Zeta Rod Blog

Another Satisfied Customer

We received the following unsolicited email from a residential customer in Scottsdale, AZ:

Dear Zeta,

I wanted to write to you and thank you for your wonderful product!  After using it for several months now, I noticed that my pipes were beginning to clear out.  I discovered this because the screens in my faucets started collecting debris and had to be cleaned out repeatedly for a short period of time.  I’ve also noticed that I’m not getting the hard water buildup in my showers like before.  The water here in Scottsdale is extremely hard, and I struggled with it for years.  Now, while I still get some white spotting, none of it sticks!  I’m able to clean the glass and faucets right off with no trouble at all.  Also, it’s nice to be saving the considerable amount of time and money I was spending for the lease and maintenance of my old salt water softener.    

I would highly recommend this product for anyone’s home.  Thank you Zeta!

Regards,

Heidi Bryant

Scottsdale, AZ

The internet has many web forums in which people ask for opinions on several topics. The Zeta Rod has been questioned in several of these forum. Usually negative opinions are given by "trade experts" who have not used, or tested a Zeta Rod. Their opinions are based on their "previous experiences". However, those who have used the Zeta Rod have positive comments about the technology, such as the following entry that was made in one of those forums:

• Posted by dtrimmer (My Page) on

  Tue, Jul 14, 09 at 20:27

I think a lot of the criticism of the Zeta Rod system on this forum has been a bit unfair. First, I have no association of any kind with Zeta Rod. I don't sell or install water conditioning equipment. I do have a degree in chemistry. First, Zeta Rod DOES NOT claim to remove calcium and other dissolved minerals from your water. In fact, they have been very clear that they DO NOT remove anything. Therefore, and chemical test of water that has been conditioned with a Zeta Rod system will have exactly the same chemical composition as the water prior to the test. If you collect some Zeta Rod conditioned water and let it dry, you will get a deposit -- again, exactly what Zeta Rod states. What Zeta Rod DOES claim to do is to keep minerals dissolved in the water, so that they do not precipitate on (coat for the non-chemists) pipes, dishes, sinks, etc. (at least prior to the water evaporating). Zeta Rod also claims that any scale present due to evaporation will be easier to remove than normal scale. I have been using a Zeta Rod system for almost two years and my experience is that both of Zeta Rod's claims are true. Here are the trade-offs between a Zeta Rod and a traditional water softener; at least as I see them: 1. A Zeta Rod system may have a higher installation cost, but a lower operating cost. 2. In municipalities where traditional water softeners are not allowed, the Zeta Rod is a LOT better than nothing. 3. A traditional water softener will remove metals from your water -- the Zeta Rod will not. However, the Zeta Rod does appear to prevent the metals from depositing on pipes and other surfaces (as long as the water is not allowed to evaporate). During the first few months of use, the Zeta Rod also appears to remove any existing scale that has built up on pipes. Based on my personal experience, the Zeta Rod appears to be MORE effective than a salt based water softener at preventing scale buildup on pipes. 4. While the Zeta Rod does not remove anything from the water, it also does not add anything to the water. A traditional water softener replaces metals (usually calcium and magnesium) with sodium and/or potassium, depending on the kind of salt used with the water softener. 5. A traditional water softener should prevent water spots. A Zeta Rod will not prevent water spots. 6. The Zeta Rod system is MUCH smaller than a salt based water softener. If I had to install a new system and salt based water softeners were legal in my area, it would be a pretty close call for me. I would probably opt for the Zeta Rod system because of lower operating costs, smaller size and not lower maintenance (don't have to mess with bags of salt). Cheers, Don

 

Ferguson Enterprises Inc. Kleindale Branch, Tucson AZ, not only a vendor but a satisfied customer as well.

Ferguson is a leading wholesale distributor of plumbing supplies; pipes, valves and fittings; heating and cooling equipment; waterworks; mechanical and industrial; bathrooms and appliances; tools and safety equipment; and fire protection products with over 1300 service centers in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Caribbean. They became one of the earliest suppliers of Residential Zeta Rod systems when Zeta Corporation introduced the new product line.

