UNDERSTANDING WHOLE HOUSE WATER PURIFICATION, CHLORINE REMOVAL, WATER SOFTENING, SALT FREE SYSTEMS, REVERSE OSMOSIS,
RADON REMOVAL AND MORE

 

OUR SIMPLE PHILOSOPHY

We at ThinkPure are local to Boston and many surrounding communities. We have the experience and expertise to solve any water problem you may have and are sticklers for proper timely service. We are happy to drop by your home or place of business for a quick visit and evaluate your needs for no cost. When necessary, we offer rapid turnaround water testing and analysis. All well water systems are designed by certified water engineers. At ThinkPure you get a lot more than a pile of boxes from out of state on your doorstep. We are always available to chat. Our Framingham warehouse is well stocked with premium quality brands such as Pentair, Pentek, Everpure, Enpress, Clack, Atlas Filtri, Dow Filmtec, Structural, Pioneer, Matrix, Aries Filterworks, Watts etc. We can get your water filtration system installed faster than anyone in the U.S. Call us at 508.272.6636

 

CALL US AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE DURING REMODELING OR NEW CONSTRUCTION

Initial site visits and consultation are free. Builders, remodelers and homeowners need to consider designing water filtration/conditioning systems as part of the overall plumbing design of the home. Planning should begin as early as possible during the rough plumbing phase. Tiny closets built around water mains often wind up being torn out, causing unnecessary expense. Basements are often finished too early, preventing purified water lines from being easily brought to specific locations. New construction homes with private wells need Radon in Water testing done as soon as the well pump is wired and water is available. Many areas in MA have known high levels of Radon in Water. Know you will need interior venting if Radon in Water exceeds safe levels. Often Radon in Water levels are ” well specific ” so the neighboring well radon levels likely won’t be the same as yours. Call us to take a sample @ 508.272.6636. Radon in Water venting should be brought through the interior of the building from the basement to the roof, separate from the Radon in Air venting. Radon in Air and Radon in Water venting cannot share the same vent pipe. Exterior venting is costly and detracts from the beauty and value of the home. Post construction interior venting is often not even possible. Vented P-Traps must be installed as close as possible to the well tank to accommodate backwash water from filtration/conditioning equipment. Backwashable water filters and condensate lines can share the same 2″ P-Trap. Lets get it done right the first time!

 

BENEFITS OF WHOLE HOUSE PURIFICATION FOR MUNICIPAL WATER

Installing a whole house water purification system should be considered an important part of a wellness / prevention approach to life at home. With chemically treated municipal water, transdermal absorption and breathing of released chemical vapors occurs every time we bathe or shower. Some studies have estimated that during a 20 minute hot shower, our exposure is similar to drinking two gallons of chlorinated water. This is because, what we breathe, goes directly into our bloodstream. It is precisely here that the potential health benefits of having purified water throughout your home become obvious. Disinfectant chemicals designed to kill all living organisms in our water should be removed before we use it. Water chlorination produces chlorine disinfectant byproducts or CDB,s. These chemicals, of which over 600 have been discovered, known as trihalomathanes and haleoacedic acids are many times more toxic than chlorine and should be avoided. Shower head filters do some good when new, but CDB,s pass right through them. There is simply not enough dwell time for the water in such a small amount of carbon.

 

POINT OF ENTRY VS POINT OF USE WATER FILTERS

TPW installs ” point of entry “whole house water systems and  “point of use ” filter systems. Without any filtration in place, pipes in older homes can become coated with scale, dirt and various treatment chemicals as well as other pollutants. Over 10 to 15 years, more than 1 million gallons is used in the average US home. In some cases new purified water passing through these pipes will pickup contaminates, especially when first installed. Off tastes can sometimes be detected. You may want/need to install a ” point of use ” drinking water filter system under the sink or in the basement to compliment your whole house filter system. These range form simple carbon filters to Reverse Osmosis systems. In essence, a whole house filter system is not a drinking water system. In most cases a vast improvement is taste in immediatly noticed but we cannot guarantee that any whole house water purification system will produce satisfactory drinking water the day it is installed.

