April 23, 2025 • 36 mins
Have you ever stopped to think about what’s really coming out of your faucets? This week on Take It To The Board, host Donna DiMaggio Berger sits down with Ed Padula of Quality Water Consultants to uncover the hidden truths about the water we drink, cook with, and bathe in every day. You might be surprised by what’s flowing through your community's pipes and what is contributing to the inevitable water leaks in multifamily buildings.
Donna and Ed’s conversation reveals how municipal water treatment has changed dramatically over the years, with many cities switching from chlorine to chloramines—a combination that addresses one health concern but creates new problems with corrosion, water color, and infrastructure damage. As they explain, what municipalities consider "safe" water often still contains chemicals that affect both human health and building systems.
The distinction between water softening and purification emerges as a critical misunderstanding for many associations. While softening removes calcium and magnesium to prevent spotting and extend appliance life, it doesn't address chemical contaminants or color issues.
Perhaps most alarming is how water quality accelerates the deterioration of aging pipes in multifamily buildings. The corrosiveness of chloramines causes pipes to deteriorate faster, leading to more frequent leaks and eventually requiring expensive re-piping projects. Simultaneously, deteriorating pipes leach contaminants back into water, creating a vicious cycle.
Ready to take a deep dive into what's flowing through your community's pipes? Listen now and, hopefully, start a much needed conversation for your board.
Conversation Highlights Include:
- Why community associations should prioritize water quality—even if no issues have been reported
- Water purification considerations for multifamily buildings
- Common—and often overlooked—water quality issues in condos, HOAs, and co-ops
- The impact of aging pipes, boilers, and water systems on water quality in older buildings
- How water quality affects the lifespan of plumbing and piping systems
- The link between water quality and leaks
- Understanding the difference between filtration systems and softener systems
- Routine testing and inspections community associations should conduct
- The connection between poor water quality and health risks
- Early warning signs of deteriorating water quality
- What a community’s emergency plan should include in the event of water contamination
Related Links:
- Online Class: Anatomy of a Water Leak
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi everyone, I'm attorney Donna DiMaggio-Berger,
and this is Take it to the Boardwhere we speak condo and HOA.
We've had several episodes onTake it to the Board where we
talked about the water thatfalls from the sky and poses
flooding problems for our homes,cars and other property.
Today, we're going to be talkingabout a different kind of water
(00:22):
the kind we drink and use.
Today, we're going to betalking about a different kind
of water the kind we drink anduse.
We'll be diving into the worldof water quality with none other
than Ed Padula, a seasonedexpert from Quality Water
Consultants, which is based inCoconut Creek, florida, with
over 30 years of experienceproviding homes and businesses
with access to clean and safewater.
Ed has a degree inenvironmental engineering and is
(00:43):
certified in commercial watertreatment, so he's seen it all,
from the nuisances of hard waterto the serious risk of
contaminants like Legionella, aswell as how the quality of
water can contribute to thosepesky and inevitable water leaks
in your multifamily building.
So join us as we explore whycommunity associations and their
residents should prioritizewater quality, the differences
(01:06):
between water softening andpurification, and how proactive
measures can safeguard bothinfrastructure and health.
So, ed, welcome to Take it tothe Board.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Thank you, glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
So I've had, you know , concerns about water quality
in my own home for years.
I've had a reverse osmosissystem.
I've got a whole house waterfiltration.
But why should communityassociations be thinking about
water quality overall in thecommunity if there hasn't been a
known problem?
Ed.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, there is a known problem and in the South
Florida area they've changed thewater treatment.
They used to use chlorine forsanitation and it was very easy
to remove and it was easy todeal with.
But the trihalomethanes becameso high they exceeded the
(01:59):
Environmental Protection Agencystandards.
So they switched to what iscalled chloramines, which is a
combination of chlorine andammonia which is very difficult
to remove.
It adds color to the water.
It's very corrosive, it causesleaks, it causes corrosion, it
causes a midget of problems andit's difficult to remove.
(02:22):
And it's also caused color.
And these people are buyinginto these multimillion dollar
condos and they look at thecolor of the water that's coming
from the city and they're kindof appalled.
I've treated hotels where theygot central systems because the
guests were constantlycomplaining of the color of the
(02:43):
water.
You know, and in a whiteporcelain bath, at a sink,
you're going to see the colorand it's discouraging for people
they don't like.
It Doesn't look good, Doesn'tsmell good and that's a problem,
but it's also very corrosive.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
We've got people listening all over this,
switched to and I think youcalled it.
Is it chloramines?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Chloramines yes.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Is that happening all over the country?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It is wherever the trihalomethanes have reached the
level and it's a cancer-causingagent.
So what the city does is theycombat the trihalomethanes.
But they created a new problemwith the chloramines and they
still don't know whatchloramines do to people.
But I know that it's not goodto drink.
It'll kill a goldfish in likeless than an hour.
(03:32):
It's very harmful.
But the city is concerned aboutthe health of the people as far
as bacteria and pathogens.
They consider pure water assanitized, which means nothing
living in the water.
But that doesn't mean therearen't heavy metals.
That doesn't mean there's not alot of chemicals.
That doesn't mean there'snitrates, lead, all these other
things sediment that are in thewater.
(03:54):
But as far as they're concerned, the levels are adequate, but
they're not really forconsumption as far as I'm
concerned.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
That's a really good point.
So that's a really importantpoint.
If I'm hearing you correctly,from the municipality standpoint
, it's safe if there's nothinggrowing in it that's going to
make you immediately sick.
But that doesn't mean it's safethe way we would think of it in
terms of long-term health.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Correct and that's why point of use filtration is
very important, because thewater may be pure or filtered
before it leaves the city waterplant, but by the time it runs
through the old infrastructurewhich is sometimes hundreds of
years, 100 years old, it picksup everything that it touches
(04:41):
because water is a solvent,everything that it touches
because water is a solvent.
So it may be pure or filteredat the plant, but by the time it
gets to your home it's pickedup all kinds of things on its
way and that's we're havingdifficulty now because of all
this construction on the beach,especially with the condos and
hotels.
They drive pilings into theground which disturbs the old
(05:05):
water lines and that's whythey're breaking in Fort
Lauderdale area.
The water turns brown, peopleare furious and it's due to the
vibration because it's like amini earthquake when you start
driving pilings for high risesand they never replaced the old
water lines and they'reconstantly breaking.
The sewer lines are breakingand the water lines are breaking
(05:27):
.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Oh boy, we're off to a real start here.
But let's say, you know, look,I live in a single family home.
So I get to make my owndecisions, right.
I get to decide if I want tohave a reverse osmosis system
and I want you to talk aboutthat system.
I get to decide if I want awhole house filtration.
(05:50):
If I'm moving into a condo,let's say a multifamily building
, can I just protect my watersupply enough just by filtering
what comes into my unit?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
We do that for several people, but the problem
is they don't leave enough roomto do it adequately.
Usually it's just like a smallcloset that has an air
conditioner and a hot waterheater and the water line is
tucked away inside there andthere's not enough room for a
system.
And then you have to have someplace for the system to clean
(06:22):
itself and you have to havepower.
You have to have some place forthe system to clean itself and
you have to have power.
And usually these things shouldbe done prior to construction
and they never are.
Same thing with the centralsystem.
It should be planned in thearchitectural drawing, the
mechanical drawings, before theyeven start building, because it
takes a lot of room and ittakes a lot of thought before
(06:42):
you go ahead and people that tryto do it after the fact.
The plumbing and thereconstruction is a nightmare.
It's a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
So in your experience , Ed, how many developers think
about water quality when they'rebuilding these buildings?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
They don't bring up negatives, so that's a negative.
They're interested in sellingcondos.
They're not going to tellpeople that the water is bad or
that they need this or that.
They try to just gloss over it.
Look at the ocean, look at thesun, look at the beautiful area
Don't worry about the water.
(07:20):
And then we'll get calls, andthen the boards will call us.
