Home Appliance Warranty Drinking Water Problems Scale Formation Corrosion
Have you read your warranty on that new $ 1500.00 appliance or $ 5000.00 boiler ?
GUESS WHAT? If you water quality violates the terms of you manufactures warranty, the Warranty on that NEW Water Appliance may mean nothing and may be invalid on day one. The same goes for the water heater, other heat exchange devices, dishwashers, clothes washers, and other water related appliances.
We suggest you get a copy of critical warranties and review !
When you review your warranty, the warranty will usually list circumstances that not covered, and “scale buildup due to water quality” is typically found on that list. Read the fine print (Source – https://homewateradvisor.com/hard-water-appliance-warranty/) .
We reviewed a warranty for a boiler as part of a water quality assessment and we found the following: “Water conditions that have caused deterioration or unusual deposits on the heat exchanger”. We asked one water quality professional and they said this could be a number of conditions, but the most common are corrosive conditions and scale forming water. In a few rare cases, the problem may be associated with a high total dissolved solids associated with salts (chloride) or potentially water with high levels of metal oxides like iron and manganese that could create an oxidized residual or coating or a lot of suspended particles in the water that contribute to physical corrosion.
During an energy expo focusing on renewable energy, one of the professionals and guest speakers indicated the following: “The local groundwater or drinking water quality is a significant factor in ensuring the long-term performance and efficiency of any water related appliance. One significant problem is water that is classified as very hard with a high alkalinity. When this water is heated, a portion of the carbonates are converted to CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas and the water becomes supersaturated with calcium and magnesium carbonate. The calcium and magnesium come out of solution as a solid particle and then this particle becomes a coating or scale in the water piping and appliance components that are in contact with the water. As the scale accumulates, the pipes become clogged and the efficiency of the appliance is reduced. This is very common with boilers, on-demand tankless water heaters, and storage water heaters that use gas for fuel or high temperature units. ”
An independent study (pdf) commissioned by the Water Quality Association showed that “water heaters operated on softened water maintained the original factory efficiency rating over a 15-year lifetime. On the other hand, hard water can lead to as much as a 48% loss of efficiency in water heaters.”
One common question is why is the hot water appliances more vulnerable to corrosion?
“Corrosion is more likely and more rapid at higher water temperatures. The rate of corrosion triples or quadruples as water temperature rises from 60°F to 140°F. Above 140°F, the rate of corrosion doubles for every 20°F increase.” (Source (pdf) )
At an Eastern Regional Water Quality Conference, I meet Kris Toomey from LH Brubaker Water Conditioning. He told me a bit about his business.
“Appliances and water treatment go hand in hand. The benefits of soft water for appliances are plentiful. It is a perfect marriage between providing an appliance that improves the quality of life for a family and offering water treatment equipment to ensure the long-term reliability of the state-of-the-art appliances and at the same time providing a barrier to protect the family. Providing the appropriate water quality treatment of the household water is like offering an additional “insurance policy” for the house, family, and the appliance.
Not only are you protecting their investment, but you are helping with soap savings, skin and hair benefits as well as protecting the plumbing system, water heater, and plumbing fixtures. In many cases, this action is necessary to protect the warranty on the new equipment. There is no better feeling than ensuring that the family walking through your door making an investment in their home is given the right information to ensure the reliability of the appliances. Every fridge that leaves the store has an opportunity for an RO system to provide the highest available purified water option and this additional barrier protects not only the appliance, but also the family.”
For example: Depending on the hardness of your drinking water, the concentration of the total hardness or hard water or the corrosiveness of the water may void or invalidate the manufacturer’s warranty, the HOME Warranty, and any extended warranty of your water related appliances, such as: dishwasher, refrigerator, washing machine or water heater due to its corrosive nature of the drinking water. A typical water heater warranty could state that the heater is covered for anywhere between 6 -12 years. If you read the warranty, it will likely list specific water quality parameters that should not be exceed or water conditions, such as scale formation due to water quality or corrosive water.
Therefore, if you buying a water appliance from a business that does not recommend getting your water tested and you are on a private well or on city water that has occasional problems or you have not had your water properly tested, you should ask about the terms of the warranty and get your drinking water tested (City TApWater / Well Water). Regarding basic treatment, the Know Your H20 team recommends the installation of a whole house particle filter (Well Water Particle Filter) or (City Drinking Water Filter (basic approach / advanced approach) to protect home water appliance from corrosion related to the presence of particles in the water that could damage piping.
