This story is about solving water quality issues at home using water treatment systems.
Josh and Sierra have built a life together. They live with their two adorable young children, the oldest, Gracie, 7, and her little brother Hunter, 5. This young family all live in the home they bought after working hard to reach this milestone achievement as first-time home buyers.

It took time for them to get their down payment scraped together. First, they were paying off credit card debt and other loans. Their focus helped them increase their credit scores while reducing their debt-to-income ratio for mortgage financing. Both worked overtime and side hustles, like people transporting and pizza deliveries. Together as a team, they finally got the keys to a great starter home one fine day. It’s not exactly a palace. But it’s a house that they have grown to make a home for their family.

And it’s theirs.

However, they needed to make the home more functional and safe for the whole family. Both decided to tackle some home projects, just like other responsible parents do, to protect their families.

They performed Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects. Some DIY projects, like bigger ones, take a couple of weekends to complete, while smaller projects are completed in one weekend or a day.

These home improvement projects increased their home’s value, and they earned high praise from friends and family for their achievements.

They have good friends with specific skill sets, such as landscaping, carpentry, painting, and flooring. Tackling these projects with the help and guidance of friends was rewarding while learning a new skill. Getting hands-on training from a trusted friend helps build confidence and the ‘can-do’ attitude needed to get the job done.

Then, in 2020, the bottom fell out of the bucket on a global level.

Nobody saw it coming. The global pandemic appeared out of nowhere, causing COVID-19 to settle in, lurking everywhere. People began realizing over time that this nightmare would not leave any time soon.

Sierra and Josh sat down to protect the family and had a heartfelt discussion.

This young couple is very aware of the current issues. Global warming, endangered breeds of wild animals on the brink of extinction. Black Lives Matter. Hate crimes. Stock market crashes—the geopolitical landscape and certain bad media and Social Media actors.

The parents want to help the planet by taking personal responsibility by reducing waste and conserving water, a growing limited resource. But they also desire to protect their own family.

The Money Issue

Sierra is the CFO of their family budget. Reconciling the bank checking account is a balancing act every month. Sierra knows they can’t depend on Josh getting a raise when many companies tighten their belts due to the pandemic’s economic impact. It was time to sit down and see where they could save money to relieve the pressure cooker of their finances every month. Plus, when talking about finances (specifically, their lack of it, not their abundance), it can sometimes become heated arguments.

Another thing they are very familiar with is the state of water. Josh listened to Sierra about her research online about the high cost of safe water to drink. About 20% of every dollar earned is spent on a water-related solution.

Dozens of water-related products are on the market and purchased daily to remedy water-related issues. These include personal care products like cosmetics, body soaps, shampoos, and conditioners. And that’s just for the body. Think about laundry solutions, detergents with no dyes or fragrances, and dryer sheets for static removal and softness.

Or final rinsing agent products to make drinking glasses remain nearly spot-free.

Move to general housekeeping products to clean kitchens and bathrooms, removing rust and hard-water deposits from tubs, sinks, toilets, tile, and glass.

Of course, they also spend money on bottled water. Upon further investigation, statistically, the average person (not a family household) spends about $1400.00 annually on bottled water alone.

So they looked around for solutions.

The Risks Surrounding Their Water

Our young parents can continue to buy and lug around heavy water bottles weekly at a cost. However, they no longer like going to the store due to potential exposure to viral illnesses like the recent COVID-19 event. Even before the pandemic that started in March 2020, they had to risk traffic and bad weather on the roads at times. That fender bender in the grocery store parking lot will ratchet up that week’s water expense.

They could make the water taste better for drinking and food preparations. Still, Sierra stated a growing concern about water safety beyond taste, appearance, and odors. It’s about the stuff in the water that affects their family’s health in the short and long term.

Sierra read that many people flush their expired medication down the toilets. Combine this with the lack of raw water available due to droughts around the country, which further compounds the issue. Many local water treatment facilities cannot significantly reduce exposure to these pharmaceuticals from polluting the drinking water supply.