And then we'll get calls, andthen the boards will call us and
then we try to.
You know, it's hard to get alot of people to agree on what
exactly they want.
People have misconceptions aboutwhat water treatment is water
softening versus waterfiltration versus.
I mean, it's just not a cookiecutter type scenario and every
(07:45):
area has a differentmunicipality, so they don't have
the same water, so each areahas its own problems.
And this is kind of whatfrustrates me about marketing,
because they market it like thiswill work everywhere and you
don't have to do anything to it.
And it just drives me crazybecause it's not true.
There's not one thing that cantake care of all the different
(08:09):
water that's available all overthe United States, not even in
the same counties, I mean.
There's all different water.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
So you have to customize it according to what
your water supply is and how thetype of contaminates or the
type of components that yourlocal water supply has.
Is that correct, right?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yes, and the city will provide you with a detailed
analysis of what's in the water.
And I always recommend topeople don't trust someone to
test your water.
The city will provide you witha very detailed piece of paper
that tells you exactly what's inthe water and the levels, and
then you can pick and choosewhat it is you don't like about
that report and then you know,go from there.
(08:53):
But first you need to know likeare you concerned about your
drinking water?
Are you concerned about thehardness or the?
You know, your appliances, thechemicals?
I mean there's like.
For me, I have a water softener,a catalytic carbon filter and a
reverse osmosis drinking system, because they each do something
(09:13):
different and I don't wantchloramines in my water.
My wife and I prefer soft water.
It protects our hot waterplumbing and our hot water
heater and keeps things nice andclean.
And we don't want chloraminesin the water because when we
shower, your skin is the largestorgan in your body and it
(09:34):
absorbs all the chemicals in thewater.
It's bad for your skin, it'sbad for your hair, it's just bad
to breathe, and reverse osmosispretty much takes care of
everything.
So that's what I drink reverseosmosis water for my ice and
beverages, and then I filter therest of the house with water
(09:55):
softener and a catalytic carbonfilter.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
You've given us a lot of information already.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
That's why people don't like talking to me,
because I'm not a salesperson,I'm just.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You know this is what we need to hear.
Ed, this is what I'm going tohave to take you back and walk
you through some of this,because you're coming at me like
a what do they call it?
A fire hose of information.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Sorry.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
No, no, it's great.
So here's the thing.
Let's say we do have anexisting building.
Developer did not think aboutwater quality.
It's a typical high rise andthere's issues.
Ok, there's the inevitablewater leaks and I want to talk
to you how water can impact thequality of water, can impact the
aging of the pipes.
But let's say they come to youand they want to retrofit the
(10:52):
building correct.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
They can't do that.
Can you walk us through how thepurification or filtration
would work?
I've had several differentpeople.
They have different ideas andthe first thing I have to do is
kind of educate them on exactlywhat it is they think they want.
Educate them on exactly what itis they think they want.
Half the people want a watersoftener.
They want soft water becausethey don't like hard water.
Other people cannot stand softwater and a water softener is
(11:15):
not a purifier.
It doesn't filter.
It takes out the calcium,magnesium.
The hardness in the water makesit soft, so it doesn't spot on
the shower door and you use lesssoap.
It's more for maintenance.
In restaurants they usually putthe dish machines in their hot
water and in laundry they don'tdo it because they do it for a
(11:36):
maintenance standpoint, becauseit saves the life of their
equipment and it makeseverything look more presentable
like the flatware and yourglasses don't have spots.
So most restaurants and countryclubs will have a water
softener on their hot water anyhot water and filtration, carbon
filtration on the beverageslike coffee, tea, ice, things of
(11:59):
that nature, because of the badtaste from the chemicals in the
water.
So that's the first thing Ihave to ask is what is it that
everyone's complaining about?
Some people don't like thecolor Usually it's the color
People because that's what theycan see.
They see it every day and theydon't like it, especially if
you're pale.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
But softener is not going to change the color.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
It's not going to change the color, it's going to
take out.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
It's going to take what out of the water.
You're talking about hardness.
It's going to take what out ofthe water.
You're talking about hardness.
What's hardness in water?
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Calcium, magnesium.
It's from limestone, becausemost of the water in South
Florida comes from an aquifer.
It comes from Lake Okeechobeeunderground and we have a lot of
limestone and it picks up theminerals and it dries, it leaves
(12:52):
spots and it's also affects howwell your soap and how your
hair comes out.
It's more more for aconvenience.
It's not a purifier in anystretch.
It's designed only for theworking water is how we put it.
The water that you work with.
It makes it more easier to use.
But but it was never designedfor drinking and no matter what
they put in it to agile watersoftener, it's not designed for
(13:15):
water consumption.
That's not what its purpose is.
That's not what it's for.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Is hard water harder on the pipes Ed.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Yes, it scales, especially hot water, because
the heat interacts with thecalcium, magnesium and forms
scale.
So over a period of years it'llactually constrict the flow of
water through the hot waterplumbing so you can't even get a
pencil through it.
The scale in a hot water heater, which causes more energy to
(13:48):
heat the water and it destroysthe pipes, I mean, and you get
low flow rates and you get halfthe life of a hot water heater,
especially these Insta hotheaters that are being sold now.
It actually voids the water.
If you have hard water, thewarranties are void.
They want you to use soft waterto protect the elements.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
You're making me think I need a water softener.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Where do you live again?
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Plantation.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Plantation has a soft water membrane softening system
through the city, so youprobably don't.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Probably.
See, I appreciate that.
You said that at the outset.
Actually, I'm going to ask youare you allowed to say which
city has the best water in SouthFlorida and which city has the
worst?
Speaker 2 (14:35):
I can tell you, I can say anything.
I can tell you that there areproblem water areas.
Sunrise used to be notorious.
It's gotten worse and it'sdifferent because, like Highland
Beach, for instance, is goingto what you guys did in
plantation you went to membranesoftening and they're getting
reverse osmosis drinking.
(14:56):
But the problem with that is,like I told you earlier.
It's pure from the water plantbut once it hits the old
infrastructure it's picking upall this dirt.
Once it hits the oldinfrastructure it's picking up
all this dirt, debris, lead,heavy metal, corrosion.
It's not pure.
So the best way to do it ispoint of use, reverse osmosis,
just when you're drawing thewater for your own use, like I
(15:19):
have.
I have reverse osmosis on mykitchen sink, which also feeds
my ice maker, so that I knowthat it's being purified at
point of use.
And that's what we call pointof use versus point of entry.
Point of entry would be what awater softener filter would be
where the water enters your home.
But really you need like asophisticated system like
(15:40):
reverse osmosis at point of use,and there's no trick.
We do bottled water plants too.
They use water filters and theyuse RO systems and they put it
in a plastic bottle, which ishorrible, and it sits out in the
sun all day and it leachesplastic, it's like, and it's a
multi-billion dollar industryand people can do it themselves
(16:02):
and put the water in a glasspitcher or stainless steel,
which you should do because itdoesn't leach anything into the
water.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
I was going to ask you that People will say, why do
we need this?
We'll just go buy a bunch ofbottled water.
But to your point, that's notyour water.
Plastic is horrible.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Microplastics is horrible, and not only is it bad
for the environment, but whatdo they do with all this plastic
?
And you know, when a bottlegets hot in your car it's
leaching plastics into yourwater and what is that doing to
you?
I mean, it's just kind ofcommon sense.
I mean, if you can filter ityourself, why are you trusting
(16:38):
somebody filling a bottle?
You don't even know the qualityof the water they're putting in
there.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
I'm so glad you said that.
I used to tell my husband foryears don't leave water bottles
in the sun or in a car, and youknow what you say.
What's it doing to you?
I think I read recently thatthey think most people have
about a credit card's worth ofplastic in their heads.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Could be, but it also grows algae if you put it out
in the sun.
I mean you're supposed to keepit out of the sun.
You don't keep a clear bottleout in the sun, It'll grow algae
and you'll see, sometimes withthese stores, keep them in the
sun.
