Whether you just signed up for a water delivery plan or you’ve been getting bottled water delivered to your home for a while now, knowing water terms and definitions can make asking questions or interacting with one of the bottled water company’s representatives much easier. You’ll be able to communicate more easily and solve any issues much more quickly!
Common Water Terminology & FAQ
We’ve provided a list of water terms, some of which you’ve probably heard and others that will likely be new to you.
Acid water: water with a pH value less than 7 (see “pH” also)
Alkaline water: water with a pH more than 7 (see “pH” also)
Biocide: chemical (harmful to microorganisms) that is sometimes used to remove bacteria from water
Cake: solid residue left on a filter after the filtration process – not as tasty as the treat you get on your birthday!
Distillation: purification process where the water is boiled to produce vapor, removing any contaminants (see “evaporation” and “purification” also)
Evaporation: process where water is changed from liquid to vapor or steam
Filtration: process of removing particles and impurities from water
Filter water cooler: water cooler that is hooked directly into your water line and filters water so it comes out of the cooler in a purified state – also known as a bottleless water cooler (see “point-of-use water cooler” also)
Hard water: water that has high levels of dissolved minerals, particularly magnesium and calcium
Ion exchange: process where the minerals are removed from water – also referred to as water softening
Mineral water: water with large amounts of dissolved minerals like calcium, iron, sodium and more
Ozonation: purification process where oxygen molecules are split and then recombined to ozone (higher energy state) – ozone is very effective (more so than chlorine) at removing contaminants from the water!
Parts-per-million (PPM): measurement of dissolved solids in water – to give you an idea, tap water has 300-400 PPM while purified water has less than 10 PPM!
pH: a measure of the acidity or alkalinity of materials (like water), using a scale from 0-14, with 7 being neutral (pure water is neutral and has a pH value very close to 7)
Potable water: water that is safe to drink and cook with
Point-of-use (POU) water cooler: water cooler that is hooked directly into your water line and filters water so it comes out of the cooler in a purified state – it’s also known as a bottleless water (see “filter water cooler” also)
Purification: process where contaminants and other impurities are removed from water (distillation is an example of purification) using reverse osmosis, ozonation or another way
Reverse osmosis: purification process where the water passes through a membrane to the side with the lowest concentration of impurities – commonly used to remove salt and other dissolved substances from water
Sand filtration: filtration process used to remove solids from tap/municipal water, where the water passes through multiple sand filters of different sizes
Call Endless Waters today if you have additional questions or want to learn more about these water terms!
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