Posted on

4 Signs You Need a Water Softener

hard water

In Utah, our water is considered hard, especially compared to other areas of the country. Hard water is water that contains a high concentration of minerals, chiefly calcium and magnesium. But not everyone is aware of the effects of hard water. They may believe their skin problems and other issues are due to another cause. The team at Kinetico wants you to know the warning signs of hard water. If you have these bothersome issues in your home, a water softener can help.

1. Dry Skin & Hair

Hard water is drying, and showering with hard water can dry out your skin and hair, leaving you flaky and itchy. Moisturizing and conditioning can help, but it’s an issue many people in the Salt Lake City area fight constantly.

It has not been scientifically proven that hard water causes eczema, but most dermatologists agree that it can exacerbate the condition. Additionally, hard water can cause or worsen acne. Soft water is kinder to the skin and hair.

2. Appliances Break Down

Any appliances in your home that use water — the hot water tank, clothes washer, icemaker, dishwater — can break down more frequently if your home has hard water. That’s because of limescale, a chalky substance that builds up in these machines, as well as other parts such as sprayers, nozzles and drain hoses.

Soft water helps appliances last longer.

3. Plumbing Problems

Especially in older homes, scale and minerals can build up so thickly in pipes that the space for water to flow is reduced to the size of a pencil. This affects water pressure and makes it easier for pipes to become clogged.

With hard water, clogs can also form in the showerhead and faucets in your home. If you’re frequently calling the plumber for help with clogs, hard water may be to blame.

4. Dingy Laundry

Minerals make soap less effective, making it harder to clean your skin, your clothes and anything else in your home. After a while, your laundry will look dingy and stains will remain stubbornly behind. Minerals will also stay behind in your clothes, making them feel stiff. Additionally, your clothes will not last as long because the minerals break down the fabrics faster.

Have you noticed any of these signs in your home? Contact Kinetico today to schedule water softener installation. We serve Salt Lake City, Herriman, Bountiful, Ogden, Park City, Toole and the surrounding areas.

Posted on

Environmental Benefits of Water Purification Systems

environmental benefits water purification

When considering water filters or purification systems for any part of their homes or buildings, many people naturally consider the individual benefits first and foremost. Beyond the improved taste and health-related benefits that come to individual users of a water purification system, however, there’s another key plus area to consider as well: Environmental benefits.

At Kinetico, we’re proud to offer a variety of reverse osmosis water purification systems, which are used alongside our water softeners and other water treatment solutions for several major purposes. What are the major ways a water purification system benefits not just you and the other people in your home or building, but also the environment itself? Here’s a basic primer.

Limiting Plastic Water Bottle Consumption

Water purification systems are a primary alternative to the constant production and consumption of plastic water bottles that can end up in a landfill or even a waterway, where they never biodegrade. Plastic pollution is a huge issue for the globe’s rivers and oceans – with an estimated five trillion plastic pieces weighing over 250,000 tons currently floating around the world’s waters.

When you install water purification systems in your home or office building, you’re able to eliminate the need plastic water bottles.

Reducing Fossil Fuel Consumption

In addition to the massive pollution issues plastic water bottles lead to, their manufacturing also requires fossil fuels and natural gas – to produce the plastic bottles themselves, generate power for their production and transportation, etc. By eliminating a need for as many of these types of plastic water bottles – whether through home filtration systems or simply by not buying them – you can reduce your dependence on fossil fuels and help preserve natural resources for future generations.

For more on the environmental benefits of water purification systems and water softeners, or to learn about any of our water treatment programs, speak to the pros at Kinetico today.

Posted on

Is Water Softener Water Safe to Drink?

drinking softened water

When homeowners in Salt Lake City and the surrounding area are considering getting a water softener for their home, some of them wonder if it will impact their drinking water. Is water softener water safe to drink? Will it taste different? The team at Kinetico has answers for you.

What Is Soft Water?

Soft water is water with most of the minerals removed from it. While many minerals are essential to the human diet, ordinary drinking water provides less than 1% of them, so removing minerals from your drinking water does not deprive you of healthy additives.

Soft water also has sodium added to it. Especially here in Utah, where we have the Great Salt Lake, we are aware that drinking saltwater can make you sick. An eight-ounce glass of seawater contains about 9,000 mg of salt — about two teaspoons. Experts recommend we consume no more than one teaspoon of salt per day.

Ordinary drinking water has varying amounts of salt in it based on what types of minerals are found in the ground from which the water is sourced. Softened water has about 20 mg of salt per eight-ounce glass, which is low enough to be imperceptible to most people.

