

You might be on the fence about which water system is right for you. After all, you have numerous options to consider:

Traditional ionic water softener systems
Salt-free systems
Systems that soften and filter
Tank delivery
Reverse osmosis systems

If you have multiple water-related needs but are unsure which single solution will produce the best results, consider testing out various combinations of water systems to find the perfect equipment for your circumstances.

Renting gives you an excellent opportunity to assess all of your options and tweak your system to achieve optimal results before committing to a purchase .

With the exception of salt, all service and required maintenance are part of the rental agreement

3 Reasons to Buy

If you’re all set to purchase a system, but renting is starting to sound like an attractive option, don’t rule out payment in full just yet. Let’s explore three reasons why making an in-full purchase or financing might be the ideal choice for your situation.

#1: It’s a Permanent Solution to a Long Term Problem

Hard water is always going to be around. So when you decide to buy a water softener it automatically fixes your problem of having hard water. Why wouldn’t you want to say goodbye to mineral buildup and clogged pipes.

#2: Saves Money

Depending on how long you need a water softener for, long term buying may be the financially smart choice. The longer you use your water softener, the more you get out of your money. The initial cost of buying a water softener system seems scary, but if you consider the long term investment of owning your equipment, the savings can be substantial.

#3: An Average System Lasts 15-20 Years

When you purchase a water softener system you are making an investment for your future. An average water softening system lasts a good 15 to 20 years depending on how well it is upkept. Another added benefit of purchasing a system is that it adds value to your home. So enjoy the benefits of your system today and in the future.

Rayne Water Conditioning: Providing Your Family With All Your Water System Needs

Whether you rent or buy, a water softener system provides you and your family with many benefits.

Sometimes, you need help from an expert. At Rayne Water , we’ve been helping people just like you choose the best water systems as well as the best programs and packages since 1928. For 94 years in business, we’ve helped countless families in California, Arizona, and Nevada by improving the quality of their water

Sources:

Minnesota Department of Health. Home Water Softening. https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/softening.html
Rocket Mortgage. What is Compound Interest and How Is It Calculated? https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/compound-interest
Dun & Bradstreet. Financial and Credit Risks. https://www.dnb.com/resources/finance-credit-risk.html

Where Does Bakersfield Get Its Water?

Posted March 21, 2022 by Ken Christopher

Whether you’re a lifelong Bakersfield resdent or new transplant to one of California’s most populous cities, you may wonder about the source of one of your most important utilities—where does Bakersfield get its water?

In this article, we’ll discuss Bakersfield’s five main water sources. Since local water supplies are always at risk for potential contamination, we’ll also explore common Bakersfield water contamination threats and mitigation strategies that can protect your home, business, factory, or farm.

Bakersfield Water Sources

California Water Service (CWS) provides clean drinking water access throughout Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County area.¹ So, where does CWS get the water it provides to homes, businesses, manufacturing facilities, and farms? Is tap water safe in Bakersfield, CA?

Let’s take a closer look at the sources.

#1 Groundwater Wells

CWS extracts most of Kern County’s water from groundwater wells—approximately 36% of the water supply.²

Wells provide groundwater from the water table—the point underground at which all soil, rocks, and organisms are completely submerged in water—and this water is often treated with purification agents or filtered before transport in the local plumbing infrastructure.³

CWS produces water for Kern County via 69 active wells in the surrounding area. These wells offer some significant benefits for consumers, government agencies, and water producers alike:

Wells take up limited space, reducing the real estate needed for water extraction infrastructure.
Since they access the water table, wells make it easy to monitor the health and water level of local aquifers—the underground water stores that supply groundwater.
Wells allow access to water even in unfavorable geological conditions. By simply drilling downward, water suppliers can extract resources even in sandy, silty, or rocky water tables.

#2 State Water Project—The California Aqueduct

The California State Water Project (SWP) is a massive infrastructure system that stores and transports water to over 27 million Californians.⁴ The 705-mile long network incorporates numerous water storage, transport, and management technologies, like:

Canals
Pipelines
Reservoirs
Hydroelectric power facilities

These combined technologies provide water throughout the state, and the system is sometimes referred to as The California Aqueduct.

The California Aqueduct provides approximately 26% of Kern County’s water, making it the second-largest source after groundwater wells.² The project offers other benefits to the state:

Improved aquifer water levels
Recreation and education opportunities for California residents
Hydroelectric power generation—a sustainable alternative to coal-based energy

California Water Service purchases water from the California Department of Water Resources to supplement the supply generated from groundwater wells.

#3 Kern River

Bakersfield gets 20% of its water from the Kern River.²

The Kern River originates in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains, where it’s primarily fed by snowmelt from peaks like Mount Ericsson and Mount Whitney.⁵ Furthermore, the North Fork of the Kern River between the Johnsondale bridge and Lake Isabella.

Before Kern river water flows through Bakersfield, the river passes through Sequoia National Park and Sequoia National Forest, across rocky granite ledges, and around wetland habitats. With its 30 feet per mile gradient, it’s one of the steepest rivers in North America.

While adventurers can try their luck on the steep Class IV and V rapids, water suppliers—luckily—don’t have to board a white water raft to supply the Bakersfield area with Kern river water.

Since the river passes directly through the city and surrounding areas, providers can supplement the groundwater well, and State Water Project reserves with water delivered from the highest peaks of California’s snowy mountains.

After it flows through Bakersfield, the Kern River joins a series of canals in nearby Tupman.

#4 Federal Water Projects

The Bakersfield water supply receives 12% of its water supply from two major infrastructure systems developed by the US Bureau of Reclamation:²

The Central Valley Project (CVP) – In 1938, the Bureau of Reclamation began constructing what would become a 400-mile long system of canals, reservoirs, dams, and hydroelectric power plants to prevent flooding in California’s Central Valley and transport water throughout the region.⁶
Friant-Kern Canal – The Friant-Kern Canal is a portion of the CVP that stretches 152 miles from Fresno to Bakersfield.⁷ It’s completely gravity-controlled—water movement in the canal doesn’t require any pumps.

These federally-managed water systems primarily supply agricultural and industrial businesses throughout the area, mostly due to the systems’ respective proximities to farmland.

However, both sources have received their fair share of negative publicity—in 2006, Friant Dam (which helps control the canal flow and water level) caused reduced river flow in the San Joaquin River, resulting in decimated seasonal salmon runs that year. Efforts to rehabilitate the area and San Joaquin River are still ongoing.

Additionally, the CVP originally planned on installing infrastructure to capture agricultural runoff, but this portion of the project was left unfinished for multiple years. As a result, mineral buildup from the runoff has posed contamination risks to the water supply.⁸

#5 Local Streams and Other Sources

Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County area derive 6% of their water supply from local streams and other sources.²

To recap, Bakersfield’s other water sources—and their share of the water supply—include:

Groundwater wells (36%)
The State Water Project/California Aqueduct (26%)
The Kern River (20%)
Federal Water Projects (12%)

To supplement these sources—which supply 94% of the region’s water—water suppliers turn to small rivers, creeks, and canals. For instance, suppliers can source water from Poso Creek, a small canal originating in the Kern National Wildlife Refuge, when they need to bolster collection efforts.

Supplying water to homes, businesses, industrial operations, and farms require cooperation from multiple parties and favorable conditions in a variety of water sources.

Contaminant Considerations for the Water Supply

We’ve explored where Bakersfield gets its water.

As you can see, some of that water takes a long journey before reaching its destination. While water usually goes through a purification process, it’s natural to wonder about the quality of your water supply.

Next, we’ll talk about the contamination possibilities that could affect the safety of your home, business, factory, or farm water supply. While some of what you are about to read may be concerning it is imperative to understand that the contaminants listed may or may not be in your water and it is always recommended that you contact your local Rayne Representative today for the best recommendation for your water treatment.

#1 Physical Contaminants

The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Safe Drinking Water Act outlines four kinds of drinking water contaminants:⁹

Physical
Chemical
Biological
Radiological

The physical water contaminants mainly impact the physical qualities of drinking water—odor, color, clarity, and taste. Common physical water contaminants include sediments (silt, soil, and sand) or any suspended organic matter (small plants or rocks).

