Tap water is safe in most (though not all) US cities, though if you want the peace of mind that filtered water brings, this bottle can test for contamination and purify your water on the go.
The Ecomo bottle has a built-in water quality tester that can detect pollutants, including pesticides, dissolved minerals, petroleum products, and heavy metals like lead and mercury. To use the device, you shake the bottle to send water into the tester; the system is connected to an app on your phone, and sends test results via Bluetooth.
From there, you can read the water temperature and track the impurities in your water. The app will then give your water a quality rating out of 10.
The device cleans the water through a three-layered filter, which looks like a net inside the bottle. One layer of the filter is made of activated charcoal, which removes chlorine, pesticides, and petroleum — the things that can add a “chemical” smell or taste to the water. The second layer is made of an ion-exchange fiber that removes heavy metals, and the third — a nanofiber membrane — catches bacteria and microscopic protozoa that can cause stomach cramps and nausea.
To purify water, you fill the bottle and twist a wheel on the bottom to move the filter through the water. After that, the rating will change to reflect how well the water has been filtered.
The bottle could come in handy if you’re on a hike and need to filter river water, or if you have a feeling your pipes need cleaning and want to make sure the tap water’s potable. More importantly, it could also help those in water crises like the one in Flint find out whether their water contains lead.
The Ecomo has three parts. The first is the water-holding reservoir itself, which contains the net-like filter. A second layer below that is a removable, wearable device that’s built into the bottle. It has a screen that can remind you to drink enough water (a feature that’s been in more than a few smart bottles thus far). The third layer contains the quality monitor and the filter wheel, which also features an indicator that tracks the lifespan of your filter.
A Kickstarter fundraising campaign for the Ecomo is expected to launch October 5. The bottles will start at $129 each for early bird backers, and are expected to ship in March 2017.
For city dwellers who are confident in the quality of their water, the product might be a bit overkill — there are already Brita filter water bottles on the market, and many tiny particulates in your drinking water are actually safe.
But if you’re worried about the purity of your water supply, you might appreciate the ability to make sure what you’re drinking is safe.
If you live in Orange County, CA, you might already own a Pure Elements Water system. That is about the best filtered water you can get at a cheap price. So fill your Ecomo with that water.
Here is what a recent Costa Mesa client had to say about his new water filter system.
Benefits of filtered and RO water so far:
1. Kids say they feel more rejuvenated from showers
2. Water tastes 100% better than bottled
3. Saving $ and minimizing waste by cancelling bottled water
4. Vegetable garden significantly healthier and plants more vigorous
5. Feel better about the water quality given to dogs and chickens
6. Install was as promised; clean, quick, professional, discreetly located
7. System was designed and properly sized based on our individual needs
“Rick is a consummate professional and delivered a great product as promised! We would highly recommend contacting him for an evaluation.” J.O., Costa Mesa, California.
We have created a new satellite website called stoppinholes.com. This site will thoroughly address the pinhole leak epidemic that many people are experiencing in Southern Orange County.
This new site goes into greater detail in regards to the causes of pinholes in copper plumbing as well as a homeowner’s possible options to solve the problem.
There are also many examples of chloramaine filters we have installed for happy clients in Ladera Ranch, San Clemente, Newport Beach, Dana Point, Aliso Viejo, Mission Viejo, Lake Forest and all over Orange County, California.
If you do not own your home and live in an apartment or rental but would still like the benefits of filtered water, this is a good option.
The reason a person might choose a carbon block filter over a reverse osmosis system is because carbon block filters do not strip out the minerals and calcium like RO systems. Therefore, if you wish to keep the minerals and calcium in your drinking water this is the better choice for you.
We like the Multi-Pure filters best in this category. The solid carbon block units like the Multi-Pure drinking water filters do a much better job than the cheaper plastic Aquasana and similar counter top filters. We do not recommend any of the filters with plastic housings as they tend to crack easily, leak and require more exterior cleaning maintenance.
Multi-Pure filters contain a high-quality solid block of carbon that is set inside a stainless steel casing. The container seals tightly and we have personally never experienced any leaks. These filters are well-made, high quality items.
Most of the systems are flexible in that they can be placed either on the counter top, under the sink with a dedicated filtered water dispensing faucet, or in some cases below the sink in line with the existing faucet hardware. Installation is relatively easy. We put in this filter ourselves and it took minutes to install.
We noticed a dramatic improvement in the taste of the water immediately after installing it. Tap water tends to have heavy chemical odors and tastes, and this filter set our minds at ease quickly.
The filters cartridges need replacing periodically. The model we have direct experience with is the Multi-Pure MPCT. This filter is currently used by two adults and the filter cartridge is replaced once a year.
The MPCT has since been replaced by the MP750 series, which offers even more options for mounting or placement.
The models we recommend are: The MP750 series, MP880 series, or MP1200EL model. The letters after each model let you know what type of replacement the filter requires. SC is for counter top placement. SB is for below the sink with a dedicated filtered water faucet. SI is for the filter placed under the sink but mounted to the existing hardware. EL is a filter with a special meter that alerts you when it is time to replace the filter – This is the newest model.
