Sweetwater's Home Water Purification Blog

Your septic system may be the cause of nitrates in your well water

Posted on May 12, 2013 by James McMahon

Nitrates are one of the most dangerous carcinogens in drinking water, but not as dangerous as lead or arsenic. EPA allows up to 10 parts per million (ppm or mg/l) of nitrates in water. I won’t drink water with nitrates of 3 ppm. Natural levels in an unpollutated river are about .01 ppm

If you have nitrates in your water they’re coming from one of three sources: animal waste, fertilizer, or your septic leach field. If you have both nitrates and coliform bacteria in your well then you can pretty much assume that what’s taking place on the surface of your land is making its way quickly into the well below. Continue reading →

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Toxic lead in surprising places

Posted on May 8, 2013 by James McMahon

As most of you know if you follow my blog or receive my emails I read Men’s Health Magazine. The February 2013 issue contains an interesting article about lead and Proposition 65 in California. Prop 65 requires the labeling of products that contain cancer causing chemicals. Lead is one of those – along with cadmium, arsenic, and mercury.

Many of you recall the banning of lead in paint because of the danger of children nibble on that paint. And you may know that lead was used in solder up until about 1986 so houses older than that may still have lead in the water. Continue reading →

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LifeSource makes false claims about their water filters

Posted on May 8, 2013 by James McMahon

Ken Hoffman is a LifeSource salesman who has chosen to email me and make insulting remarks today rather than sticking with facts. He’s apparently offended by my criticism of LifeSource and their penchant for exagerating what their whole house water filters actually do.

Here are Ken’s latest remarks to me and an example of the dialogue:

“Cute! Real cute! Not really intelligent, but cute.”

And his previously:

“Your condescending comments and suggestions indicate an over-inflated ego. I surmise that you are paid “by the word”, rather than by the validity of your comments”

As you can see he’s attempting to take the conversation to a higher level.

The fact is that LifeSource lies to the public about what it is selling – nothing more than an overpriced carbon filter. The Beatron inside does nothing at all. The Beatron certainly does not soften the water. Continue reading →

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Did Fukushima Affect Newborns in the United States?

Posted on April 16, 2013 by James McMahon

We talked about Fukishima as the radiation was spreading across the U.S. on the trade winds. Traces of the fallout were found in U.S. water supplies on both East and West Coasts, but rain on the West coast at the time caused fallout levels to be higher there.

If I recall correctly EPA told us that the levels were safe. Turns out that may not be true.

In recent news is word that babies born on the West Coast during the months of April and May 2011 are 28% more likely to suffer from congenital hypothyroidism. If you live on the West Coast and have a child born during these months it is advised you see a doctor. Continue reading →

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Mercola Needs To Stop Writing About Water Filtration

Posted on March 22, 2013 by James McMahon

Unfortunately Dr. Joseph Mercola is spreading a great deal of bad information to his audience about water filtration. Whoever he is consulting with is giving him old and bad information. I suggest you ignore everything he says about water.

Also…the systems he sells are junk and do not perform as claimed. Continue reading →

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My Favorite Bottled Water Is…

Posted on March 3, 2013 by James McMahon

This past weekend I was in Las Vegas…not to gamble but to do some yoga with an incredibly gifted teacher, Olga Sam at Blue Sky Yoga…but I am getting off track…

I’ve been working too hard lately and this was a chance to get away even if for only a day. I treated myself to dinner at Morton’s, the infamous steak house. I know, many of you don’t eat red meat and I’ll lose traction on that, but stick with me for a moment.

My waitress offered me tap or bottled water. I asked if the tap water was filtered and she said yes. So I requested that. I tasted it and it tasted horrible. It left an aftertaste that was dirty, like old dishwater. Of course Las Vegas drinks Colorado River water and carbon filters don’t lower the mineral content (tds) or eliminate the radioactive metals or pharmaceutical waste.

Colorado River water in Lake Mead where Las Vegas draws its water has a tds of 635, too high for drinking in my opinion (http://www.swhydro.arizona.edu/archive/V4_N2/feature7.pdf), but the other contaminants contribute to bad taste as well.

So I told her it tasted horrible and I would like bottled water.

She offered me my favorite: Continue reading →

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Posted in Best Water Filter, Bottled Water, Healthy Living, Water Purification | 2 Comments

The Bitter Side of Sugar and How Drinking Water Can Help

Posted on February 14, 2013 by James McMahon

Our bodies are comprised of about 60% water, our brains 70%, our blood 83%, and our lungs 90%. Are you seeing the underlying theme? We need water to survive. We need it to transport nutrients, digest our food, control body temperature, and flush out toxins. Each day, through food and drink, we must replace 85 oz (2.4 liters) of our body’s water supply.

Most people nowadays do not reach for water when they are thirsty. Many of us reach for soft drinks, fruit juices, and other sugar-laden beverages that are not keeping our body healthy, and shockingly, not quenching our thirst. “You mean to say that drinking soda does not quench my thirst? How is that possible?” Nope. It is actually quite the opposite. Here’s why: Continue reading →

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PUR filter removes 99% of lead and cysts – so what?

Posted on February 14, 2013 by James McMahon

cryptosporidium – a cyst found in surface waters

Last night I was watching TV and a PUR water filter ad came on. They showed one of those shiny little faucet mount filters and made the claim: “99% of lead and cysts removed”.

Well, I don’t know about you but I’m not concerned with either cysts, like cryptosporidium, or lead being in my water. It’s possible, but very unlikely. Some years ago Milwaukee had a cryptosporidium outbreak and a number of people throughout the city got very sick. Someone may even have died. I don’t recall. But this is generally not a problem with city water. Cities poison the water with chlorine specifically to kill any living organisms in the water. It is a problem when you’re out hiking in the woods. And PUR is my filter of choice when I’m camping and drinking river water. Continue reading →

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Aquasana Rhino False Claims

Posted on February 3, 2013 by James McMahon

Aquasana deceives consumers about the effectiveness of its Rhino whole house water filters

Aquasana makes the bold claim that its Rhino EQ-300 whole house water filter will effectively filter 300,000 gallons, lasting about 3 years, providing “Delicious, healthy, clean water from every tap in your house”. This claim is backed up by the NSF 42 certification, a testing procedure which is the source of the 300,000 gallon claim.

This is not true and here’s why: Continue reading →

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Posted in Best Water Filter, Healthy Drinking Water, Whole House Water Filter | 5 Comments

What’s the difference between a shower filter and a whole house water filter like my Urban Defender?

Posted on January 18, 2013 by James McMahon

There are misconceptions about what shower filters do. Shower filters employ KDF media that converts the chlorine molecule (Cl2) to chloride ions (CL-). Chlorine is a poisonous gas or liquid, considered one of the most toxic on earth, while chloride is harmless at low levels (high levels of anything can be a problem). So a shower filter removes a high level of chlorine, as much as 90%.

Shower filters do not remove the carcinogenc byproducts of chlorine in your shower water. Continue reading →

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Sweetwater LLC's Blog

Your septic system may be the cause of nitrates in your well water

Toxic lead in surprising places

LifeSource makes false claims about their water filters

Did Fukushima Affect Newborns in the United States?

Mercola Needs To Stop Writing About Water Filtration

My Favorite Bottled Water Is…

The Bitter Side of Sugar and How Drinking Water Can Help

PUR filter removes 99% of lead and cysts – so what?

Aquasana Rhino False Claims

What’s the difference between a shower filter and a whole house water filter like my Urban Defender?

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