You'll see a little green tintin the water.
Well, that's algae starting togrow.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, so don't drink that.
Let me ask you, in terms ofspace, to purify a whole
building, let's say aseven-story high-rise how much
space would they need for thatfiltration system?
Speaker 2 (17:33):
They'd probably need a 12-by-12 slab.
12-foot-by-12-foot slab, okay.
And then there's the boosterpump and then there's the main
water line and really it needsto be done before they start
building because it does takequite a bit of room and it needs
to be serviced.
(17:53):
I mean, some of these placesyou can't get in to service them
because they're tucked away ina basement or something, and you
know you have to think aboutall those things.
And there's no such thing as afilter that doesn't need to
service.
It should be serviced annually.
I don't care what anybody says,I hear these things all the
time.
People tell me it lasts forever.
(18:14):
I go well, get that guy towhatever, because did he test
the water?
Or where is this person thattold you that?
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I was going to ask you about service because the
most basic in my mind method isyou're trapping things in a
filter.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (18:29):
That is correct.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
If you don't remove the filter, then isn't it making
the water worse?
Speaker 2 (18:36):
It'll restrict the pressure.
But as far as carbon, carbon isan absorption media which takes
out the chemicals.
Eventually it cannot do thatany longer.
It's a disposable media.
It's not something that lastsforever.
So you're basically not gettingfiltered water at a period of
time and if you don't have ittested or serviced, then you
(18:57):
don't.
You know, people normally knowwhen the taste comes back,
because once you're used todrinking good water, you can
taste chlorine immediately orchloramines immediately, and
it's just kind of easy.
But I always tell people youknow, don't do business with
anyone who doesn't provideservice and don't do business
with anyone that tells you thatyou never need service.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
That's good advice In terms of warning signs that
you're dealing with.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
That is a warning sign If someone tells you this
does everything and don't worry.
As soon as they say don't worry, you should run.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Start worrying In terms of you know, kind of the
red flags when it comes to yourwater quality.
You're right, you can look atyour water bill.
I'd look at that and see whatthe rating is for our city water
.
But if somebody doesn't know todo that, you've already
mentioned the way it smells, theway it looks, the way.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Yeah, you could take a white styrofoam cup this is
what I tell people and a whitestyrofoam cup if you draw water,
you'll actually see the colorof the water against the white
background.
And if you take, like astandard pool chlorine test kit
and just add a drop if it turnsyellow, you know you got a lot
(20:13):
of chlorine in the water,chloramines in the water and
usually there's more chlorine inthe water than in swimming
pools.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
You mentioned swimming pools.
That's a perfect segue, becausewe've been talking about the
water in the building.
What about the water in thecommon areas?
The pools, the fountains?
Does all of this need to befiltered too?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Pool water is ultra sanitized because they have
saltwater chlorination.
They have chlorine in the water, so nothing's growing and it's
being filtered, the sediment'sbeing filtered.
You're not supposed to drinkpool water.
So from that standpoint, I meana lot of people have skin
irritations from chlorine andit's not really good for your
(20:57):
skin or your hair.
I'm sure after you go swimmingin a pool you notice that your
hair is a little funky and yourskin feels a little itchy.
Well, a little funky and yourskin feels a little itchy.
Well, that's the chemicalchlorine drying on your skin and
clogging up your pores.
So you should rinse off quicklyafter you come out of a pool,
but just get it off of your body.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
It's so healthy to swim, but you mentioned earlier
your skin's your largest organ.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Largest organ.
It's absorbing all of that.
And chlorine is a knowncancer-causing agent I mean over
time, depending on the levels,but the THMs were definitely and
that mixes with organics andthat's why they're adding
ammonia to the water.
I don't know about you, but inscience they told us never to
mix ammonia and chlorinetogether because it kind of
(21:46):
creates a bad problem.
Told us never to mix ammoniaand chlorine together because it
kind of creates a bad problem.
But that's what they're doingand they're just solving one
problem and creating a new one.
But I always recommend thatpeople take the initiative to
handle their drinking waterpriority number one and then
worry about their home, you know, as far as maintenance number
(22:06):
two and I always break it downthat way and we never sell a
cookie cutter solution that saysthis will take care of all, you
don't have to worry.
But I hear it all the time.
But, uh, I see the commercialson tv and I want to just throw
something at it and theadvertising is just.
I can't believe the amount ofpeople who've gotten into this
(22:29):
industry since I've started inthe 70s.
It's just amazing how manypeople are into the water
treatment industry.
It's both a billion-dollarindustry now.
Nobody ever thought they'd bedrinking water out of a bottle.
When I was growing up theywouldn't be buying water.
I mean, no one bought water.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
You were drinking it out of a bottle when I was
growing up.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
they wouldn't be buying water.
I mean, no one bought water youwere drinking it out of a hose,
yeah, out of a hose.
Back then, before I waseducated, I was anyway.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
So what's the biggest misperception out there?
Do you think about yourindustry right now?
Speaker 2 (23:06):
I've done consulting work for I mean we do Starbucks,
we do Ecolab, I mean and largecompanies.
They try to network with peoplein the field that know what
they're doing so that they Imean it's one thing to
distribute filtration, but in arestaurant, for instance, if you
don't change the filters everysix months, you're not in
compliance.
And they don't change thefilters every six months unless
(23:27):
someone reminds them.
So with my customers, we remindthem every six months and we
have a program where we takecare of it every six months.
Because if you have a bunch offilters and they're in an attic
or some storage room somewhereand no one's going around
putting the filters in and justselling them, it doesn't make
any sense.
Service is more important andkeeping up with the maintenance
(23:48):
is more important.
Same thing with residential.
I mean, the more people getinvolved, the more they're
educated, the more they'llunderstand that you know you
just need to change your filtersonce a year.
You can't just especially ifyou're a resident, a part-time
resident if you leave your homefor three months.
You can't just leave somethingstagnant and not use it.
(24:10):
You should change the filter assoon as you get back.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Ed, do you and your wife go to restaurants with your
own water and stainless steel?
Speaker 2 (24:19):
No, but I know the places that have filtered water,
and Starbucks, for instance,has the most on RO system on all
their potable drinking waterand I'm not a big Starbucks fan.
But they have the ultimatefiltration for all their
consumable beverages and they doit because they want
consistency.
Same thing with McDonald's.
(24:40):
They want you to have a drinkat McDonald's in Seattle and
have it taste the same in FortLauderdale and Ohio and
everywhere.
And the way they do that isthey have filtration, which
basically is that's youringredient water mixing with the
soda and ice and everything.
So now it's consistent.
And they do it because it's acost savings, because they don't
(25:02):
have to use as much syrup.
They don't have to use as much.
It keeps their maintenance downin the long run and it also
makes a happy customer becausethe beverages taste better than
the coffee, for sure, or a drink.
You put bad ice in a scotch.
It ruins it.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
It's funny you mentioned that because I just
got the.
Over the holidays we had guestsand one of our guests was a
scotch drinker and I got the bigice cubes.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Yeah, the big round ones.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Exactly so.
I mentioned in the introductionLegionella, the bacteria,
that's the bacteria that causesLegionnaires disease, correct?
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Yeah, there was a misconception that was blamed on
the water.
There was a central system inMiami about 20, 30 years ago, I
don't even remember, but theyblamed it on the water treatment
that was taking out thechlorine in the water.
But it wasn't really the watertreatment.
(26:02):
So then they cracked down onthat.
It basically was from the.
It's an airborne thing.
So basically it was a coolingtower.
Is they have to have a residualof some kind of sanitation on
the cooling tower so that thislegionnaire that grows doesn't
circulate into some ventilationsystem that causes people like
(26:26):
in a conference room?
I believe that's what happenedand nobody really knows how it
happened.
It can happen on an airplane aswell, when they recirculate the
air.
I mean cross -contamination.
There's a million differentways things can happen.
It's usually a maintenanceissue or a cleanliness issue.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
I had a community once where it was linked to a
hot tub.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Hot tub vapors maybe, and people were breathing it.
