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Sandia Group found the below article on www.watertechonline.com and thought it may be of interest to you. Our industry is getting more “green” every day; it is motivating how manufacturers are responding to the “green” demand with new products. Watts OneFlow™ is a “green” product that addresses the challenge of scale in water systems. Please see the information following the article.
Home Developer to Ban Some Water Softeners
By Beth Duckett
The Arizona Republic
April 21, 2008
As seen on www.watertechonline.com
A leading Valley developer is going green in several of its planned communities by banning conventional water-softening systems that produce high levels of salt.
The plan by the Ellman Cos. would affect an estimated 6,000 planned homes in Goodyear and Fountain Hills.
The result, according to Ellman, is cleaner water in environmentally sensitive parts of the Valley.
The Phoenix-based company said it is the first in Arizona to consider the policy, which would force home builders to use newer water-softening technology that is better for the environment.
How the Systems Work
Water-softening systems are common in Arizona, where the water often is extremely hard.
They work by stripping “hard” calcium and magnesium ions from the water, resulting in “soft” water that cleans better and doesn’t have scaly deposits. But certain types of systems generate leftover chemicals, which critics say contaminates water and soil. Don Kile, president of master-planned communities for Ellman, said newer systems capture more chemicals before they make their way into the sewer system.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that water softeners can generate a backwash high in sodium, magnesium and calcium. But their impact on the environment is not completely known. Many tests on the subject have been inconclusive, according to the EPA’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory.
3 Affected Communities
Ellman would impose the water-softening ban at three planned communities:
The efforts mirror laws in California, where some cities have banned or restricted certain types of water softeners. Kile said Ellman is “not going to wait for governmental entities to enact ordinances and legislation” in Arizona.“We’re going to do our share, and we’re going to do it up front,” Kile said.
The effort could bode well for Ellman, which has its share of critics in the water realm.
The developer’s Preserve at Goldfield Ranch has raised concerns with the Salt River Project and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, who maintain that drilling wells for the project could affect the flow of the nearby Verde River. Kile said the company plans to enact a cost-cutting irrigation system for its Fountain Hills development, in which treated water could be used to irrigate nearby parks that now rely on more expensive potable water.
Watts OneFlow™ is a scale control technology designed to protect complete plumbing systems or individual components from the negative effects of water hardness. The system requires virtually no maintenance, no backwashing, no salt and no electricity.
This is the first physical water treatment technology to effectively control scale. OneFlow™ achieved a 99.6% effectiveness rating in scale prevention from DVGW (German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water). Further, OneFlow’s media has been tested and certified for material safety to NSF/ANSI standard 42 & 61.
OneFlow™ is not a water softener. It does not add chemicals or remove any minerals. It is a scale prevention device with proven third party laboratory test data and successful use in real world commercial applications. It uses “green” technology with no salt or chemicals required consistently control scale performance.
The system prevents what is called "hard" scale, the destructive scale that sticks to pipes, valves and other system components. It does this by transforming dissolved hardness minerals into harmless, inactive microscopic "soft" scale crystal particles. "Soft" scale particles stay suspended in the water and flow freely through a system, unable to stick to plumbing imperfections. Most importantly, unlike “hard” scale, "soft" scale particles can easily be washed and wiped away without the use of caustic chemicals.
The OneFlow™ media uses template assisted crystallization to attract hardness minerals and convert them into harmless "soft" scale particles that do not stick to pipes and components. Each bead is covered with imperfections called templates that attract these minerals and combine them to form micro-crystals that then break off and float freely through the system.
OneFlow™ has several different applications for every project from cold water lines used for coffee makers and espresso machines to hot water lines used for dishwashers and steam generators.
Hugh M. Cunningham, Inc. returned to the New Mexico and El Paso territories in December 2006. We say “returned” because we originally serviced this area from 1947 to 1966 with Hugh Cunningham, Sr. and Wells Rutherford serving as the work force in the territory. The account managers that serve the Sandia Group, Inc. are supported by market and sales specialists in the HVAC, Fire Protection, Waterworks, Specification, Training, Builder, and Plumbing and Mechanical divisions.
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