Today we'd like to recognize their Kleindale Branch in Tucson, AZ. They are not only a distributor but have become a satisfied customer as well.

Here is their comment on the Zeta Rod installation for the swamp cooler system in the warehouse:

May 19, 2009

Dear Zeta Rod;

I am writing this to let you know what a wonderful solution the Zeta Rod was to our evaporative cooler problem. It has made all of our cooler problems disappear.

Prior to putting the Zeta Rod on the water line that supplies water to our coolers, we had the following problems:

*The air being blown into our warehouse had a damp fishy smell.

*We found that by leaving the coolers on 24/7 the smell was not as bad, but; we used a lot of expensive electricity.

*Running the coolers constantly also wore out the pads, the motors, and the pulleys more often; and they were expensive to replace.

We understand that the Zeta Rod does not allow biofilm to form and that makes our air smell better and helps the coolers run cleaner.

We are also able to turn the coolers off each night.  We start them each morning and they run clean and have no smell.  Since they only run for 8-10 hours we know we have less wear and tear on the pumps, pulleys and pads!  We could not be happier!

Mike Van Stelle,

  

Ferguson

Enterprises Incorporated

Kleindale Branch,

Tucson

 

Arizona

3445 East Kleindale Rd

(520) 795.0296.

 

Reverse Osmosis: "Will the Zeta Rod Replace my RO?"

This is a question that we get quite often, especially from home owners who are considering the use of a Zeta Rod to treat the water in their home.

The short answer is: "depends".

Before we go into more detail to the answer, we should look at how an RO system is and how it works.

First the definition of osmosis: movement of a solvent through a semi-permeable membrane into a solution of higher solute concentration that tends to equalize the concentration of solute on both sides of the membrane.

Basically what this means is that nature will find a way to move systems that are out of equilibrium, into equilibrium. Osmosis is one of such ways. In nature the wall of a cell can act as a semi-permeable membrane (a semi permeable membrane is one that will allow the passage of water only). When the concentration of salts (the solute) is higher inside the cell than in the environment surrounding the cell, the difference in concentration (osmotic pressure) will cause solvent (water) to pass through the cell's wall and in this way balance the amount of salts within the cell to its environment.

Osmosis is a little counterintuitive. Another example would be this: consider that you have two columns of water separated by a semipermeable membrane (fig 1). Column A has water with a low salt concentration and column B has water in it with a high salt concentration. At the initial time both columns have the same amount of water. 

 

After a period of time, water from column A will permeate through the membrane to column B in order to try to balance the concentration of solute in the water. Once the solutions have reached equilibrium, the difference in height will determine the osmotic pressure.

If at this time you're thinking: "hold on a minute, this seems to be backwards fro what my RO unit does!". You are correct, this is osmosis, what your RO unit does is reverse osmosis.

If we go back to the initial drawing, but this time we apply pressure, through a piston for example, to column B. We would have to apply a pressure equal or larger to the osmotic pressure of the solution to force water from Column B to Column A. And what we would have in Column A is known as the permeate, which is very high purity water. The left over in Column B is referred to as  concentrate.

So a reverse osmosis system forces the water that has a high concentration of salts across a semi-permeable membrane by applying enough force to overcome the osmotic pressure of the water. Every RO unit will have a permeate, in your home application this will be the drinking water, and a concentrate, in your home this will be the water that goes to the drain.

RO units produce very high quality water, it removes practically all salts and any pollutant that may be in the water.

The primary problem with RO units is membrane fouling. The membranes are prone to mineral scaling and biofouling (bacteria). As the membrane fouls the efficiency of the RO diminishes until it gets to the point where replacing the membrane, or cleaning it is necessary.

The Zeta Rod is an excellent pretreatment option for RO units, for it will prevent the membranes from fouling, thus extending the life of your RO membranes, and reducing the cost of maintaining and operating the RO unit.

SO, going back to the original question of the post, It depends on what function is the RO unit performing.