Since most of Bakersfield’s water comes from groundwater wells, large-scale water transport infrastructure, and the Kern River, the local water supply is susceptible to physical contaminants due to soil erosion around wells and silt runoff into rivers, reservoirs, and the water table.

Water suppliers filter out a portion of physical contaminants, but small particles can still make it through your faucet. A high-quality reverse osmosis system can help filter contaminants from your water supply if you’re unsatisfied with its color, odor, taste, or clarity.

#2 Chemical Contaminants

Chemical contaminants—which can be manmade or naturally occurring—can react with molecules to cause chemical reactions in the water supply.⁹ Some examples include:

Nitrogen
Bleach
Salts
Pesticides and fertilizers
Metals
Toxins produced by bacteria
Prescription drugs (for animals or humans)

You may be able to see the results of chemical contaminants if you have hard water stains near faucets and drains in your home or office. When water is contaminated with high levels of dissolved calcium and magnesium, these chemicals can build up on plumbing fixtures and inside pipes—a sign that you have hard water in your home.¹⁰

While you may be able to observe some physical results of chemical contaminants (e.g., hard water stains) remember that not all chemical reactions are visible to the naked eye.

For instance, oversaturation of nitrogen in drinking water can cause chemical reactions that create unsafe levels of ammonia or nitrous oxide in the water supply.¹¹ Excess nitrogen can also lead to rapid algae growth—an unwelcome visitor in any drinking water source.

If chemical contaminants—including calcium and magnesium, which create hard water—are a concern in your home, consider installing a Rayne water softener or explore a portable exchange tank solution.

#3 Biological Contaminants

Biological contaminants are living organisms that may take up residence in drinking water.⁹ Also commonly called microorganisms or microbiological contaminants, they can create a variety of health risks. Some biological contaminants can make you very sick. Examples of these contaminants include:

Bacteria – Not all bacteria are dangerous, but some potential contaminants like E. coli can cause severe illness.
Viruses – Water-borne viruses include hepatitis A, norovirus (a virus that can cause vomiting and diarrhea), and adenovirus (which can cause a variety of illnesses).¹²
Protozoa – Some protozoa (like Cryptosporidium ) can cause significant illness.
Parasites – Parasites can cause a variety of infections, including giardiasis, one of the most common water-borne diseases in the US.¹³

#4 Radiological Contaminants

Radiologic contamination is caused by unstable elements like plutonium, uranium, and cesium. These can emit ionizing radiation.⁹ As you can imagine, radiation can create a variety of hazards, from household material degradation to physical illness.

You can rest assured knowing that radiological contaminants are very well-regulated by a variety of natural resource and public health authorities across the US, including the Environmental Protection Agency. If you believe that your water is contaminated with radioactive material, you should seek medical treatment and alert your local utility authorities right away.

Rayne Water Conditioning: Drink Bakersfield Water with Confidence

Bakersfield water comes from a variety of sources, all of which are susceptible to a variety of contaminants. While not all contaminants in “clean drinking water” create health risks, it’s important to monitor the water quality in your home, business, manufacturing facility, or farm carefully.

For those who seek peace of mind and more control over their water content, Rayne Water Conditioning is here to help. Since 1928, we’ve been supplying families, businesses, factories, and farms with water quality solutions that meet their needs.

Our experts can help you find the perfect solution for your water quality woes at home or at work.

Sometimes, you simply can’t take risks with your water quality. When you’re ready to transform your tap water for the better, contact us for a free consultation.

Sources:

California Water Service. District Information: Bakersfield. https://www.calwater.com/district-information/?dist=bk
Water Association of Kern County. Water in Kern County. https://www.wakc.com/water-overview/kern-county/
US Department of the Interior. Groundwater Wells. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/groundwater-wells
California Department of Water Resources. State Water Project. https://water.ca.gov/Programs/State-Water-Project
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Kern River, California. https://www.rivers.gov/rivers/kern.php
US Bureau of Reclamation. Central Valley Project. https://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvp/
Water Education Foundation. Friant-Kern Canal. https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia/friant-kern-canal
Water Education Foundation. Central Valley Project. https://www.watereducation.org/aquapedia/central-valley-project
United States Environmental Protection Agency. Types of Drinking Water Contaminants. https://www.epa.gov/ccl/types-drinking-water-contaminants
US Department of the Interior. Hardness of Water. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/hardness-water#overview
US Environmental Protection Agency. Nutrient Pollution.
National Library of Medicine. Waterborne Viruses: A Barrier to Safe Drinking Water. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4482390/
Mayo Clinic. Giardia Infection (Giardiasis). https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/giardia-infection/symptoms-causes/syc-20372786
“Upper Kern River Sequoia National Forest.” USDA. https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/sequoia/recreation/?cid=fsbdev3_059082

Is Santa Clarita Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Posted March 28, 2022 by Ken Christopher

Whether you recently moved to sunny Santa Clarita or you’re a long-time local, you may be wondering how safe Santa Clarita tap water is—for drinking, cooking, and everything in between.

While the Santa Clarita water is treated by local water service authorities, contamination is always possible. In this article, we’ll explore some potential unwelcome visitors that coul d be wreaking havoc on your plumbing equipment or even your health.

Potential Contaminants in Santa Clarita Drinking Water

Santa Clarita tap water is like the drinking water supply anywhere else—it’s treated to prevent contamination and reduce the total dissolved solids. Nonetheless, contamination accidents are always a possibility. Let’s explore some common contaminants that may or may not be in your local water supply as well as potential water quality solutions.

#1 Biological Contaminants

Biological contaminants are some of the most important to monitor. They can impact the physical qualities of your water, including its taste, odor, color, and clarity. They can also significantly impact your health.

There are four major types of biological (also called microbial or microbiological) contaminants:¹

Viruses – Viruses are small organisms that can make you sick. Some waterborne viruses are particularly nasty. Hepatitis A, norovirus, and adenovirus can all cause acute illness.²
Bacteria – While not all bacteria are harmful—your body needs numerous bacteria to survive—some are certainly not to be trifled with. One example of a waterborne bacterium that can cause illness is E. coli, which has contaminated California tap water supplies in the past.³
Parasites – Parasites like Cryptosporidium and Giardia can cause significant health problems, and they’re not uncommon contaminants.⁴
Protozoa – Protozoa, like parasites, can contaminate water supplies, causing illnesses like toxoplasmosis.⁵

Santa Clarita residents who worry about potential biological contaminants may benefit from a reverse osmosis system for their homes, which can provide a consistent purified water source. However, even with reverse osmosis there still is a chance the contaminants remain depending on the contamination level of the water.

#2 Calcium and Magnesium

Hard water is caused by high concentrations of calcium and magnesium in your water.⁶ You might have hard water if you notice any of the following common signs:

Water spots or stains on your plumbing fixtures or drinking glasses
Soap scum buildup in the shower or next to your dish soap dispenser
A dry, rough feeling after you wash your hands with soap

Calcium and magnesium can also impact the overall quality and taste of your home tap water. More importantly, they can also damage both your plumbing fixtures and your overall plumbing system. As calcium and magnesium solids build up in your pipes, The scale can cause pipe bursts, leaks, and significantly reduced water flow..

While the city has strict rules for at-home water treatment equipment, homeowners with hard water should consider the salt free water options Santa Clarita which helps combat scaling and plumbing damage.

#3 Arsenic

Arsenic is a naturally occurring substance, but it can cause significant health concerns in high concentrations.⁷ There are a few key things to know about potential arsenic contamination:

Arsenic is a byproduct of many metallurgy processes.
It’s commonly found in fertilizers, herbicides, and agricultural products.
It can dissolve out of rock formations in underground aquifers when water levels are low.

Heating and boiling will not remove arsenic—in fact, boiling water can actually increase the concentration of arsenic since evaporation during boiling will reduce water volume. If you’re concerned about potential arsenic contamination in your home water supply, you should consider a whole-home water filtration solution.

