A recent Natural Resources Defense Council study conducted
in nineteen U.S. cities found that pollution, old pipes
and outdated treatment facilities threaten tap water quality.
For more information, please visit http://www.nrdc.org/water/drinking/uscities.asp.
Among other things, drinking water could contain: Lead,
Arsenic, Nitrates, Chlorides, Carbonates, Phosphates, Bicarbonates,
Magnesium, Fertilizer and Copper.
What is the H2Observer™ capable of detecting?
The H2Observer™ is capable of detecting any substance that
dissolves in water whether it was intentionally placed
in the water by water authorities or terrorism or whether
it became part of the water supply due to natural events
or leaking pipes. Among other things, it can detect Lead,
Arsenic, Nitrates, Chlorides, Carbonates, Phosphates, Bicarbonates,
Magnesium, Fertilizers and Copper, but will not detect
compounds that do not dissolve in water (e.g. motor oil
and gasoline).
What is TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)?
Total dissolved solids is an expression for the combined
content of all inorganic and organic substances contained
in a liquid which are present in a molecular, ionized or
micro-granular (colloidal
sol) suspended form. Total dissolved
solids are normally only discussed for freshwater systems,
since salinity comprises some of the ions constituting
the definition of TDS. The principal application of TDS
is in the study of water
quality for streams, rivers and
lakes, although TDS is generally considered not as a primary
pollutant (e.g. it is not deemed to be associated with
health effects), but it is rather used as an indication
of aesthetic characteristics of drinking
water and as an
aggregate indicator of presence of a broad array of chemical
contaminants.
When supplied with proper power, the H2Observer™ monitors
your water every second.
In the event my power goes out, will my H2Observer™ continue
to work?
The H2Observer™ not only comes with a DC Adapter, but also
provides 2 replaceable batteries in the event you lose
power in your home. With battery backup functioning, the
H2Observer™ will continue monitoring your water and provide
an abbreviated alarm (chirp) until the batteries run out.
If the batteries run out, you will need to re-input any
custom parameters you previously input upon return of power.
In the event my H2Observer™ goes into alarm mode, what
will it do?
In the event your H2Observer™ goes into alarm mode, it
will sound an audible alarm, blink a red flashing light
and if installed with additional available components,
it can shut off your water supply if you so desire.
Why would I want the H2Observer™ to shut off my water supply?
People often have children and/or elderly family members
living in their home. In the event that your alarm sounds
and you are away from home, the H2Observer™, along with
optional accessories, can shut off your water supply protecting
your loved ones from potential harm while you are away
or in the event the audible/visual alarm is out of range
(e.g. installation in a well house).
How is the H2Observer™ environmentally friendly?
Many people that currently drink bottled water would feel
more confident in drinking their tap water if they have
the H2Observer™ monitoring their water for change. This
would, in turn, decrease the amount of plastic bottles
being produced and disposed of in our landfills.
I drink bottled water, why do I need the H2Observer™?
Brushing your teeth, showering, cooking and children playing
with the hose or in the bathtub are all ways that you and
your loved ones come into contact with your water. The
H2Observer™ can provide you with an increased confidence
level in knowing that you have the ability to see if detectable
aspects of your TDS change.
With the H2Observer™ installed, is my water now safe to
drink?
Having the ability to know if there was a change in your water quality is very valuable. The increased level of TDS may or may not be a health risk; and the H2Observer™ gives you the ability to research further based on your own observations and decisions when a detected change has occurred. This knowledge is empowering.
At your request, further analysis through H2Observe services will provide you with a full report of your water’s molecular characteristics.
It is our opinion that at this point, monitoring through
TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) technology is the only cost
effective means of monitoring your water. The H2Observer™ reports to you both the TDS level and more importantly,
changes in the TDS level in your water. TDS levels, by
themselves, cannot tell you if your water is safe to drink.
The H2Observer™ allows you to know that changes in your
water TDS have occurred. In most cases, changes in your
water quality will exhibit themselves as changes in your
TDS allowing you to take action if you so desire.
The alarm sounded on my H2Observer™, what do I do now?
The H2Observer™ emits a notification warning, both audibly
and visually, when certain owner adjustable ppm (parts
per million of contaminants) limits are reached.
If your alarm sounds, you may want to take one or more
of the following actions:
Only consume water from a known safe source
until the potential threat has been analyzed fully (e.g.,
Water stored for emergencies, Water from another region,
etc...)
Contact H2Observe™ or another water testing
agency to help capture a sample of your water for further
testing (please make note of the current H2Observer™ reading
for full processing via FedEx). Testing can be expensive
and you may want to refer to your local water district
before incurring that expense.
Contact your local water provider and inquire
about local disturbances that may have impacted your water
supply (e.g., Construction, Natural events, etc...) and
also ask about any unique qualities attributed to the water
supplied by your water provider that you may want to take
into consideration when inputting custom parameters. Be
prepared to tell the water authority what the H2Observer™ TDS number is on the screen during alarm.
If you have customized the configuration of
the H2Observer™ to be more stringent, your settings may
not allow for the unique variations of your water supply
(as defined by your water provider). If this is the case
and it results in an alarm, consider resetting the device
to its default configuration by following instructions
in the online manual. Your local water authorities should
be able to tell you historical data on their TDS fluctuations
and you may want to input your custom settings accordingly
with that data in mind. Piping and leaching contaminants
between their monitoring and your tap could change that
TDS level.
Keep in mind, the answer may be as simple as seasonality
of your water supply, possible local construction on your
water line to something more extreme.
What is water seasonality?
Many water supplies are taken from natural resources that
are charged and depleted by rainfall and snow melt. The
increased and decreased volumes of water due to this seasonality
can stir up contaminants/TDS in the system.
I have questions regarding my product installation, can
I get help?
H2Observe™ is here to help. Simply call 425-996-0681 and
a customer service representative will be glad to assist
you.
I purchased an Observer to monitor my drinking/cooking
water, but would prefer to monitor my whole house; how
do I make this change?
With additional components, the H2Observer™ can monitor
your whole house using your main water line. It can even
be configured to shut off the water supply providing an
extra level of safety for you and your loved ones. Contact
a customer service representative for more information.
How do I track my order?
Upon shipment H2Observe™ will generate a FedEx Tracking
Number. If you wish to track your package please login
to your account and navigate to Retrieve Orders. There,
you will find the details to your order.