That's how they got it.
It's usually airborne andpeople were breathing it.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
That's how they got it.
It's usually airborne.
So a lot of our communitieshave, or should have, emergency
plans.
What should they have in anemergency plan Ed in terms of
backup if there's a watercontamination issue in the
community?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Usually the city.
If they have a broken pipe,they'll issue a boiled water
order, and the reason why theydo that is anytime you have a
break in the pipe, you have acontamination.
There's an atmosphere that thepipe is broken and now things
can get in the pipe and bacteriacan grow and they make you boil
(27:30):
it.
Well, they don't make you, butthey advise you to boil your
water.
You should pay attention tothat.
Boil your water, you should payattention to that.
And you should also change yourfilters after a boiled water
order because, to be safe, youdon't know what's collected in
that filter.
If there was a boiled waterorder Like I used to do Wendy's,
all the Wendy's, and every timethere's a hurricane or a boiled
water order, they wanted alltheir filters changed.
(27:52):
We'd go out and change alltheir filters.
It just makes sense.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
I never would have thought of that, but it
definitely makes sense Becausewe don't know what's in the
water, and usually nothing.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
I mean, I'm not trying to scare anybody, but 99%
of the time there's nothingthat's getting in the water.
They just can't take that riskof a lot of people getting sick
because of a break in the pipe.
And they're breaking all overthe place in Fort Lauderdale
because that stuff is old.
I mean, I don't even know howthey got away without an
(28:28):
environmental impact statementto do all that construction down
there without replacing allthat infrastructure.
I just don't understand howthey got away with it.
And I'm not talking about cheaphomes, you know that.
I'm talking about Las Olas.
Like I got customers down it.
And I'm not talking about cheaphomes.
You know that I'm talking aboutLas Olas.
I got customers down there.
They're screaming their water'slike brown, I mean, and they're
paying big money, I mean.
And they didn't pay for that.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Let's talk about old pipes.
So we've got a lot of olderhousing stock in Florida very
nice condominiums and co-ops,but they're nearing their 50,
60-year birthdays.
These pipes are old.
I don't know many communitiesthat are doing complete
re-piping jobs.
Okay, they're patching as theygo, they're fixing as they go,
(29:08):
they're trying to maintain.
Does the quality of?
The water impact or acceleratethe deterioration of the pipes,
and do old pipes leach into goodwater?
If that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Yes, yes and yes, okay, and just like that
building that collapsed in Miami.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Champlain Towers.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yes, the infrastructure is old and you
know you have risers that go upinto the condominium that are
old and they're corroding.
And then all that corrosiongets into your home.
It'll clog up your sinks.
It'll clog up your solenoid.
It'll clog up.
You know it drives restaurantsnuts because they have a lot of
(29:52):
water using appliances and theyhave plumbers in there all the
time.
That's why I always recommendto my plumbing contractor
accounts that they put in thesetraps.
Basically it's a stainlesssteel tank with a big bag that
traps all the sediment that'scoming in, which saves them all
that maintenance and it doesn'tadd anything to the water.
(30:14):
It just protects the buildingfrom.
The first thing that you want totake out is the sediment and
corrosion From wherever it'scoming from.
You want to make sure itdoesn't get into your building
and that doesn't require much.
That's actually the easiest andleast expensive means of
filtration.
It just traps the silt andsediment in the water and then
(30:35):
if you want color and you wantsoftening, then that's when you
have your major, majorconstruction and reconstruction
that takes place.
But I know everybody wants aquick solution, but they're just
really it has to be thought outand planned and I don't know
why they don't?
Because if you're putting in anew building, you'd probably
(30:57):
want to consider protecting allof that.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Well, I mean to that point.
I hope we've got peoplelistening all over.
I don't know how many buildersand developers are listening.
I hope we're going to try toget this out to them, because,
why not?
Why not start from thebeginning with a system that's
going to help preserve andprotect the water quality and
hence protect the pipes?
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Well, they can't control what the city is doing,
but they can protect theirconstruction site, their
building, and it's a smart thingto do and it's not that
expensive.
When you do a pre-construction,it's very simple actually.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
This has all been very frightening, and do you
have any hope you can provide?
Speaker 2 (31:40):
As you know, I mean I've been here since the 70s and
the building and theconstruction has just gone
completely berserk.
So I don't have any answers,because the infrastructure is
not being replaced and by thetime it does it's going to
completely make traffic problems.
I mean you got to completelymake traffic problems.
I mean you've got to tear upthe streets.
(32:01):
I mean the city doesn't want tospend the money.
You're talking about a lot ofinconvenience in the tourist
industry.
You don't want to be tearing upA1A during the season when
people are all at the beach.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
But that's what has to happen.
Are there any trends on thehorizon in terms of water
filtration or purification?
Speaker 2 (32:23):
There are trends, but unfortunately they're not good
ones.
There's just a lot of marketingand a lot of people that are in
the business.
That shouldn't be, because nowthe internet is kind of a
double-edged sword.
People get information, but thepeople that are providing the
information are usuallyproviding the products that
they're buying.
And I don't know what theanswers are.
(32:45):
I just know that always stickto a company that provides
service and has been around awhile.
You know, because thesecompanies come into town and I
service a lot of their customers.
They come and they go and theymass market.
They got hundreds and hundredsof customers and then, in fact,
(33:05):
the company like I do businessfor General Ionix.
It was a large company out ofCalifornia, their salesperson.
They sold all kinds in theTri-County area and didn't
service any of it.
And then the factory, themanufacturer, calls me up and
asked me to be an authorized.
I said I don't sell yourproduct.
(33:26):
They go, we don't care, we justwant you to take the calls and
help these people and servicetheir equipment.
All right, I'll do it.
I'll do it and I did.
But this happens all the time.
I mean, you know, and I hearthe same thing from the people.
The people say well, thesalesman said I go, look, if I
want to get aggravated, I'll gohome and argue with my wife.
(33:47):
I don't need to argue with youabout I don't know much, but I
know everything about what youhave in your home and I'm
telling you I wouldn't notservice it, I would service mine
.
Why would I tell you not toservice yours?
And whoever told you that?
Why don't you get them on thephone?
And you know where are they?
Speaker 1 (34:12):
And it's like you know well.
Yeah, I mean, it's not.
It's certainly a system thatrequires maintenance to that
point.
You know, I ask a lot of guestshow they think artificial
intelligence or ai is going toimpact their industry.
Have you given any thought tothe usefulness of ai when it
comes to, like, taking humanerror out of the picture, where
you know there'd be an app orsomething?
I'm sure that tells you whenyou need to change?
Speaker 2 (34:34):
yeah, yeah there's going to probably be some apps
that will do sophisticated wateranalysis and, like I said, the
city has gotten a lot better.
Like I said, they will send youa comprehensive report and
that's what people need to do.
They need to get that first andthen, you know, they need to do
a little research on whatexactly they consider safe
(34:57):
drinking water.
You know, don't listen tosomeone else.
I mean you should do your owndue diligence.
You know a lot of people areeducated now about plastic,
which never were before, and alot of people are very concerned
about, I mean, I hear thesethings about alkaline water and
hydrogen water and I go water isnaturally alkaline down here.
(35:19):
So maybe we're in Maryland,they need that, but you don't
really need it here because wehave a high pH.
We don't have an acidicsituation here.
Our alkalinity is pretty good,so that's not one of our
problems.
But people look at me like,well, well, well, I go.
Well, you have to check your pHand alkalinity before you
(35:40):
decide if you need that.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
They were probably following an influencer on
TikTok that talked aboutalkaline water.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Oh gosh, and hydrogen water.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
So, Ed, where can people find you?
Speaker 2 (35:52):
They can find me Quality Water Consultants
Incorporated.
They can call me directly Ifthey need advice.
I don't charge for advice and Ican get usually anything anyone
wants for less money and with abetter warranty, and I don't
have salespeople working for mebecause I don't trust them.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Well, I have an RO system.