#4 Nitrates

Nitrates, like arsenic, are naturally occurring—in fact, they’re vital in small quantities for human and ecosystem survival.⁸

When nitrogen ions bind to water or ozone molecules in a chemical reaction, they can create nitrate and nitrite compounds, which can be dangerous to your health in high concentrations—especially if you’re pregnant.

There are a few reasons why nitrates might contaminate your water supply:

The wells that your city uses to extract water from aquifers are poorly placed or constructed.
Nitrates can enter the water supply via agricultural or industrial runoff.
Vulnerabilities in your city’s waste disposal system can result in dangerous human waste leaks, which can introduce nitrates into groundwater.

Nitrates require very specific water treatment methods. They can’t be removed by boiling, using a mechanical water filter (like activated charcoal products commonly found in water filter pitchers), or chemically disinfecting the water via chlorination.

Reverse osmosis systems can, however, help eliminate this pesky contaminant from your home’s water supply.

Rayne Water Conditioning: Providing Santa Clarita with Safe, Delicious Water

While water in Santa Clarita and the surrounding area is treated by local water providers and monitored by regulatory agencies, there’s always a possibility for contamination. In a world where anything can happen, proper equipment and expert advice are readily available to protect the health and safety of your family and your home’s plumbing system.

At Rayne Water Conditioning, we’re passionate about bringing clean water to homes in Santa Clarita and beyond—we’ve been serving California since 1928, and our experts can help homeowners anywhere in the state achieve their water treatment goals.

Plus, our blog is full of important industry information that can increase consumers’ awareness of common water issues. Is tap water safe to drink in Orange County ? Is tap water safe in Bakersfield, CA ? You can find the answers to these questions—and numerous others—on our blog .

If you’re ready to take the plunge into clean, healthy, and delicious household tap water, contact us for a free consultation today.

Sources:

US Environmental protection Agency. Types of Drinking Water Contaminants. https://www.epa.gov/ccl/types-drinking-water-contaminants
National Library of Medicine. Waterborne Viruses: A Barrier to Safe Drinking Water. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4482390/
California Healthline. Fecal bacteria in California’s Waterways Increases with Homeless Crisis. https://californiahealthline.org/news/fecal-bacteria-in-californias-waterways-increases-with-homeless-crisis/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parasites – Giardia .
National Library of Medicine . Protozoan Parasites in Drinking Water: A System Approach for Improved Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Developing Countries. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5877040/
US Department of the Interior. Hardness of Water. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/hardness-water#overview
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Arsenic.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Nitrate.

What Size Water Softener Do I Need?

Posted February 16, 2022 by Ken Christopher

Hard water can definitely be hard on your household. From discolored spots on your favorite china to tap water that tastes less-than-refreshing, hard water can impact so many aspects of your day-to-day life. If you’ve pondered the thought, “ do I need a water softene r” and decided to invest in one to remedy hard water’s effects on your home, you may already be dreaming of spotless plates and delicious glasses of water right from the tap.

But before you can start reaping the many benefits of a water softener, you may be wondering, “What size water softener do I need?”

The answer depends on the hardness of your water, the size of your house, and how much water you use . In this guide, we’ll discuss water hardness, how it impacts water softener sizing and the type of water softener you’ll need, and the equation you can rely on to calculate your ideal water softener.

What You Need to Know to Determine Your Water Softener Size

Thankfully, you don’t need a degree in water science or advanced mathematics to calculate the perfect size water softener for your household. You just need to know two things:

#1 Your home’s water hardness levels – A water’s hardness level is determined by how many grains of dissolved minerals (specifically calcium and magnesium) are in your area’s water source. The more mineral grains in your water, the harder the water will be and vice versa for soft water . The harder the water, the more work your water softener will have to do to remove those minerals for optimal results. This is why water softeners are sized by grains rather than household.

Water hardness will vary based on your location, as different regions will have different factors impacting the water (factors include climate, geological make-up of water source, and even the age of your area’s public water filtration systems). Check out your zip code’s drinking water quality report (available online) to learn more about water hardness levels in your city water . You can also purchase a water hardness test kit online or at your local home improvement store if your local water department cannot provide hard water mineral levels. You can also take water samples and send them to one of the testing labs listed on the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website as an alternative.¹

#2 About how many gallons you use every day – For an accurate estimate, take a look at your water bill and divide the gallons used by the number of people in your home. Or, you can simplify this step by using the national average daily water use. According to the U.S. Geological survey, Americans use between 80-100 gallons of water a day.² Multiply this number by the number of individuals in your household and you’ll have a rough estimate. Why is this number important for your calculations? The more water used, the more grains will need to be removed.

The Water Softener Size Equation (Simplified)

Ready for a little water softening math?

Multiply the daily amount of water used by your household (in gallons) by your home’s water hardness (in grains per gallon). Then, multiply that number by seven since a water softener will ideally regenerate every seven days.

The final result is the number of grains your water softener will need to remove every week.

Let’s work with an example to help see this equation in action. Meet the Armans—the Armans are a family of four and are excited to find a water filtration system for their home in Escondido, California. The Armans took a look at their water bill and discovered their water consumption was up to 360 gallons per day on average. Their neighborhood has a water hardness level of 12 grains per gallon.

Let’s plug that into our equation:

360 gallons X 12 grains = 4,320 total grains every day
4,320 X 7 days between softener regenerations = 30,240 grains to be removed every week.

Now that you know how many grains your water softener will need to remove, you can start shopping for the accurate size.

A Quick Guide to Water Softener Sizes

Water softener capacity is a bit more specific than “Small,” “Medium,” or “Large” which is why choosing the right size water softener takes some background knowledge. Water softeners are categorized by grain capacities. The following are the most standard sizes:

24,000
30,000
32,000
48,000
56,000
64,000

Most families of four that have water with a hardness scale of five or ten grains per gallon (GPGs) would need a 30,000-grain capacity water softener.

However, any four-person household with a 15 or 20 GPG water hardness score would typically need to use a water softener system with a 40,000 grain softening capacity .

With that in mind, it’s important to choose the right water softener . Let’s revisit the Armans and their 30,240 grains of minerals. They would probably choose the 32,000 size.

Can You Get Too Big of a Water Softener?

When in doubt, size up. Why? Because a system that is one step up in size may process grains more efficiently, making it more ideal for your family.

However, it is possible to purchase a water softener that can process more water and grains per gallon than you need. This increased processing may not only waste water but also over-soften your water. There are several side effects associated with this, including:³

The introduction of excess sodium into your water
Increased sodium in the plumbing lines leading to pipe corrosion
The emergence of regeneration issues, increasing the potential for in-tank bacterial growth

Can You Choose a Water Softener That’s Too Small?

Absolutely. It’s not ideal if you purchase a water softener that’s too small either. It may overperform, causing its motor to go out sooner than it otherwise would have. The water softener system may also experience flow rate issues, meaning it doesn’t treat water as efficiently as it once did.

Keep In Mind What You’re Using Your Water For

The amount of water usage you and your family use and what you’re using it for can significantly impact your water softener needs.⁴ You may, for example, have a higher demand to remove minerals in your water supply if you’ve developed a rash or are washing a baby’s clothes than if you’re planning to water your family’s lawn. That is also why it is important to know how to add salt to your water softener to reduce the amount of irritation on your skin.

Bottom line? If you have a pressing need for soft water , go bigger.

Find the Perfect Fit with Rayne Water

If you have hard water and want to soften your water to soothe dry skin or to help protect your home’s plumbing, finding the right water softening system is a bit like living your own version of Goldilocks and the Three Little Bears . To find your “just right,” you’ll need a little know-how and of course, the support of a trusted professional.

Our water conditioning experts here at Rayne Water are eager to learn more about your water softening needs and recommend the right product to improve the quality and taste of your water. Find your happily ever after (and your softest water yet) with Rayne Water.

Sources:

United States Environmental Protection Agency. Contact Information for Certification Programs and Certified Laboratories for Drinking water. https://www.epa.gov/dwlabcert/contact-information-certification-programs-and-certified-laboratories-drinking-water/
United States Geological Survey. Water Q&A: https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/water-qa-how-much-water-do-i-use-home-each-day
Minnesota Department of Health. Home Water Softening. https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/softening.html/
Family Handyman. How to Choose the Right Water Softener. https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/how-to-choose-the-right-water-softener/
Urdesign. What Size of Water Softener is Best for Your House? https://www.urdesignmag.com/architecture/2019/11/26/what-size-of-water-softener-is-best-for-your-house/

Does Reverse Osmosis Remove Chlorine?