If you have an RO unit because you have a private well and there may be some contaminants in the water, then the RO should stay and the Zeta Rod will be of great help to the unit by keeping the membranes from fouling.

However, if you have an RO unit just to prevent scaling in your dishes, sink, faucets, etc. Then the Zeta Rod can be a suitable replacement for the system.

Zeta Corporation has treated RO units ranging in size from small under the sink units to large municipal plants. This Case Study shows the benefits that the Zeta Rod provided to a Pepsi Cola bottling plant's RO unit. 

So if you have an RO unit at home, installing a Zeta Rod system will greatly benefit your RO operation and help you with scaling issues in the rest of your home.

For any questions or comments, please contact Zeta Corporation at 888-785-9660, or by email to info@zetacorp.com. 

"Swamp Coolers": Time to start thinking about next year.

For anyone living in the Southwest where summers are hot and dry you must be familiar with "Swamp Coolers" . For those of you who have not been to the Southwest, when you do, you will see many buildings - from small homes to large commercial warehouses- with some strange looking boxes sitting on the roof of the buildings.

Those boxes are swamp coolers. A swamp cooler provides a very efficient and low cost of cooling down a living or working space. It cools down outside dry hot air by means of water evaporation.

While swamp coolers may differ in design and size, they all operate under the same principles: water is trickled or sprayed over a high surface area material and air is pushed or drawn across that media. As the hot-dry air comes in contact with the wet surface of the media it causes some of that water to evaporate.

The image on the left shows a cutaway view of a conventional evaporative cooler, the most commonly found in the Southwest. Inside is the fan and fan motor, the outside covers house the Aspen pad media, on the front lower corner the recirculating water pump and make up water and float valve are seen.

This is one of the larger size units, it is about the size of a walk-in meat locker.

The entire front end is the air intake. Inside a large wall of evaporative media is sprayed with water to create a wet wall where evaporation takes place (picture to the right).

In order for water to evaporate energy in the form of latent heat is required. This heat comes from the air going through the media, as the air gives away heat to evaporate the water two things take place: the temperature of the air is dropped, and the relative humidity of the air going through the media is increased.

This type of cooling can only be used in dry climate zones where the difference between the wet bulb and dry bulb temperature of the air is big. In humid places like Chicago or Washington DC where the relative humidity is high, this type of systems would not work at all.

There are different versions as to where the name "swamp cooler" comes from. Some people say it because of the "muggy" or "swampy" feel that the humid air gives to living spaces. Other people refer to the "swampy" smell associated with these units. That swampy smell is caused by bacteria growing in the evaporative media in the coolers.

Swamp coolers are strongly connected with the history of Zeta Corporation for it was one of our very first applications that we targeted when the company was formed. Swamp coolers may have many advantages over refrigeration units (air conditioners) such as lower cost to operate, easy for the average home owner to maintain, low replacement cost, and add some moisture to the dry desert air, they do not come free of problems.

Main problems with swamp coolers is related to the water quality usually found in places where the units are best suited for: the desert. In arid places, water tends to be relatively hard (see previous post on water hardness) . The hardness in the water can cause severe scaling problems in the evaporative media of the swamp coolers, and the bacteria in the media give away that unpleasant "swampy" smell. 

Problems with swamp coolers:

• Scale formation on the evaporative media will reduce the airflow across the pads, thus reducing the cooling efficiency of the unit. In some places the scaling takes place so fast and it is so severe that pads need to be replaced several times over one cooling season. The picture to the right shows the pads of an evaporative cooler in the Tucson area. The pads were completely scaled over in a period of three months of continuous use.
• Evaporative cooling pads, because of their materials of construction cannot be cleaned out, once scale has formed on them they have to be discarded.
• Scale in the pump impellers that distribute the water to the pads can cause the pumps to burn out. This can be an expensive problem especially for large warehouses where multiple units are used.
• Scale can also form on the fan motor, causing it to fail, again, an expensive problem in large warehouse operations.
• Scale buildup in the spray nozzles or drip tubes will prevent water from reaching all the media, creating "dry spots" which allow hot air to pass through the media without any cooling, thus reducing the cooling efficiency of the unit.
• Bacteria growing in the media not only causes the unpleasant "swampy" smell, but can also represent a potential health hazard by harboring pathogens that could cause respiratory diseases like legionella.

