Figuring The Facts About Water

If around 97% of the Earth's water is salty or otherwise undrinkable, and another 2% is stored in the ice caps and glaciers, that leaves only 1% for we greedy humans to use. So it's hardly surprising that around 25% of the world's population doesn't have access to safe drinking water.


What about our water here in the UK?

Our mains water supply is stored and treated for us, providing us with some of the safest drinking water in the world. Amazingly, we only use about 1% of this supply for drinking and cooking - the rest is for bathing and toilet flushing, laundry, cleaning the car or watering the garden.


We care so much about what we drink that we buy bottles of water from the supermarket for home, while at work we have bottle-fed coolers. The water purchased in these ways costs approximately 1000x MORE than the same volume delivered to us through the mains water supply by the water authorities!


But what water actually goes into those bottles we purchase?

Well if the bottle isn't clearly labelled "mineral water" or "spring water", then it probably actually contains tap water that's filtered prior to bottling. Filtered tap water is perfectly fine - most of the chlorine taste and odour have been removed with an activated carbon filter. And it's the chlorine taste that is the predominant reason why people reject tap water in favour of bottled water - a premise that the entire bottled water industry established itself in the 1980's and 1990's when we were all being flash with our cash and very naive about the adverse effects of bottled water on the environment.

Activated Carbon is a wonderful filter, handling many chemicals found in water and a wide range of chemicals that should NEVER be present in the main water supply. At the end of its life, it is 100% biodegradable (unless coated in plastic or some other material); the carbon filter blocks sold by Just Water Now Ltd for their cold-water filtration systems and water coolers are just carbon (no coatings) so is 100% bio-degradable - beware of expensive, non-biodegradable substitutes!

In addition to removing ~98% chlorine taste and odour, the Just Water Now carbon filter will also remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs), organic impurities including insecticides, pesticides and herbicides as well as particulate matter. But don't panic these chemicals (apart from chlorine) are not necessarily found in our tap water, it's more that activated carbon will remove under test. How does it do this? The chemicals are adsorbed onto the carbon surface (they get stuck to the carbon as the water passes through the pores of the block) and large particles are physically trapped as they try to pass through the smaller pores. Thus the crud you might have seen swirling in your glass of tap water is now kept back in the filter not in your glass.

Food for thought...or is that drink for thought? Maybe not - I'm assured that beer is best for thinking...but did you know that water quality, both purity and hardness, is an important factor in the ultimate quality of the pint? So all those home-brewers out there need to consider whether the chlorine and impurities found in tap water is the ideal starting ingredient for their endeavours. If chlorine makes a glass of water taste yuck, and a cup of tea taste somewhat yuck, then surely something as sensitive as a pint of beer needs to be chlorine-free to really taste good.

Wine-making is another home pastime that might possibly benefit from chlorine-free water. In the world of fine wines, do connoisseurs ever say they can taste the chlorine? I've certainly heard them on the TV talking about oak, apple, pepper, vinegar and paint-stripper...

Whilst I'm writing about beverages, what do people who buy organic fruit and veg. or grow their own, do to rinse them off before eating/cooking? If they just rinse them under the kitchen tap, then great! that's all nicely chlorinated now ready for eating - Just Water Now's Unit Filter would at least make sure that your expensive organic choice (or thrify grow-your-own and know where it's been) is then getting the final "green" treatment prior to eating. And moving onto my greatest pleasures in life - home-baking and chocolate. Filtered tap water means no cruddy "bits" in the water (nor chlorine nor chemicals) that goes into the recipe - so that cake, biscuit, bread may turn out tastier and lighter and your chocolate even yummier and greener.


So go on, visit www.justwaternow.com today or email us at enquiries@justwaternow.com to see how our products can enhance your day-to-day life...