Family Water Treatment Business

Family Water Treatment Business

In a recent article from the Daily Inter Lake (a local news station in Montana) we hear all about Ted Luehr, who switched gears from engineering to water treatment back in the 1980s after he lost his job. He started Advantage Water Conditioning in 1982, and it's become a whole family business with his wife and their five kids (yes, five!) all pitching in. His oldest son, Nick, has been super involved since becoming a full-time partner in 2004. The article shows us how Ted’s crew deals with the latest gadgets in water treatment like automatic systems that use salt or potassium, reverse osmosis for cleaning water, and ultraviolet light systems for destroying bacteria. Recently, they’ve been busier than ever because of local alerts about PFAS chemicals in the water. Ted’s approach is hands-on, offering free water analyses to tailor solutions to each home’s needs, making sure everyone’s happy with their new systems.

Women in Water Treatment (ft. Bernadette Combs)

Liz Freedman from Arthur Freedman Associates recently wrote a piece all about Bernadette Combs, a standout leader in the water treatment world. Combs, now President of Industrial Water Engineering (IWE), has shown what it means to break the glass ceiling in a male-dominated field. Starting out with a background in mechanical engineering, she jumped into water treatment through internships and climbed her way up from Quality Manager to President. Liz says that Bernadette's not just a boss; she’s a hands-on problem solver who helped IWE aim to save 1 billion gallons of water over the next decade by using smart technology and focusing on sustainability. She’s also a big advocate for getting more women involved, and encourages women to engage with industry boards and take on more visible roles in the industry.

John Guest: Grey Acetal vs Polypropylene (Sponsored)

We all know John Guest is the quality leader in push-connect fittings, but which fitting is right for the job?

Specialty Sales LLC & AM Products dropped some May Magic with their recent blog post, A Guide to John Guest Push-Connect Fittings Materials. Some highlights:

Grey Acetal:

• 📈 Higher pressure ratings

• 🔧 Nitrile O-rings for oil resistance

• 💨 Great for compressed air applications

White / Black Polypropylene:

• 🧪 EPDM O-rings for chemical resistance

• 💧 Developed specifically for water treatment applications

• ⚫️ Black ones have some built-in UV protection 🌞

WATCH: Darrin from the team discusses John Guest Push Connect Fittings (5 min.)

Need a Hand? Contact the team by clicking here!

PFAS Corner

Here are the top PFAS news from the last 7 days, in bite-sized pieces:

• Tucson, AZ utilities are set to build new treatment plants to remove PFAS chemicals from their water supplies, backed by federal and state funds

• 40 public wells in Orange County, which service hundreds of thousands of residents, are now considered unsafe according to new EPA rules. Plus, OC has already shut down 62 of its 220 wells since 2020 due to state-imposed PFAS limits and has begun installing filtration systems (38 of which have been reopened)

• Waco, TX is exploring the possibility of sourcing water from the Brazos River as part of a long-term strategy to meet new EPA regulations on PFAS

• Coastal Alabama's water utilities are actively testing their water sources and planning significant infrastructure upgrades to meet these new standards. For example, Fairhope Water Systems is not only testing wells quarterly but is also exploring relocating one of its wells instead of adding filtration systems

Improving Reverse Osmosis Performance

John Woodard from WCP Online wrote a recent article all about how to improve the performance of RO systems and gave some great info on how to ensure these systems are removing contaminants like PFAS, lead, microplastics, and pharmaceuticals from drinking water. The big takeaway? Making sure systems have enough pressure. Woodard says RO systems need to be running at around 60 psi to perform best, and if they’re lower than that then that’s where a booster pump comes into play. Slapping one of these onto your RO system can crank up the pressure and dramatically improve both the efficiency and the quality of the water.

The article also discusses the permeate pump, which helps keep the system running efficiently, especially when the water usage is all over the place. It helps save a ton of water that would otherwise be wasted, which is not only good for the environment but can also cut down on operation costs. There's also some talk about managing TDS (total dissolved solids) levels and how they affect system pressure.

What else is happening:

• The EPA announced a new rule to protect water quality for Tribes, enhancing protections for waters used for fishing, cultural practices, and more

• Zero Energy Water announces new high-performing RO filter

• Amway chooses Crystal IS to provide UVC LED disinfection technology for its new eSpring™ Water Treatment System

• WQA releases ChatGPT and Your Business, a popular segment from the 2024 WQA Convention earlier this year (16 min. watch)

• The DoItYourself forum discusses removing old water softeners without a plumber

• Just Plumbing AZ releases their 2024 guide on water softener system costs, overviewing pricing for several different systems