Posted February 16, 2022 by Ken Christopher

Chlorine is an essential germ-killing ingredient in pool water, but in tap water? That’s another story. Chlorine in your water supply can be worrisome and potentially dangerous. So how do you address this? Can you use reverse osmosis?

Good news: you can, though you can also use a number of other similar systems.

A reverse osmosis water filtration system can significantly reduce chlorine and other potential pollutants in your drinking water. Below, you’ll find a description of how this water conditioning system improves the appearance and taste of your water, as well as some alternative systems that might yield even better results.

How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?

If you learned about osmosis in high school science class, it might be time for a refresher. Simply put, osmosis is a process in which highly concentrated particles move across a membrane into a less concentrated area, usually balancing both sides of the membrane to have the same concentration.

Imagine you’re at a crowded party and hardly have space to move on the dance floor. You and your friends move into the bar area instead where you can catch your breath and move around more freely—that’s sort of like osmosis.

Does osmosis remove chlorine? Definitely not. That’s a job for reverse osmosis.

Reverse osmosis, as the name suggests, is a water treatment process that encompasses the reversal of the dispersing process explained above. Instead of balancing both sides of the membrane, you’ll be leaving all the particles on one side to create a pure solution on the other—in this case, pushing the uncontaminated water particles through the membrane but leaving the contaminated particles, like chlorine, behind while improving the water quality .

How Does Reverse Osmosis Remove Chlorine?

Reverse osmosis water systems may be equipped with a number of carbon filters and membranes to feed water through in order to filter out certain contaminants.

Household water generally passes through all these stages as part of the reverse osmosis filtering process:¹

Sediment prefilter
Activated carbon prefilter
Pump
Reverse osmosis membrane
Activate post carbon filter
High-pressure switch

As untreated water is pushed through the system, the water molecules pass through but nearly all of the chlorine particles are caught in the reverse osmosis membrane and never make it to your kitchen faucet. That means that the water that does come out of the sink has a negligible concentration of chlorine, if any at all.

What Else Does Reverse Osmosis Remove?

According to the International Water Association, reverse osmosis removes “more than 90-99.99% of all the contaminants including minerals from the drinking water supply.”² Some examples of harmful contaminants that reverse osmosis systems remove include:³

Pesticides
Prescription drugs²
Bacteria , including salmonella and E.coli
Particles like protozoans (such as giardia and cryptosporidium) and asbestos
Radionuclides , such as uranium and radium
Viruses , including hepatitis A and rotavirus
Chemical contaminants like heavy metals, copper, fluoride, magnesium, cyanide, and arsenic

With all these harmful contaminants being removed, is reverse osmosis water alkaline ? The short answer is no. Alkaline water refers to the pH level of water where reverse osmosis is dealing with contaminant removal and filtering of the water. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the pore size of reverse osmosis filtration systems is as small as 0.0001 microns.³ With a reverse osmosis system in place, there’s a very low chance of the above-referenced particles making it into your water.

How Does Chlorine Affect Osmosis?

Reverse osmosis membranes used to be ineffective at controlling the chlorine removal due to a semi permeable membrane and thus contaminant levels would rise. They would break down when exposed to this chemical water sanitizer.

However, enhanced polymer selection has led to the development of new reverse osmosis membranes that don’t appear to degrade as much as their predecessors. These membranes, coupled with reverse osmosis filtration systems’ use of activated charcoal filters, allow them to remove chlorine from a household’s water supply more effectively.⁴

How Else Can I Remove Chlorine from My Water Supply?

Reverse osmosis is an effective filtration system for a number of contaminants, but it also uses a high quantity of water in the process—much higher than other systems that can be equally effective.

If you’re looking to explore your options further, consider these alternatives to reverse osmosis:⁵

A water conditioner – A Salt-Free Water System , for example, will remove chlorine and chloramine to deliver clean, tasty water to your faucets. These conditioner systems use much less water than reverse osmosis to achieve similar chlorine-free water.

Keep Chlorine and Other Contaminants Out of Your Water with Rayne Water

A Reverse Osmosis System is an effective way to prevent a chlorinated water supply . Additionally it can help prevent chloride, lead, and other chemical contaminants from the water you drink everyday. This water filtration system can greatly improve the taste, odor, and overall quality of your drinking water, but so can many other alternatives like conditioners and other systems.

Talk to one of our experts today to decide which system is right for your home. With our custom solutions, you can take control of the water you drink and the health of your household with Rayne Water.

Sources:

University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Drinking Water Treatment: Reverse Osmosis. https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/html/g1490/build/g1490.htm/
The International Water Association. Reverse Osmosis and Removal of Minerals From Drinking Water.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A Guide to Drinking Water Treatment Technologies for Household Use.
Nature Partner Journals. Chlorination Disadvantages and Alternative Routes for Biofouling Control in Reverse Osmosis Desalination . https://www.nature.com/articles/s41545-018-0024-8 /
Rayne Water. Removing Chlorine from Drinking Water. https://www.raynewater.com/blog/removing-chlorine-from-drinking-water/

Is Tap Water Safe in Bakersfield, CA?

Posted November 5, 2021 by Ken Christopher

You grab a clean cup from the cabinet, turn on the tap, and fill your glass with cool, refreshing water. You bring the cup to your lips but, before you can take a sip, you pause. Is this tap water okay to drink?

There have been enough stories of contaminated tap water in recent years to give you a reason to pause before drinking the water from your home’s faucet. California residents may have even more cause for concern as droughts, wildfires, and pollution have wreaked havoc on drinking water quality.

The good news is that the tap water in towns like Bakersfield, CA is generally safe to drink. However, the potential for Bakersfield water contamination paired with water shortages might threaten your tap water.

Are There Contaminants in Bakersfield’s Tap Water?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a contaminant is “any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in water.”¹ This definition essentially means that anything other than water molecules in drinking water is considered a contaminant.

Thus, not all contaminants in drinking water are harmful if consumed. Others might only be harmful if ingested in excessive amounts. In Bakersfield, CA, the 2020 Cal Water report shows that the levels of contamination in Bakersfield’s water are within the range considered safe for the following:²

E. coli
Uranium
Arsenic
Fluoride
Nitrate
Copper
Lead
1,2-Dichloropropane
Tetrachloroethylene
Trichloroethylene
Chlorine

It’s important to note that these are levels designated as safe by the federal government. It doesn’t mean these contaminants aren’t in the tap water at all, just that the levels are low enough to not be a risk to you.

What About the Taste of My Tap Water?

Most municipalities treat drinking water with chlorine to kill bacteria. This might leave an unappealing odor or aftertaste in your clean drinking water, although it isn’t harmful.³ If you find yourself put off by the smell or taste, you can try filling a pitcher and leaving it open in your refrigerator for a little while. This will help eliminate some of the unpleasantness.

Where Does Bakersfield Get Its Water?

The water used for drinking, bathing, laundry, and other daily tasks in the United States is sourced from one of two places:⁴

Bodies of freshwater – Streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes provide a significant amount of the water that comes out of our taps. These bodies of water are a great water source. Before it gets to our homes, it undergoes an extensive filtration, purification, and testing process from the public water system to ensure that it is safe to use and consume.
Groundwater – Water sourced from beneath the earth’s surface is called groundwater. This water is able to travel through the pores in soil and rock. The water is pumped to the surface for use by cities and towns nearby. Unfortunately, groundwater is often used more quickly than it can be replenished, leading to water shortages in many areas.

Bakersfield tap water comes from several sources, including:²

Groundwater from 68 active wells
The Kern River’s surface water
The city buys treated water from the Kern County Water Agency

The clean water flowing through your taps is continually monitored and tested regularly for contamination. However, there are still threats to your health and safety.

