Water ionizers & ionized water FAQ

Answers to  frequently asked questions about water ionizers/water purifiers  and water ionization technologies.

My new AlkaViva water ionizer has residual water in it. Is it used? Every NEW AlkaViva water ionizer is extensively tested by the manufacturer(EmcoTech/Jupiter water ionizers) to ensure proper operation before they are shipped to the AlkaViva warehouse. Therefore, there may be residual water drops coming from the bottom hose connectors. Not to worry, your NEW AlkaViva water ionizer/water purifier is not used.

What’s the best way to store alkaline ionized water?

“How can I store ionized water from my water ionizer? What kind of container should I use?” Whether you want to take your water to work or out to play, or whether you just want to chill your alkaline water in the fridge before you drink it, there are some things you should know. 1. ionized water from an water ionizer is best if consumed directly from the water ionizer immediately after producing it.  Ionized water has a high electron charge, which gives it its antioxidant qualities. Time, heat and light can cause the water to lose its charge, and therefore lose the unique properties & benefits of alkaline ionized water. Yes, you’ll still have clean, filtered and mineralized water… but you also want to be able to retain the low negative ORP that is one of the primary reasons for owning a water ionizer in the first place. I always use the analogy of fresh fruits & vegetables wich are best consumed right after they are picked otherwise they lose many valuable healthy benefits . Well, the same goes for ionized water. The same can be said about ionized water. When alkaline water comes out of a water ionizer it contains a negative ORP (an abundance of free, unbound electrons).  When stored in a container the ionized water will begin the process of losing its antioxidant quality as it “normalizes” with its surroundings.  How long that process takes to complete is based on the material and construction of the container that the ionized water is in. The antioxidant power in alkaline ionized water can decline in as little as 24 hours without proper storage, and pH levels would fall in about three days. Stored properly, alkaline ionized water can maintain high potency for about a week.

How To Store Your Ionized alkaline Water \

Glass Glass is always the preferred method of storing alkaline ionized water.

• If using a glass container, try to use a UV protected glass, which is usually a dark color.
• Fill storage container up to the top, thus limiting the alkaline ionized water’s exposure to air.
• Store the container in a cool, dimly lit location. Avoid exposing the ionized alkalien water to heat and sunlight.
• Drink stored alkaline ionized water within 72 hours for optimal quality and freshness.

Stainless Steel Regular stainless steel bottles are great for keep ionized alkaline water clean, as there is no “leaching” of dangerous chemicals from the container. But, the alkaline ionized water will quickly lose its antioxidant properties as the metal of the container is a conductor of electricity.  Therefore, if you are going to use a stainless steel container, be sure that it is a double-walled vacuum sealed bottle, as those types of bottles will slow down the ORP equalization rate.  Using these types of a bottles not only help to maintain the antioxidant properties of the alkaline ionized water, but are an excellent way to keep the water nice and cold during hot weather.

Plastic containers Plastic should be used as a last resort.for storing alkaline ionized water.  The only plastic bottles you should ever use should be made from certified BPA-free plastic.  Even when using this type of bottle, you are not guaranteed that your bottle will not leach other types of chemicals into your drinking alkaline ionized water.  Therefore, I would stay away from plastic bottles, if at all possible.

Keep Your ionized alkaline Water Refrigerated Refrigeration or freezing helps maintain the potency of alkaline ionized water. The alkaline ionized water should be put in a sealed container, and chilled immediately after it is made.  Also, if you enjoy putting ice in your water I would suggest getting yourself some stainless steel ice trays, and then make ice using your water ionizer water.  You don’t want to use ice that is made from your refrigerator’s ice-maker, as it is likely full of toxins that won’t be removed by the refrigerator filter, including fluoride.

Ionized water Right From The Water Ionizer Is Best There’s nothing more refreshing than a glass of healthy alkaline ionized water. Gotten fresh from a home water ionizer, alkaline ionized water has high negative ORP and a higher pH than plain water.

Drinking alkaline water straight from the water ionizer is always best because the beneficial qualities of the alkaline ionized water remain intact. This is the reason why ionized water cannot be sold as stored , the same reason why miracle waters from Hunza or Vilcabamba cannot be stored & sold. We know – we went to Vilcabamba, Ecuador to meet with the people in the Valley of Longevity and tested their water. If interested, please ask for our FREE DVD on this trip contact us or leave your mail address( we will not share it with anyone)  [contact-form subject=’Valley DVD’][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Comments(optional)’ type=’textarea’/][/contact-form]

Do water ionizers also  remove water contaminants , including fluoride?

This question should be about the water filters used  inside the water ionizers/purifiers. Water ionizers, by themselves, don’t really remove anything from the water. A water ionizer is an electronic device that ionizes water through water electrolysis into ionized  water stremas (alkaline and acidic ).