So the short answer is yes, softened water is safe to drink, even for those on a low-sodium diet.

Reverse Osmosis Filters

If for some reason you do not want your drinking water softened, you have options.

Most people who get a water softener in their Utah home do so because of the benefits it provides. These include helping appliances last longer, getting clothes cleaner and making it easier to rinse soap out of hair and off skin. When you have a water softener installed in your home, you won’t need to use as much laundry soap and shampoo. You also will not have to contend with scaling, spotting and stains on dishes and in bathrooms and washing machines.

While water softeners remove minerals from your water supply, they do not remove contaminants such as lead, arsenic and other heavy metals. If you are at all concerned with the quality of your water, you may want us to install a reverse osmosis filter in your home for you.

A reverse osmosis filter removes 95%-99% of contaminants from your drinking water, so you never have to worry about your family ingesting toxins or impurities. The filters are easy to change and the system comes with a 10-year warranty.

Get Soft Water in Your Utah Home

If you’re interested in installing a water softener or a reverse osmosis filter in your home, contact Kinetico today. We serve Salt Lake City, Provo, Herriman, Park City, Tooele, Bountiful and Ogden.

Posted on

Reverse Osmosis Systems vs. Pitcher Water Filters

Water filter Utah

When you first consider your options for fresh, clean-tasting water at your Utah home, you may lean toward getting a pitcher water filter rather than a reverse osmosis system.

This is understandable, as pitcher filters are easy to use and cheap to buy.

However, relying on a pitcher to filter your drinking water may not be the best move. Here, the expert team at Kinetico Utah explains the reasons why investing in an RO water filtration system is a wise decision.

Pitchers Filter Only a Small Amount of Water

Pitcher water filters aren’t all that productive because the pitchers have a limited capacity. The amount that can be filtered at a time might not be enough to satisfy your household needs – and filling up the pitcher every time you empty it may soon become a nuisance. If you invest in a reverse osmosis filtration system, everyone will have plenty to drink every time they turn on the faucet.

Pitchers Require More Frequent Filter Changes

Most manufacturers recommend replacing pitcher filters every two months or once 40 gallons has been filtered, whichever comes first. The cost of replacement water filters could add up to nearly $100 per year, and swapping out the filters is a chore that’s easy to forget. With a reverse osmosis water filtration system, filter changes are a breeze, and they’re typically only necessary every 12 months.

Pitcher Filters Remove Fewer Contaminants

Some water filter pitchers remove only chlorine, while others also remove certain bacteria, organic compounds and heavy metals. But regardless of which brand you choose, a pitcher water filter won’t eliminate as many contaminants as a reverse osmosis system can. RO technology works to trap up to 99 percent of the contaminants commonly found in Utah, which makes for safer, cleaner and better-tasting water.

Choosing a Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System

If you opt for a reverse osmosis water filtration system instead of a water filter pitcher, you’ll have a virtually endless supply of delicious filtered water for drinking, cooking and making beverages like iced tea and lemonade. To make the most of your investment, however, you’ll want to contact Kinetico Utah.

Kinetico, an industry leader, has been manufacturing innovative RO systems that outperform other brands and operate for decades. What’s more, Kinetico’s reverse osmosis filtration systems are certified by the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) to remove more contaminants than other systems out on the market – and for your peace of mind, our systems come with an outstanding warranty.

After serving homeowners in Ogden, Park City, Provo, Salt Lake City and surrounding northern Utah area for 30 years, the Kinetico Utah team knows that providing information is essential – we’re ready to answer your questions and explain everything you need to know about water filters and RO technology. For a free, no-obligation consultation, contact Kinetico Utah today.

Posted on

Do You Need a Water Filtration System or a Water Softener?

Water filtration Salt Lake City, water softener Salt Lake City

Many Salt Lake City homeowners assume that they should get a water softener, but, at least in some cases, a water filtration system would better meet their needs – and in some cases, the opposite is true. So how do you know what’s right for your Utah home?

The decision on whether to invest in a water filtration system or a water softener depends mainly upon your goals and objectives, as well as the quality of your household water supply. Different types of equipment perform different functions

Here’s what you need to know to make a decision on the best water treatment approach for you.

Why Might You Need a Water Softener?

Softeners are designed to filter out calcium and magnesium ions, which are the primary minerals that make water hard. Hardness isn’t a health hazard, but it can bring about several unpleasant issues, including:

  • Limescale or soap scum deposits on faucets and showerheads
  • Rust-colored staining in and around sinks and toilets
  • Residue on clothing after it goes through the washing machine
  • Dry, itchy and irritated skin and dingy, dull-looking hair
  • Appliances becoming less efficient, leading to higher energy bills and shorter lifespans

If you suspect that your Salt Lake City home has hard water, a softener may be what you need to resolve these problems. However, keep in mind that installing a softening system won’t ensure that what’s flowing from your taps is necessarily pleasant or safe to drink.