Threats to Bakersfield’s Water Quality

Continuous testing is required to ensure that your drinking water remains safe for human consumption. Unfortunately, in Bakersfield and around the country, water supplies are under constant threat of contamination. Many of the potential risks to our drinking water are caused by human activities. These include:²

Wastewater treatment plants
Gas stations
Car washes
Automobile repair shops
Airports
Waste dumps and landfills
Agricultural activities
- Pesticides
- Fertilizers
- Other farm chemicals
Electronic manufacturing
Dry cleaners
Construction sites
Other manufacturing activities

This list could go on and on. Since most of the water consumed in homes comes from groundwater, any human actions that cause contaminants to seep into the ground can impact the quality of our water, making it unsafe drinking water. This is why city and country monitoring of the water supply is a critical component of safety.

Droughts and Bakersfield Water Supply Issues

The increase in frequency and intensity of wildfires in California paired with the hot, dry conditions have also contributed to a shortage of water for residents in many areas, including Bakersfield.

Kern County, where Bakersfield is located, has a very dry climate to begin with. The average rainfall is typically only about 6.5 inches per year.⁵ Thus, when drought conditions set in, an already strained public water system becomes even more overloaded.

To illustrate how much water is needed in Bakersfield, picture a football field. If that entire field was covered with one foot of water, it would equal approximately 326,000 gallons. This is only enough water for two families for one year. Bakersfield is also home to many farms which grow a number of crops necessary for the food supply chain throughout the country.

Therefore, you can see how insufficient or contaminated water in Kern County can have a negative impact that reaches across the country.

How Does Bakersfield Water Compare to Other California Cities?

Most of California struggles with the same problem of not having enough safe drinking water to support the demand. The quality of clean drinking water throughout the state varies widely depending on the location of the municipality and the source of the water. A report from the U.S. News and World Report ranked the state of California’s water 15th out of 50 states.⁶

However, several cities in California scored poorly in a study of the 100 largest drinking water districts in the country by the Environmental Working Group, including:⁷

Riverside
San Diego
Los Angeles

These three cities were all in the bottom 20. On the other side of the spectrum, some California cities ranked in the top 40, including:

Sacramento
Oakland
San Francisco
Long Beach

Bakersfield wasn’t included in this study because it is a smaller city than those analyzed. However, a separate study showed that the contaminant levels in Bakersfield water were comparable to many of the problematic Southern California cities.⁸ While it still passes federal safety standards, Bakersfield tap water isn’t completely without concern.

What Can You Do to Ensure Clean Tap Water?

If you’re a little overwhelmed by all of this information, you’re not alone. Drinking water quality is in a constant state of flux and it faces threats from countless contaminants and environmental events. Furthermore, federal limitations on contaminants in tap water don’t prohibit them entirely.

However, there are actions that you can take to ensure your home’s water is clean and safe. These include:

Making your voice heard about the water quality in your city
Being cognizant of your environmental footprint
Investing in a water filtration system

Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

Use Your Voice to Push for Cleaner Water

Cities need money to keep tap water safe for their residents. Investments in critical infrastructure improvements are a must, as are stricter laws against pollution. However, these often don’t happen because money is funneled elsewhere. Educating yourself about where the water in your city comes from and the risks to the supply will help you better understand where the problems originate.

Use your knowledge to speak up in city forums and to communicate with your local representatives about your concerns.

Actively Work to Reduce Your Wasteful Water Practices

You can also take steps in your home to conserve water and lessen the strain on the supply. These include:

Take shorter showers
Only run your washing machine for a full load
Check your toilet, sink, and other pipes for leaks
Invest in low-flow toilets, faucets, and showerheads
Turn off the water when you brush your teeth
Water your outdoor plants in the evening

Being cognizant of the amount of water you use each day will help reduce your home’s overall water consumption.

Invest in a Water Filtration System

A water filtration system will ensure that your water is safe to drink and eliminate the need for environmentally harmful bottled water in your home. When water quality concerns rise, most people turn to bottled water. However, it’s far better for the environment (and thus the future of our drinking water supply) to use a water treatment system. These include:

Water softeners
Filtration systems
Water conditioners

The best system for you depends on your location, your budget, and your existing drinking water quality.

Clean, Safe, and Fresh Drinking Water Every Time with Rayne Water

Is tap water safe in Bakersfield, CA? Yes, in most cases you can drink the water without too much concern. However, contaminants threaten the water supply, along with the looming possibility of restrictions and shortages. One way to ensure that the water you and your family drinks remain safe is to invest in a water filtration system.

At Rayne Water, we’ve been helping to ease concerns over tap water quality since the 1920s. Contact us today to learn more about our water filtration solutions.

Next time you fill your glass from the tap, you won’t have to hesitate before taking a sip.

Sources:

EPA. Types of Drinking Water Contaminants. https://www.epa.gov/ccl/types-drinking-water-contaminants
CalWater. Bakersfield 2020 Water Quality Report. https://www.calwater.com/ccrs/bk-bk-2020
The Bakersfield Californian. Tap vs. Bottled: Bakersfield’s Drinking Water.
National Groundwater Association. Information on Earth’s Water. https://www.ngwa.org/what-is-groundwater/About-groundwater/information-on-earths-water
Water Association of Kern County. Water in Kern County. https://www.wakc.com/water-overview/kern-county/
U.S. News and World Report. Air & Water Quality Rankings. https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/natural-environment/air-water-quality
Public CEO. The Quality of Your Water? See Where California Water Districts Rank. https://www.publicceo.com/2009/12/the-quality-of-your-water-see-where-california-water-districts-rank/
Environmental Working Group. EWG’s Tap Water Database. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/search-results.php?stab=CA&searchtype=largesys

Bakersfield Water Contamination Causes and Levels

Posted November 10, 2021 by Ken Christopher

It feels like every time you watch the news, you see stories about water contamination and water supply issues. With the increasing concern over air pollution, climate change, and its negative impact on our water supply, these stories are likely to continue to flood our news feeds. And if you live in California, you have to contend with both water contamination and water shortages.

In cities such as Bakersfield, CA, shrinking groundwater and freshwater supplies—combined with the proliferation of human activities that contaminate the remaining water—are a cause for serious concern.

How Contaminated is Bakersfield’s Water?

As of now, the clean drinking water in Bakersfield, CA is considered safe for consumption. The 2020 California Water Quality Report found that the levels of contaminants in the water system were at safe levels. This report analyzed water from the main sources of Bakersfield drinking water, including:

Water obtained from the Kern County Water Agency
Filtered and treated water from the Kern River
68 active wells with groundwater supply

The report notes that the recommendations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are for the general population. Some people may be impacted by lower levels of contaminants than deemed safe by the EPA.

What are Contaminants in Drinking Water?

The EPA defines contaminants in water as anything other than water molecules. At times, this can lead to confusion because not all contaminants are harmful to humans, nor are all contaminants regulated by the EPA.

Some of the categories of contaminants that are evaluated in drinking water include:

Biological – These are living organisms present in water. There are several types of microbes that may be in your water, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other microscopic contaminants. Some are harmless, while others can make you very ill if consumed.
Chemical – The chemical contaminants in tap water can be either organic or inorganic. Human activities often cause chemical contaminants to enter the water system. Chemicals such as nitrogen, bleach, pesticides, salts, metals, and toxins produced by medications and drugs are commonly found in drinking water.
Physical – Physical contaminants are generally less harmful than the others found in our drinking water because they are organic materials. Soil, sediment, and other organic matter are common physical properties found in tap water.
Radiological – Chemical elements that have an unbalanced or unstable chemical makeup are radiological contaminants. The unstable properties of these elements can cause them to emit radiation. Uranium, plutonium, and cesium are sometimes found in contaminated drinking water.

Before you vow never to drink the water from your tap again, it’s important to note that cities monitor and regulate the drinking water flowing to the homes of their constituents. Let’s look more closely at what is and isn’t regulated and how the levels considered safe might impact you.

Is It Safe to Drink the Tap Water in Bakersfield?

