The Certified Water Softener Sustainability Professional/Arizona (CWSSP-
A) certification program is
an educational journey to help members of our water treatment industry; our water treatment industry customers and the state of Arizona better understand and handle some of the central environmental issues facing us today.
By earning a Certified Water Softener Sustainability Professional/Arizona (CWSSP-
A) credential, a water treatment industry professional will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the problems we face in Arizona – and to apply the ideal solutions. Doing so will help environmentally minded consumers be involved in these seriously sustainability problems. If you select a water treatment professional that has this certification – this will also show policymakers that our industry is
committed to finding answers that work for everyone.
What is the Arizona Water Quality Association?
The Arizona Water Quality Association is an organization that represents the point-of-use, point-of-entry water treatment industry in Arizona. We seek to promote the benefits of quality water to you and advance the professionalism of our members (and encourage other organization within our industry to join us) and follow a strict code of ethics and raise the standards of our water treatment industry.
We operate a consumer information center, providing an abundance of information on residential and commercial water treatment challenges.
The AWQA has developed industry seminars to disseminate the latest information to our water treatment technicians, managers, owners and our customers. We promote national certification; timely information on industry concerns, and we work closely with related groups to assure that our members are maintaining the highest standards of technical and professional greatness.
What is the AWQA.ORG best practices sticker?
This sticker is sold by the Arizona Water Quality Association (to be sold and applied by qualifying individuals).
These are the web pages that are listed on this sticker:
AWQA.ORG
WSSPA.ORG
Both web pages represent our dedication to the sustainability of our water treatment industry.
This sticker can only be purchased (they are just a dollar) by people who have attended the CWSPP-A program and showed competence and passed the four quizzes ‘with at least a 75% score’. This sticker represents that the company who purchases (and applies this sticker ‘to the water softener in which they are installing in your home’) are following best practices in our industry (including):
- Installing the proper equipment to meet your needs
- Utilizing the proper installation techniques (following all the plumbing codes)
- This unit is set correctly for the appropriate influent water conditions ‘this soft water equipment is set to save water and salt’
A company that applies this sticker represents these:
- They take pride in their work
- They take pride in their company (they send all their staff to attend this class ‘CWSSP-A’ and learn the proper techniques and skill to raise the standard of our industry)
- They are committing to their customers that they are providing them the proper equipment
I was fortunate to teach the CWSSP-A class at 8 AM on 09.12.20. This class lasted 2 hours and was attended by 13 members of our Arizona Water Quality Association. The attendees represented these four companies: All About Water (Eco Water); Parker and Son’s – plumbing and water treatment; Culligan Water and Boyett’s family water treatment.
Here is a picture of this group:
After each of the four modules, the attendees took a quiz and received a certificate of completion. Their names will be listed on the AWQA.org web page with the other certificate holders. We feel these classes will be important to show our communities and our government leaders and water providers that we are being a responsible industry by preserving our precious water resources. We also feel the AWQA organization will continue to be influential in helping consumers choose the best water treatment company.
This was one of the biggest honors of my life since my father was a founding member in this organization in the early 60s.
Here is a picture of the original Arizona Water Quality Association founding members:
My father is seated on the left.
The Arizona Water Quality Association has a great reputation for helping our water treatment industry in the valley to remain of high character and honor. The companies that belong to the AWQA.org are representing to you they care about doing a good job and especially for the environment. We are proud to be associated with this group.
Here is a description of the topics we discuss in our CWSSP-A certification program:
- Because we understand Arizona’s climate is a desert; water has always been a precious commodity, and farming has always been a challenge (too much salt in the water can cause problems for the farmers). As an industry we plan to help conserve water and to help preserve the soil.
Here are the consequences if all the people in the water treatment industry do not participate in conservation and sustainability:
Legislation will be introduced that will allow the towns in the state to
regulate the use, installation and disposal of water softening devices and systems. This
can lead to the outright banning of softeners, as well as other restrictions. The Arizona Water Quality Association feels there is a tremendous sense of urgency to act right away and protect our privilege to use salt.
- At this meeting we discussed every reasonable way to conserve water and limit salinity
- We discussed the estimated figure of about 31% of homes in the City of Phoenix that are
using SRWS (self-regenerating water softeners). 1
– Certified Water Softener Sustainability Professional/Arizona (CWSSP-A) program
is designed to help our employees and our customers understand the problems of salinity and
water use facing Arizona and help you make sound choices.