So how come there is not much being done to prevent these problems? It seems that most people have just resigned themselves and accepted them as inconveniences inherent to the use of swamp coolers, something that "people have to learn how live with" perhaps. Because most of the replacement costs are relatively small, at least when looked individually, people tend to just include them in their maintenance budget. The problem is that when there are multiple evaporative coolers in one building, or large size units are utilized, the replacement costs do add up.

The Zeta Rod has demonstrated time and time again that it is capable of stopping these problems in a very cost efficient manner. A single Zeta Rod (properly sized) installed in the main water line going into a building, whether it is a small home or a large commercial warehouse can treat all the water that goes to the swamp coolers and prevent the problems mentioned before. Because the water volume being held in the evaporative coolers is so small, and the evaporation rate so high, this ensures that a constant stream of fresh Zeta treated water is being added to the cooler. With its strong electrodispersant effect the Zeta Rod prevents scale deposits from forming on the media, pump impellers, fan belts and motors, spray nozzles and drip lines. It also prevents the bacteria from growing in the media, thus eliminating the "swampy smell" and the potential for unwanted bacteria growing in the media. 

Benefits offered by the Zeta Rod:

• Scale formation and odor in the evaporative coolers is eliminated.
• Elimination of scale in nozzled and drip lines
• Extend lifespan of Aspen pads to 2-3 years, and indefinitely on Celdek type pads.
• Service life of the cooler and frame is extended by 50% or more.
• Water consumption can be reduced by as much as 25% while maintaining the full efficiency of the cooler.
• Short ROI based on maintenance, operation and water cost savings.
• Low maintenance required.

Our customers include the Research Greenhouses at Biosphere 2 where old evaporative pads in the  greenhouses where about to be replaced due to the heavy scaling and biofouling formed on them (read the case study for Biosphere 2 here).

This picture shows the Zeta Rod installed in the recirculating line for the wet wall at the Biosphere 2 Research Greenhouses. In this case, the Zeta Rod cleaned the deposits formed on the evaporative media, allowing Biosphere 2 to extend the use of the expensive media an additional 7 years until the greenhouses were put out of operation.

The Pepsi Bottling Plant in Tucson, another satisfied customer, has this to say about their Zeta Rod :

"For over three years now the Zeta Rod has proven to be an excellent choice as our water treatment program.

The first installation in our evaporative coolers eliminated the scale, odor and deterioration of our units. The coolers have operated scale free and odor free. Pads last a couple of years now, whereas before the Zeta Rod was installed it was necessary to change them twice per season. Our maintenance costs are much lower now since we are not losing any recirculating pumps in the coolers due to scaling. "

(picture to the right shows the Zeta Rod installed in the plant's main water line where the feed to the swamp coolers takes from)

This is a good time to start planning for next year's cooling season and how to protect your swamp coolers. You can contact Zeta Corporation directly, or one of its authorized distributors to ask about a Zeta Rod for your swamp coolers.

Zeta Rod as an Alternative to a Water Softener, Part II

As discussed in our previous post removing hardness from water is done primarily to avoid some of the nuisances that hard water cause on the home owner. Salt based water softeners are facing more and more regulations, bans and opposition because of the discharge of the brine into municipal sewer systems and and an increased awareness from people on the need for green technologies that benefit the environment.

The Zeta Rod is an electronic deposit control system. It has been around for nearly 15 years in a wide range of industrial applications. The principle of operation of the Zeta Rod is explained in colloidal chemistry books and relates to the dispersion of colloidal particles in a solution. The Zeta Rod has a direct impact on the Zeta Potential of the particles in the water.