The question should be regarding water ionizers that include water filters inside them such as AlkaViva water ionizer(manufactured by Jupiter/EmcoTech). AlkaViva’s best water ionizers even include 2 water filters inside the water ionizer/water purifier to filter/remove all the potential contaminants in your water before water is ionized , so that you will enjoy not only ionized alkaline, antioxidant water, but clean yet mineral water as well.Only AlkaViva water ionizers such as AlkaViva Jupiter Athena JS 205 water ionizer & AlkaViva Vesta GL 988 water ionizer include 2 water filters inside the water ionizer /water purifier system. One of these 2 water filters can be a UltraWater Fluoride /Arsenic Shield – a water filter specially designed to remove Fluoride & Arsenic. Our quality Jupiter water ionizers also have water prefilters to prefilter the water before water is ionized. It should be noted that most water filters inside a water ionizer do NOT remove fluoride, because lab testing has shown that fluoride contained in the incoming water happens to “stick” to the acid water stream, and the concentration in the alkaline drinking water side is lessened.  The fluoride is attracted to the positive charge of the acid water, and will be partially eliminated.  But, when we are speaking of fluoride, “partially” is not good enough.  We want to be able to eliminate as much of the fluoride as possible .Why-read more about fluoride in water-click here

What is Ionized Acid Water Acid ionized water can be characterized by the following:

1. having a pH range between 2.0ph and  lower than 7.0ph
2. having an ORP of +800 to +1200
3. having a hypochlorous acid component from 1-30 mg/l
4. being micro-clustered
5. being loaded with H+ (hydrogen ions), which acts as an oxidizer

There are 2 types of acid water; mild and strong. ‘Mild’ acid water is used for the skin, hair and nails while ‘strong’ acid water is used for cleaning and sterilizing. Uses Of Ionized Acid Water

How To Get The MOST Acidic ionized Water From Your water Ionizer? Although most water ionizers allow you to choose “acid” ionized water , which would then come out of the top stainless steel hose, there is a way to get the most acidic water from your water ionizer (the lowest pH). Set your water ionizer to the highest “alkaline” ionized water  setting that it will produce.  Then, slow the water flow rate down (either on the faucet or on an onboard flow-control valve, if you have one) to the slowest the water can come out while the water ionizer remains powered on. On most water ionizers with water flow sensors, if you slow the flow rate down too much, the water ionizer will shut itself off – so make sure it is slow, but enough that the main power stays on.  Then, collect the acidic water from the acid hose coming from the bottom of the water ionizer in a (glass) recipeint. Doing it this way will give you the most powerful acid water that your water ionizer can make. The results will vary from water ionizer to water ionizer, depending on the strength of the water ionization unit.

How can I tell what contaminants & other things are my tap water? There is a lot that we can learn about our water just by the way it looks, tastes, and smells. If you are concerned about the quality of your water it is always best to have it professionally tested(contact us of interested in professional water testing ), but we can also discover much about it at home. When using a water ionizer many things in our water can be condensed into higher, more noticeable levels. If you are on a public treated water system you can always ask for a consumer confidence report, or CCR. These are done annually to insure the public of drinking water safety. The easiest way to obtain these reports is to call your local water authority and ask for the most recent CCR.You can also ask them if they are using chloramines as a disinfectant. Chloramines are fairly new in the treatment of water systems in most areas, and may not show up on the report. Chloramines are definitely unwanted, and require a different type of water filtration than the standard chlorine water fitration methods. Although it is a great idea to look at your CCR, you can always take it one step further and have the water at your home tested locally. Keep in mind that the water reports provided are shown in averages and may not reflect exactly what is coming in to your home, so , if you are really interested in what;s in your tap water. it would be a good idea to test the water coming right from your tap If you are on a well water system it is important to test your water before running a water ionizer, as well water is generally untreated and can contain contaminants not present in treated water systems. Testing the water in your well can protect your health, as well as the life of your water ionizer. To obtain a water report you can call your local health authority and express concerns for your drinking water. They will usually have a place locally to do the necessary testing. The test you want to ask for is called “A Routine Domestic Panel,” and doesn’t usually cost an arm and a leg. Water reports will list a bunch of numbers that can be a little confusing, but once you learn to read the report you’ll be able to see exactly what’s in your water. The important numbers to look at will be the levels recorded – this is the amount found in your water – and the MCL, or Max Contaminate Level. In comparing these two sets of numbers you can judge if the levels are safe or should be addressed before using your new water ionizer. If the levels recorded for your water are lower than, or close to, the MCL levels you may want to consider water pre-filtration. You would also want to consider water  pre-filtration anytime you have specific concerns especially in areas with very hard water.Of course, you can always use our AlkaViva Reverse Osmosis System For Water Ionizers to remove the most common water contaminant concerns. We will be covering some basic at-home tests for testing drinking water contaminants, what they are, where they come from and how we can remove them.  There are many things the following tests can tell us, but certainly not everything. For example there is no good way to test at home fluoride, bacteria, arsenic, and many other drinking water contaminants without a professional water test(contact us if interested in a professional water testing). For the contaminates that we CAN test for at home, all you will need is your faucet and a clear glass.