To see what others have to say about these filters you can read more consumer reviews and
How does the Healthy Home Solution water conditioner compare to magnet water treatment?
This is an important question. While we don’t want to knock the
magnets, there are some serious differences in the technology.
Magnet water treatment makes a temporary change in the polarity of the water. The key word there is temporary. When the change is taking place, a magnet will definitely reduce hard water issues. But if you don’t use the water in the specific time allotted, it will actually revert back to its original state and you will lose all the benefits. That puts a lot of pressure on the home owner to use the water immediately after it’s been through the magnet.
And anyone who does magnets properly in a home these days will not just put one in but they will put one on the water main and one on the inlet and one on the outlet of the water heater. Sometimes a magnet will need to be put on dishwasher, on the shower head of each bath and everywhere else the home owner wants to improve his water.
The costs become astronomical and the reason is they are trying to keep the polarity consistent. You need a lot of magnets to keep that polarity in place so the consumer can benefit from the magnets at all outlets.
On the other hand, our technology makes a permanent change in the
calcium carbonate. Once the water has been through our unit the
calcium carbonate has lost the majority of its attraction for itself
and metal and other types of surfaces. So it loses its ability to
bond and it is a permanent state and there are no worries in regards
to time frame in which the water must be used.
We think it is obvious this is a much easier and cheaper way to
eliminate the hard water issues in your home.
Here’s a snippet.
“There is virtually no valid scientific data to support any water treatment benefit from magnetic devices. Despite this, companies, sales representatives, and product brochures for the devices may make any one of the following claims:
“Gives hard water properties of soft water”
“Prevents water from forming normal chemical reactions that cause hard water scale, rust, and corrosion.”
“Stops buildup of scale and rust and eliminates or reduces existing rust.”
“Provides clean clothes, shiny fixtures, better health, and nice skin.”
“Makes washing machines, dishwashers, and coffee makers run more efficiently thus avoiding costly repairs.”
“Reduces hydrogen sulfide smells and iron buildups.”
Usually, printed testimonials from “hundreds of satisfied customers” support these claims.”
So that basically settles that argument. You do not want to bother with magnets and your water.
This may seem like a strange question, but how much do we really know about the effects of bathing in water with chlorine added by our municipalities?
Everyone is aware that without some form of bacteriological kill, we would suffer disease and waterborne bacteria could threaten our health. We can credit chlorine disinfection in our water, introduced in 1908, for dramatically reducing our potential for acquiring serious diseases like typhoid fever, dysentery, cholera and Legionnaires’ disease. And we appreciate the fact that chlorine is a very inexpensive chemical, even though it is classified as a pesticide that is effective in killing living organisms.
However, it is not uncommon today to find levels of chlorine in our tap water that exceed those recommended as safe for most swimming pools.
Chlorine is most effectively used when it maintains a residual until the time the treated water is ready for use. So this means we need it delivered to our front door, but should we let it into our home?
I believe the answer is a resounding “NO”. Chlorine and the altered version chloramines (chlorine and ammonia intentionally mixed together) can have an adverse effect on us when we consume it. Thinking logically: If chlorine kills organisms by destroying the cell wall, what is it doing inside our bodies? Some have suggested that, if we monitor and keep the levels low enough, our bodies will simply neutralize the chlorine we ingest. But scientists agree that higher levels of chlorine introduced into our bodies have a detrimental effect on our cells, and therefore negatively affect our heath and well-being. And the jury is still out about prolonged exposure through consumption.
This article, however, is not about ingesting chlorine and chloramines from our drinking water. A much greater danger lurks in our bath and shower water. There is an increased risk of cancer and other ailments caused by bathing in water treated with these chemicals. Because chlorine is a poison that kills waterborne pathogens, it has a detrimental effect on humans by attacking delicate tissues when absorbed into our skin or through respiration into our lungs.
Inhaled air containing chloroform and other chlorine byproducts (such as organochlorines) can contain up to 100 times the chemical levels of the incoming water, because chemicals readily vaporize into the steam in the bath or shower. This chemical-laden steam causes harmful chemicals to enter directly into our bloodstream, rather than being processed by kidneys and the digestive system. Exposure to these chemicals increases production of free radicals, causes damage to cells, and provides prolonged exposure to carcinogens.
Numerous studies over the past 50 years have shown a correlation between chlorine and serious disease, including breast, rectal and bladder cancers. Chlorine has been proven to be a contributory factor in damage to the heart, lungs, kidney, liver and central nervous system, as well as to the stomach. Other diseases connected to chlorine include atherosclerosis and respiratory problems, and some research has shown that chlorine destroys body protein.