I have a whole house filtration.
When I get home, I'm going todo your styrofoam cup test.
See how it looks.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
I trust George and you have exactly what I have in
my house and his house.
So if it's good, it's goodenough for us.
It should be good enough foranybody.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
Thank you so much, Ed , for joining us.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
You're welcome, Donna .
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Thank you for joining us.
You're welcome, Donna.
Thanks for having me.
Thank you for joining us today.
Don't forget to follow and rateus on your favorite podcast
platform or visitTakeItToTheBoardcom for more
ways to connect.
Hi everyone, I'm attorney Donna DiMaggio-Berger,
and this is Take it to the Boardwhere we speak condo and HOA.
We've had several episodes onTake it to the Board where we
talked about the water thatfalls from the sky and poses
flooding problems for our homes,cars and other property.
Today, we're going to be talkingabout a different kind of water
(00:22):
the kind we drink and use.
Today, we're going to betalking about a different kind
of water the kind we drink anduse.
We'll be diving into the worldof water quality with none other
than Ed Padula, a seasonedexpert from Quality Water
Consultants, which is based inCoconut Creek, florida, with
over 30 years of experienceproviding homes and businesses
with access to clean and safewater.
Ed has a degree inenvironmental engineering and is
(00:43):
certified in commercial watertreatment, so he's seen it all,
from the nuisances of hard waterto the serious risk of
contaminants like Legionella, aswell as how the quality of
water can contribute to thosepesky and inevitable water leaks
in your multifamily building.
So join us as we explore whycommunity associations and their
residents should prioritizewater quality, the differences
(01:06):
between water softening andpurification, and how proactive
measures can safeguard bothinfrastructure and health.
So, ed, welcome to Take it tothe Board.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Thank you, glad to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
So I've had, you know , concerns about water quality
in my own home for years.
I've had a reverse osmosissystem.
I've got a whole house waterfiltration.
But why should communityassociations be thinking about
water quality overall in thecommunity if there hasn't been a
known problem?
Ed.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
Well, there is a known problem and in the South
Florida area they've changed thewater treatment.
They used to use chlorine forsanitation and it was very easy
to remove and it was easy todeal with.
But the trihalomethanes becameso high they exceeded the
(01:59):
Environmental Protection Agencystandards.
So they switched to what iscalled chloramines, which is a
combination of chlorine andammonia which is very difficult
to remove.
It adds color to the water.
It's very corrosive, it causesleaks, it causes corrosion, it
causes a midget of problems andit's difficult to remove.
(02:22):
And it's also caused color.
And these people are buyinginto these multimillion dollar
condos and they look at thecolor of the water that's coming
from the city and they're kindof appalled.
I've treated hotels where theygot central systems because the
guests were constantlycomplaining of the color of the
(02:43):
water.
You know, and in a whiteporcelain bath, at a sink,
you're going to see the colorand it's discouraging for people
they don't like.
It Doesn't look good, Doesn'tsmell good and that's a problem,
but it's also very corrosive.
Speaker 1 (03:00):
We've got people listening all over this,
switched to and I think youcalled it.
Is it chloramines?
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Chloramines yes.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Is that happening all over the country?
Speaker 2 (03:11):
It is wherever the trihalomethanes have reached the
level and it's a cancer-causingagent.
So what the city does is theycombat the trihalomethanes.
But they created a new problemwith the chloramines and they
still don't know whatchloramines do to people.
But I know that it's not goodto drink.
It'll kill a goldfish in likeless than an hour.
(03:32):
It's very harmful.
But the city is concerned aboutthe health of the people as far
as bacteria and pathogens.
They consider pure water assanitized, which means nothing
living in the water.
But that doesn't mean therearen't heavy metals.
That doesn't mean there's not alot of chemicals.
That doesn't mean there'snitrates, lead, all these other
things sediment that are in thewater.
(03:54):
But as far as they're concerned, the levels are adequate, but
they're not really forconsumption as far as I'm
concerned.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
That's a really good point.
So that's a really importantpoint.
If I'm hearing you correctly,from the municipality standpoint
, it's safe if there's nothinggrowing in it that's going to
make you immediately sick.
But that doesn't mean it's safethe way we would think of it in
terms of long-term health.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Correct and that's why point of use filtration is
very important, because thewater may be pure or filtered
before it leaves the city waterplant, but by the time it runs
through the old infrastructurewhich is sometimes hundreds of
years, 100 years old, it picksup everything that it touches
(04:41):
because water is a solvent,everything that it touches
because water is a solvent.
So it may be pure or filteredat the plant, but by the time it
gets to your home it's pickedup all kinds of things on its
way and that's we're havingdifficulty now because of all
this construction on the beach,especially with the condos and
hotels.
They drive pilings into theground which disturbs the old
(05:05):
water lines and that's whythey're breaking in Fort
Lauderdale area.
The water turns brown, peopleare furious and it's due to the
vibration because it's like amini earthquake when you start
driving pilings for high risesand they never replaced the old
water lines and they'reconstantly breaking.
The sewer lines are breakingand the water lines are breaking
(05:27):
.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Oh boy, we're off to a real start here.
But let's say, you know, look,I live in a single family home.
So I get to make my owndecisions, right.
I get to decide if I want tohave a reverse osmosis system
and I want you to talk aboutthat system.
I get to decide if I want awhole house filtration.
(05:50):
If I'm moving into a condo,let's say a multifamily building
, can I just protect my watersupply enough just by filtering
what comes into my unit?
Speaker 2 (06:00):
We do that for several people, but the problem
is they don't leave enough roomto do it adequately.
Usually it's just like a smallcloset that has an air
conditioner and a hot waterheater and the water line is
tucked away inside there andthere's not enough room for a
system.
And then you have to have someplace for the system to clean
(06:22):
itself and you have to havepower.
You have to have some place forthe system to clean itself and
you have to have power.
And usually these things shouldbe done prior to construction
and they never are.
Same thing with the centralsystem.
It should be planned in thearchitectural drawing, the
mechanical drawings, before theyeven start building, because it
takes a lot of room and ittakes a lot of thought before
(06:42):
you go ahead and people that tryto do it after the fact.
The plumbing and thereconstruction is a nightmare.
It's a lot of money.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
So in your experience , Ed, how many developers think
about water quality when they'rebuilding these buildings?
Speaker 2 (07:00):
They don't bring up negatives, so that's a negative.
They're interested in sellingcondos.
They're not going to tellpeople that the water is bad or
that they need this or that.
They try to just gloss over it.
Look at the ocean, look at thesun, look at the beautiful area
Don't worry about the water.
(07:20):
And then we'll get calls, andthen the boards will call us.
And then we'll get calls, andthen the boards will call us and
then we try to.
You know, it's hard to get alot of people to agree on what
exactly they want.
People have misconceptions aboutwhat water treatment is water
softening versus waterfiltration versus.
I mean, it's just not a cookiecutter type scenario and every
(07:45):
area has a differentmunicipality, so they don't have
the same water, so each areahas its own problems.
And this is kind of whatfrustrates me about marketing,
because they market it like thiswill work everywhere and you
don't have to do anything to it.
And it just drives me crazybecause it's not true.
There's not one thing that cantake care of all the different
(08:09):
water that's available all overthe United States, not even in
the same counties, I mean.
There's all different water.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
So you have to customize it according to what
your water supply is and how thetype of contaminates or the
type of components that yourlocal water supply has.
Is that correct, right?
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yes, and the city will provide you with a detailed
analysis of what's in the water.
And I always recommend topeople don't trust someone to
test your water.
The city will provide you witha very detailed piece of paper
that tells you exactly what's inthe water and the levels, and
then you can pick and choosewhat it is you don't like about
that report and then you know,go from there.
(08:53):
But first you need to know likeare you concerned about your
drinking water?
Are you concerned about thehardness or the?
You know, your appliances, thechemicals?
I mean there's like.
