But what actually causes these spots that leave customers so frustrated? These spots are caused by dissolved minerals in the water. The water droplets that remain on the car after the wash contain dissolved minerals.

“The content of these minerals in the water is known as Total Dissolved Solids or TDS. The amount of TDS in the water is dependent on geographic and the source of the municipal water supply. Depending on where your car wash is located will determine how much TDS exists in your water. The higher the TDS the worse the spotting will be.”

As these droplet s of water evaporates, the minerals are left behind. These remaining minerals create unsightly white spots that can be difficult to remove once the vehicle is dry.

Now you must be asking, “What can I do about it?” There are three ways to prevent spotting after a car wash, each represents its own set of costs and advantages. The traditional way to remove spots is by hand drying afterwards. However, the employees and time required to hand dry each vehicle represents a much higher cost than other solutions. The most effective way to prevent spots is with a De-Ionization or DI system. These systems contain two types of resin that remove positively and negatively charged ions, resulting in mineral free water for a true spot free rinse. These DI systems come with a huge downside. The resins they contain must be regenerated often with hazardous chemicals. Most

commercial car washes are not equipped to perform this regular maintenance, as it requires specialty equipment, and disposal techniques. Most commercial car washes rely on an expensive service to swap their system with a newly regenerated one, so they can take the system to their facility to maintain. The third option is a commercial reverse osmosis or RO system. These commercial reverse osmosis systems have seen an increase in popularity as an alternative to DI systems. These RO systems can mechanically remove 95-99% of the mineral content in water, making them more than suitable for a car wash spot free rinse application. A commercial reverse osmosis system also requires only minor maintenance, that can easily be performed by the car wash staff. This maintenance consists of filter replacements at set intervals.

How Does Commercial Reverse Osmosis Work?

Now that we have discussed the various options available to you, let’s dig a little deeper into how a commercial reverse osmosis or RO system works. An RO system uses a process called reverse osmosis to remove a massive amount of contaminants from water. RO utilizes a membrane made out of an extremely thin film that is tightly wound around a core tube. Water pressure is used to force water through this tightly wound film. As the water is pushed through the film, pure water is collected into the core tube, while the remaining concentrated contaminated water is discharged through a drain line. The water that is discharged can be collected and reused for other applications. Commercial reverse osmosis requires a series of stages in order to increase life of components and ensure quality water on demand.

• Stage 1 Pre-Filtration: The pre-filter, or sediment filter on a reverse osmosis (RO) system is designed to remove large particles from incoming water to protect the further stages from being exhausted too quickly. Without a pre-filter the carbon filters and membrane would become plugged with fine particles, resulting in reduced water flow and efficiency, and inevitably no output.
• Stage 2 & 3 Carbon Filtration: Carbon filtration plays an even more important role in a reverse osmosis system. The semi-permeable membrane used in a commercial RO system are vulnerable to chlorine and chloramines. These chemicals are introduced by your city water supply will quickly destroy your membrane. Therefore, carbon filtration is required to remove chlorine and chloramines prior to the water coming into contact with the membrane. Typically two carbon filters will be placed before the membrane. The first carbon filter removes up to 99% of chlorine and chloramines, and the second carbon filter removes the majority of trace chlorine, and acts as a backup in case the first filter becomes exhausted.
• Stage 4 Semi-Permeable Membrane: We discussed the role that a semi-permeable membrane earlier in this section. These membranes use an ultra-purification technique called reverse osmosis. Incoming water builds up pressure behind the membrane, forcing water through the multiple layers of wrapped membrane. The tight layers of the membrane allow water molecules to pass through, but restrict passage to other molecules, such as those that make up dissolved minerals, chemicals and organic matter. Semi-permeable membranes are rated on production and efficiency. Production is typically measured by gallons per day. It will need to be determined how much water you are using each day to adequately size the system for your car wash.
• Storage Tank: Due to the low production rates achieved by reverse osmosis a storage tank will be required to house purified water. This will allow for the volume and pressure required to provide instantaneous access to water in enough quantities for your spot free rinse application. Once it is determined how much water your car wash will consume daily in a spot free rinse application, an adequately sized storage tank will be selected to ensure the highest quality water is available at all times.
• Booster Pumps: Typically, your incoming water supply is not going to provide enough pressure for your spot free rinse application. A booster pump is usually required to produce adequate pressure from the storage to the sprayer assembly.
  Please follow this link to get a better idea of what a commercial reverse osmosis system assembly would look like for a car wash spot free rinse application.