Why Might You Need a Whole-Home Water Filtration System?

Filtration systems, particularly whole-home water filtration systems, are effective for removing sediment and particles. Even more important, a filtration system can remove chlorine from your water. In Salt Lake City, whole home filtration for chlorine removal is a very popular option, due to the unpleasant nature of our municipal water supply.

So, while a softener system will help with spotty glassware and scale buildup on plumbing fixtures, filtration systems will provide you with water that looks cleaner and tastes (and smells) much better.

Filtration systems can also help neutralize high acidity levels. In some cases, highly acidic water can cause excess corrosion in the home’s plumbing system, including pipes, faucets and fixtures.

What About Water Purification Systems?

Purification systems are designed to remove the majority of harmful particulates and impurities. These systems typically use reverse osmosis (RO) technology, which is capable of trapping many different types of pollutants. Some of the contaminants that a reverse osmosis system can eliminate from your household supply include:

  • Viruses
  • Bacteria
  • Protozoa
  • Lead
  • Arsenic
  • Nitrate
  • Metal ions
  • Sulfate

If you’re concerned about the safety of your household drinking water, you might also want to want to invest in a reverse osmosis filtration system. These systems are typically installed at the kitchen sink, so you have it conveniently available for cooking and drinking. However, the nature of RO systems don’t facilitate the filtration of large volumes.

Get the Right Water Treatment System for You

If you want to have the best possible drinking water, you could install our exclusive reverse osmosis K5 drinking water station. To improve the quality and safety of the water throughout your home, talk to us about installing Kinetico’s whole home water filtration system.

To reach the right decision, you’ll need to get a clear picture of your household water quality – and the expert team at Kinetico Utah can perform a test at no cost to you. Once we see the results, we can recommend a treatment option. We offer a range of effective and efficient filtration systems and top-of-the-line water softeners, all of which come with our industry-leading warranty.

Call on Kinetico Utah, and we’ll find a solution that meets your needs and fits your budget. We’d be happy to come to your Salt Lake City are home to provide you with a free, no-obligation consultation and discuss our highly efficient and cost-effective water filtration and water softening systems.

Posted on

How a Reverse Osmosis System Will Benefit Your Family

Reverse Osmosis System

Have you thought about installing a reverse osmosis system?

When it comes to your family’s drinking water, you have your choice of a few different types of filtration systems. The best feature RO technology, purifying water by using pressure to push it through a semi-permeable membrane. To see what makes reverse osmosis the ideal water treatment solution, read on.

Safer and Cleaner Water Supply

One of the greatest advantages of installing a reverse osmosis system is knowing that your household has water that’s nearly free of impurities. The RO process can remove up to 99 percent of common contaminants, including arsenic, lead, nitrate, bacteria, viruses and particulates.

Great-Tasting Drinking Water

With an RO system removing unwanted contaminants from your water, every glass you drink will have a clear, refreshing taste. Water filtered through reverse osmosis is widely considered to be the best for drinking and cooking, and you’ll love having a virtually unlimited supply.

Savings that Quickly Add Up

You can say goodbye to bottled water after installing an RO system, and by doing so, you can save quite a bit of your hard-earned money. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on single-use bottles each year, you’ll be getting your drinking water for just a few pennies per gallon.

Reduced Environmental Impact

Plastic is recyclable, but did you know that roughly 70 percent of the water bottles we use end up in a landfill? Install an RO system, and you’ll be doing your part to benefit the environment – you won’t need to buy single-use bottles, and that means your family will produce less plastic waste.

Ready to Reap the Benefits of Reverse Osmosis?

If your home is in Salt Lake City or the surrounding area, Kinetico Utah is the water treatment company to call. Our innovative RO systems outperform others on the market in several ways, as they’re designed to:

  • Provide a constant flow, delivering water at about twice the speed as other filtration systems
  • Conserve water, using up to 93 percent less than filtration systems made by other manufacturers
  • Make maintenance easy, as you can change filters with a simple twist – and the indicator lets you know when it’s time for filter replacement

In addition, Kinetico RO systems are certified by the National Sanitation Foundation to remove more contaminants than any other system you can buy. Choose Kinetico, and you’ll feel confident in not only the quality of your family’s drinking water, but also in the quality of your filtration system. Ours are made to operate for up to twenty years, but for your peace of mind, we also provide an industry-leading warranty.