The Way That Water Tastes Chlorine or chemical taste This taste is usually caused by normal chlorination, or an abundance of chemicals in either treated municipal water systems, or chlorinated wells. This is normally removed by your water ionizer internal water filter, but if this is not enough to remove the unpleasant and possibly harmful carcinogens we recommend using our UltraWater ionized water filter

Metallic taste A metallic taste is usually caused by manganese, or other heavy metals. These can be present in well water systems, and older homes with metal pipes. To remove these heavy metals we recommend our UltraWater ionized water filter

Water no longer tastes as sweet as it used to This is caused by the lack of iron present in your source water. Some folks complain that there water no longer taste as sweet as it used to. This is caused by the removal of iron. Although iron is a harmful heavy metal, it adds a pleasant sweet taste to the water. Often, after changing to non metallic pipes or adding a heavy metals pre-filter, the lack of sweetness can be present. Usually after a week or two, it is no longer noticeable.

Water tastes fishy, or earthy The fishy, or earthy taste is generally caused by harmless organic matter and is usually associated with surface water supplies. To remove this we recommend that you regularly change your internal water ionizer filter.

The Way That Water Smells Detergent, or soapy smell Sometimes a septic odor. This is usually an indication that you need to hire a plumber, or call your city water authority. This is caused by the leaking of a sewer system into your water supply, and should be addressed as soon as possible.

Water tastes fishy, or earthy The fishy or earthy smell, again, is generally caused by harmless organic matter and is usually associated with surface water supplies. To remove this we recommend that you regularly change your internal water ionizer filter.

Rotten egg smell from the tap Dissolved hydrogen sulfide gas in the source water, or raw sulfur deposits in a well water situation. Sulfur deposits are naturally occurring, and common in some areas. Dissolved hydrogen sulfide comes as a result of organic matter decomposing in a raw water situation, such as plant matter in a well (think of tree roots). This gas reacts in a water ionizer and can become much more noticeable after ionization, and is condensed into the alkaline stream. To remove this gas we recommend using our UltraWater ionized water filter

Rotten egg odor from hot water only Rotten egg odor from the hot water only is caused by sulfates reacting with magnesium anode rod in your hot water system, which will react to create hydrogen sulfide gas and cause this odor to only be present when using hot water. To remove the rotten egg smell you need to have a plumber replace the anode rod with one made of aluminum.

Chlorine or chemical smell This odor is usually caused normal chlorination, or an abundance of chemicals in either treated municipal water systems, or chlorinated wells. This is normally removed by your water ionizer internal filter, but if this is not enough to remove the unpleasant and possibly harmful carcinogens we recommend using our UltraWater ionized water filter

The Way That Water Looks White stains on cookware and in glasses This is a sign of high alkalinity, which is exactly what we do with our ionizers. Completely harmless and nothing to worry about, but not aesthetically pleasing. An easy way to remove this is too soak in a solution of white vinegar and water. Be sure to rinse all the vinegar off before using.

Suspended stuff in your glass This is caused by sediment. It is common in well water using pumps, and in older homes and neighbor hoods. This can easily removed by your water ionizers internal sediment filter(with ionizers such as AlkaViva Jupiter Athena JS205 water ionizer or AlkaViva Vesta GL 988 water ionizer), or with our External Sediment and Bacteria Reduction Cartridge.(contact us if interested)

Green stains on sinks and fixtures Green stains in your sink or on other household fixtures is caused by acidic water with a pH of 6.8 or lower reacting with brass and copper pipes and fittings. Your best bet is to hire a plumber to update these to a more modern system.

Red or yellowish water If water is clear when first poured but turns yellowish or reddish after 24 hours of standing time, there is un-dissolved iron in your water. If it is yellow or reddish when at first poured but clears up after 24 hours then there is dissolved iron in your source water. Iron is a big concern with water ionizers as it can directly cause damage to your ionizer’s electrolysis system. In either case we would recommend using our UltraWater ionized water filter or with an External water prefilter Cartridge.(contact us if interested)

Black tint to water A black tint to water that clears up after 24 hours of standing is usually dissolved manganese. This is easily removed with our UltraWater ionized water filter or with an External water prefilter Cartridge.(contact us if interested) Blacking, pitting, and tarnishing of metal sinks, pipes, and utensils. The blackening, pitting, and tarnishing of metal sinks, pipes, and utensils is caused by chlorides and sulfates (salts) or hydrogen sulfide gas. Both are removed using our UltraWater ionized water filter or with an External water prefilter Cartridge.(contact us if interested)

Milky water If your water looks milky after ionization don’t worry, this is caused by the ionization process and is a sign of both the high alkalinity and the micro clustering. Micro clustering creates air pockets that can make water look milky. The increase in alkaline minerals can also cause this effect. This list in no way can replace the results of full water work up done in a laboratory environment, but can help to troubleshoot quickly and at no cost. All of the external pre-filters that we provide require a pre-filter housing, and these housings can be run in sequence if there is more than one concern.

Do I have hard or soft water? What’s the difference?

Contact us to find out EXACTLY how hard your water is

Original article by snyderhealth.com