In general, officials in California say that it’s safe to drink the tap water in Bakersfield, CA. However, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) sets stricter standards for drinking water than the federal government. In their guidance for clean drinking water, the EWG notes several concerns with the federal standards for legal limits of contaminants in drinking water, including:

Lack of updating – The government standards haven’t been updated in 20 years. A significant amount of research has been done in this time and we now know more about how certain contaminants in our water system can harm people.
Focus on the general population – The federal standards also only account for the “general population.” This means that vulnerable groups such as infants and children may be at greater risk of developmental problems because of harmful contaminants in the water.
Potential for corruption – The EWG notes that the federal government and its officials can be swayed by financial contributions or compromises with corporations that contribute to groundwater pollution. Thus, your health may not always be the top priority when determining acceptable levels of contaminants in your drinking water.

Therefore, while the drinking water in Bakersfield is deemed safe to drink, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have some concerns.

Bakersfield Water Contaminant Levels

Studies of Bakersfield water contamination by the EWG have uncovered some potentially problematic findings. These findings can be divided into two categories: contaminants with and without legal limits in drinking water.

Water Contaminants with Legal Limits

The following potentially harmful contaminants were found in the tap water in Bakersfield. While they were all below the legal limit, their presence is still alarming to many:

Arsenic – The national average level of arsenic in tap water is 0.647 ppb. In Bakersfield, the levels were significantly higher at 2.51 ppb. The legal limit is 10 ppb.
Haloacetic acids (HAA5) – Bakersfield’s water also has significantly higher levels of HAA5s than the state and national averages. Bakersfield water contains 26.9 ppb. The legal limit is 60 ppb.
Nitrate – Nitrates have also been linked to increased cancer risk. Nationally, drinking water averages about 0.923 ppb of nitrates. In Bakersfield, this number increases to 2.03 ppb. The national legal limit is 10 ppb.
Trihalomethanes – These contaminants form when water is treated with chlorine. In Bakersfield’s water, the level is 36.6 ppb. Nationally, the level is lower at 29.7 ppb. The legal limit for Trihalomethanes is 80 ppb.
Uranium – While Bakersfield’s water has lower Uranium levels than the rest of the state (1.55 pCi/L vs. 2.54 pCi/L), this is still concerning. The legal limit is 20 pCi/L, but the state of California has acknowledged that they need to reduce levels of Uranium in drinking water for the health and safety of all.

While all of these contaminants are below legal limits, those limits haven’t been updated in quite some time. It’s possible they could be set to a lower level upon further review.

Water Contaminants without Legal Limits

There are other contaminants in Bakersfield’s drinking water that the Environmental Working Group (EWG) finds concerning. While these don’t have set legal limits, they are found in an analysis of the tap water in Bakersfield in levels higher than recommended by the EWG:

Bromodichloromethane
Chloroform
Chromium
Dibromoacetic acid
Dichloroacetic acid
Haloacetic acids
Trichloroacetic acid

These contaminants are potential contributors to the development of cancer with regular ingestion and exposure.

How to Ensure Safe Drinking Water in Your Home

If you’re feeling a little panicky about your drinking water, take a deep breath. There are ways you can upgrade the quality of your tap water to keep you and your family safe, including installing a water cleaning and filtration system, such as:

Carbon filters – These inexpensive filters can help reduce the number of contaminants in your water by binding to many organic compounds, such as asbestos, lead, and mercury. They don’t filter out inorganic matters like fluoride, nitrates, and arsenic.
Water softeners – Water softeners primarily remove magnesium and calcium that build up in water pipes. They may also help remove radium from your water. However, they don’t remove the other microcontaminants found in Bakersfield’s water.
Salt-free water systems – Instead of using sodium like a traditional water softener, salt-free water systems remove calcium and magnesium without salt. It doesn’t soften your water in the process.
Reverse osmosis systems – These systems include a carbon filter to help capture organic compounds and have a membrane that catches anything larger than water molecules. This second membrane is what sets reverse osmosis systems apart from carbon filters as it allows the system to eliminate harmful inorganic materials from your tap water.

The best water system for your family depends on the quality of the water where you live.

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

It might be tempting to stuff your refrigerator with bottled water and avoid tap water altogether. However, this solution is damaging to the environment and not necessarily better for you. A study conducted by the State University of New York at Fredonia found that 93 percent of the bottled water samples they analyzed were contaminated by microplastics.

Furthermore, most of the bottled water purchased in the United States comes from the same groundwater and freshwater bodies as the water that flows through your taps—it’s just put through a different filtration system.

Therefore, unless the tap water is deemed completely unsafe for consumption, your best choice is to invest in a high-quality water solution system for your home.

Rayne Water: A Safe and Environmentally Friendly Water Solution System

The water in Bakersfield, CA contains many of the same contaminants found in other water systems across the country. The government sets acceptable levels of these contaminants that are allowed to be present in drinking water. Although Bakersfield’s water doesn’t exceed the legal levels of any measured contaminants, the presence of these particles is still a potential cause for concern.

Instead of reaching for bottled water that may have contaminants of its own, try investing in a water solution system. At Rayne Water , we’ve been working with homes in California since the 1920s. We have the latest in water filtration systems, water softeners, and more, all designed to keep you and your family safe.

Sources:

CalWater. Bakersfield 2020 Water Quality Report. https://www.calwater.com/ccrs/bk-bk-2020
EPA. Types of Drinking Water Contaminants. https://www.epa.gov/ccl/types-drinking-water-contaminants
Environmental Working Group. Developing Health-Protective Standards for Drinking Water. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/ewg-standards.php
EWG. California Water Service (CWS) Bakersfield. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/system.php?pws=CA1510003
EWG. Water Filter Guide. https://www.ewg.org/tapwater/water-filter-guide.php
Frontiers in Chemistry. Synthetic Polymer Contamination in Bottled Water. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fchem.2018.00407/full

What is the Irvine Water Hardness Level?

Posted November 15, 2021 by Ken Christopher

Have you been noticing that it’s hard to clean things lately? Maybe your hands feel filmy no matter how hard you scrub them, you’ve been using more detergent in your laundry than you used to, or you’re going through shampoo quicker than you ever had before.

These signs are evidence that you have a hard water problem in your house. Though they may be more subtle than the more obvious giveaway of seeing spots on your silverware or glasses when you empty the dishwasher, they’re no less telling.

But if you live in Irvine, how do you know if your water is hard or soft? Is Irvine tap water safe to drink? In this article, we’ll discuss everything you might be wondering about Irvine water hardness. From its safety to the severity of the problem, we’ve got you covered.

What Is Water Hardness?

When you call water “hard” or “soft,” it has nothing to do with the actual texture of the water. Hard water is just water with a high concentration of minerals and chemicals dissolved in it. The two most commonly found in hard water are calcium and magnesium.

The extra amounts of these in your tap water can cause more severe issues than your laundry needing extra detergent. These issues include:¹

Buildup – This can be a real killer for appliances you run lots of water through, such as a coffee pot. Additionally, you’ll have to spend extra time cleaning them and dissolving the minerals to take care of this issue or risk shortening the life span of your appliances.
Calcium carbonate deposits – These form anywhere you heat hard water. Calcium carbonate deposits can be very problematic for your home water heater and your pipes, which can become clogged if deposits get too large. You might also notice your heater becoming less effective and running a bigger bill as deposits grow.

The potential consequences of ignoring water are no joke and could cost you in terms of repairs or new appliances if you don’t deal with the issue.

Is the Water in Irvine Hard or Soft?

Now that you know what hard water is, you’re probably wondering if Irvine has a hard water problem. The short answer is yes. Hard water is classified on a sliding scale. This scale measures the concentration of dissolved minerals and chemicals in the water in terms of milligrams per liter. If water has dissolved minerals in the amount of:²

0-60 PPM, it’s soft water
61 to 120 PPM, it’s moderately hard water
121-180 PPM, it’s hard water
181 PPM or greater, it’s very hard water

According to the 2021 water quality report, Irvine’s water qualifies as hard. Its average local treated groundwater has a PPM of 119, its average local treated surface water has a PPM of 308, and its average imported treated water from the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) has a PPM of 265.³

This hardness is due to the water source, as Irvine imports its water supply from the Colorado River and Northern California. Since both places tend to have naturally hard water, the water Irvine residents get is also hard, although the level of hardness changes depending on the time of year or your specific location.³

Is Hard Water Safe to Drink?