For more information on water filtration, or to schedule a free consultation to discuss the benefits of installing a reverse osmosis system with the Kinetico Utah team, contact us today.

Posted on

Hard Water and Soft Water – What’s the Difference?

Utah soft water systems

You could have hard or soft water in your home – and chances are, it’s the former. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, about 85 percent of the country has hard water, and in Utah, the percentage is certainly much higher.

If you’re not sure how hard and soft water differ, you’re not alone. Here, the Kinetico Utah team shares the answer and explains how to know what type of water is flowing through your taps.

Hard Water

When rain falls from the sky, it’s naturally soft. As it works its way through the earth and into our groundwater, it picks up minerals like magnesium and calcium – and this turns it from soft to hard water.

The higher the concentration of minerals, the higher the ranking on the hardness scale. And while hard water isn’t harmful to ingest, using it for showering can lead to dry skin and hair. It can also affect your faucets, fixtures, pipes and water-using appliances.

Soft Water

Soft water doesn’t have a high concentration of harsh minerals. As such, it’s gentler on your body. And, using it won’t result in issues with your plumbing or household appliances.

Most Utah homeowners aren’t lucky enough to have naturally soft water. Fortunately, hardness is easily dealt with – a water softening system works to remove the magnesium and calcium, thereby making the household supply soft.

What Type of Water Do You Have?

You can’t tell whether you have hard or soft water by looking at it. But, you can watch for the telltale signs of hardness. These include:

  • Cloudy spots or film on your dishes
  • Scale buildup on your faucets and fixtures
  • White or cream colored stains in the toilets and sinks
  • Dull, flat hair and dry, itchy skin
  • Clothes that feel rough or look dingy after a few washes

If you’ve noticed any of the above, checking with the professional team at Kinetico Utah is your next step. We’ll come out to your home, complete a customized analysis of your household supply and suggest treatment options to meet your needs.

When hardness is a problem, installing a softener is the solution. However, softening systems don’t remove impurities, pollutants or contaminants – and if you have any of those, installing a reverse osmosis system is the best way to get clean, safe and delicious drinking water. Many Utah homeowners choose to install both types of systems, and you may benefit by doing the same.

Kinetico is a trusted industry leader, known for manufacturing top-quality water softeners and reverse osmosis systems. And here at Kinetico Utah, we have a solid reputation as well as many loyal customers. To arrange for a free, no-obligation consultation and find out if you have hard or soft water, contact us online or give our office in Draper, Utah, a call today.

Posted on

Reasons to Consider a Kinetico Drinking Water System

Kinetico Drinking Water System

If you’re looking for a drinking water system for your Utah home, you’ll find numerous options. But as with any type of product, certain brands and manufacturers are inherently better than others.

Kinetico is one of the most trusted and most popular brands for water treatment systems. When having the best drinking water system is the goal, turning to Kinetico Utah is the best plan – here’s why.

Exceptional Quality

Kinetico’s reverse osmosis system outperforms those made by other manufacturers. It not only removes more pollutants and contaminants, but also produces clear, great-tasting water that rivals the top bottled brands.

Constant Water Flow

Getting a drink takes almost no time at all with a Kinetico reverse osmosis system – the flow is fast, about twice the speed of other water treatment systems and remains constant.  Unlike other systems where the water flow slows until it’s eventually a dribble.

Easy Maintenance

When it’s time to replace the filters in a Kinetico drinking water station, you’ll know, as the patented indicator alerts you. Changing the filters is simple, too, a task you can easily handle on your own.

Long Service Life

Kinetico products are built to last. Their drinking water station also comes with an impressive 10-year warranty – which, if you also own a Kinetico water softener, includes the membrane. If you don’t, you may want to invest in one, as softening extends the lifespan of a reverse osmosis system.

Eco-Friendly Filtration

Investing in a Kinetico drinking water station means saying goodbye to bottles and excessive plastic waste. The filters are known to be environmentally sound, too, and the filtration process in a Kinetico system uses up to 93 percent less water to produce a single glass than other brands.

Affordable Products

Having a supply of clean, clear and delicious drinking water doesn’t have to break the bank. Kinetico specializes in developing cost-effective treatment solutions, and Utah homeowners who choose our products come to realize substantial savings.

Are you ready to learn more about what Kinetico has to offer?

An industry leading brand, Kinetico has been manufacturing innovative, high-quality water softeners and reverse osmosis systems since 1970. And Kinetico Utah, based in Draper, has a team of specialists who can test your household water supply and recommend products that meet your needs and your budget.