Required Maintenance for a Commercial RO System

One of the biggest advantages of a commercial reverse osmosis system is that they require very little maintenance when compared to alternatives. Your installer will provide you with a replacement schedule based on the quality of water and your estimated daily use. The scheduled maintenance will include pre-filter and carbon filter changes at a specified gallon or month interval. Many commercial RO systems also contain a built in TDS meter. These meters detect the total dissolved solids in the water after it has been treated by the RO. Over time the membrane will become exhausted and the level of TDS will begin to increase. This will be your indicator that it is time to replace the membrane.

How will a Commercial Reverse Osmosis System Save My Car Wash Money?

A commercial RO system can help your car wash save a ton of money. These systems typically pay for themselves within a year. Some of the ways that a commercial reverse osmosis system can you’re your car wash reduce costs are:

• Compared with alternatives there is very little ongoing maintenance required for a commercial reverse osmosis system, and required maintenance is a relatively low cost.
• No toxic chemicals required to regenerate the system like with DI. No expensive regenerating equipment and disposal costs, or the ongoing cost of a service to regenerate the system. Over time this represents an enormous cost savings.
• A commercial reverse osmosis system produces adequate quality of water for a spot free rinse, therefore you will save money by not requiring additional personnel to hand dry cars to prevent spotting.
• A spot free rinse is an additional service that customers are willing to pay for. You will be able to make more money per car wash by providing this service.

What Are My Next Steps in Selecting a Commercial Reverse Osmosis System for my Car Wash?

The best next step is to have your water tested, so that your incoming TDS can be determined. We provide free water testing (link to water testing instructions) for all commercial applications. Once your water quality is known, and your daily water use is calculated, a daily production and storage can be determined for your specific application. If you need additional assistance, please give us a call at 602- 414-0701, or drop us a line below.

The post Commercial Reverse Osmosis Solves Problems in Car Wash Spot Free Rinses first appeared on International Filter.

In a previous article; Beyond the Bean: What Makes the Best Coffee Water,  we discussed the factors that can affect the taste and odor in water that get in the way from achieving the perfect cup of coffee. Here we will discuss the appropriate treatment techniques to achieving the best coffee water. Due to the many factors that can affect the taste and quality of water, it is important to know the current state of your water supply. We suggest getting a sample of your water tested. This will allow you to create the best treatment plan for your water. International Filter offers free basic water testing for businesses. Most water quality contaminants that can affect taste and odor can be identified by our in-house testing.

Getting your water tested is very important as the factors that affect water quality can vary across geographies. Mineral composition and organic by-products can differ from aquifer to aquifer and lake to lake. Once we have a better understanding of the quality of your water, we can begin developing a treatment plan for your business. Regardless of the results of your water test, there is one water treatment system that will always be necessary — that is carbon filtration.

Carbon Filtration for Coffee Brewing Applications

Carbon filtration utilizes a media called activated carbon. Activated carbon is created by applying heat, pressure, and gas to various materials in the absence of oxygen. These materials can include coconut shells, wood, lignite, and various grades of coal. The material used to create the activated carbon affects which types of contaminants it is most effective at removing.

How Does Activated Carbon Work

Activated carbon is produced to have a network of pores throughout. This porosity results in an enormous amount of surface area. This high surface area allows activated carbon to remove contaminants through a process called adsorption. Adsorption is defined as the adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas or liquid to a surface. As we discussed in the last section, various forms of activated carbon exist. Each type of activated carbon contains a different sizing and volume of micro porosity. This plays an important role in determining what kinds of contaminants it will be most effective at removing. Some contaminants, like chlorine , are comprised of a long chain of molecules. These are best removed by an activated carbon that contains a medium to large pore structure, like bituminous. Other molecules like , are comprised of a short chain of molecules, and are more effectively removed by an activated carbon that contains a small pore structure like those that produce color. A mismatch between the contaminants molecule chain and the activated carbons pore sizing, can result in the contaminant not being locked in place, and being dislodged as water passes over it, returning the contaminant to your water. The most common approach to using activated carbon when the contaminant is unknown, or price is the primary factor, is to use a middle of the road approach. A medium pore-sized activated carbon is often used because it allows you to remove a broad range of contaminants, often with an acceptable rate of removal. By having your water tested, you will know the exact contaminants present in your water, allowing you to utilize the most effective carbon for solving your water quality issue.

Why Do I Need Carbon Filtration?

There are some contaminants that will always be present in your water supply that can affect taste and odor, and result in coffee that is not ideal. These contaminants are chlorine and chloramines. These chemicals are introduced by city municipalites to protect against bacteria, algae, cysts, and viruses. While we all enjoy the benefits of adding these chemicals to our water, they will get in the way of producing the best coffee; therefore, they will need to be removed prior to brewing your coffee. The most effective media at removing chlorine and chloramines is activated carbon.

