Whole House Water Filtration System- Featured on Scratch Mommy

Is YOUR Water Safe? (and learn what you can do if it isn’t!)

Is Your Water Safe? Come find out and then learn what you can do if it isn't safe.- Scratch Mommy
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On the heels of the water crisis that is happening across the United States, it’s timely that today I’m sharing a bit more about our recently installed Pelican Water System. In our first post here, we explained how truly easy it was to install…all on your own. Yes, we did a DIY whole house water filtration system…and it was ridiculously easy!

We chose to install the Pelican PSE2000 Combo Water System and the PRO-RO (reverse osmosis) system, but before I get into the nitty gritty of how the system has been working for my family and me, let me dive deeper into the water crisis that is occurring across the United States.

Today I am going to share a bit more about the water crisis in America, what my family and I are personally doing to have clean water in our lives, why we choose a Pelican Water System, and whether or not we still love our Pelican whole house water filtration system.


 

National Water Crisis

Almost unfathomable water concerns are popping up all over the country, from large cities to small towns…no place and no person is immune. Unfortunately, it’s quite clear that the horrific crisis in Flint is just the beginning of our concerns.

Dirty water, poisonous water, an outdated and crumbling water infrastructure, and corrupt politics and people at the heart of it all…this goes deep, my friend.

In my last post about our new Pelican Water System I detailed some of the largest concerns that exist in our water supply today…

  • Pesticides – According to the Pesticide Action Network of North America, per USDA testing, pesticides are present in 94% of US drinking water. Atrazine is a pesticide often found in our water supply and has been linked (even in small doses) to cancer, reproductive effects, and is a known endocrine disrupter.1
  • Pharmaceuticals – Antibiotics, mood stabilizers, sex hormones…yes, these all end up in our water, too. In 2008, NBC News reported in an Associated Press study that pharmaceuticals were in the drinking water of 41 million Americans. From the same study, “Officials in Philadelphia said testing there discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or byproducts in treated drinking water, including medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems. Sixty-three pharmaceuticals or byproducts were found in the city’s watersheds.”
  • Arsenic – Arsenic is essentially synonymous with poison. We consume arsenic in small amounts in lots of things we eat (rice, often in high amounts) and most certainly through our water supply. There is a great deal of debate whether or not any level of arsenic is ‘okay’ to ingest.
  • Harmful Bacteria – And yes, this includes E. Coli. Water pipes are often riddled with bacteria harmful for our bodies and especially our guts (from where health or sickness prevails)! It is mission critical for our water treatment plants to properly monitor the amounts of bacteria in our water…just as important that our political figures in positions of power listen to concerns of bacteria found in our water supply. Below is a Tweet from Michael Moore regarding the recent increase of Legionnaires Disease in Flint…

And now, murder. BREAKING: 10 people dead in Flint from Legionnaires Disease. Flint River water suspected. No arrests yet. #ArrestGovSnyder

— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) January 14, 2016

  • Lead – There is no safe level of lead, period. It is creeping into our water supply and in one town residents weren’t even told about the high levels of lead found in their drinking water, but they aren’t sure why!? This happened again recently in Ohio where TEN of the state’s fourteen (10 OF 14!???) water systems failed to notify residents that their water had been contaminated with lead. These residents should have been notified in October of 2015, but didn’t receive the information until February 2016. Homes built before 1986 are most at risk for lead in drinking water. The New York Times notes that “Although Congress banned lead water pipes 30 years ago, between 3.3 million and 10 million older ones remain, primed to leach lead into tap water by forces as simple as jostling during repairs or a change in water chemistry.

In this list I haven’t even covered fracking, fluoride, toxic tank spills, coal residue, and acid rain.


 

Wanna know what’s in YOUR water? HERE you go!

[Tweet “Wanna know what’s in YOUR water? Find out HERE! #WaterCrisis”]

This water crisis is happening nationwide, friend! Below is a post from Erin Brockovich’s Facebook page (click the timestamp link to read the entire post)…

INDIANA…. You are being lied to! Your Drinking Water has real problems not to be taken lightly. City of Bloomington…

Posted by Erin Brockovich on Tuesday, November 24, 2015

I knew my water was bad, but had NO idea the absurd extent. Ask yourself…is YOUR water safe? Then, go find out!

