Acidic water is common in home water wells and can cause corrosion to piping, fixtures and appliances. Water that has a pH of less than 7.0 is considered to be acidic. The acid water pH can be neutralized to 7 or above by the use of an acid neutralizer tank, which allows calcium and magnesium carbonates to dissolve in the water. This eliminates the corrosive effect the water has on plumbing and fixtures.
For a pH of 6.0 to 6.9 a type of naturally occurring calcium carbonate media called Calcite is used to neutralize the pH. For water with a pH of less than 6.0, magnesium oxide is blended with Calcite to bring the pH to 7.0 or above. The Calcite or the blend of media is put in either an up-flow neutralizer tank or a down-flow neutralizer tank.
Acid neutralizer water systems are typically installed after the well pressure tank.
In down-flow neutralizer tanks the media flows from the top of the media inside a vertical filter tank down to the bottom of the tank, and up a distributor tube and out of the filter to the household piping. Down-flow neutralizer tanks also act as filters since sediment and other fine particles become trapped in the Calcite. This type of neutralizer is automatically or manually backwashed to keep the media clean.
In an upflow neutralizer the water flows down through the center distributor tube and enters the media bed at the bottom and flows up through the media before exiting the neutralizer and flowing out to the plumbing. Up-flow neutralizers do not get backwashed because the media is never compacted and no sediment is removed. Since the water is flowing up through the media the media is not compacted to theoretically it does not require backwashing.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both up-flow and down-flow neutralizers. The main advantage of the down-flow neutralizer is that it not only neutralizes the water, it also acts as a whole house sediment filter. Down-flow neutralizers are usually automatically backwashed, which cleans the Calcite media and prevents rust particles and other sediment from fouling or coating the media. Since additional Calcite or blended media must be added to most neutralizers once or twice a year, down-flow neutralizers are easier to backwash and put back in service than up-flow neutralizers which cannot be backwashed.
Up-flow neutralizers must use an internal top screen in to order to prevent the Calcite from entering the home plumbing system. Calcite has the appearance of white sand and can quickly damage valves and fixtures if the media enters the plumbing system. If the water contains iron, manganese or sulfides, these internal top screens can later become fouled and so are generally are not used for this reason. Instead of the internal top screen, a filter housing and cartridge filter are usually installed after the up-flow neutralizer tank to prevent any mineral from flowing into the plumbing system.
With down-flow neutralizers these upper screens or external filter housings are unnecessary since the Calcite is prevented from leaving the filter tank due to the bottom internal distributor screen. The bottom distributor does not get easily fouled due to the backwashing the down-flow neutralizer tank receives on a regular basis.
In filter tanks the media can flow around the media and create channels which allow the water to flow without properly contacting the media. This type of channeling is more of a problem with up-flow neutralizers and rarely happens with down-flow neutralizers due to the action of the backwash. For most residential applications down-flow neutralizers work better than up-flow neutralizers due to the filtration feature and the backwashing function.
A down-flow neutralizer can be backwashed on a regular basis to clean, re-classify and distribute the calcium media thoroughly. This backwashing allows the down-flow neutralizer to function properly and lower maintenance costs. The Calcite media dissolves better because it is cleaned and then compacted in the down-flow neutralizer tank.
Well water that is acidic can also sometimes be high in iron, manganese or hydrogen sulfide. If a greensand or other type of manganese media iron filter is used to treat the water for iron, the pH should be raised up to at least 6.8 to allow the iron filter media to work properly. A down-flow neutralizer is usually the best choice to put in front of an iron filter because the neutralizer acts as a pre-filter removing some oxidized iron prior to the iron filter. This lessens the load of iron that the greensand filter must treat. Iron, manganese and sulfides can coat the acid neutralizer media and render it unable to dissolve into the water and neutralize the pH.
There are some applications where up-flow Calcite neutralizers are more desirable than down-flow neutralizers. If the flow is more or less constant on a regular basis, such as when the neutralizer is used to fill a holding tank with neutralized water, the up-flow filter works fine. Since up-flow neutralizers have no automatic backwash control valve they are less expensive than down-flow neutralizers. If the water is of excellent quality with no sediment or iron and the flow rate is constant then the up-flow neutralizer costs less to use and uses no backwash water.