One of the newest (and most disconcerting) findings relates chlorine directly to breast cancer, which kills many women each year. One out of eight women in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer, and recent studies conducted in Hartford, Connecticut have linked the accumulation in breast tissue of chlorine byproducts (called organochlorines) directly to breast cancer. Breast cancer patients were shown to have organochlorines levels of 50% to 60% higher than women without the disease.
Chlorine and chloramines in the bath and shower also cause dry, flaky skin and increase skin-related irritations. Hair becomes dry and brittle, with increased dandruff and dryness of the scalp. Skin, the largest organ of our body, soaks up chemicals like a large sponge in an environment with warm water and steam. This phenomenon occurs because the warm temperature of the water causes our pores to become enlarged, creating sites eager to instantly absorb gaseous chemicals. Eyes, sinuses and throat tissues become unnecessarily irritated with this exposure. Chlorine and its byproducts can also be extremely dangerous to the delicate tissues in our lungs. Researchers have shown that after 10 minutes in the shower, people show measurable increases in chloroform concentrations in their lungs (averaging 2.7 parts per billion).
Our children suffer the consequences of chloroform in the bath and shower, too. Chemical exposure while bathing is considered to be directly related to the 300% increase in asthma and bronchitis in children in the last twenty years. According to Dr. Lance Wallace of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Showering is suspected as the primary cause of elevated levels of chloroform in nearly every home because of chlorine in the water.”
So what should we do?
I believe that knowledge is power, and we have taken a brief look at the threats posed to our bodies by unnecessary exposure to chlorine, chloramines and their byproducts. Armed with this knowledge, it is time to seek out a solution by taking control of the levels of exposure to these chemicals in our homes. The most effective answer is to install a fully automatic, multimedia whole-house chlorine water filter at the point where the water enters your home. This allows you to maintain the disinfecting benefits of chlorine to the front door, while completely removing it from your household living environment. This further contributes to home wellness by eliminating the resultant airborne chemicals, and provides great tasting water from every faucet and to ice makers.
Choose the whole-house water system not only based on performance, but also on its Green characteristics. Stay away from old-fashioned water softeners that add sodium or potassium chloride to the environment (and your drinking water). Stick with technologies that have no adverse affects on the environment, and that use no salts or chemicals in their operation.
Be wary of smaller shower head and faucet mounted filters, as they will provide some benefit but act more like a band-aid. These products are flow rate sensitive, meaning they may be totally ineffective if you run your shower or faucet at wide-open levels. Moreover, the size limitation means the amount of effective filtering material is small, so regular replacement is necessary to maintain any type of consistency. These products may look slightly better than they actually work.
Effective, environmentally sound whole-house technology is here, and reasonably affordable, to provide a chemical free home as it relates to water and resultant air contamination. So take control – Protect yourself and your family from the cancer risk posed by chlorine and its byproducts in your water, bath and shower.
Newport Beach, CA and other Orange County cities have chlorine and other chemicals in their water supplies. A high quality water filter is a good idea to protect yourself if you live in the area.
Tap water just isn’t good and hasn’t been for some time. We here in Irvine California as well as across the United States are being told that our drinking and bathing water is clean water but it really isn’t. And we can no longer rely on the government to take care of us or fix the problem. They might get it fixed some day but for some of us, it might be too late. That’s harsh to say but there is truth to it. Take it from someone who has done so many positive things for his health and yet still ended up in the hospital for 6 days after getting a colon tumor the size of a ping-pong ball removed. (Note: This cannot be proven to be water related and I doubt it is on its own. The combination of quality food and water as well as the environment definitely played a part in helping my condition grow. And I’ll tell you after going through this experience, I will do everything in my power to never go back in the hospital again. It is not a place you want to be.)
So we need to take personal charge of ourselves and our children’s health because no one else is capable. And one of the most important things we can do for ourselves is take into our bodies the best cleanest water we can get by using a home water purifier. After all our bodies are made up of 80-85% water so why wouldn’t we want that water to be the best quality? If you had a Ferrari, would you fill it with cheap oil and fluids? If you did that, how long do you think it would last? Why would you do anything less for the body that keeps you alive on this planet than put the best safest water into it?
Water isn’t just water. There is good and bad and that is what this blog is going to inform you about and discuss. There are solutions to getting the best quality water and many are cheaper than you think. And some of the water solutions you think are cheap are actually the most expensive out there.
Upcoming posts and articles will be touching on:
How better health through good water can provide a healthier living environment inside and outside the home.
Using a home water purifier, filter, treatment system is becoming critical and there are many reasons why this is so.
Why we must minimize reliance on plastic bottles and how to achieve quality water that meets or exceeds the standards for bottled waters, without the toxic bottles.
We’ll tell you how to achieve a water cost savings which will provide an economic benefit.
Plus we’ll discuss how to be Green conscious and help protect our environment through the use of leading edge technologies that benefit our environment and landfills.
We’ll also be exploring the many different aspects of quality water control through water softeners, water filters, reverse osmosis, and whole house water filtration systems.
Improve Water Quality Health – Stop Pinhole Leaks – Remove Hard Water Issues