[Tweet “I encourage you to read your town’s water quality report. They are freely available from every water company. #WaterCrisis”]

 

Below is a copy of MY water company’s 2015 water report

Bloomington Indiana Water Quality Report 2015- Scratch Mommy
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Click the report to read it in .pdf format

Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs)

My water company proclaims, “Once again, the B&B Water Project, Inc.’s water meets and exceeds all Federal, State and Local guidelines!

…but is it enough? The averages you see above in my water company’s water report are extremely misleading! Please, direct your eyes to the bottom of this report where you see “Additional Information.” The ranges you see below are indicative of a HUGE problem in our water supply. The current acceptable limit for TTHMs in our water supply is 80 ppb (parts per billion). Our average was 60.9, however…the highest limit found during testing was 87.2, which is unacceptable. With my B.S. in Psychology and my M.S. in Higher Education, I am no chemist…BUT, I do have a firm grasp of research 101. Anyone can easily see that 87.2 is NOT acceptable. I now wonder what the mode and mean were in testing? What does the curve look like for these statistics? How many tests were run? What are they NOT telling us!??

I also want to know what my company’s previous water quality reports look like, but those are not easily located online. I have a call into my water company…no return phone call yet. When I get one (and I will keep pressing), I’ll update that information here.

What are TTHMs and why should we be concerned?

TTHMs are organic chemicals that are created as byproducts of chlorination. Chlorine is added to water which contains organic materials (like algae and decaying leaves), and chlorine molecules react with the harmless organic materials and form organic chlorinated chemical compounds (or, TTHMs).

What are the possible side effects from drinking (&/or inhaling) TTHMs?

  • Heightened risk of certain cancers, such as bladder and colon cancers
  • Reproductive issues like miscarriages, birth defects, and even low birth rates
  • Damage to the heart, lungs, kidney, liver, and central nervous system

See why I have questions about my water? Are you questioning YOUR water yet (…I hope so, as we all should).

Basically, our water system is crumbling beneath us. Perhaps it’s a lack of funds, lack of care, both (and even more)!? Just as we have seen in the widely publicized tragedy in Flint, MI…the representatives who are elected to protect us, our health, and our water are failing us. It’s time we demand to have clean water. And yes, it’s time that we all start taking positive strides to make this happen.

Here are just a few examples of how we can all ‘step it up’ and help keep our only one source of water clean and healthy…

  • Plant native plants and use natural fertilizers– Skip the toxic chemicals…remember, they end up in our water!
  • Stop watering so much– It is simply wasteful. Also, be especially aware that you should take care to not water concrete, pavement, etc as that doesn’t filter well. From the NRDC, “Having fewer hard surfaces of concrete and asphalt will reduce runoff from your property. Landscape with vegetation, gravel or other porous materials instead of cement; install wood decking instead of concrete, and interlocking bricks and paver stones for walkways.”
  • Recycle and dispose of trash properly (dog poop, too!)– Don’t flush tampons or pads, please. Anything that is not biodegradable going into our water system…well, stays there. Also, disposing properly of dog waste is important (and something I had not considered previously, but am aware of now). We don’t want pet waste ending up in storm drains and water supplies.
  • Pick up litter- This one is easy to do, so easy! See litter, pick it up and put it where it *should* be. Have a littering friend? Talk to them and explain why it is helping to kill our healthy water supply!
  • Switch to non-toxic products– Here at Scratch Mommy we make this one easy for you! From an effective and non-toxic household DIY cleaner to DIY non-toxic bubblebath to DIY non-toxic ant spray……to DIY non-toxic bug spray to DIY non-toxic and effective flea powder (better for the environment AND your pup) to DIY non-toxic *effective* deodorant……we literally have a massive collection here to get you started on a more toxin-free path, for the environment and your body!
  • INSTALL A WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM!– This one is HUGE!

Why We Chose Pelican Water

We chose to install the Pelican PSE2000 Combo Water System.

We also opted for the PRO-RO (reverse osmosis) to filter out fluoride from the sink water in the Pronounce Skincare laboratory (which has now taken over our entire basement for all skincare creation, packaging, and shipping).

The Pelican Combo Water System combines the benefits of a 5-micron pre-filter, a Carbon Series whole-house water filter, and the NaturSoft salt-free water softener. All hugely important to me. Why…..?

With this four-stage filtration system we are filtering out the following things…

Stage 1 : 5-Micron Pre-Filter System – Reduces sand, silt, sediment, and debris in the water down to 5 micron in size.

Stages 2 & 3 : Granular Activated Carbon Media – A blend of high-grade activated carbons filter chlorine, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, industrial solvents, and hundreds of other chemicals and contaminants.