Since hard water can make it more difficult for cleaning products to do their job and causes harmful buildup and deposits, does that make it inherently unsafe to drink? The answer to that is no.

Hard water is still safe drinking water, though doing so comes with its list of pros and cons.

The positives include a boost in your mineral intake. If you have type two diabetes, you’re probably naturally low in magnesium. As a result, drinking some hard water could improve your levels and provide some benefits. Those low in calcium would also experience a similar effect.

However, there are also drawbacks to drinking hard water. It can have an off taste when the calcium in it gets above a certain level. This means it can also give any drinks you make with it or food you cook in it an odd flavor as well. Hard water can also seem cloudy, which can make it very visually off-putting to consume.

Tackle Your Hard Water Issues With Rayne Water

Why wait for your appliances or pipes to become casualties of hard water? Save time and money by using one of our Water Softener Systems to eliminate hard water in your home.

We have a variety of top-notch Water Softening Systems to address whatever hard water problems you have. Whether you have a large home that needs more capacity, or a smaller place where space is a premium, Rayne Water has got you covered.

So don’t wait for your pipes to get clogged or for the dishwasher to start staining your plates. Instead, try one of our Water Softening Systems today, and get six months for free.

Sources:

USGS. Hardness of Water. https://www.usgs.gov/special-topic/water-science-school/science/hardness-water?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
IRWD. 2021 Water Quality Report . https://www.irwd.com/images/pdf/services/irwd_2021_wqr_fini.pdf
IRWD. Water Quality Information . https://www.irwd.com/services/water-quality-report

Is Irvine Tap Water Safe to Drink?

Posted November 20, 2021 by Ken Christopher

You may not think about how often you use tap water, but you should. Not only do you drink it, but you also use it to wash your dishes, brush your teeth, and make your morning coffee or tea. That means that unless you’re willing to pay for bottled water, you depend on your tap water a lot more than you might’ve initially thought.

Is it safe to drink the tap water in Irvine? Generally, yes.

According to water quality reports, Irvine has no present violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), and its water meets the EPA’s potable water guidelines. These guidelines ensure that Irvine’s tap water contains fewer potential pollutants than the maximum level allowed.¹

But just because Irvine water meets those standards doesn’t mean it’s tasty or completely pollutant-free. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about Irvine’s water, including where it comes from and how you can make sure it’s clean. Let’s jump in.

Where Does Irvine’s Water Come From?

All of Irvine’s water gets sourced from the Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD). And the IRWD gets its water from two places:²

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California – This is where about 35% of the city’s tap water originates from. This water originates in Northern California and gets to Irvine by way of the State Water Project. The Colorado River Aqueduct also provides water from the Colorado River.
The Orange County Groundwater Basin – Groundwater wells in this area provide the majority of Irvine’s drinking water supply. The Orange County Water District is in charge of these local wells (OCWD).

Though Irvine’s water meets the EPA’s rules for community water systems safety, that doesn’t mean you’re wrong to worry about potential contamination or natural pollutants found in these water sources.

How Does Water Origin Affect Its Safety?

Just because water comes from a spring or river doesn’t mean it’s automatically clean drinking water. About 80% of the global wastewater created is put back into oceans, lakes, springs, and rivers without being properly treated.³ This fact means it’s perfectly reasonable to worry that some amount of the following could be in your drinking water:

Nutrient pollution
Runoff
Chemicals
Untreated wastewater

And there’s more to the journey than just the trip through the aqueduct. The water also has to make its way through your pipes to get into your apartment building or home. And if those pipes are lead, you could be adding harmful contaminants to your water as you pour it into your glass.

How to Make Sure Your Water Is Clean

It’s not just as simple as looking at your water to see if it’s dirty. While off-color drinking water is an obvious sign it’s not safe to drink, many potentially dangerous pollutants aren’t visible to the naked eye. Fortunately, there are ways you can assess your water quality at home. To make sure your water is clean, you can:

Smell it – Even though sight isn’t a reliable way of detecting contaminants in your water, smelling it is. If your water smells like bleach, that tells you your water has a lot of chlorine in it. If it smells like rotten eggs, there’s hydrogen sulfide in it.
Feel it on your skin – Do your hands always feel slimy after you wash them? If that’s the case, you might be mistakenly blaming it on your soap. A persistent, slimy film on your hands is a classic sign that your water has excess iron bacteria in it. If this is the case, you might also notice orange or brown rings developing on your faucets.
Get a water testing kit – For the pollutants you can’t smell or taste, use a water testing kit to rule everything else out. You can get at-home ones that give you all the tools you need to ensure your water is free from contamination and identify anything that might be in it. Testing kits can also help determine Irvine water hardness. Although not a health hazard, water hardness can ruin your pipes and plumbing in the long haul.

Even though it might be a bit of a process, you can take steps to ensure that your tap water at home is clean and truly pollution-free.

Never Worry About Clean Water Again — Let Rayne Water Help

While you can go through the process of testing your water at home, it’s easier to skip the hassle and use a water system instead.

That’s where Rayne Water comes in. We have a variety of water systems available to put your mind at ease and ensure that you can trust the water you’re drinking. And our comprehensive water systems do more than ensure that your water is safe to drink. They also allow you to adjust the feel of the water in your mouth, giving you the drinking water quality experience you deserve.

So don’t spend any more time wondering what’s coming out of your tap or buying bottled water at the store. Instead, get started with a water softener and treatment system today.

Sources:

Tap Safe. Is Irvine Tap Water Safe to Drink? https://www.tapsafe.org/is-irvine-tap-water-safe-to-drink/#
City of Irvine. Water Quality. https://www.cityofirvine.org/community-development/water-quality
NRDC. Water Pollution: Everything You Need to Know. https://www.nrdc.org/stories/water-pollution-everything-you-need-know

Water Softener vs. Water Filter

Posted November 21, 2021 by Ken Christopher

Not all tap water is created equally. Each city relies on a different source, each with a varying level of contamination and minerality in the water. Also, municipal water treatment processes may vary as well. Though they all are regulated through set standards, there are other factors that affect the quality of water as well. These include but aren’t limited to: the water treatment system it self, how often water is tested, a city’s pipe system, and runoff from neighboring rural and industrial areas, as well as city streets.

Often, the quality of water, once it reaches a home or business, is often less than desirable. It could be cloudy, have sediment, or be unpleasant to smell or taste. It could also leave behind mineral deposits which can wreak havoc on your pipes and clog your plumbing. Fortunately, there are both water softener and water filtration systems to help remove minerals, toxins, and pollutants from the water, making it better for use and more enjoyable to drink.

However, it’s important to keep in mind, these water treatment methods are not the same and do not provide all of the same benefits. Though there may be some similarities, it’s important to know the differences between water softener vs water filter systems and the value of each.

Water Softener Systems: What They Do

Hard water is what leaves behind stains, soap scum, and residue on water-based appliances and surfaces. It damages clothes, leaves behind spots on dishes after washing, and makes it difficult to work up a good lather of hand soap or shampoo. This leads to increased water (and soap) consumption because it takes more to do the job properly.

Salt based water softener systems remove the mineral hardness naturally present in tap water. As water is distributed from its originating groundwater source, it p icks up hard water min erals along the way, which end up running through the pipes and pouring out of your faucet. Two of the main minerals are magnesium and calcium, which affect the taste, odor, and appearance of the water.

Water softener systems use a process called ion exchange to eliminate the harshness of the minerals from affecting the water and appliances. Ion exchange is when there’s an exchange of positively charged mineral ions in hard water with positively charged ions, which takes place in the resin and brine softener tank of a water softening system. In the resin tank, the sodium ions from the brine, or salt, solution exchange places with the water hardness ions.

Hardness minerals attach to resin beads which are then flushed from the tank using sodium chloride or potassium chloride. The water that remains contains a small number of sodium ions and virtually no hard mineral ions. The second part of water softening is the recharge process when the brine tank recharges the resin tank by flushing it out and rinsing it with saltwater. Any dissolved minerals are flushed from the system and it’s ready to head back to the resin tank for the water softening process to begin again.