Impact of Water Quality on Water Heating Equipment “The local water quality is one of the factors that contributes most significantly to the long-term performance and longevity of water heating equipment. Specifically, highly alkaline water will lead to the accumulation of scale, which will impact the efficiency of tankless and gas storage water heaters and can lead to decreased equipment life.”
The Know Your H20 Team recently reviewed a Warranty for a boiler. The warranty did not list specific water criteria for specific parameters, but the warranty stated that the warranty was not valid if these conditions were present: “Water conditions that have caused deterioration or unusual deposits on the heat exchanger”. This condition could include a number of situations that could include corrosive water, scale forming water, water with high salts, especially chloride, and/or drinking water with a high concentration of metal oxides like iron and manganese that could create an oxidized residual or coating.
Your Potential Problem- Is it Corrosion or Scale Formation?
Corrosion
Corrosion is where the water reacts with the household metal plumbing piping and fixtures and these reactions are typically associated with the release of copper, lead, nickel, chromium, and zinc. The common problems associated with Corrosion include: water that has a bitter taste, intermittent discolored water, coatings that may be blue, bluish green and sometime brown, low water pH, high water acidity, low hardness and low alkalinity, discolored laundry, deterioration to piping, fixtures, and appliances, and ultimately the failure of equipment. For this condition, we recommend the Corrosion Check Kit.
Scale Formation
Water can contain two general types of hardness, i.e., temporary hardness and permanent hardness. Scale formation in water appliances is typically associated with temporary hardness, because the scale is normally formed after the water has been heated. The scale is normally composed of calcium and magnesium carbonate that has a white to gray appearance. If the water company adds a sequestering chemical like phosphate to the water, the scale may include other metals such as copper, lead, zinc, aluminum, nickel, arsenic, iron, and manganese. The initial scale coating if uniform on the pipe may protect the piping from localized corrosion or physical damage, but as the scale increases the user may experience problems with the system. Scale formation can reduce efficiency of hot water related appliance, reduce pipe diameter and pressure, reduce the water flow, block intakes to water appliances, and cause valves to not properly or completely close. For this condition, we recommend the Corrosion Check Kit or the Problem Checker (if you suspect a nuisance bacterial problem and have an iron or manganese potential problem) .
One engineering calculation based on water quality testing can be used to conduct a preliminary assessment for the potential for corrosion or scale formation is the Saturation Index (SI) calculation.
Note:
Learn about the warranty when purchasing a water related appliance and Get Your Water Tested (Well Water or City Water) Requires Different Testing! You may not need a whole house filtration system just a water treatment system on the water going to the on-demand water system or a POU Water device, especially on city water that may contain water treatment chemicals that create chemical scales.
Written by: Mr. Brian Oram, PG/ Soil Scientist – Know Your H20 Program
Manager for Keystone Clean Water Team
Private Well Owner Outreach to Private Property Owners Association in the Poconos – Monroe County
The Keystone Clean Water Team was very happy to work with the local “Poconos Region” Property Owners Association to offer a private well water screening test for the residents drinking water. For the 2016 program, a total of 16 residents participated in the program and for this program water testing was offered at two different tiers. The basic tier provide general information related to the bacterial quality of the water and level of nitrate, iron, and total hardness. The advanced tier provided testing for trace metals such as arsenic, copper, lead, zinc, and more comprehensive analysis of the overall quality of the water. The following is a summary of the results:
2 samples were positive for total coliform bacteria, but no samples were positive for E. coli.;
1 sample exceeded the drinking water standard for lead and 5 other samples had detectable levels of lead in the water;
13 of the 16 samples contained detectable levels of nitrate, but at no point did the level exceed or approach the drinking water standard of 10 mg/L;
1 sample had elevated levels of manganese, but 3 had detectable levels of manganese in the water; and
15 of the 16 samples were considered slightly to corrosive to metal piping and 1 sample was considered very corrosive to metal piping.
The pH of the water ranged for 6.2 to 7.5 and only two samples had a pH that was less than the recommended drinking water standard of 6.5. These samples were associated with water that had detectable levels of lead, but not the highest level of lead. The sample with the highest level of lead appeared to be a sample collected at the kitchen sink after the water had been treated with a water softener.
From this snapshot, we learned the following:
- There appears to be a 13 % probability that a private well may contain total coliform bacteria.
- The water produced from the aquifer tends to be slightly corrosive and have total hardness that ranges from 30 to 150 mg/L.