 

CARBON BASED SYSTEMS

Water purification systems for whole house applications use various forms and types of carbon. The carbon can be in extruded block cartridges, granulated filled cartridges or granulated and loose in floor tanks. Carbon is made from nutshells, wood, charcoal, animal bone and petroleum. Activated coconut shell carbon is the most common and cost effective type used for water filtration. There are hundreds of types of carbon processed to capture specific pollutants such as lead. A single teaspoon of granulated activated carbon has the surface area of a football field. It is a miracle of nature. Thousands of chemical pollutants can be captured by carbon based water filtration technology leaving your water purer, fresh tasting and safe to shower and bathe in. Reverse Osmosis filtration is suitable only for drinking/cooking water systems or where it is the only option for salt water well intrusion.

 

IF YOUR HOME IS CONNECTED TO TOWN WATER

All cities and towns in Massachusetts are required to provide homeowners, connected to town water, with a Water Quality Report every two years and are published online. It is not normally necessary to lab test our municipal waters. It is a good idea to find the latest report for your town and look it over. Really understanding what is in your water is just good common sense. Besides H2O molecules, municipal water will always contain quite a number of impurities, both benign and toxic. Maximum Contaminate Levels ( M.C.L.) are set by the EPA for a number of these impurities. Towns & Cities must adhere to these set standards, and for the most part do. The MCL’s are often determined by the best the water district can do with the available budget and treatment systems in place. There are also many dangerous pollutants found in tap water that are unregulated. Newer filtration standards like NSF 401 exist because of these “emerging contaminates” found in municipal water. NSF 401 addresses pollutants such as prescription and OTC drugs, Bisphenol A, Herbicides, Pesticides, Flame Retardants and more. We stock filter systems with NSF 401 certification. Call us at 508.272.6636

 

IF YOU HAVE A PRIVATE OR SEMI-PRIVATE WELL

According to the EPA, private well owners are responsible for the safety of their water. Well water should be tested annually for bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH levels. Many contaminates can find their way into well water especially shallow wells subject to the influence of surface water contamination. Here in Massachusetts well water can often contain excessive levels of iron, manganese, and hardness minerals along with low pH corrosive water. These issues are fairly simple to correct. Well water can also contain dangerous levels of bacteria, arsenic, nitrite, lead, radon and other substances that cannot be seen or tasted. Wells, both private and public are often polluted with industrial chemicals. Whenever purchasing a home with a private well, it is absolutely necessary to have the water tested by a state certified lab. Call us at 508.272.6636  Learn more at: https://www.epa.gov/privatewells

 

WATER TESTING

CALL US FOR RAPID TURNAROUND WATER TESTING. Testing for basic water conditions such as hardness, chlorine and pH, can be done on site for no charge. Lab tests such as the E.T.R. ” Comprehensive Scan ” tests for General Bacteria, General Chemistry, Radio Chemistry and Organic Analysis.This requires samples to be taken in 3 sterile containers. There is protocol for taking and transporting the samples that must be followed to prevent contamination/degradation. There are a total of 88 substances targeted in this test ranging from E.Coli ( general bacteria ) to Lead, Arsenic etc. (general chemistry) to Radon (radiochemistry) to Chloroform, chlorine, etc. (organic analysis). For the most part, this test is a kind of gold standard for water safety. There are many other toxic chemicals that can find their way into our water, especially wells, that require far more comprehensive testing. Contaminates not targeted will not be detected or appear on the test report. Call us at 508.272.6636 for water testing.

 

WALL MOUNTED CARTRIDGE TYPE SYSTEMS

Wall mounted cartridge type systems such as our popular Italian made WH-3500-IT Whole House Water Purification System ( shown here ) are designed for general use cartridges as well as a variety of specialized cartridges. We can target specific water conditions such as chlorine, lead, chloramines etc. and achieve significant reduction and even complete removal. The housings fit all readily available, fairly priced, non proprietary International Standardized 4.5″ X 20″ cartridges. You will avoid single source, proprietary design, replacement cartridges for your water filter system. In other words, nobody has a monopoly on the service of your water purification system and replacement cartridges will always be available. Proprietary type cartridges always use excessive amounts of plastic to create their product and are far less ” green ” than their non proprietary counterparts. You will benefit not only from competitive pricing, but also by being able to upgrade your filtration system to improved purification technologies from a variety of makers as they become available. It is a sensible approach to water purification.