Water issues regularly make the media headlines, as do broken water supply line mains that cross-contaminate with raw sewer lines in neighborhoods. Dental patients, from the elderly to small children, get sick after a local dentist visit, causing a follow-up visit to an Emergency Room Clinic. Sadly, sometimes, a patient dies from exposure to a waterborne contaminant regardless of their age.

Those who do survive usually develop some form of cancer that is devastating to the family in every possible way. The emotional and psychological impacts and financial costs cause some people to make difficult choices to afford where to live. In a moment, everything can change.

To make matters worse, Josh and Sierra’s daughter, Gracie, was recently diagnosed with Lupus at the tender age of seven. Since the diagnosis includes having a compromised immune system for life, the family has to adjust their lifestyle to help reduce the flare-ups Gracie gets from time to time.

They learned how to help Gracie avoid situations that cause their daughter’s immune system to fall ‘lower than low’ daily. Even beyond what the EPA’s ‘Safe Drinking Water Act‘ says is ‘acceptable‘ in the home, Sierra knew that untreated water still has a host of potential waterborne contaminants that can wreak havoc on young Gracie’s immune system and her senior grandparents.

Josh knew he needed to protect his family, whom he loves dearly.

Plan A: Get Their Water Tested.

The parents made a plan and decided they needed to have their water tested at home. Making a plan was smart because many people are not as health-conscious about the water they bathe in daily. Most consumers are more motivated by the aesthetics of having soft and delicious water and a sale at the local hardware Big-Box store.

So, they started researching water testing online. They found dozens of testing kits that can be completed at home or mailed to a state-licensed water testing lab. Some test kits were cheap, and others were expensive. So confused because neither one knew what to test for, they decided to go the professional route.

That same weekend, as they left the local big box membership store where they shopped, the couple saw a person standing next to a sign that read ‘Free Water Test.‘ As the couple approached, the person started with a big toothy smile like they saw their best friend for the first time since two decades ago. They mentioned that they were conducting a survey. The company collected data on areas with the safest water and those with the worst water in the vicinity. After asking a few sales-presentation qualification questions, the appointment maker booked an appointment with our friendly couple.

What could it hurt, they thought?

Plan B: Enter the Water Treatment Dealer Rep.

So they agreed to have a ‘water treatment expert‘ come to their home to collect samples to test in their kitchen.

After some test results for water hardness and what a water softening system could do, the water treatment (aka sales rep) connected a portable demonstrator reverse osmosis (aka RO) filter kit to their faucet tap. The taste, smell, and appearance of the RO water were like night and day compared to the unfiltered tap water. The RO water tasted just like the water they hauled in every week from the store—no more single-use plastic bottle containers filling up landfills and waterways.

Once they both agreed that this was the answer to one of their most significant issues, the salesperson dropped the bomb on the couple with a $10,000.00 price tag and special 5-year financing at 24% APR with approved credit. They needed to help fill out the credit application and a few signatures, like when they financed their car and home.

Five attempts by the sales rep using all his sales closing tactics on how crazy this couple would miss out on if they didn’t order today, by missing a ton of valuable special clearance discounts, how booked up their installers were getting, etc. They politely sent the salesman out the front door that he entered three hours ago.

They had just had their hopes and dreams dashed into dust. The last two to three hours spent with this person were eye-opening and yet depressing. They could not afford it.

Shopping for an affordable and reliable water treatment solution is the most common problem. People are torn between doing what’s best for the family and paying a premium cost or providing the best but can’t afford it, leaving them helpless and unresourceful.

Plan C: The Do-It-Yourself Solution

But Josh comes back with a suggestion. He tells Sierra that he noticed many different water filtration systems on display at the other big box store that sells hardware beside a signature blue or orange bucket. He’s passed the aisle a few times while shopping for a special tool or materials for one of the previous DIY weekend projects.

Josh then suggests to Sierra that she start researching the best prices on Reverse Osmosis and Water Softener Systems. She does and finds that the prices are all over the place. She suggests Josh look at researching how to install the systems on YouTube.