- The groundwater does not appear to have elevated levels of nitrate.
- The groundwater does not appear to have E. coli. bacteria.
- Lead was detected in some water samples, but the occurrence in the well water is related to the corrosiveness of the water, type of water treatment, and type of plumbing fixtures in the home and not the groundwater aquifer.
- Homeowners that reported problems with sulfur odor or black particles were the same homeowners that had elevated or detectable level of manganese.
- If you are considering the use of a water softener, please consider the type of household plumbing and it may be necessary to install a neutralizing filter.
Based on these results, we recommend that all private well owners conduct an annual water quality test. To facilitate this effort, the Keystone Clean Water Team offers an online mail order informational water testing program for private well owners throughout the USA and we offer our Know Your H20? Free Phone App. To learn about our mail order program, please visit us at http://www.water-research.net or http://www.knowyourh20.us. If you have any questions, please call or email 570-335-1947 or bfenviro@ptd.net.
Respectfully submitted,
Mr. Brian Oram, PG
New PSA – Public Service Announcement Videos Pennsylvania Groundwater
The Keystone Clean Water Team would like to this opportunity to thank our current sponsors and supporters who aided in creating our first set of PSAs. It has been a great year. The first set of public service announcements can be found on the Organizations YouTube Site. The Videos are as follows:
1. Getting Your Water Tested Can Cost as Little As $ 50.00 – Only Costs $ 50.00
2. Hidden Contamination in Your Water – Looks Clear – It is Ok?
3. Got Coliform Bacteria – Do NOT Panic !
4. Water Testing – It is Easy! (Annual Water Quality Testing – Baseline Testing – Natural Gas)
5. We Could Use Some Help – Help Us Help You and Our Community !
Please share on social media, like and share our sites on facebook, and we do Tweet. Get our Educational Booklet.
Featured Product – Well Safe – Something Every Well Owner Should Have on the Shelf !
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Thanks
Sponsors – We can use some help!
Thank You to Our Current Sponsors and Supporters
Carbon County Environmental Education Center
Greg Sorber Well Drilling –204 Niemchik Rd, Hunlock Creek, PA 18621 · (570) 477-5393
RGA Public Relations
White Knight Productions Inc.
B.F. Environmental Consultants
Practical Law and Life
Groundwater Foundation – Groundwater Guardian Program
High Arsenic Levels Well Water Testing Found in 8 Percent of Groundwater Wells Studied in Pennsylvania
The Need for Well Water Testing In Pennsylvania and other states
NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. – Eight percent of more than 5,000 wells tested across Pennsylvania contain groundwater with levels of arsenic at or above federal standards set for public drinking water, while an additional 12 percent – though not exceeding standards – show elevated levels of arsenic.
These findings, along with maps depicting areas in the state most likely to have elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater, are part of a recently released U.S. Geological Survey study done in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Environmental Protection.
The results highlight the importance of private well owners testing and potentially treating their water. While public water supplies are treated to ensure that water reaching the tap of households meets federal drinking water standards, private wells are unregulated in Pennsylvania, and owners are responsible for testing and treating their own water.
For this study, USGS scientists compiled data collected between 1969 and 2007 from industrial, public, and private wells. Arsenic levels, along with other groundwater quality and environmental factors, were used to generate statewide and regional maps that predict the probability of elevated arsenic. The study examined groundwater from carbonate, crystalline, and shale/sandstone bedrock aquifers, and from shallow glacial sediment aquifers. Similar maps have been produced for other states.
“This research is not intended to predict arsenic levels for individual wells; its purpose is to predict the probability of elevated levels of arsenic in groundwater to help public health efforts in Pennsylvania,” said USGS scientist Eliza Gross, who led the study. “The study results and associated probability maps provide water-resource managers and health officials with useful data as they consider management actions in areas where groundwater is most likely to contain elevated levels of arsenic.”
For more details go here (Some mapping available)
The Pennsylvania Department of Health plans to use the maps as an educational tool to inform health professionals and citizens of the Commonwealth about the possibility of elevated arsenic in drinking water wells and to help improve the health of residents, particularly in rural communities. Please consider forward you certified testing data to the Citizens Groundwater Database.
Private well owners can find testing and other information on Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Arsenic in Drinking Water website.
or Check out the Arsenic Outreach Program here – Has links to treatment options and low cost informational water testing.
Website Provided for Educational Purpose.
Carbon County Groundwater Guardians is a 501(c)(3) IRS approved nonprofit, volunteer organization and your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.