In quite simplified terms, the Zeta Rod creates a stable dispersion amongst particles in the water and prevents them from agglomerating and forming larger crystals, or from forming deposits on wet surfaces. So, the Zeta Rod does not change the chemistry of the water, we don't take the hardness out of the water, that is why it is not a "water softener". However, the Zeta Rod will prevent the mineral buildup on appliances, shower nozzles, faucet aerators, water heaters, etc that are associated with water hardness, and that is why it is a suitable alternative for a water softener.

The Zeta Rod also lowers the surface tension of the water. This reduction in surface tension is comparable to the effect that a water softener has when it comes to using soaps and detergents. So while the hardness in the water remains, Zeta treated water will have similar benefits as that of soft water.

Other benefits that the Zeta Rod offers include:

* Low maintenance: no replacing parts, regenerating of media, or disposal of brine down the sewer

* No environmental concerns with the use of the Zeta Rod.

* Water is safe for drinking and irrigation.

The Zeta Rod will work both with cold and hot water systems. It will work with water with hardness levels ranging from "soft" to "very hard". It will help prevent scale buildup in pools. Prevent scale formation on evaporative coolers (swamp coolers).

So when the question is asked on whether a Zeta Rod actually is a water softener, the answer is "No", but can it replace a water softener and still offer the same benefits, the answer is "most definitely yes".

Please contact us if you have any questions or would like some additional information on the Zeta Rod. You can also visit our Web Site for more information and to find a local distributor in your area.

Zeta Rod as an Alternative to a Water Softener, Part I

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive by home owners whether the Zeta Rod can replace a water softener? . The answer to this question is: "YES". However, many people assume that by that we mean that the Zeta Rod is a water softener. This is a common misconception, while the Zeta Rod is a viable alternative for a water softener, it is not a water softener.

There seem to be many people out there on the internet that are fast in criticizing the Zeta Rod, more from a lack of understanding of the technology than anything else. Through this blog we want to help people get a better understanding of the technology and the benefits it can offer.

This will be a two part post. In this first part we will discuss what is Water Hardness, why do people want to get rid of it, and how do salt based water softeners work. In the second part we will explain how the Zeta Rod works and how it differs from a water softener.

In order to understand what a water softener is, and how a Zeta Rod differentiates from one, we need to understand what Hard Water is. Water as supplied by municipal water systems, or wells, is not pure water, it has many dissolved minerals in it (pure water is not good for drinking). Calcium and Magnesium tend to be amongst the most common minerals found dissolved in water, and amongst the ones in higher concentrations. The amount of these minerals dissolved in the water are referred to as the Hardness of the water and it can be measured in parts per million (ppm), milligrams per liter (mg/l) or in grains per gallon (gpg). One ppm is equivalent to one mg/l, and one gpg equals 17.1 mg/l or ppm.

Water Hardness varies from zone to zone as it can be seen in the next picture that was borrowed from the USGS website.

The US Department of Interior and Water Quality Association classify water hardness as follows:

Classification	mg/l or ppm	grains/gal
Soft	0 - 17.1	0 - 1
Slightly hard	17.1 - 60	1 - 3.5
Moderately hard	60 - 120	3.5 - 7.0
Hard	120 - 180	7.0 - 10.5
Very Hard	180 & over	10.5 & over

Hard water in itself does not pose a health hazard, quite contrary, some agencies such as the National Research Council (National Academy of Sciences) state that hard drinking water generally contributes a small amount toward total calcium and magnesium human dietary needs.

So why do people want to get rid of hardness?? The Wilkes University Center For Environmental Quality Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences department explain it perfectly. On their website they write:

"Hard water interferes with almost every cleaning task from laundering and dish washing to bathing and personal grooming. Clothes laundered in hard water may look dingy and feel harsh and scratchy. Dishes and glasses may be spotted when dry. Hard water may cause a film on glass shower doors, shower walls, bathtubs, sinks, faucets, etc. Hair washed in hard water may feel sticky and look dull. Water flow may be reduced by deposits in pipes.