Reverse Osmosis in Coffee Brewing Applications

Now that the easy stuff is out of the way, let us discuss the role that reverse osmosis plays in producing the best coffee water. Depending on the results of your water test, it may become apparent that more advanced treatment options are required. Reverse osmosis will be your best tool for addressing the majority of these issues.

What Is Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse osmosis (RO) uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove contaminants from water. Water pressure pushes incoming water through a special membrane to remove a large percentage of impurities. The process of reverse osmosis is achieved with a Reverse Osmosis or RO System. These systems utilize multiple stages to create near pure water, giving your coffee the best opportunity to meet its full potential. Reverse osmosis has the ability to remove minerals, total dissolved solids, bacteria, viruses, iron, heavy metals, and many more contaminants. For a full list of contaminants removed by reverse osmosis see our Reverse Osmosis Rejection Chart.

How Does Reverse Osmosis Work?

Reverse osmosis systems are most easily understood by breaking the system down into its various stages. This will help you understand the role of each stage and how it assists in making the best coffee water.

• Stage 1 Pre-Filtration: The pre-filter, or sediment filter on a reverse osmosis (RO) system is designed to remove large particles from incoming water to protect the further stages from being exhausted too quickly. Without a pre-filter the carbon filters and membrane would become plugged with fine particles, resulting in reduced water flow and efficiency, and inevitably no output.
• Stage 2, 3 & 5 Carbon Filtration: We discussed the role carbon plays in removing carbon at the beginning of this article. In addition to the various benefits we discussed, carbon filtration plays an even more important role in a reverse osmosis system. The semi-permeable membrane we discussed are vulnerable to chlorine and chloramines. These chemicals introduced by your city water supply will quickly destroy your membrane. Therefore, carbon filtration is required to remove chlorine and chloramines prior to the water coming into contact with the membrane. Typically two carbon filters will be placed before the membrane. The first carbon filter removes up to 99% of chlorine and chloramines, and the second carbon filter removes the majority of the trace chlorine and acts as a backup in case the first filter becomes exhausted. In comparison to a membrane, carbon filters are cheap, so it is always the most cost effective practice to have adequate carbon filtration. The third carbon filter (stage 5) acts to remove taste, and any residual particles that can slowly build up in the water storage tank, ensuring you have great tasting water with an extremely clear appearance.
• Stage 4 Semi-Permeable Membrane: We discussed the role that a semi-permeable membrane plays in the previous section. These membranes use an ultra-purification technique called reverse osmosis. Incoming water builds up pressure behind the membrane, forcing water through its multiple layers of wrapped membrane. The tight layers of the membrane allow water molecules to pass through, but restrict passage to other molecules, such as those that make up dissolved minerals, chemicals and organic matter. Semi-permeable membranes are rated on production and efficiency. Production is typically measured by gallons per day. It will need to be determined how much water you are using each day to adequately size the system for your business.
• Storage Tank: Due to the low production rates achieved by reverse osmosis a storage tank will be required to house purified water. This will allow for the volume and pressure required to provide instantaneous access to water in enough quantities for your daily activities. Storage tanks come in a wide range of sizes to fit your unique needs.
• Optional Components: Many additional stages and components can be added to a reverse osmosis system to provide a better experience for employees and customers. Pressure pumps are available for scenarios where low water pressure exist or increased flow at the tap is desired. Mixing valves that blend reverse osmosis and filtered water will be your best bet at achieving the perfect balance of TDS and mineral content for your coffee. Automatic TDS meters will be a convenient solution for knowing when it is time to maintain your system and replace filters.

Why Do I Need Reverse Osmosis for Brewing Coffee?

Reverse osmosis is the only economical way of removing a wide range of contaminants down to an acceptable level for coffee production. By removing nearly all mineral content, heavy metals, chemicals, and organic molecules, you have a clean slate with which to build the best water for your coffee making application; however, using solely purified water will result in coffee that tastes flat. There is still work to be done to bring your water into the ideal parameters for coffee.

Combining Water Treatment Techniques to Achieve a Perfect Blend

Now that nearly all impurities are removed from your water, we will have to reintroduce some impurities back into the water. Some mineral content and TDS is needed to add balance and flavor to the water so that your coffee does not taste flat. Minerals such as salt, magnesium, and potassium impart flavors into water that are beneficial to the overall flavor of the brew. Commercial reverse osmosis systems can be equipped with a valve that can blend filtered water with the purified water produced by the reverse osmosis system. By blending in filtered water, you can still ensure that chlorine, chloramines, and organics are not present in the water to negatively affect taste and odor, while also enabling introduction of beneficial minerals and TDS into the water.