 

BACKWASHABLE CARBON FILTER FLOOR TANK SYSTEMS

For larger homes with high water usage, backwashable  floor tanks are often recommended. Designed for chemically treated municipal water, these filters contain large volumes of loose carbon media. Tanks are sized to your homes water usage as well as pipe size at the water main. Tanks are usually 2/3 filled with carbon media such as G.A.C. (granulated activated carbon), coconut shell carbon and other types of carbon. Raw water flows downward through the media and up through a central tube to the homes piping system. Automatic timed backwashes are necessary to agitate the media which prevents channeling of water unevenly through the media and lowering its effectiveness. This water is directed to a an interior drain or to outdoors. Backwash frequency is set according to various parameters and water usage.

 

DELIVERY, SETUP AND PLUMBING IN FILTER SYSTEM

All whole house water purification systems must be installed by a licensed plumber and promptly inspected by your local plumbing inspector. You are welcome to use your own plumber or one our associate plumbers with whom we have a long standing relationship. Whole house systems are always installed with a bypass valve set up. This allows the system to be taken off line and serviced without interrupting water pressure and usage in the home. There is both a mechanical / wall mount installation by Think Pure Water and a plumbing installation by a licensed plumber followed by an inspection by the local plumbing inspector. In some cases, due to excessive water pressure over 80 P.S.I., a pressure regulator must be installed for the inspection to pass. ( see below )

 

OLDER HOMES AND OUTDOOR FAUCETS

Most older and some newer homes do not have a separate main for the outdoor faucets / sprinkler system. When there is no sprinkler system, the outdoor faucets will be part of the main house plumbing and can run into some additional expenses if a homeowner chooses to separate them from the whole house purified water. This is because new lines must be attached to the incoming water prior to the filtration system and then reattached at the closest point possible to the outdoor faucet piping.

The additional plumbing is fairly simple in an unfinished basement. In a completely finished basement, this can be a challenge but is always doable.When outdoor faucet separation is desired, additional costs will be calculated based on materials and labor and listed separately on the plumbing estimate. Some homeowners who use very little outdoor water or have a vegetable garden often prefer to purify the water going to outdoor faucets and avoid the additional plumbing expenses. In most cases, such a minor amount of water is used outdoors compared to overall usage, the additional plumbing expense isn’t justified.

 

RAW UNFILTERED INCOMING WATER CONDITIONS

The following is important and must be understood clearly. Having purified water throughout your home is an amazing experience and has the potential for significant health benefits for the homes occupants. Unfiltered municipal water can contain a virtual soup of raw minerals, dissolved metal salts, pollutants, disinfectant chemicals such as chlorine as well as the byproducts of these chemicals. Disinfectant Byproducts ( DBP,s ) such as haleoacetic acids and tri halomethanes are hundreds of times more toxic than chlorine itself. They result from, to put it bluntly, the poisoning and decomposition of millions of microscopic living organisms, algae etc. often present in raw water as well as chemical reactions with any organic matter. These chemicals should not be consumed, bathed in or inhaled as mist or steam in a hot shower. Besides lead, these are the most hazardous chemicals found in municipal tap water and most people have no idea about the potential dangers. This photo was taken in December of 2016 during a meter change just west of Boston and is MWRA water. Jug filters like Brita and shower head filters do not remove these chemicals. The good news……we have systems and cartridges designed to remove these specific chemicals and all related particulate with miraculous efficiency wether under sink or in whole house applications.

