Category Archives: new construction

Edmonton City Water Quality

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We performed a filter change service call on a reverse osmosis system this afternoon.  The "before" and "after" images really show the difference between filtered water and plain old city water.  It never ceases to amaze me how the government says the water supplied through the municipal system is clean and safe, "some of the best in the world" I keep hearing…

The image shown here shows what the filtration equipment does.  During the maintenance, I changed all the filter cartridges, the "pre" filter, a "post" filter and did some other service.  The "pre" filter is exposed to water coming directly from the city of Edmonton.  If the water is so good, what is all the gunk all over the filter?  The "post" filter is also shown – it was installed at the same time as the "pre" filter, the only difference is that the "post" filter only has water that has been treated by reverse osmosis running over and through it.

The difference?  As you can see, other than the fact it is wet and showing a little bit of the carbon block filter it is wrapped around (think of a wet, clingy t-shirt, and how it can become translucent) it is clearly still in like-new, "white" condition.  A brand new, still in the wrapper filter cartridge is shown in the middle for reference.

My question is simple – if the water quality in Edmonton, Sherwood Park, St. Albert and the entire Greater Edmonton Area is so good, why do the filters turn this horrible colour after being exposed to our pristine water supply?

Treatment is quick, efficient and easy to use, requires very little maintenance and gives peace of mind – we get rid of the gunk!

Considerations When Building a New Home

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Unfortunately, today’s topic comes about from a situation that probably could have been avoided. A colleague of mine had purchased an RO (reverse osmosis) system, but wanted us to wait to install it since she was moving.

Something about the way she said it lead me to believe she was moving into an already-built home, not waiting for the builder to complete a new project for her. Had I known, we could have very easily set up her RO system for installation in the basement and just run the lines to connect to the kitchen sink and to the refrigerator. We could have also worked with her granite installer to get them to pre-cut a hole for the RO’s separate faucet in her kitchen sink – typically at no additional charge…

That didn’t happen, so when she called to arrange the booking after taking possession, we now had to get the granite people out for a service call to make the faucet’s installation hole, and we now need to install the system and the storage tank under the sink, since the basement is finished and has a drywalled ceiling.

If it was a drop or “t-bar” style ceiling, we’d probably have been ok still, but there’s no way to run the plumbing connections through the drywall without damaging or probably removing a few sections – not something she was wanting to do on her BRAND NEW home….

When we test the water and find out what sort of treatment (if any) she’ll need for the whole-home, that is typically not too big a problem as connecting to the existing plumbing is quite straight forward. Only the drinking water system is causing problems. (It is a seperate system and uses its own plumbing connections.)

Too bad… But the lesson here is to always plan ahead. If you’re building a new home, it is SOOO easy to get your drinking water system installed during the construction phase and it can all be neatly tucked-away – even inside what will be finished ceilings and drywall. We can also more-easily run connections to second floor areas.

Quite often, people would like to have a drinking water faucet right in their ensuite, or upstairs bathrooms. If the master bedroom is upstairs and you get thirsty in the middle of the night, its a lot easier to just pop your glass under a nearby faucet rather than head downstairs….

It never hurts to ask – if you’re planning on building, or already in the construction phase, give us a call and see if there’s any shortcuts you can take for a seamless installation. This is a great time to quit the bottled water habit. You can get better quality, for WAY less money, and an almost endless supply right in your own home – all it takes is a little planning and it can be a perfect setup.