A weekend later, both get back together to discuss the project. Josh shares that he is overwhelmed by the number of videos he found online. There are many different water filtration systems videos, all with other locations, water pipes, and various stages. There are lots of complex tubes and filters. Some show people sweating pipes and cautionary tales of the wall catching on fire due to the blow torch’s angle. He didn’t see anyone with absolute authority on the subject.

His online research results frustrated and confused him. Josh wants his family to have the best solution possible and keep the water treatment system within the family’s budget, especially for Daddy’s Little Girl, Gracie.

Plan D: Getting Water Treatment and Filtration System Training

Josh decided he could find training on selecting, installing, and servicing different water filtration systems.  As he searched, all he could find was training designed for engineers to build a municipal water treatment system for a local village in emerging countries.

The courses offered were designed for water treatment dealer professionals looking for certification credentials or continuing education credits. The websites looked like typical professional trade industry versions speaking in an unfamiliar technical language. Technical jargon was too much, even for the most seasoned homeowners who are usually familiar with hands-on DIY projects. These water guys speak like they are in the military and don’t speak fluent ‘civilian.‘ The key is communication.

The Growing Frustrations

So their choices were the following:

1. Spending $10,000.00 with the local ‘good-ole-boy water treatment dealer.
2. Taking a chance to buy the wrong water filtration system and still not address their source water’s health concerns.
3. Getting an overpriced water filtration system but yielding underperforming results.
4. Installing a water treatment system and getting stuck with water damage caused by water leaks.
5. Not knowing how to properly troubleshoot and repair a water filtration and treatment system.
6. Not feeling confident they can do any of this.
7. They fear that they might have to move to another area with safer water to work with—water that is not so hard or chemically and biologically dangerous when bath time occurs.

Josh and Sierra’s situation and its outcome were getting dismal.

Frankly, to say the least, because they felt trapped and unsettled. Not only were they unable to save money in their budget, but now they discovered they were right in the crosshairs of being exposed daily to water contaminants in their source water. A federal government agency considers tap water as ‘safe drinking water standards.‘

It was an unbearable and heavy burden on Josh and Sierra’s heart to protect their family while saving money.

Finally, a break in the clouds emerged.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a friend mentioned online that they had discovered a water treatment and filtration system training company that teaches homeowners, renters, and even small business owners who are searching for a DIY solution.

The website and social media outlets are called Daily Living With Water. A REAL water treatment subject matter expert develops them.

His name is Michael W. Rogers, but most call him Mike Rogers. He covers both water source types that people need to pay special attention to in detail. Those water source types are municipal or ‘city water.‘  The second type is well water, either considered groundwater, aquifer, or rainwater by a cistern is the second water source type. Mike lived in the city and country for years on farms and ranches while growing up.

Mike Rogers explained all the problems with water. He discussed the next steps by offering solutions so that something as important as health and safety is Priority One. Saving thousands of dollars without compromising quality runs a close second. In some situations, DIYers have a more innovative solution for the same money or even less expensive than the solutions the local water treatment dealer offers.

Our young couple joined to get training on water testing, reading the results, building a game plan, and researching the water project for materials, components, and tools. They followed the step-by-step instructions taught by water treatment systems master trainer Mike Rogers.

Today, the whole family is enjoying the upgrade in their home’s water supply. No more hauling in water from the store. Gone are the concerns about their water’s microbiological condition for handwashing, bathing, showering, or even mouth, teeth, and gum care.

After all the investment dollars spent on the water improvement project, Sierra told Josh she wasn’t buying as many water-related items, such as soaps, conditioners, and cleaners.  

All the savings allowed this family to quickly take a well-deserved vacation to Disney World.

But the best part was that the adorable little girl Gracie was feeling better and stronger. Gracie’s immune system is no longer exposed to germs, thanks to improved (non-drinking) water taps, which now provide safer water than the prior Government baseline for safe drinking water standard levels.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.