Alameda County – Water Treatment

When the new water filtration system or water treatment equipment is installed, it's your job to verify all work was done correctly and all items were installed as promised. It's best to do this before your Alameda County water treatment contractor leaves the job site for the last time. This way, if there are questions or discrepancies, you are more likely to get answers.

Before your water filtration contractor leaves, ask them to walk you through the job, showing you what was done and how to run the system. Ask for any special instructions on operating, maintaining or servicing your equipment. Then, ask for a written invoice before you settle the bill.

The invoice from your water treatment company company should include the following:

• The water treatment company contractor's name, physical address and state license number.
• A complete list of all work performed.
• An itemized list of all materials used.
• The total cost for the water treatment company services, including the itemized amount charged for labor.
• A written explanation of any warranties or guarantees provided by the product manufacturers and the water treatment company contractors.

The better Alameda County water treatment companies offer warranties and guarantees on both their workmanship, equipment and materials. Some guarantees will be honored by the company (usually guarantees dealing with workmanship, installation and services), while the equipment manufacturers will be responsible for honoring other warranties (usually on the equipment itself).

Whether you are hiring a water treatment contractor in Dublin, Newark, Pleasanton, Union City and Alameda or beyond, it's important that you ensure your new water filtration equipment and systems are covered by warranties that will protect you, your home and the value of your new filtration system. Be sure you know which entity is responsible for guaranteeing your home water filtration system, and who to contact in the event of a system failure or product malfunction.

Getting all warranties and guarantees in writing is key to understanding and confirming system protection. The following items should be included in any written guarantee document:

• The Alameda County water treatment contractor's name, physical address and state license number.
• A description of what exactly the warranty covers. This should include whether the water filtration contractor will repair or replace any faulty materials or workmanship or whether you are responsible for contacting the manufacturer for assistance.
• Any exclusions must be explicitly stated.
• Your responsibility in the case of a problem with or failure of your water treatment system or water filter, and what you need to do in order to redeem the warranty.
• How long the warranty is valid, and whether it expires on a specific day or is prorated (meaning, the warranty coverage and amount owed for repair or replacement diminishes over time).
• If the warranty coverage is transferable to the new owner if you sell the home or commercial building in which the work was done.
• Any actions on your part that may invalidate the warranty.

You will have to contact your local water treatment companies to find out exactly which water filtration systems and services they recommend for your needs. Some of the most popular in Pleasanton, Berkeley, Union City, San Leandro and Alameda and beyond are listed below.

Residential Water Treatment
Residential water treatments are those commonly installed in homes, apartments and condominiums. These may include water filtration systems, water softeners, faucet water filters, reverse osmosis water filtration systems, systems to remove unwanted odors and taste from water, and other systems to make home water more potable.

Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration Systems
Reverse osmosis dissolves ions in water by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane. This allows water to pass through, while separating out most suspended and dissolved materials. Reverse osmosis is so named because mechanical pressure is used to force the water to flow in the direction that is the reverse of natural osmosis.

Hard Water Filtration Systems
Hard water filtration systems remove calcium, magnesium and other materials from water.

Whole House Water Systems
These water filtration systems are usually installed in the basement or near the main water line, and they are used to filter all water coming into a home. Rather than filtering only water in certain faucets or rooms, all water in the home is filtered using the same equipment. This is especially useful for homes that use well water, have hard water, water with too many minerals, or water that has sulfur or iron content.

Commercial Water Treatment Systems
Commercial water treatment systems are installed in commercial buildings such as public buildings, schools, hospitals, municipal and government buildings, workplaces, airports, offices, shopping centers and other non-residential facilities. These may include chlorine removal systems, water filtration for well water, hard water filtration systems, mineral removal systems and solid material filters.

Water Filters
Water filters are equipment used to filter out solid particles, organic material, inorganic material, minerals, and other contaminants in water. Water filters may be in pitchers, refrigerators, individual sinks or whole house/whole building filtration systems.

Water Softeners
Water softeners remove calcium, magnesium and other minerals that cause hard water. Hard water can cause lime and build up on sinks, faucets, showers and other materials.

Iron Water Treatment
Water with iron particles present may smell bad, taste bad, have a strange color, and may even cause staining on clothing, sinks and other items. Iron water treatment often includes filtration to remove iron from the water, making it more palatable and better for use around the home.

