Water filtration systems making clean water easy and affordable

By Jack Krecek

Although the United States has a reputation for maintaining the highest standards in water treatment, in 1993 an outbreak of cryptosporidium, a parasitic cyst, contaminated the water in Milwaukee, Wis., making thousands ill. With the safety of drinking water in question, municipal water systems managers started taking a closer look at how they monitored their product. No doubt, this helped drive the growth of an emerging bottled and filtered water market. Today, the price of bottled water is rising and the inconvenience associated with storing and disposing of bottles continues to frustrate consumers. Today’s consumers are starting to fight back; they want to find an inexpensive, easy solution to getting their daily amount of clean water. Consumers want water to be easily accessible, but also want to know that their drinking water has gone through an extensive filtration process to reduce any harmful elements.

Manufacturers of drinking fountains and water coolers strive to be part of the solution to this consumer dilemma, while also continuing to make it easy for plumbing contractors and maintenance staff to install and maintain these units. This focus on methodical water filtration has driven manufacturers to find an inexpensive, easy way to maintain filtered water cooler systems, providing plumbing contractors with a tangible solution for their customers. Plumbing contractors can benefit from upgrading their customers to water filtered drinking fountains, as it enables them to provide healthy solutions, while creating a reoccurring revenue stream for their business.

A clear solution
Plumbing contractors often act as an educator to help customers understand how the items they install will benefit their end users. Explaining what’s behind the panel of a water cooler can help the plumbing contractor’s customer understand why upgrading to a water fountain with a filter is important. Therefore, plumbing contractors need to be armed with the right information to help guide their customers in making informed decisions on what products to install. As the experts in the field, plumbing contractors can explain the benefits to their customers about what particles or elements are filtered, the advantage of filtering those particles and how maintenance on the unit is both easy and affordable.

Filtering the information
A quality water filter will significantly reduce the following three elements from the water supply — chlorine, lead and cysts. Chlorine affects both the taste and odor of water. Chlorine is used by every major water treatment facility across the country to control bacteria. This affects the taste and odor of the water, which is why many people have switched to bottled water.

For more than a century, it’s been known that significant lead exposure can be harmful, especially to children. If children are exposed to lead it may result in learning disabilities, impaired growth, a decline in IQ and can even cause some hearing loss. Although lead can enter the body in a variety of ways including eating, drinking, breathing or a cut, the water supply is always a focus when it comes to lead poisoning. The water filter installed on the drinking fountain is the last line of defense, so it is important to have a filter that can reduce lead.

Cysts, like cryptosporidium and giardia, are another concern in water filtration. Cryptosporidium is the parasite that made it into the Milwaukee water system and made hundreds of thousands ill, so it is imperative that water filters can also catch these cysts.

There are a wide range of filters on the market, but plumbing contractors should look for filters that reduce all of the elements mentioned previously and that are tested and certified by an independent third- party lab to ansi/nsf standards. For example, Elkay’s WaterSentry Filter System is a high-grade filter system that uses a unique radial flow-thru filter. This WaterSentry filter reduces cysts by 99.95%, decreases lead to less than .010mg (which is between 91% and 99% of lead in the water) and reduces more than 97% of chlorine — improving the water’s taste and odor.

Water flows, revenue grows
Plumbing contractors can also grow their profits by upgrading customers to a water filtered drinking fountain. A water filter needs to be replaced about every six months, creating a steady revenue stream for new filter orders. Also, plumbing contractors can take advantage of setting up an auto-ship program with their wholesaler to send the new filter out every six months to the facility’s maintenance personnel, so the profits automatically accumulate.

Also, water filter systems have decreased in cost to plumbing contractors. An Elkay water cooler with an integrated filter is now 25% less than it was two years ago and replacement filters are nearly 40% less than they were three years ago. Also, manufacturers are making it easier than ever to replace a filter. Since many water coolers open in the front, the plumber can easily twist out an old filter and snap in a new one in seconds. In addition, plumbing contractors should look for new technology in water coolers. Since coolers continue to evolve, new products are hitting the market that are easy to install and maintain. Elkay is working on a new concept product that will feature hands-free technology and have led lights on the front that show when the water filter is functioning and when the filter needs to be replaced.

The strong demand from consumers for a clean, inexpensive water source combined with the new, affordable water cooler technology and quick installation processes, opens the door for plumbing contractors to become part of the clean water solution. Water coolers with water filter systems create an opportunity for the plumbing contractor to provide their customer with the ideal product for their needs, while turning a larger profit in the process.

Jack Krecek is vice president, marketing, North America, plumbing products division, at Elkay. Elkay is a manufacturer of sinks, faucets, water coolers and fountains for residential and commercial use.