Perfect Coffee Water at Last

We have now covered the fundamentals of producing the best water for coffee. By following these guidelines, you can achieve consistent quality cup after cup. While it seems there are many factors to consider and parameters to control, remember, you are not alone. International Filter can assist you with free water testing and a free consultation to help guide you in the right direction. Give us a call and start brewing the best coffee in your area today!

The post How to Make the Best Coffee Water: Water Treatment Techniques first appeared on International Filter.

We all take great coffee and our access to it for granted, but what actually makes the best coffee? Is it the imported beans from foreign lands, the proprietary roasting techniques, the water to coffee ratio, the optimum brewing temperature, or the fancy coffee makers? The answer is yes and no. While all these things play a factor in the taste and aroma of a great cup of coffee, the component that plays the biggest part in producing the best cup of coffee is something that needs no introduction — water. Without quality water, the rest of these factors would simply not matter.

It sounds simple, but what makes the best coffee water? Before I can answer that questions, let us discuss all the things that can be present in the water delivered to your business.

• Chlorine/Chloramines: ​​Chlorine and chloramines are a necessary evil in our water supply. City municipalities add chlorine and chloramines to the water supply in order to kill cysts, bacteria, algae, and viruses. The levels of chlorine and chloramines in the water supply typically depend on the temperature of the water and how far the water has to travel until it reaches the end of its service line. While chlorine and chloramines are great for keeping people safe, they are a major issue when trying to create the best coffee water. Chlorine and chloramines affect the taste and odor of water. They impart a chemical taste and a swimming pool like odor. These are
  not desirable qualities in a cup of coffee.
• Organics: ​​Organics are by-products of things falling into the water supply and breaking down
  into microscopic pieces. This can be plant matter, insects, manure, and a wide range of other contaminants. These organic by-products can affect the taste and odor of water. Crickets and animal waste are definitely not a component of the best coffee water.
• Color: ​​Color is a property of water that does not always affect the taste of water. However, green, yellow, or rust-colored water is unsightly and most likely will not be appealing to your customers. Some contaminants like iron, can cause water color to change. Iron in your water can also impart a metallic taste that will effect the taste of the coffee.
• Total Dissolved Solids: ​​Total dissolved solids (TDS) are a measurement used to determine the total dissolved content of in-organic and organic contaminants in water. This can include minerals, agricultural runoff by-products, and organic by-products. TDS is not necessarily a bad thing at the right levels. High TDS levels can cause issues with taste and aesthetics. Low levels of TDS can cause your water to taste flat. Finding the right balance is important to making the best coffee water.
• Dissolved Minerals: ​​Dissolved minerals are introduced to water as it passes over rocks in streams, rivers and aquifers. They can include calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. While all these contaminants in water are good for you, they tend to affect the taste of water. Keeping these in balance is important to allow the taste of the coffee to shine through. Also, minerals like calcium and magnesium form scale. Scale can build up in your water reservoir, and throughout your coffee machine. This scale will eventually coat the heating elements of your coffee machine, resulting in lower efficiency, and eventually failure — not an ideal outcome.
• Total alkalinity: ​​Total alkalinity represents the concentration of alkaline substances that are dissolved in water. These include carbonate, hydroxides, and bicarbonates. These substances are typically introduced as water breaks down rock. While it is rare that alkalinity levels will be high enough to affect taste, they do have the capacity to buffer acids and keep pH in control. Most likely you will not find yourself having to adjust these levels, but it is still important to know the factors that change the properties of water.
• pH: ​​pH probably needs no introduction. If you have ever had a high school chemistry class you are probably aware of pH. pH represents how acidic or alkaline water is based on a scale of 0 to 14, with 0 being extremely acidic, and 14 being extremely alkaline or basic. High pH levels in your water supply will result in your water having a flat taste, while low pH levels will result in a bitter flavor. Keeping pH balanced is an important component to the best coffee water.

Now that we know all the factors that can affect the taste, odor, and appearance of your water, let us discuss what is actually required for an amazing cup of water. The following chart was created by the Specialty Coffee Association and represents their recommendations for the ideal water for coffee making.

I hope you now understand the importance of high-water quality in making the perfect cup of coffee. It can feel like a daunting task to achieve this level of water quality. Fortunately, water treatment systems exist that can help you achieve this goal. If you would like to find out how you can start using the best coffee water in your business please read our ​Achieving the Best Coffee Water​ article, where we discuss treatment techniques for controlling each of the water quality issues you may be experiencing in your business.

The post Beyond the Bean How to Make the Best Coffee first appeared on International Filter.