Drinking Water Treatment Systems
Well water, municipal water supplies and other drinking water sources may include chlorine, sediment, iron, or other organic and non-organic contaminants. Treatment systems for drinking water include filters to remove these contaminants, softeners to remove magnesium and calcium, and filtration to remove chlorine.

Well Water Treatment
Well water can contain contaminants including sediment, iron, phosphates, runoff from local farms, and other unwanted organic and inorganic contaminants. Well water treatment systems remove these contaminants so that the water is safe for drinking and use in the home.

Common Brands of Water Treatment Equipment or Water Filters
Different Alameda County water filtration services recommend various water treatment equipment depending on their experiences and the needs of their customers. Below, you'll find a list of some of the most common water treatment equipment and water filters available in Alameda County and across the Greater Bay Area.

• 3M Filtrete Water Systems
• InstapureWater Filtration Systems
• Mavea Water Purification
• Insinkerator Water Filtration Systems
• Rainsoft Water Treatment Systems
• Aquasana Water Filtration
• PUR Water Filtration Systems
• GE Water Filters
• Culligan Water Treatment
• Pure Aqua Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Systems
• Emerson Water Treatment
• DuPont Chlorine Dioxide Wastewater Treatment Systems
• Brita Water Filtration Systems  

Water treatment has its own vocabulary. The following words and terms will help you better communicate with your water treatment expert and get the water filtration system for your home or business that best fits your needs.

activated carbon
Activated carbon water filters clean water by flushing it through block, granulated or powdered carbon material (usually coal, wood or coconut shells) to filter out and absorb contaminants such as chlorine, organic chemicals, radon and other organic materials from drinking water.

Water treatment has its own vocabulary. The following words and terms will help you better communicate with your water treatment expert and get the water filtration system for your home or business that best fits your needs.

activated carbon
Activated carbon water filters clean water by flushing it through block, granulated or powdered carbon material (usually coal, wood or coconut shells) to filter out and absorb contaminants such as chlorine, organic chemicals, radon and other organic materials from drinking water.

Also known as: activated carbon water filters

aggressive water
Aggressive water is the term for water that contains acid or oxygen that corrodes or rusts metals.

Also known as: acid water, oxygenated water, acidic water

alkali water
Alkalis such as potassium, magnesium, soluble hydroxide, carbonate, bicarbonate salt of calcium or sodium may be present in water. This can cause dry skin, bitter tasting or slippery feeling water.

Also known as: alkalis, alkaline water, alkalinity

bacteria
Bacteria in water are single-celled microorganisms that are sometimes found in drinking water. Most city water is treated with chlorine, which kills bacteria. But some types of bacteria, such as giardia, cryposporidium and others can have a degree of immunity to chlorine and may need to be removed by filtration.

Also known as: water bacteria, bacteria in water

calcium
Calcium can be found dissolved in drinking water and causes scale, soap scum and other hard water effects. Calcium is safe to drink, but many people want to filter it out of their water for better taste and cleaner surfaces.

Also known as: lime, calcium water, hard water

chlorine
Chlorine is a disinfectant used by many municipal water systems. Chlorine may make water safer to drink, but it may leave behind an aftertaste.

Also known as: chlorine water, chlorinated water, water disinfected with chlorine, chlorine-added water

dealkalization
The process of removing alkalinity (or lime) from water.

Also known as: lime removal, alkaline water removal

dechlorination
Removing chlorine from water using activated carbon or catalytic filters.

Also known as: chlorine water removal, chlorine removal, activated carbon water filtration

desalination
The act of removing salt from water to make it drinkable. Water desalination is usually accomplished through reverse osmosis, distillation, or electrodialysis.

Also known as: removing salt from water, water desalination

filter
A device that removes contaminants, taste, odor and color from drinking water. Filters may be whole house water filtration devices, water filter pitchers, sink filters or cartridge water filters.

Also known as: water filtration devices, water filters

filtration
The process of running water through some type of porous filtration device or filter to remove solids and other contaminants that cause water to be unsafe, taste or smell badly or have a color that makes it unsatisfactory to drink.

Also known as: water filtration, clean water filtration

flow rate
The rate at which a liquid (usually water) flows through a filter. Flow rate for water filters is usually rated in gallons per minute per cubic foot of filter. The flow rate must be what is suggested for that specific filter or the water will not be as pure as promised.