Web conferencing has so far been used mostly in business-based applications. However when people start to realize that they can overcome all geographical barriers with online conferencing, then some really creative uses of this technology will begin to sprout in all areas of life.

In fact this is already happening and here are a few examples of how conferencing is making what was impossible yesterday, possible today.

When Nebraska resident Cindy Holsing found out that her two daughters would be graduating from two different colleges on the same day last spring she became depressed.

“My heart just sank,” Holsing said. “I thought: It is what it is. We can’t do anything about it.” At first she thought that the best way she could “attend” both commencements would be to get video tapes of the ceremonies which she would watch together.

However, when she put in a request for a video tape to the Midland Lutheran College, one of the college’s staff tried to find a better solution. He helped the Holsing family set up video web cameras at the two commencements and watch them through an online conferencing set-up that cost less than $100.

On graduation day, Mr. and Mrs. Hosing each went to one of the ceremonies and watched the other one on laptops which were logged onto a video conferencing link. Both parents and both girls were satisfied.

Attending a Wedding From Afar

A similar dilemma was faced by an ailing mother in Pittsburgh whose daughter was getting married in Florida. Monica Fournier, a cousin of the bride said, “When I realized that my cousin’s mom in Pittsburgh, who is awaiting a lung transplant, could not attend her daughter’s wedding in Florida I began to search for solutions.”

“I had heard about video conferencing on the Internet, but had never tried it and had no idea if it could work for this occasion. It was a real stab in the dark!” Monica added.

On the wedding day, both the wedding ceremony and the video conference were successful and “my cousin was thrilled her mom could participate in her special day from hundreds of miles away,” concluded Monica.

These are just two examples of how video conferencing can allow people to be in two places at the same time and to take part in important family events regardless of any obstacles.

As web and video conferencing become more popular, there will be lots more stories of this type. In the next article I will look at more ways how online conferencing is about to transform communications both at home and in the business place.

If you have noticed a leak in any of your water pipes or water areas in your home, then you don’t want to wait until tomorrow to get the assistance you need.  Having a professional readily available for your needs while ensuring that you get the right assistance also provides you with instant help and the ability to stop the problems you are having.  Whether you have a damage sink or a pipe that has burst, you can call on Leeds plumbers, Liverpool plumbers or plumbers in Milton Keynes to assist you with your needs.  Finding the closest help is the beginning to getting the help you need.

The idea of using a plumber in your area is a simple solution for cutting down the time it takes to get an emergency taken care of.  For instance, if you are looking for a Leeds plumber, then you can ensure the right assistance by finding a professional that is close by and that can easily get to your home.  By finding a specialist in this area, the problem will be taken care of the same day and you will have the ability to find someone who can easily add you onto the repair list. Getting someone who is near, such as a Milton Keynes plumber, also ensure the fastest response time.

Not only does finding someone close by help with a quick turn around system, but also can assist you in case of an emergency.  For instance, if you have a pipe burst at 3:00 in the morning and you are in Liverpool, then you want to make sure that a Liverpool plumber is able to offer assistance as soon as the problem occurs.  Finding someone who is available 24 hours a day and that doesn’t take a day off for your plumbing needs ensures better assistance.  For most, this is one of the most essential parts of getting the help that is needed. 

It isn’t just finding the local help from Liverpool plumbers or Milton Keynes plumbers, but there is also the need to have extra help from the experts by getting a wide variety of assistance.  Whether you are in need of a heating boost or have a problem with your sink, you want to make sure that your Leeds plumber or Liverpool plumbing can help you with the exact repairs.  You can expect to get the right assistance from your plumber depending on the amount of qualifications and experience they have, while providing you with the best service for your plumbing needs.   

No matter where you live, you want to make sure that you are able to get the right assistance from the experts.  From Leeds plumbers to plumbing in Liverpool or Milton Keynes plumbers, is the ability to get assistance that is quick and available 24/7, simply by finding a local expert.  By finding someone that is close by, you can ensure that your needs for plumbing will are taken care of quickly and efficiently and with the assistance that you need.