- Sources of potable water are becoming more limited. The Colorado and other important
rivers are providing less water owing to drought conditions. With lower rainfall most
years, in-state reservoirs are experiencing reduced levels, too. These conditions are
made more acute with rising populations.
- According to the WateReuse Association, “water reuse offers a climate independent water source that is dependable, locally-controlled, and generally beneficial to the environment.” This allows communities to be less reliant on groundwater and surface water sources (such as reservoirs and the Colorado River, which serve Arizona). Sometimes referred to also as recycled water and reclaimed water, this non-potable recycled water goes through a separate pipeline system to the customers, separated from the drinking water pipeline system. In addition, as the CASS study reports, in many places unplanned indirect potable reuse routinely occurs when treated wastewater discharged from an upstream community is subsequently withdrawn for potable use by a downstream community.
- The most common type of water softener now on the market and now in use is called a “demand-initiated regeneration” (DIR) unit. These units keep track of the water usage and then trigger regeneration based on various factors, including amount of water used, electrical conductivity of the resin, or by monitoring the hardness of the effluent. Once one of these parameters reaches a set level, the regeneration process is initiated. These DIR water softeners are very reliable in sensing the need for regeneration and reduce the occurrence of problems associated with time clock units. These DIR systems can be very efficient in both the amount of salt or water used compared to the amount of hardness removed. Boyett’s family water treatment will only utilize the very most efficient water treatment equipment at your home. Because we select the very finest and most efficient components; we build your water treatment equipment and install this equipment in your home – we can ensure your water treatment equipment will be the efficient, sustainable and durable for our Arizona water.
Most people know the obvious benefits of softened water – better shampoo lather, fewer spots on dishes, reduced films on shower walls. But there are many other practical advantages to softeners: Saving energy and money, reducing the use of harmful detergents, helping appliances last longer and keeping our landfills a little less full.
Softeners are often the enabling technology that keeps the rest of our houses running efficiently and clean. Studies have demonstrated this. In recent years, the not-for-profit Water Quality Research Foundation and other independent researchers have shown how helpful softeners can be.
Showerheads and faucets. Showerheads and faucets last longer with softened water. One study found that showerheads on softened water maintained a brilliant luster and full flow. Faucets on softened water performed well throughout the study; nearly as well as the day they were installed. Showerheads on hard water lost 75% of the flow rate in less than 18 months.
Major appliances. One team of researchers ran dishwashers and clothes washers 30 days, completing 240 wash cycles using both softened and hard water sources. They found the units using softened water were almost completely free of any scale build up — appearing as if they could be cleaned up to look like new with just a quick wipe down. The appearance of the inside of units using hard water, however, showed the need for deliming and cleaning due to the build-up of scale and deposits.
Reduced detergent use. Research conducted recently by the independent testing firm Scientific Services S/D, Inc. of New York found:
- In washing machines, softened water allows detergent use to be reduced by 50% and saves energy by washing at the cold water setting instead of the hot water setting, achieving the same or better stain removal and whiter clothes compared to results in hard water.
- In dishwashers, with areas having very hard water, softened water can mean cutting detergent by up to 70% by softening water.
Water heaters with a storage tank. Water heaters that use gas storage tanks and were operated on softened water managed to maintain their original factory efficiency rating over a 15-year lifetime. On the other hand, hard water can lead to as much as a 48% loss of efficiency in water heaters. In electric heaters, the life of the heating element will be shortened due to scale build up, because of increased operating temperature of the heating element.
Tankless water heaters. Indoor instantaneous gas water heaters (tank-less heaters) operated on softened water maintained the original factory efficiency rating over a 15-year lifetime. On the other hand, tank-less water heaters operating on hard water failed after testing for the equivalent of 1.6 years.
Softeners and pipes. You may come across some who ask whether water softeners can actually be harmful to some pipes. Here’s the reality: “The addition of calcium is not considered a corrosion control treatment strategy… the removal of calcium may not necessarily increase the corrosivity of water.” That quote comes from an EPA pilot study. It was conducted the EPA’s Drinking Water Research Division (Thomas J. Sorg, project manager, and Michael R. Schock, principal investigator). In other words, the suggestion that ion exchange water softeners promote corrosion is a misperception and the suggestion to use scale build up as a corrosion control method is inappropriate – as proven by the EPA.
