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November 2010
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De-Chlorinating Your Bath & Shower with Vitamin C: Pros & Cons
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010Vitamin C is an excellent de-chlorinating agent. Ascorbic acid is a synthesized form of Vitamin C which is gaining popularity for use in bath & shower filters. Vitamin C reduces chlorine instantly, leaves no spent material for the landfill, and is actually beneficial to fish*, the end recipients of our drain water.
Vitamin C works instantly in baths
You have probably noticed how quickly powdered Vitamin C fizzes and disappears when put in water. This extreme solubility makes it well suited for use in a controlled volume of water. That’s why Vitamin C is our top choice for de-chlorinating your bath.
Sustained effectiveness needed for de-chlorinating showers
Shower filters must perform efficiently for thousands of gallons of hot running water. Although Vitamin C shower filters are increasingly popular, we feel more confident in the consistent and lasting effectiveness of a premium quality KDF shower filter because, unlike Vitamin C, KDF is not soluble. Our top choice is Sprite KDF shower filters which are certified by NSF to Standard 177 for effective and sustained chlorine reduction –a claim that Vitamin C shower filters (and calcium sulphite shower filters) cannot make.
How shower filters work
Shower filters utilize either a chemical or a galvanic action to neutralize chlorine. Manufacturers use KDF, ascorbic acid or calcium sulphite to accomplish this. For instance, ascorbic acid reacts with chlorine converting both into a benign combination of inorganic chloride and dehydroascorbic acid.
Carbon isn’t suitable for shower filters because it fouls so quickly in hot water conditions that bucket loads would be required to sustain any benefit.
Vitamin C lowers pH
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) may make your bath or shower mildly acidic, a beneficial property for contact with the acid mantle of your skin.
THMs and shower filters
It appears that Vitamin C has no ability to neutralize THMs and other chlorination by-products present in chlorinated bath and shower water. Unfortunately, this shortcoming is true of all types of shower filter media that we know of, except carbon. However, as mentioned above, carbon cannot sustain this benefit in hot water conditions.
Shower filters and chloramine
Regarding chloraminated water** (chlorine plus ammonia), no shower filter manufacturer has clearly demonstrated to our satisfaction that their product can effectively reduce this challenging-to-remove disinfectant. Evidently some amount of ammonium chloride is produced when using a chemical de-chlorinator like Vitamin C. The writer has yet to learn whether this by-product of de-chloramination is benign.
* Chlorine Concerns and the Endangered Species Act: Vitamin C and Fish
by Greg Peterka, P.E., Engineering Manager, Public Utility District No. 1 of Skagit County** Chloramine is used to disinfect water in Abbotsford, Mission, Victoria and many other municipalities in North America.
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Vancouver Water Info Evenings
Monday, November 22nd, 2010watermatters hosts a free information evening
on the 3rd Thursday of each month concerning…Need-to-Know Facts for Residents of Metro Vancouver
about Choosing a Water Treatment System
When: 7pm, 3rd Thursday of each month
Where: 2539 Laurel St
RSVP: info@yourwatermatters.comBring your own drinking glass or bottle to sample the waters!
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Good Drinking Water Habits –when, how much & why
Monday, November 22nd, 2010You and your body may benefit from deliberately consuming water at the following times…
- 2 glasses after waking up – to help activate internal organs
- 1 glass 30 minutes before a meal – to help digestion
- 1 glass before taking a bath – to help lower blood pressure
- 1 glass before going to bed* – to avoid strokes or heart attacks
The rule of thumb for overall daily water consumption is based on your body weight –
½ oz of water per pound of body weight is recommended.
That converts to 1 litre of water for every 70 pounds of body weight.If you need motivation to drink more water, remember that it…
- constitutes 80% of your brain
- regulates your body temperature
- constitutes 85% of your blood
- helps carry nutrients and oxygen to your cells
- moistens oxygen for breathing
- helps converts food into energy
- helps body absorb nutrients
- removes wastes
- constitutes 22% of your bones
- constitutes 75% of your muscles
- cushions and protects vital organs
- cushions joints
- maintains health of all tissues including your face & skin
* Since publishing this, we have been given the following first-hand advice… “It is not advisable for an elderly person to drink a glass of water before bedtime because they will have to get up several times in the night to relieve themselves and sleep is also vital”.
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About Sprite Shower Filters
Thursday, November 18th, 2010Sprite is a California-based company that has been designing and manufacturing shower filters since 1987. With more than 20 U.S. and international patents to its credit, Sprite products have a solid reputation for sturdy construction, user-friendly performance, and innovative aesthetics. They are well designed to prevent common failures in chlorine shower filters such as clogging, pressure drop and cracks in housings.
KDF shower filters plus Chlorgon®
Sprite’s filtration media is a combination of KDF and Chlorgon®, its own proprietary formula. Chlorgon works at a wider range of temperatures than KDF and reduces some forms of combined chlorine (sodium hypochlorite). KDF inhibits blue-green staining caused by copper, rust stains caused by iron, rotten egg smell caused by hydrogen sulphide and bacterial growth within the filter itself.
Replaceable shower filter cartridges
Sprite designs incorporate replaceable cartridges.
Cartridge disposal and recycling
KDF, the zinc-copper material inside these cartridges, does not dissolve but is gradually occluded by dirt which lessens its ability to dechlorinate. watermatters is seeking an end-user for this brass material. Any sculptors interested?
Reversible cartridges
The replacement cartridge for the handheld hose filters are a discreet option for handheld showers. It is rated for 3 month life expectancy and can be reversed after 6 weeks to maximize effectiveness.
Slim-Line designThe Slim-line Filter is designed with a donut-like indent on one end to conserve head room in your shower.
Attach to any standard fitting
Sprite products can be used with any standard showerhead, shower pipe, tubing or bracket. The universal fitting size is 1/2” (internal diaSS
Sprite shower filters have NSF certification
Most of Sprite’s products are NSF certified to Standard 177, a claim that most other shower filter manufacturers cannot make.
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About VitaShower – the Vitamin C dechlorinating shower filter
Thursday, November 18th, 2010
VitaShower is a universal shower filter that can be fitted onto any standard shower pipe and used with any standard shower head, tubing, bracket or handheld attachment.
The filtering media is ascorbic acid, a form of Vitamin C and an excellent dechlorinator. The Vitamin C is dissolved as it is released into the shower water.
Indicator for replacing the cartridge
The Vita Shower filter incorporates a replaceable cartridge with a small ‘window’ at the base through which one can see when all the Vitamin C is dissolved, indicating that it is time to replace the cartridge.
Environmentally friendly shower filter media
Vitamin C combines with chlorine to form harmless inorganic chloride plus a mild acid (dehydroascorbic). Vitamin C is organic (made from plant-based materials), environmentally friendly and essential to the healthy development of fish who are exposed to our waste water.
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