Also known as: water filter flow rate, flow rate for water filters

giardia lamblia
Giardia is a common protozoan found in contaminated drinking water. Giardia comes from animal waste and leaches into water. Giardia is contagious and can cause vomiting and diarrhea in individuals who ingest infected water. It is not removed or killed by UV light, iodine or cholorine, and can only be removed by water filters that have a four micron or less rating.

Also known as: Giardia

grains per gallon
'Grains per gallon' is the way solid materials in water are measured, and is often used to express the hardness of water, since hard water has a higher prevalence of solids than does soft water. A grain is considered 1/7000 of a pound, or 0.0648 grams. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 parts per million.

Also known as: GPG

groundwater
All water found in the ground, including subsurface water, well water, aquifer water and deep ground water is known as groundwater.

Also known as: ground water, well water

hard water
Hard water is water that has an abundance of dissolved calcium and magnesium. Hard water causes scale formation in pipes and water heaters, and forms a curd-like substance when it reacts with soap and some detergents. Water hardness is often expressed in grains per gallon, parts per million, milligrams per liter, and calcium carbonate equivalent. Water that has a total hardness of one grain per gallon or more is considered hard water.

Also known as: calcium water, magnesium water

inorganic matter
Inorganic matter is defined as materials not derived from living organisms. Because it was never living, inorganic matter contains no organically produced carbon. Inorganic matter found in water may include rocks, minerals and metals.

Also known as: inorganic contaminants

iron
Iron is a common element dissolved in ground water, and, therefore, drinking water from municipal water supplies and well water. Iron is a problem in drinking water because it tastes badly, can smell bad, may be discolored and can stain fabrics and other materials.

Also known as: ferrous iron, ferric iron, heme iron, ferric hydroxide, iron fouling

nanofiltration
Nanofiltration is a membrane water filtration process that treats water between reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration the filtration and separation spectrum. Nanofiltration can remove particles between 300 and 1,000 molecular weight.

Also known as: superfiltration, extra-fine filtration

organic matter
Organic matter in water is materials and derivatives coming from plant and animal matter. Inorganic matter derived from rocks, minerals and other non-living sources. Organic matter can be identified by its carbon-hydrogen structure.

Also known as: organic material

osmosis
Osmosis is the process of filtering water through a semi-permeable membrane that allows water to run through while capturing most dissolved substances in the water.

Also known as: water filtration by osmosis, osmosis water filters

pH
pH rates the acidity of solutions, including water. Liquids with a pH of 1 are very acidic, those with a pH of 7 are neutral, and a pH of 14 is basic. The pH7 neutral represents a liquid with equal concentrations of free hydrogens and free hydroxide ions.

Also known as: potential of Hydrogen

potable water
Potable water is all water that is deemed safe for human consumption, cooking and household purposes.

Also known as: drinking water, safe drinking water

raw water
Water from wells and other locations before it is treated or processed.

reverse osmosis
Reverse osmosis dissolves ions in water by forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane. This allows water to pass through, but separates out most other suspended and dissolved materials. Reverse osmosis is so named because mechanical pressure is used to force the water to flow in the direction that is the reverse of natural osmosis.

Also known as: reverse osmosis water filtration, RO

ultrafiltration
A water filtration system that removes small and large contaminants from drinking water. Ultrafiltration is especially useful for water that contains grease, oil or a large amount of suspended solids. This may be done before running water through a reverse osmosis or nanofiltration systems.

Also known as: ultra-filtration, UF, U/F

water conditioning
The treatment of water that improves its quality by removing contaminants and solids, neutralizing acidity and pH, and making it potable and safe.

Also known as: water treatment, water filtration, potable water conditioning

Customers throughout the Bay Area have many questions for local water treatment companies. Some of the most common questions and typical answers are found below. The answers below are likely those you will hear from water filtration experts, but it's always best to talk with your water treatment service about your specific needs.

Customers throughout the Bay Area have many questions for local water treatment companies. Some of the most common questions and typical answers are found below. The answers below are likely those you will hear from water filtration experts, but it's always best to talk with your water treatment service about your specific needs.

Q: Why choose Diamond Certified water treatment company?
A: Diamond Certified helps you choose a water treatment company with confidence by offering a list of top-rated local companies who have passed the country’s most in-depth rating process. Only water treatment company rated Highest in Quality earn the prestigious Diamond Certified award. Most companies can’t pass the ratings. American Ratings Corporation also monitors every Diamond Certified company with ongoing research and ratings. And your purchase is backed by the Diamond Certified Performance Guarantee. So you’ll feel confident choosing a Diamond Certified water treatment company.