For me, I have a water softener,a catalytic carbon filter and a
reverse osmosis drinking system, because they each do something
(09:13):
different and I don't wantchloramines in my water.
My wife and I prefer soft water.
It protects our hot waterplumbing and our hot water
heater and keeps things nice andclean.
And we don't want chloraminesin the water because when we
shower, your skin is the largestorgan in your body and it
(09:34):
absorbs all the chemicals in thewater.
It's bad for your skin, it'sbad for your hair, it's just bad
to breathe, and reverse osmosispretty much takes care of
everything.
So that's what I drink reverseosmosis water for my ice and
beverages, and then I filter therest of the house with water
(09:55):
softener and a catalytic carbonfilter.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
You've given us a lot of information already.
I'm sorry.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
That's why people don't like talking to me,
because I'm not a salesperson,I'm just.
Speaker 1 (10:09):
You know this is what we need to hear.
Ed, this is what I'm going tohave to take you back and walk
you through some of this,because you're coming at me like
a what do they call it?
A fire hose of information.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Sorry.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
No, no, it's great.
So here's the thing.
Let's say we do have anexisting building.
Developer did not think aboutwater quality.
It's a typical high rise andthere's issues.
Ok, there's the inevitablewater leaks and I want to talk
to you how water can impact thequality of water, can impact the
aging of the pipes.
But let's say they come to youand they want to retrofit the
(10:52):
building correct.
Speaker 2 (10:52):
They can't do that.
Can you walk us through how thepurification or filtration
would work?
I've had several differentpeople.
They have different ideas andthe first thing I have to do is
kind of educate them on exactlywhat it is they think they want.
Educate them on exactly what itis they think they want.
Half the people want a watersoftener.
They want soft water becausethey don't like hard water.
Other people cannot stand softwater and a water softener is
(11:15):
not a purifier.
It doesn't filter.
It takes out the calcium,magnesium.
The hardness in the water makesit soft, so it doesn't spot on
the shower door and you use lesssoap.
It's more for maintenance.
In restaurants they usually putthe dish machines in their hot
water and in laundry they don'tdo it because they do it for a
(11:36):
maintenance standpoint, becauseit saves the life of their
equipment and it makeseverything look more presentable
like the flatware and yourglasses don't have spots.
So most restaurants and countryclubs will have a water
softener on their hot water anyhot water and filtration, carbon
filtration on the beverageslike coffee, tea, ice, things of
(11:59):
that nature, because of the badtaste from the chemicals in the
water.
So that's the first thing Ihave to ask is what is it that
everyone's complaining about?
Some people don't like thecolor Usually it's the color
People because that's what theycan see.
They see it every day and theydon't like it, especially if
you're pale.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
But softener is not going to change the color.
Speaker 2 (12:21):
It's not going to change the color, it's going to
take out.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
It's going to take what out of the water.
You're talking about hardness.
It's going to take what out ofthe water.
You're talking about hardness.
What's hardness in water?
Speaker 2 (12:30):
Calcium, magnesium.
It's from limestone, becausemost of the water in South
Florida comes from an aquifer.
It comes from Lake Okeechobeeunderground and we have a lot of
limestone and it picks up theminerals and it dries, it leaves
(12:52):
spots and it's also affects howwell your soap and how your
hair comes out.
It's more more for aconvenience.
It's not a purifier in anystretch.
It's designed only for theworking water is how we put it.
The water that you work with.
It makes it more easier to use.
But but it was never designedfor drinking and no matter what
they put in it to agile watersoftener, it's not designed for
(13:15):
water consumption.
That's not what its purpose is.
That's not what it's for.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
Is hard water harder on the pipes Ed.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Yes, it scales, especially hot water, because
the heat interacts with thecalcium, magnesium and forms
scale.
So over a period of years it'llactually constrict the flow of
water through the hot waterplumbing so you can't even get a
pencil through it.
The scale in a hot water heater, which causes more energy to
(13:48):
heat the water and it destroysthe pipes, I mean, and you get
low flow rates and you get halfthe life of a hot water heater,
especially these Insta hotheaters that are being sold now.
It actually voids the water.
If you have hard water, thewarranties are void.
They want you to use soft waterto protect the elements.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
You're making me think I need a water softener.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Where do you live again?
Speaker 1 (14:16):
Plantation.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Plantation has a soft water membrane softening system
through the city, so youprobably don't.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Probably.
See, I appreciate that.
You said that at the outset.
Actually, I'm going to ask youare you allowed to say which
city has the best water in SouthFlorida and which city has the
worst?
Speaker 2 (14:35):
I can tell you, I can say anything.
I can tell you that there areproblem water areas.
Sunrise used to be notorious.
It's gotten worse and it'sdifferent because, like Highland
Beach, for instance, is goingto what you guys did in
plantation you went to membranesoftening and they're getting
reverse osmosis drinking.
(14:56):
But the problem with that is,like I told you earlier.
It's pure from the water plantbut once it hits the old
infrastructure it's picking upall this dirt.
Once it hits the oldinfrastructure it's picking up
all this dirt, debris, lead,heavy metal, corrosion.
It's not pure.
So the best way to do it ispoint of use, reverse osmosis,
just when you're drawing thewater for your own use, like I
(15:19):
have.
I have reverse osmosis on mykitchen sink, which also feeds
my ice maker, so that I knowthat it's being purified at
point of use.
And that's what we call pointof use versus point of entry.
Point of entry would be what awater softener filter would be
where the water enters your home.
But really you need like asophisticated system like
(15:40):
reverse osmosis at point of use,and there's no trick.
We do bottled water plants too.
They use water filters and theyuse RO systems and they put it
in a plastic bottle, which ishorrible, and it sits out in the
sun all day and it leachesplastic, it's like, and it's a
multi-billion dollar industryand people can do it themselves
(16:02):
and put the water in a glasspitcher or stainless steel,
which you should do because itdoesn't leach anything into the
water.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
I was going to ask you that People will say, why do
we need this?
We'll just go buy a bunch ofbottled water.
But to your point, that's notyour water.
Plastic is horrible.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Microplastics is horrible, and not only is it bad
for the environment, but whatdo they do with all this plastic
?
And you know, when a bottlegets hot in your car it's
leaching plastics into yourwater and what is that doing to
you?
I mean, it's just kind ofcommon sense.
I mean, if you can filter ityourself, why are you trusting
(16:38):
somebody filling a bottle?
You don't even know the qualityof the water they're putting in
there.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
I'm so glad you said that.
I used to tell my husband foryears don't leave water bottles
in the sun or in a car, and youknow what you say.
What's it doing to you?
I think I read recently thatthey think most people have
about a credit card's worth ofplastic in their heads.
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Could be, but it also grows algae if you put it out
in the sun.
I mean you're supposed to keepit out of the sun.
You don't keep a clear bottleout in the sun, It'll grow algae
and you'll see, sometimes withthese stores, keep them in the
sun.
You'll see a little green tintin the water.
Well, that's algae starting togrow.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
Yeah, so don't drink that.
Let me ask you, in terms ofspace, to purify a whole
building, let's say aseven-story high-rise how much
space would they need for thatfiltration system?
Speaker 2 (17:33):
They'd probably need a 12-by-12 slab.
12-foot-by-12-foot slab, okay.
And then there's the boosterpump and then there's the main
water line and really it needsto be done before they start
building because it does takequite a bit of room and it needs
to be serviced.
(17:53):
I mean, some of these placesyou can't get in to service them
because they're tucked away ina basement or something, and you
know you have to think aboutall those things.
And there's no such thing as afilter that doesn't need to
service.
It should be serviced annually.
I don't care what anybody says,I hear these things all the
time.
People tell me it lasts forever.
(18:14):
I go well, get that guy towhatever, because did he test
the water?
Or where is this person thattold you that?
Speaker 1 (18:21):
I was going to ask you about service because the
most basic in my mind method isyou're trapping things in a
filter.
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (18:29):
That is correct.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
If you don't remove the filter, then isn't it making
the water worse?