Some water softener systems require you to manually add salt. How to add salt to a water softener? You add it in the brine tank.

Benefits of a Water Softener

Two of the biggest benefits of using a water softene r are eliminating residue and mineral deposits. Hard water has a high level of minerals which means it leaves behind soap scum and/or stains. Minerals typically found in tap water can leave behind a yellowish-white residue or sometimes a rust-colored stain.

This ends up on your clothes, around your shower and sink drains, and can leave behind a slimy film on your dishes, even after they’ve come out of the dishwasher. Rather than destroying your belongings because of the hard water of your home, softened water ca n help avoid these common problems.

Additionally, hard water leads to an accumulation of mineral deposits, which can cause blockages in your pipes, affecting water pressure and leading to plumbing damage. This affects the cleaning power and could eventually cause backups if the pipes aren’t constantly cleared. If your home or building has hard water, take a look at the kitchen spout or showerhead. If you notice cr usts, f il ms, water spots, or limescale left behind, it’s likely your water supply has a high level of harsh minerals.

When it comes to an advanced water softener system for the home, the whole house water softener systems provide all the benefits of soft water and offer the ability to adjust the feel of the water via a non-corrosive, durable, UV-resistant, blending value. The systems also provide on-demand regeneration, which saves on water and electricity bills and creates superior flow rates of water for the entire home.

There are several options to choose from, depending on your unique needs. Some are better equipped to use in smaller homes, while others have a high flow capacity necessary for larger homes. There are also systems that both soften and filter water. We can help you determine what solution will work best.

Water Filtration Systems: How They Work

Another popular water treatment method is water filtration. This is part of what your city’s water system uses to make tap water potable. A typical community water treatment process goes through the steps of coagulation and flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection to remove contaminants, pollutants, viruses, and bacteria from the water. Though not 100% effective, the filtration method helps lower the amount of these elements in the water to the approved amount.

However, not all municipal water systems follow the exact same treatment method and may not have a sanitary water supply to begin with. Cities that are near industrial factories or farming communities may have a much higher level of pesticides, chemicals, and other contaminants than other areas. Additionally, cities with outdated water pipes can leach metals into the water, such as lead, that can flow from the city water systems through the pipes that go into your home.

Meanwhile, tap water can also leave behind an unpleasant odor or taste or a cloudy appearance that doesn’t make it desirable to drink. Since a water quality report is only distributed annually, unless individual testing is performed, tap water could be affected without knowing for months. In short, despite a city’s water treatment methods, people may not have as clean of water as they might be led to believe. That’s why the use of home water filtration systems is popular today to improve the quality of tap water at the faucet.

There are different types available, but one of the most common is reverse osmosis. A reverse osmosis filter pushes unfiltered water through a semipermeable high-quality carbon filter membrane which removes impurities, dissolved solids (such as lead, arsenic, iron, mercury, etc.), and contaminants from tap water. It also removes the chlorine taste and smells from city-treated water, as that’s what’s typically used to disinfect water. What’s left is pure, clean water that tastes fresh.

Benefits of Reverse Osmosis

The key benefit of using reverse osmosis is removing contaminants that plague tap water. Although no system can claim to remove 100% of impurities from water, reverse osmosis is highly effective. The process also eliminates the unpleasant odors that can come from tap water with high levels of chlorine or sulfur. Additionally, it gives people freshwater on-demand without resorting to buying single-use plastic bottled water to stay hydrated.

By installing a reverse osmosis system in the home or business, it uses the tap water available and filters it, making it drinkable for all. This cuts down on both cost and the carbon footprint.

Our reverse osmosis drinking water systems effectively filter out 95-97% of total dissolved solids and other harmful contaminants, such as copper, lead, nitrates, arsenic, and other pollutants that regularly end up in tap water. This improves the taste, appearance, and quality of the water for everyday use.

Water Softener and Filter: Enjoying the Benefits of Both

Both the water softening and water filtration processes help to reduce varying degrees of contaminants in your water. The difference is a water softener uses ion exchange as the catalyst in its mineral removal process and a reverse osmosis filter uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove contaminants from the water. Since they both have their unique advantages, it makes sense to have the benefits of both in one system.

The Guardian Series systems are designed as whole-home, multi-purpose units with the ability to both soften water AND greatly reduce chlorine, chloramines, bad tastes, and odors in the water. It conveniently combines the advantages of water softener and water filtration systems to improve the quality of the water in your home. It provides you with water quality that’s gentler on your plumbing, dishes, and clothing, while also being clean and refreshing enough to drink.

Each type of system has options based on the size of your home and your specific water needs. The good news is you don’t have to make a determination on your own. Our experts at Rayne Wate r will make recommendations to find the solution that will best fit your needs. Through the power of innovation and technology, everyone can have the quality of water they desire right from their own faucet.

Do you want a custom recommendation?

Do you want a custom recommendation?

Do you want a custom recommendation?

Archive for the ‘Older’ Category

Renting vs. Buying: Which Is For You?

Reasons to Rent

Freedom to Upgrade

Opportunity to Test Out Combined Systems

3 Reasons to Buy

#1: It’s a Permanent Solution to a Long Term Problem

#2: Saves Money

#3: An Average System Lasts 15-20 Years

Rayne Water Conditioning: Providing Your Family With All Your Water System Needs

Bakersfield Water Sources

#1 Groundwater Wells

#2 State Water Project—The California Aqueduct

#3 Kern River

#4 Federal Water Projects

#5 Local Streams and Other Sources

Contaminant Considerations for the Water Supply

#1 Physical Contaminants

#2 Chemical Contaminants

#3 Biological Contaminants

#4 Radiological Contaminants

Rayne Water Conditioning: Drink Bakersfield Water with Confidence

Potential Contaminants in Santa Clarita Drinking Water

#1 Biological Contaminants

#2 Calcium and Magnesium

#3 Arsenic

#4 Nitrates

Rayne Water Conditioning: Providing Santa Clarita with Safe, Delicious Water

What You Need to Know to Determine Your Water Softener Size

The Water Softener Size Equation (Simplified)

A Quick Guide to Water Softener Sizes

Can You Get Too Big of a Water Softener?

Can You Choose a Water Softener That’s Too Small?

Keep In Mind What You’re Using Your Water For

Find the Perfect Fit with Rayne Water

How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?

How Does Reverse Osmosis Remove Chlorine?

What Else Does Reverse Osmosis Remove?

How Does Chlorine Affect Osmosis?

How Else Can I Remove Chlorine from My Water Supply?

Keep Chlorine and Other Contaminants Out of Your Water with Rayne Water

Are There Contaminants in Bakersfield’s Tap Water?

What About the Taste of My Tap Water?

Where Does Bakersfield Get Its Water?

Threats to Bakersfield’s Water Quality

Droughts and Bakersfield Water Supply Issues

How Does Bakersfield Water Compare to Other California Cities?

What Can You Do to Ensure Clean Tap Water?

Use Your Voice to Push for Cleaner Water

Actively Work to Reduce Your Wasteful Water Practices

Invest in a Water Filtration System

Clean, Safe, and Fresh Drinking Water Every Time with Rayne Water

How Contaminated is Bakersfield’s Water?

What are Contaminants in Drinking Water?

Is It Safe to Drink the Tap Water in Bakersfield?

Bakersfield Water Contaminant Levels

Water Contaminants with Legal Limits

Water Contaminants without Legal Limits

How to Ensure Safe Drinking Water in Your Home

Bottled Water vs. Tap Water

Rayne Water: A Safe and Environmentally Friendly Water Solution System

What Is Water Hardness?

Is the Water in Irvine Hard or Soft?

Is Hard Water Safe to Drink?

Tackle Your Hard Water Issues With Rayne Water

Where Does Irvine’s Water Come From?

How Does Water Origin Affect Its Safety?

How to Make Sure Your Water Is Clean

Never Worry About Clean Water Again — Let Rayne Water Help

Water Softener Systems: What They Do

Benefits of a Water Softener

Water Filtration Systems: How They Work

Benefits of Reverse Osmosis

Water Softener and Filter: Enjoying the Benefits of Both

Up to $500 OFF