 

YOUR HOMES WATER PRESSURE

Ideal water pressure in a residential home is between 60 and 75 psi ( pounds per square inch ) We have encountered municipal water pressures as low as 40 psi and as high as 100 psi. At 40 psi, your kitchen sink, for example, may flow sufficiently but a shower on the second floor with flow restrictors in the shower head might be weak. Cities and towns do their best to keep ideal pressures coming in from the street but often cannot achieve this at every residence. This is due to various distances from pumping stations as well as topography. Concord, MA along Old Marlboro Rd for example has 100 psi but parts of South Natick are just 40 psi. Residences on or near main streets tend to have higher water pressure.

 

HIGH WATER PRESSURE

Most homeowners don’t know the actual water pressure in their home. According to Massachusetts Plumbing Codes and State Law, it is a homeowners responsibility to install a water pressure regulator inside any home where incoming pressure is over 80 psi. Water pressure over 80 psi can be hazardous and can lead to burst pipe joints, appliance leaks and over pressurization of the many hose clamps and fittings on washing machines and other water appliances.

 

PLUMBING INSPECTOR MAY DEMAND A PRESSURE REGULATOR

All Whole House Water Filters must be installed by a licensed plumber, permitted and inspected by your local plumbing inspector. During our first visit, we will test your water pressure to know ahead of time wether a pressure regulator might be needed to pass inspection. Town inspectors generally know if the water pressure on your street is too high before coming. They may enforce the installation of a regulator if he/she has to sign off on any plumbing work for which a permit has been pulled. Installing a pressure regulator during the installation of a whole house water filter adds about 15 minutes to the labor cost so there is no additional labor charge. The regulator cost varies according to pipe size. For 1/2″ and 3/4″ pipe, the cost is $100.00. 1″ pipe cost $125.00 and 1-1/4″ pipe cost $260.00. A separate trip by the plumber to set up and install a pressure regulator costs about $350.00 plus the regulator. If your home is found to have water pressure over 80 psi, we should install a pressure regulator. If in this case we try to avoid a regulator, the water filter installation inspection may be failed by the inspector. After completion of the Whole House Filter System with a regulator installed, the setting should be lowered to 80 psi which is allowable and is actually really high pressure. It can be dialed up to the full pressure coming in from the street but this is not recommended.

 

LOW WATER PRESSURE

If your home has low water pressure, a repressurization pump can be installed. Various factors can contribute to low water pressure. This electric pump can bring the pressure up to the desired level to create good water flow throughout the home. These are ” on demand ” units which only activate when you turn on a tap. We can cost out one of these units if you wish and have it professionally installed.

 

TAC SCALE CONTROL SYSTEMS

All water except rainwater, distilled water or RO water contains various amounts of dissolved solids. Hard water usually contains high levels of calcium and magnesium. Some well water is so hard, you cannot make lather with a bar of soap. In many cases, usually with well water, a cation  exchange salt softener is the only remedy. A TAC ( template assisted crystallization ) Scale Control System can, in many cases be installed instead of a traditional salt softener. We can install a Scale Control System that uses no salt, no backwash, no electricity that will prevent scale build up inside pipes and plumbing fixtures. These TAC Systems should never be referred to as ” Salt Free Water Softeners ” by any water professional. The hardness minerals are still present in the exact same percentage as entered the tank. TAC treated water will not feel slippery like true softened water but there are huge benefits for heating/plumbing equipment & fixtures. ( Feed water chemistry max levels for TAC: pH 6.5-8.5, Hardness 75 Grains, Free Chlorine 2 ppm, Iron 0.03 ppm, Manganese 0.05 ppm, Copper 1.3  ppm, Silica 20 ppm, No Phosphates. Parameters are specific to Filtersorb SP3 Media )

 

OUR PLEDGE TO USE ONLY THE BEST EQUIPMENT AVAILABLE

All systems installed by Think Pure including filter housings, tanks, cartridges, media etc. are made to the highest standards. All products, raw materials and performance data are third party certified and approved by one or more of the following: The National Sanitation Foundation ( NSF ), American National Standards Institute ( ANSI ), Water Quality Association ( WQA ) and Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ). Our Italian made products meet all or a portion of the above standards as well as all pertinent European Regulatory Standard bodies such as I.W.A., A.C.S. & A.F.W.A. / A.A.E. an others listed below.