Stage 4 : Pelican Media Guard – The bacteriostatic copper-zinc reduction oxidation media prevents and reduces bacteria and algae growth.

Two other things that are fantastic about the Pelican PSE2000 Combo Water System

No electricity AND ZERO waste water! Most other whole house filtration systems on the market have both of these things, so this is a very eco-friendly whole house water filtration system. Perfect!

DIY A Whole House Water Filtration System from Pelican Water - by Scratch Mommy
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What We LOVE About The Pelican PSE2000 Combo Water System

taste, Taste, TASTE!!! Within only a few days, the taste of our water had DRASTICALLY improved. Not only is taste better, before it even goes down the hatch it *smells* better. It smells like…nothing, which is amazing!

Hubby has never really liked the taste of water before. Since our whole house water filtration system was installed he has NOT TOUCHED A SODA! (…being a heavy traveller for work, he has admittedly been slower to pick up the healthier lifestyle that my son and I live). He actually finds himself often frustrated when we go out to eat because the water doesn’t taste as good as what we now have at home. In fact, he loves it so much that he encourages everyone to try it when they come over. All that coming from a guy and has said, “Wow. I think I was dehydrated for the past few years of my life!”

Truly Clean Water! What’s not to love about that? You saw my water company’s report. Just like many other towns and cities across America, where I live in Bloomington, IN we are in serious trouble! As I detailed above, there are things we can all do to help keep our water clean. …but, some things we cannot control as easily. That is where our whole house water filtration system comes into play.

Super Easy DIY Installation! You can read all about the DIY installation in my first post here. Seriously, it could not be easier to DIY install this whole house water filtration system yourself. Everything comes absolutely ready to go, with only a few super affordable and easy to find items from the local hardware store (or perhaps from your barn or work bench, depending on how handy and stocked up you are)!

Things We Don’t Love

Adding the PRO-RO (reverse osmosis) portion of the system was mission critical for me, not only for the health of my family, my employee, and me, BUT for all of my many Pronounce Skincare customers! The water I receive from the reverse osmosis and fluoride-free part of the system fills quite a few of the products here in the Scratch Mommy Laboratory, including: Rose Water Spray, Bug Be Gone Sprays, Lavender-Infused Body Lotions, Face Lotion, Face Wash, and our Aftershave Sprays.

The PRO-RO (reverse osmosis) is installed in the Pronounce Skincare Laboratory, which is in our basement. It needs to be close to where we work, obviously. When it refills while working we *do* hear it refilling. It’s not a huge deal, but it is a noticeable ‘gurgle’. For me, it’s just part of it…and I’m happy to have that super clean, fluoride-free water! Operations Manager (and bestie) Pam and I just crank up the tunes and then hardly notice it. Easy fix. And a very easy fix for the only issue I have had with the entire Pelican whole house water filtration system!

Would We Pick Pelican Again?

Emphatically…yes, Yes, YES! Over and over again, YES! The support provided from Pelican is top notch. Any questions, seriously…email or call and you get immediate help.

As you’ll see in the first post I wrote about the DIY installation of the Pelican whole house system, it could NOT be more easy!

The taste, impeccable.

The quality, amazing.

Clean water…which is next to impossible to find from local water sources out of the faucet…A MUST HAVE! I am so happy to have our Pelican Whole House Water Filtration system. It’s an investment that you’ll be happy to have, too!

Although this is a post sponsored by Pelican, we would never recommend a product or service that we didn’t love (and if we didn’t love it, we’d tell you that)!

Comments 5

    1. Post
      Author

      Great question, Cheryl! Yes, the Pelican system is NSF Certified to remove 98.0% of lead. Click on any of the links about to go directly to Pelican and learn more. They have a lot of information they share on their site, and their blog, too!

  1. It is important for everyone to have safe drinking water. I filter my water at home as well, to make sure that it is as clean as can be and also taste great. Thanks for sharing!

  2. You do realize your RO system produces tons of wastewater, right? Depending on pressure, for every gallon of RO water out of your faucet, you’re putting ~8 gallons of waste water down the drain. Not that I think that’s a bad thing, we have tons of water where I live. It just makes you look pretty hypocritical…

    1. Post
      Author

      Hi Dan,

      That is actually incorrect. Pelican is one of the only water systems with zero waste water. “The system filters water at the point-of-entry to the home with zero wasted water, drainage, or chemical discharge. That means you’re choosing sustainability for your home and the environment.” Feel free to click the links about to Pelican to learn more.

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