Q: What is water filtration?
A: Water filtration is the process of removing from water impurities, contaminants, metals and microorganisms. Water purification can be performed through a whole-house water filtration system, sink-mounted water filtration system or other water filtration system. Talk with a local water treatment company about the best method of removing impurities from your water.

Q: Can water purification remove bacteria from drinking water?
A: Yes, water purification and water filtration can remove bacteria from drinking water. This usually is done through water disinfection. Biocides, chlorine, UV light and other methods are used to remove bacteria and other microorganisms.

Q: Can water filtration systems remove phosphates, ammonia, nitrates and fertilizers from drinking water?
A: Water purification systems can remove fertilizers, phosphates, nitrates, ammonia and other contaminants through various methods. This usually includes aerobic and anaerobic methods of removal.

Q: My drinking water isn't clear—what could that mean and what can I do about it?
A: If you have well water and it's rust-colored, that probably means you have iron in your water. Water that is tinted black may be contaminated with manganese or sulfur (which smells like rotten eggs). These problems can be remedied with an ion exchange water treatment system. Water with dirt or fine particles of sand or clay may require a coagulation filter system. Talk with your water filtration expert to find out exactly what is in your water and how to treat it.

Q: My drinking water has a bad taste. Can that be fixed?
A: Water that tastes bad may not be dangerous, but can still impact your willingness to use it for drinking and cooking. Reverse osmosis filtration systems can remove particles and taste from your water. Carbon filters can remove chlorine taste from drinking water. You may opt to install a whole house water filtration system or a small filtration system that treats only the water from the kitchen sink.

Q: Is tap water safe to drink?
A: Tap water is tested for contaminants, but that doesn't mean it is always safe from bacteria, chemicals, leaching heavy metals or other contamination. Tap water also may contain up to a certain level of contaminants that are under a level deemed safe by experts. Local water supplies are often cleaned using chlorine and other chemicals, and many locales add fluoride and other additives that some people may not want. Depending on your city, the water pipes and water filtration system may be worn, old or in need of replacement. The safest way to protect your family from contaminated water is to have an in-home water filtration system.

Q: Is water from reverse osmosis filtration systems better than bottled drinking water?
A: Reverse osmosis filtration systems are multiple-stage water purification systems that completely remove any contaminants from drinking water. Some systems even add minerals to the drinking water to make it taste fresher than bottled water. Reverse osmosis drinking water systems allow homeowners to purify their tap water just before they drink it so it is fresher. And having a water purification system in-home negates the need for buying bottled water for drinking of cooking.

Q: Is reverse osmosis water filtration the most effective way to clean drinking water?
A: Yes, reverse osmosis is considered the most effective way to filter water. Reverse osmosis involves filtering water through a semi-permeable membrane rated at 0.0001 micron. Reverse osmosis filtration is so effective that it can desalinate sea water for drinking purposes, and is the most common method used to purify drinking water.

Q: Are activated carbon cartridges good water filtration systems?
A: Activated carbon water filtration cartridges are less effective than reverse osmosis water filters. They have larger pores within their filters, usually 0.5 to 10 microns compared to 0.0001 micron for reverse osmosis water. This means that activated carbon filters can usually remove larger pieces of sediments, particles and elements. Any finer particles and dissolved materials cannot be filtered out, so some chemicals and elements will remain in the drinking water.

Q: Why would I need an ultraviolet water filtration system?
A: UV light can disinfect filtered water, including removing bacteria, viruses and microorganisms that are destroyed by UV light. Most municipal water supply customers don't need ultraviolet water filtration because most municipal water supplies are chlorinated, which removes the same microorganisms that are killed by UV light. Customers with well water or those who may have contaminants in their water may want to add UV light filtration to their water.

Q: How do I find out what contaminants are in my drinking water?
A: You can have a water analysis performed and sent in to a state-approved laboratory for testing. You can get more information by contacting the California state health department or the EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 1.800.426.4791. You can also buy a home water testing kit, which can test for various contaminants.

Q: How do I know which water filtration system is best for my home?
A: First, you'll want to know which contaminants are in your water. Then you can find the right water filtration system to rid your water of the harmful contaminants. You can find a number of good systems in stores, via the internet or through local water conditioning companies.