Water Impurities

Water Can Dissolves Every Naturally Occuring Substance On Earth

Fresh, Pure Water water is essential to all humans and animals. Water Impurities are the result of water dissolving earth's natural substances as it passes over or through them.

Water is earth's most efficient method of absorbing and carrying natural substances with it then depositing them in a variety of ways and places.

Water Impurities Vary

Raw water supplies, unlike most other raw materials, varies significantly in quality by season and from one region to another.

Water Impurities in an upland surface water source is usually low in TDS (Total Dissolved Solids). It is also often relatively soft, but often contains high concentrations of organic contamination.

Seasonal variations in water quality are most apparent in surface water impurities. This is caused when the amount of organic contamination in surface waters reaches a peak which usually happens in January and February.

Impurities in water from an underground source usually have a high TDS and hardness level but a low organic content.

The quality of the water supply have an important bearing on the purification methods required to remove the Water Impurities. Before buying any water purification system or equipment, make sure you have a good knowledge of your Local Water Supply.

Raw Water Contaminants

Waters ability to dissolve most chemical compounds and also support many forms of life, results in water supplies containing many contaminants. The main types of impurities found in raw water include:

• Dissolved gases
• Dissolved inorganic salts
• Dissolved organic compounds
• Micro-organisms
• Pyrogens
• Suspended particles

Suspended Matter In Water

Suspended matter in water includes silt, debris and organic or inorganic particles. Particles in water are not actually in solution or suspension, but can cause haze or turbidity in the water.

Suspended particles can cause problems for water filters, reverse osmosis membranes and distillation systems.

Inorganic water impurities include salts from rock water passes through. Water can pickup imputities such as bicarbonates of calcium and magnesium.

Inorganic Water Impurities in water include:

• Aluminum - chemicals and mineral residue
• Carbon Dioxide - a weak acidic carbonic acid in water
• Chlorides - from saline intrusion
• Ferrous compounds - from minerals and iron pipes
• Nitrates - from fertilizers
• Phosphates - from detergents
• Silicates - leached from river beds
• Sodium - from salts

Water Impurities - Measuring

The easiest way to Measure Inorganic Water Impurities is to measure the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) in the water in parts per million (PPM). A TDS Meter is used for as an indicator of the total level of inorganic compounds present in your water source.

Conductivity And Resistivity

Electrical conductivity and resistivity are used as guidelines used to test Impurity of Water.

Inorganic salts in water consist of positively charged cations and negatively charged ions. The catons transmit an electric current between two electrodes in the water. The more ions present in the water, the greater the current. The greater the conductivity of the water, the lower the resistivity.

Conductivity and resistivity are temperature dependent. An increase in water temperature results in a higher conductivity and a lower resistivity.

Water Impurities - Dissolved Organics

Organic Water Impurities result from decaying vegetable matter. These Water Borne Impurities result from a variety of sources that include farming, domestic wastes, industrial waste, detergents, oils, solvents plus residue from use of pesticides and herbicides.

A Water Purification System can also be a source of impurities and so must be designed not only to remove contaminants from the feedwater, but also to prevent additional recontamination from the system itself.

Water Impurities - Measuring Dissolved Organics

The measuring of Dissolved Organic Water Impurities is done by the oxygen-absorbed (OA) test. However, total organic carbon (TOC) analyzers are being used more frequently the results are easier to interpret and they are more sensitive in detecting low levels of organic compounds in water.

Water Impurities - Micro-organisms

Surface water usually contains a wide variety of micro-organisms. These Water Impurities include algae, amoebae, bacteria, diatoms, paramecia and rotifers. The main micro-organisms we should be concerned about in any Water Purification System are bacteria.

A Effective A Water Purification System should be able to: 

• Keep Bacteria Out of the system

• Inhibit Bacterial Growth in the system
  
• Produce water that has a Low Bacterial Count
  
• Remove Bacteria from your Source Water

Water Impurities - Bacteria

Bacteria are single-celled organisms that can be  found in water and on the surfaces of work areas and in the air.

Bacteria survive and grow on a variety of substrates such as dissolved organic and inorganic compounds. Bacteria numbers can increase at an astonishing rate in water filtering or purification systems if safeguards are not installed as part of the system.

Water Impurities - Countering Bacterial Growth

Bacteria can easily enter a Water Purification System or your Water Filtration System from the your Water Source. When bacteria are in your water purification or filtration system they can secrete a slimy polymeric substance that glues them to surfaces of Water Purification Equipment, Water Storage Tanks, RV Water Filters and RV Water Filter Cartridges.

Bacteria can be detected by filtering water through a 0.45 micron-filter and culturing the bacteria for several days. Bacteria are counted in colony forming units per milliliter (CFU/ml).

Disinfectants like hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorite and bisulfite can destroy Bacteria. Even though bacteria are destroyed, it is possible for their polymeric secretions and lipopolysaccharide cellular fragments to remain and cause problems. The name given to these cellular fragments of bacterial cell walls is Pyrogen. It means "fever causing".

Water Impurities - Dissolved Gases

Two Dissolved Gases commonly found in water are Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide. Carbon dioxide can be removed from water by using anion exchange resins. Oxygen can  be removed from water by degassing or by sulfite form anion exchange resins. The dissolved oxygen level in your source water can be monitored with oxygen specific electrodes.

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