Hard water also contributes to inefficient and costly operation of water-using appliances. Heated hard water forms a scale of calcium and magnesium minerals that can contribute to the inefficient operation or failure of water-using appliances. Pipes can become clogged with scale that reduces water flow and ultimately requires pipe replacement. "

One way to address these issues caused by the hardness in the water is to install a water softener in your house.

Water softeners have been around for quite a while and their principle of operation is quite simple. It consists of replacing the hardness ions in the water (Calcium -Ca- and Magnesium-Mg-) with a different ion, Sodium (Na). The way this is done is by passing the hard water that comes into the house through a bed of small plastic beads or through a chemical called zeolite. This resin bed is saturated with sodium ions that attach to the beads. Calcium and Magnesium have a stronger attraction to the zeolite, so as the hard water passes through it, they take the place of the sodium, and hence the hardness of the water is removed.

As the zeolite becomes saturated with calcium and magnesium, the water softener starts losing its efficiency and the hardness of the water that makes it into the house gets higher (this is why some places even with water softeners see the effects of hard water over time). At this point it is time to regenerate the resin. This is done by flushing it with brine, which is a solution of water with salt. As this concentrated brine goes through the media, it displaces the Ca & Mg and replenishes the media with Na.

Water softeners not only are far from being perfect, they have many inconveniences such as:

* They require frequent maintenance and regenerating of the media

* They are not environmentally friendly: More and more locations are setting strict regulations on the use of water softeners because of the brine discharge. California is banning the use of water softeners in some areas all together.

* Soft water is not good for irrigation, it will damage plants.

* People with high blood pressure problems should not drink soft water.

The Zeta Rod is a green technology  that offers an alternative to water softeners without the inconveniences associated with them. In the next post we will explore how the Zeta Rod works, what benefits will it offer to the home owner (or commercial/industrial customer) and how it differs from a water softener.

NSF Certification & IAPMO Listings

In Zeta Corporation we take the quality of our products very seriously. That is why we have done extensive testing to our products to ensure that they meet the highest standards for industrial and residential applications both domestically and internationally.

The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO)  has been protecting the public’s health and safety for more than eighty years by working in concert with government and industry to implement comprehensive plumbing and mechanical systems around the world. The Zeta Rod is an IAPMO listed product and meets NSF Part 61 Standards.

NSF part 61 refers to drinking water standards- health effects and assures that there are no contaminating factors present in the product that would be a threat to drinking water safety. All Zeta Rod systems are certified to NSF part 61.

Will it work for my pool?

One question that we seem to get quite often from prospective pool users is whether the Zeta Rod will help them with their pool. Primary concern seems to be with the "bath tub ring" that forms around the water level and the use of chlorine.

Mike Pitts, President of Zeta Corporation explains:

"The continuous evaporation of water (typically in Arizona 1" / day) quickly raises the concentration of mineral matter to the saturation point and precipitation of all mineral salts is very active. Pool filters handle much of the precipitate load, pool vacuuming and pool cleaning services get the rest. Evaporation of the wet splash zone establishes the "bathtub ring". A year long demo in Phoenix proved complete "ring " prevention and slow removal or softening of the old hard deposit.

Public pool chlorine is a legal mandate for active CL residual, home pools don't fall under this mandate, so they are generally fed chlorine by appearance and by demand as needed for algae control.

Liquid chlorine commonly used in large facilities yields acid condition requiring neutralization with soda ash. Smaller pools and some large use calcium hypochlorite with obvious addition of both high alkali and calcium. Sodium hypo' is generally considered too expensive for pool use.

Numerous home ZR residential pool owners report improved pool conditions even with just the continuous refill of evaporation by Zeta treated city water. some residential use is coming on of the ZR and more is expected and justified quickly because of the high cost of the service when cleaning is contracted to a pool service. 3k - 4k + per year

Bacteria is not a prime concern ion home pools because of over us of chlorine public pools have continuous testing program to assure hygiene

The deal with ZR in pools is the expensive ring cleaning payout with much more clear water in the pool . Water features of home pools -rock, water falls etc quickly lime up with unsightly white deposits-- ZR minimizes this."

                                                                                         M. Michael Pitts