Speaker 2 (18:36):
It'll restrict the pressure.
But as far as carbon, carbon isan absorption media which takes
out the chemicals.
Eventually it cannot do thatany longer.
It's a disposable media.
It's not something that lastsforever.
So you're basically not gettingfiltered water at a period of
time and if you don't have ittested or serviced, then you
(18:57):
don't.
You know, people normally knowwhen the taste comes back,
because once you're used todrinking good water, you can
taste chlorine immediately orchloramines immediately, and
it's just kind of easy.
But I always tell people youknow, don't do business with
anyone who doesn't provideservice and don't do business
with anyone that tells you thatyou never need service.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
That's good advice In terms of warning signs that
you're dealing with.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
That is a warning sign If someone tells you this
does everything and don't worry.
As soon as they say don't worry, you should run.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
Start worrying In terms of you know, kind of the
red flags when it comes to yourwater quality.
You're right, you can look atyour water bill.
I'd look at that and see whatthe rating is for our city water
.
But if somebody doesn't know todo that, you've already
mentioned the way it smells, theway it looks, the way.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Yeah, you could take a white styrofoam cup this is
what I tell people and a whitestyrofoam cup if you draw water,
you'll actually see the colorof the water against the white
background.
And if you take, like astandard pool chlorine test kit
and just add a drop if it turnsyellow, you know you got a lot
(20:13):
of chlorine in the water,chloramines in the water and
usually there's more chlorine inthe water than in swimming
pools.
Speaker 1 (20:21):
You mentioned swimming pools.
That's a perfect segue, becausewe've been talking about the
water in the building.
What about the water in thecommon areas?
The pools, the fountains?
Does all of this need to befiltered too?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Pool water is ultra sanitized because they have
saltwater chlorination.
They have chlorine in the water, so nothing's growing and it's
being filtered, the sediment'sbeing filtered.
You're not supposed to drinkpool water.
So from that standpoint, I meana lot of people have skin
irritations from chlorine andit's not really good for your
(20:57):
skin or your hair.
I'm sure after you go swimmingin a pool you notice that your
hair is a little funky and yourskin feels a little itchy.
Well, a little funky and yourskin feels a little itchy.
Well, that's the chemicalchlorine drying on your skin and
clogging up your pores.
So you should rinse off quicklyafter you come out of a pool,
but just get it off of your body.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
It's so healthy to swim, but you mentioned earlier
your skin's your largest organ.
Speaker 2 (21:23):
Largest organ.
It's absorbing all of that.
And chlorine is a knowncancer-causing agent I mean over
time, depending on the levels,but the THMs were definitely and
that mixes with organics andthat's why they're adding
ammonia to the water.
I don't know about you, but inscience they told us never to
mix ammonia and chlorinetogether because it kind of
(21:46):
creates a bad problem.
Told us never to mix ammoniaand chlorine together because it
kind of creates a bad problem.
But that's what they're doingand they're just solving one
problem and creating a new one.
But I always recommend thatpeople take the initiative to
handle their drinking waterpriority number one and then
worry about their home, you know, as far as maintenance number
(22:06):
two and I always break it downthat way and we never sell a
cookie cutter solution that saysthis will take care of all, you
don't have to worry.
But I hear it all the time.
But, uh, I see the commercialson tv and I want to just throw
something at it and theadvertising is just.
I can't believe the amount ofpeople who've gotten into this
(22:29):
industry since I've started inthe 70s.
It's just amazing how manypeople are into the water
treatment industry.
It's both a billion-dollarindustry now.
Nobody ever thought they'd bedrinking water out of a bottle.
When I was growing up theywouldn't be buying water.
I mean, no one bought water.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
You were drinking it out of a bottle when I was
growing up.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
they wouldn't be buying water.
I mean, no one bought water youwere drinking it out of a hose,
yeah, out of a hose.
Back then, before I waseducated, I was anyway.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
So what's the biggest misperception out there?
Do you think about yourindustry right now?
Speaker 2 (23:06):
I've done consulting work for I mean we do Starbucks,
we do Ecolab, I mean and largecompanies.
They try to network with peoplein the field that know what
they're doing so that they Imean it's one thing to
distribute filtration, but in arestaurant, for instance, if you
don't change the filters everysix months, you're not in
compliance.
And they don't change thefilters every six months unless
(23:27):
someone reminds them.
So with my customers, we remindthem every six months and we
have a program where we takecare of it every six months.
Because if you have a bunch offilters and they're in an attic
or some storage room somewhereand no one's going around
putting the filters in and justselling them, it doesn't make
any sense.
Service is more important andkeeping up with the maintenance
(23:48):
is more important.
Same thing with residential.
I mean, the more people getinvolved, the more they're
educated, the more they'llunderstand that you know you
just need to change your filtersonce a year.
You can't just especially ifyou're a resident, a part-time
resident if you leave your homefor three months.
You can't just leave somethingstagnant and not use it.
(24:10):
You should change the filter assoon as you get back.
Speaker 1 (24:13):
Ed, do you and your wife go to restaurants with your
own water and stainless steel?
Speaker 2 (24:19):
No, but I know the places that have filtered water,
and Starbucks, for instance,has the most on RO system on all
their potable drinking waterand I'm not a big Starbucks fan.
But they have the ultimatefiltration for all their
consumable beverages and they doit because they want
consistency.
Same thing with McDonald's.
(24:40):
They want you to have a drinkat McDonald's in Seattle and
have it taste the same in FortLauderdale and Ohio and
everywhere.
And the way they do that isthey have filtration, which
basically is that's youringredient water mixing with the
soda and ice and everything.
So now it's consistent.
And they do it because it's acost savings, because they don't
(25:02):
have to use as much syrup.
They don't have to use as much.
It keeps their maintenance downin the long run and it also
makes a happy customer becausethe beverages taste better than
the coffee, for sure, or a drink.
You put bad ice in a scotch.
It ruins it.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
It's funny you mentioned that because I just
got the.
Over the holidays we had guestsand one of our guests was a
scotch drinker and I got the bigice cubes.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
Yeah, the big round ones.
Speaker 1 (25:34):
Exactly so.
I mentioned in the introductionLegionella, the bacteria,
that's the bacteria that causesLegionnaires disease, correct?
Speaker 2 (25:42):
Yeah, there was a misconception that was blamed on
the water.
There was a central system inMiami about 20, 30 years ago, I
don't even remember, but theyblamed it on the water treatment
that was taking out thechlorine in the water.
But it wasn't really the watertreatment.
(26:02):
So then they cracked down onthat.
It basically was from the.
It's an airborne thing.
So basically it was a coolingtower.
Is they have to have a residualof some kind of sanitation on
the cooling tower so that thislegionnaire that grows doesn't
circulate into some ventilationsystem that causes people like
(26:26):
in a conference room?
I believe that's what happenedand nobody really knows how it
happened.
It can happen on an airplane aswell, when they recirculate the
air.
I mean cross -contamination.
There's a million differentways things can happen.
It's usually a maintenanceissue or a cleanliness issue.
Speaker 1 (26:45):
I had a community once where it was linked to a
hot tub.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
Hot tub vapors maybe, and people were breathing it.
That's how they got it.
It's usually airborne andpeople were breathing it.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
That's how they got it.
It's usually airborne.
So a lot of our communitieshave, or should have, emergency
plans.
What should they have in anemergency plan Ed in terms of
backup if there's a watercontamination issue in the
community?
Speaker 2 (27:10):
Usually the city.
If they have a broken pipe,they'll issue a boiled water
order, and the reason why theydo that is anytime you have a
break in the pipe, you have acontamination.
There's an atmosphere that thepipe is broken and now things
can get in the pipe and bacteriacan grow and they make you boil
(27:30):
it.
Well, they don't make you, butthey advise you to boil your
water.
You should pay attention tothat.
Boil your water, you should payattention to that.
And you should also change yourfilters after a boiled water
order because, to be safe, youdon't know what's collected in
that filter.
