A lot about the world of water pisses me off. Companies purchasing garbage water systems simply because they cost less. People in Flint, Michigan facing the loss of their health and lives because the government refuses to be truthful and replace the entire poisoned piping network. Add to horrors like this the absolute flim-flam of consumer products like alkaline water, hydrogen water, black water, and God only knows how many other gimmicks that people will pay for, all because they don’t want to put in the effort to study science and understand water.
That’s how we are with water. We want simple answers; we want one-word answers. We want someone to tell us in one simple sentence what the magic, gold-standard product is that we can buy and forever have the best water in the world. Of course, when our water is poisoned, then we shout “why didn’t anyone tell us?”
The truth about water more often than not chases people away. It requires thought, study, insight, patience, and most vitally, money to protect and deliver what we all deserve, the best. Over the past few weeks I lived through the most frustrating example of people being cheap about water that I have witnessed in 30 years.
After completing a stellar installation a client tried to modify the system himself and did this to the pipe work. This CEO called me to complain about our shoddy workmanship. The truth came out, but this is what happens when inexperienced people become self-appointed water experts.
Two years ago a long-time friend and client asked me to design a reverse osmosis system for a new food product company that she became part of. Designing what she wanted required a 3″ dedicated water line. This is not something readily found in an office building, so being that water was the most important ingredient in this product, I went on a bandwagon early to assure that her installation would work properly. However, as time proceeded and I was asked to look at facilities she was considering, the mere mention of proper water service sent the landlords off into a moronic stare, eyes glazing over to any further conversation I tried to engage in. Adding insult-to-injury my client also completely became oblivious to my advice, and in the end, with the wisdom from her partners, the local utility, and plumbers, she elected to use a 2″ line. Making matter worse, when I assured her that a 2″ in-house virtually guaranteed that the outside meter was only 1 1/2″, far too small to operate my design, she went silent.
Lo-and-behold during start-up the system failed due to an inadequate water supply. Big surprise! So again, I illuminated the necessity of a 3″ line, and again, my client’s “experts” assured her that a new 2″ meter outside would offer up enough water. Of course, it won’t, but who am I to know how much water a system I designed and installed will need?
So, after installing 2″ copper pipe and backflow preventers, the client ripped it all out and installed a new 3″ pipe. When I told them this would not make a difference because the outside meter is only 1 1/2 inch, they again treated me like a leper and went to their “experts” who assured them a 2″ meter will bring enough water. Why I even bother, I don’t know.
So, look at the pictures from this installation. The top photo shows all the expensive 2″ copper pipe and electrical service that had to be ripped out because the client knew what best. The other two photos show a mutilated fitting that their “genius” tried to adjust instead of calling their water expert.