Countless people in the greater Salt Lake City area and throughout northern Utah rely on our reverse osmosis systems, and we’re proud to have many loyal customers and referral clients. For more information on our products and services – or to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation and estimate for a Kinetico drinking water system — visit our website our give our office a call today.

Posted on

Water Purification – Carbon Filtration vs. Reverse Osmosis

Is RO better than carbon filters?

If you’ve been looking into getting a water purification system for your home, you’ve no doubt noticed the two most popular technologies – carbon filtration and reverse osmosis (RO). And you wouldn’t be the first person to wonder about the differences between them.

Here at Kinetico Utah, we often get questions about the options for water purification. The following guide should provide some answers, but you can always reach out to our professional team for more information on carbon filtration and reverse osmosis systems.

Carbon Filtration

Carbon filtration is the older of the two technologies, and it works by running the water through a special carbon substrate. Contaminants and impurities become trapped inside the filter, which works to improve taste, reduce odor and can make the water safer for drinking.

With carbon filtration, the options run from inexpensive standalone systems and pitcher filters to high-end water filtration systems that also include reverse osmosis technology. Carbon filters have various particulate ratings, but most excel at removing larger particles and chlorine.

Reverse Osmosis

Reverse osmosis is an advanced method of water purification, and systems that feature this technology are capable of filtering out many potentially harmful particulates – much more so than any carbon filter system.

The RO process involves forcing water to flow through a semi-permeable membrane. Because the membrane’s pores are incredibly small, this action effectively removes a vast range of chemical and physical contaminants. High-quality purification systems, such as Kinetico’s K5 Drinking Water Station, are also customizable to eliminate specific impurities present in the household supply.

Which Type of Water Purification System Should You Choose?

Carbon filtration isn’t as powerful as reverse osmosis in terms of the level of purification the process provides. However, it’s worth noting that a premium carbon filter can be a better value than a bargain-basement RO system. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

As you explore your options for filtering or purifying the water in your Utah home, you’ll need to consider several factors. Space constraints could affect your decision on a type of system, and if you’re like most homeowners, price will also play a role. One of the most important considerations, however, is the exact contaminants present in your household supply – and testing is the only way to know what it contains.

At Kinetico Utah, we offer free, no-obligation water testing to homeowners in Salt Lake City and the surrounding northern Utah region. Schedule a consultation, and we’ll answer your questions about carbon filtration, reverse osmosis and what type of water purification system is right for you. Contact our office in Draper, Utah, today.

Posted on

The Basics of Drinking Water Testing

Do you need water testing in Utah?

Does your drinking water come from the tap? It may look pretty clear, and the taste may be acceptable – which might lead you to assume that it’s safe for consumption. This could be true, but the only way to make sure of that is to get it tested.

What Does Drinking Water Testing Involve?

Do-it-yourself test kits are widely available, but their accuracy isn’t guaranteed. Experts recommend leaving the task to a professional instead – and if you get your water from a municipal source, they should provide an annual quality report. In addition, some water treatment specialists, including the Kinetico Utah team, offers professional testing.

Testing your household supply involves taking a sample and sending it out for analysis. The results will reveal impurities that are present, and you’ll see a breakdown of the specific contaminants in your water. Armed with that knowledge, you’ll be able to find a treatment system that makes what’s coming from your taps safe to drink.

How Can You Improve Your Water Quality?

If your household water supply contains harmful contaminants, a filtration system can remove them. Under-sink and faucet filters are available, some of which target pollutants common in Utah.

However, installing a reverse osmosis filtration system may be your best bet. High-quality RO systems can eliminate a vast array of impurities from your drinking water – your family will be safe from many biological, chemical and physical contaminants and from byproducts of the water disinfection process.

Why Worry About Testing When You Can Buy Bottled Water?

Bottled water is safe, and it isn’t hard to find. You could opt to keep a supply of bottles on-hand instead of installing a filtration system – but going that route could mean spending hundreds of dollars every year just to keep your family hydrated.

Reverse osmosis filtration system installation requires an upfront investment, but advanced models – like the K5 Drinking Water Station designed by Kinetico – can function for decades. Plus, because these systems produce safe, great-tasting water for pennies a gallon, they pay for themselves in a very short time.

What Is The Best Water Treatment Option For My Family? 

If you live in Salt Lake City or elsewhere in northern Utah, the Kinetico Utah team will explain your treatment options. At Kinetico Utah, we offer innovative, efficient and effective filtration, purification and softening systems – all of which are backed by an industry-leading warranty. To learn more, or to arrange for no-cost, no-obligation drinking water testing, contact our Draper, Utah, office today.