If there was a boiled waterorder Like I used to do Wendy's,
all the Wendy's, and every timethere's a hurricane or a boiled
water order, they wanted alltheir filters changed.
(27:52):
We'd go out and change alltheir filters.
It just makes sense.
Speaker 1 (27:56):
I never would have thought of that, but it
definitely makes sense Becausewe don't know what's in the
water, and usually nothing.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
I mean, I'm not trying to scare anybody, but 99%
of the time there's nothingthat's getting in the water.
They just can't take that riskof a lot of people getting sick
because of a break in the pipe.
And they're breaking all overthe place in Fort Lauderdale
because that stuff is old.
I mean, I don't even know howthey got away without an
(28:28):
environmental impact statementto do all that construction down
there without replacing allthat infrastructure.
I just don't understand howthey got away with it.
And I'm not talking about cheaphomes, you know that.
I'm talking about Las Olas.
Like I got customers down it.
And I'm not talking about cheaphomes.
You know that I'm talking aboutLas Olas.
I got customers down there.
They're screaming their water'slike brown, I mean, and they're
paying big money, I mean.
And they didn't pay for that.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
Let's talk about old pipes.
So we've got a lot of olderhousing stock in Florida very
nice condominiums and co-ops,but they're nearing their 50,
60-year birthdays.
These pipes are old.
I don't know many communitiesthat are doing complete
re-piping jobs.
Okay, they're patching as theygo, they're fixing as they go,
(29:08):
they're trying to maintain.
Does the quality of?
The water impact or acceleratethe deterioration of the pipes,
and do old pipes leach into goodwater?
If that makes sense.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
Yes, yes and yes, okay, and just like that
building that collapsed in Miami.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Champlain Towers.
Speaker 2 (29:30):
Yes, the infrastructure is old and you
know you have risers that go upinto the condominium that are
old and they're corroding.
And then all that corrosiongets into your home.
It'll clog up your sinks.
It'll clog up your solenoid.
It'll clog up.
You know it drives restaurantsnuts because they have a lot of
(29:52):
water using appliances and theyhave plumbers in there all the
time.
That's why I always recommendto my plumbing contractor
accounts that they put in thesetraps.
Basically it's a stainlesssteel tank with a big bag that
traps all the sediment that'scoming in, which saves them all
that maintenance and it doesn'tadd anything to the water.
(30:14):
It just protects the buildingfrom.
The first thing that you want totake out is the sediment and
corrosion From wherever it'scoming from.
You want to make sure itdoesn't get into your building
and that doesn't require much.
That's actually the easiest andleast expensive means of
filtration.
It just traps the silt andsediment in the water and then
(30:35):
if you want color and you wantsoftening, then that's when you
have your major, majorconstruction and reconstruction
that takes place.
But I know everybody wants aquick solution, but they're just
really it has to be thought outand planned and I don't know
why they don't?
Because if you're putting in anew building, you'd probably
(30:57):
want to consider protecting allof that.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Well, I mean to that point.
I hope we've got peoplelistening all over.
I don't know how many buildersand developers are listening.
I hope we're going to try toget this out to them, because,
why not?
Why not start from thebeginning with a system that's
going to help preserve andprotect the water quality and
hence protect the pipes?
Speaker 2 (31:20):
Well, they can't control what the city is doing,
but they can protect theirconstruction site, their
building, and it's a smart thingto do and it's not that
expensive.
When you do a pre-construction,it's very simple actually.
Speaker 1 (31:34):
This has all been very frightening, and do you
have any hope you can provide?
Speaker 2 (31:40):
As you know, I mean I've been here since the 70s and
the building and theconstruction has just gone
completely berserk.
So I don't have any answers,because the infrastructure is
not being replaced and by thetime it does it's going to
completely make traffic problems.
I mean you got to completelymake traffic problems.
I mean you've got to tear upthe streets.
(32:01):
I mean the city doesn't want tospend the money.
You're talking about a lot ofinconvenience in the tourist
industry.
You don't want to be tearing upA1A during the season when
people are all at the beach.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
But that's what has to happen.
Are there any trends on thehorizon in terms of water
filtration or purification?
Speaker 2 (32:23):
There are trends, but unfortunately they're not good
ones.
There's just a lot of marketingand a lot of people that are in
the business.
That shouldn't be, because nowthe internet is kind of a
double-edged sword.
People get information, but thepeople that are providing the
information are usuallyproviding the products that
they're buying.
And I don't know what theanswers are.
(32:45):
I just know that always stickto a company that provides
service and has been around awhile.
You know, because thesecompanies come into town and I
service a lot of their customers.
They come and they go and theymass market.
They got hundreds and hundredsof customers and then, in fact,
(33:05):
the company like I do businessfor General Ionix.
It was a large company out ofCalifornia, their salesperson.
They sold all kinds in theTri-County area and didn't
service any of it.
And then the factory, themanufacturer, calls me up and
asked me to be an authorized.
I said I don't sell yourproduct.
(33:26):
They go, we don't care, we justwant you to take the calls and
help these people and servicetheir equipment.
All right, I'll do it.
I'll do it and I did.
But this happens all the time.
I mean, you know, and I hearthe same thing from the people.
The people say well, thesalesman said I go, look, if I
want to get aggravated, I'll gohome and argue with my wife.
(33:47):
I don't need to argue with youabout I don't know much, but I
know everything about what youhave in your home and I'm
telling you I wouldn't notservice it, I would service mine
.
Why would I tell you not toservice yours?
And whoever told you that?
Why don't you get them on thephone?
And you know where are they?
Speaker 1 (34:12):
And it's like you know well.
Yeah, I mean, it's not.
It's certainly a system thatrequires maintenance to that
point.
You know, I ask a lot of guestshow they think artificial
intelligence or ai is going toimpact their industry.
Have you given any thought tothe usefulness of ai when it
comes to, like, taking humanerror out of the picture, where
you know there'd be an app orsomething?
I'm sure that tells you whenyou need to change?
Speaker 2 (34:34):
yeah, yeah there's going to probably be some apps
that will do sophisticated wateranalysis and, like I said, the
city has gotten a lot better.
Like I said, they will send youa comprehensive report and
that's what people need to do.
They need to get that first andthen, you know, they need to do
a little research on whatexactly they consider safe
(34:57):
drinking water.
You know, don't listen tosomeone else.
I mean you should do your owndue diligence.
You know a lot of people areeducated now about plastic,
which never were before, and alot of people are very concerned
about, I mean, I hear thesethings about alkaline water and
hydrogen water and I go water isnaturally alkaline down here.
(35:19):
So maybe we're in Maryland,they need that, but you don't
really need it here because wehave a high pH.
We don't have an acidicsituation here.
Our alkalinity is pretty good,so that's not one of our
problems.
But people look at me like,well, well, well, I go.
Well, you have to check your pHand alkalinity before you
(35:40):
decide if you need that.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
They were probably following an influencer on
TikTok that talked aboutalkaline water.
Speaker 2 (35:47):
Oh gosh, and hydrogen water.
Speaker 1 (35:50):
So, Ed, where can people find you?
Speaker 2 (35:52):
They can find me Quality Water Consultants
Incorporated.
They can call me directly Ifthey need advice.
I don't charge for advice and Ican get usually anything anyone
wants for less money and with abetter warranty, and I don't
have salespeople working for mebecause I don't trust them.
Speaker 1 (36:13):
Well, I have an RO system.
I have a whole house filtration.
When I get home, I'm going todo your styrofoam cup test.
See how it looks.
Speaker 2 (36:22):
I trust George and you have exactly what I have in
my house and his house.
So if it's good, it's goodenough for us.
It should be good enough foranybody.
Speaker 1 (36:32):
Thank you so much, Ed , for joining us.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
You're welcome, Donna .
Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Thank you for joining us.
You're welcome, Donna.
Thanks for having me.
Thank you for joining us today.
Don't forget to follow and rateus on your favorite podcast
platform or visitTakeItToTheBoardcom for more
ways to connect.
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