The simple replacement of hard water calcium and magnesium with softened water sodium or potassium has no detrimental effect on water contacting materials. In fact, the nonscaling characteristic of softened water is a benefit to such pumping and plumbing appurtenances. Ion exchange water softening neither causes nor controls corrosion. Furthermore, in the case of corrosion control, inhibitors or other effective and reliable prevention methods should be employed.
The most important point made at this meeting is that our Arizona water is scarce: if the correct equipment is utilized and installed properly; our water treatment industry will sustain. Boyett’s family water treatment is proud to be involved in helping our industry sustain; finding the right Arizona Water Quality Association members to join and teaching all the members the correct method to conduct this important water treatment business.
This will be our Arizona Water Quality Association on-going discussions: solutions to help move consumers to higher efficiency water softening devices and how to encourage our industry to make more efficient water-saving equipment.
There are many benefits to water treatment devices. As numerous independent studies have shown, these include better operating showerheads and faucets, longer-lasting major appliances, and the need for less detergent and hot water for cleaning.
Doug Oberhamer of Culligan Water mentioned this important point:
Let us study the impact of garbage disposals on water treatment. Maybe we need to utilize the method of composting to help keep these wastes from the sewer. Are garbage disposals adversely impacting treatment methods at our water treatment plants? Let us take on this study.
For those involved in water softener sales, it is important to speak authoritatively to consumers about why they should look for certification when choosing professionals and products. The primary purpose of the CWSSP-A program, for example, is to demonstrate to possible customers that you have the knowledge and understanding to help them make good choices. You therefore need to be able to explain why such certification is beneficial.
In the water treatment industry, as in many others, trade associations provide a critical role in keeping professionalism and integrity high.
Voluntary credentialing, or certification, has an old and very important place in the American workplace. Experts estimate that there are currently between 600 and 1200 American private organizations engage in voluntary certification or credentialing. Many people believe that voluntary professional certification, which is a form of self-regulation, is superior to governmental competency regulation (called licensing), which requires massive licensing bureaucracies supported by tax funding.
In this industry, most professional certification is conducted by the Water Quality Association. Here are some of the key points surrounding certification:
- To be certified, professionals go through a series of classes and specialized training and pledge to abide by a strict code of ethics.
- They must show a necessary level of knowledge of water chemistry and treatment technologies. They must also demonstrate a commitment to stay on top of industry developments through continuing education.
- Certification is reviewed by outside experts. Guidelines are recommended by the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), the nation’s certifier of certifiers.
The Water Quality Association has modernized its education delivery system with its Modular Education Program. It is a new approach, delivered in “bite-sized” courses that can be easily integrated into the daily routine of full-time workers. It is also practical, built to maximize job performance through a combination of reading and doing.
I receive this WQA education and certification; I’d like for you to know that when you turn to Boyett’s family water treatment, we are bringing in a high level of professionalism and knowledge.
We will speak to you often of the CWSSP-A program (how it will help you; and help our environment save water and lower salinity): we are committed to the time and effort to understand the crucial issues facing Arizona and to learn of solutions that are right for you.
By preparing for this material and being involved here I feel like it has positively impacted the lives of you. I feel more passionate about our craft and protecting this privilege (to use salt). Since I have been working with the Arizona Water Quality Association -to begin this series- I find myself mentioning this important sustainability work on a daily basis to you.
You may choose traditional resin-based water softening devices. But there are other options. These include distillation and reverse osmosis (RO). Portable exchange is another choice that can be considered in some areas. Additionally, many firms are marketing “alternative” salt-free devices, though these have generally not been submitted to rigorous analysis.
It is important not only to know the realities of how these soften water but to also convey these in an understandable way.
Distillation. This process uses heat to vaporize water and remove impurities. Simply put, pure water molecules are taken away from contaminants that have a higher boiling point than water. There are many systems on the market to accomplish this goal, but they all follow the same basic principles. First, water is first heated until it reaches the boiling point. It then it starts to evaporate. The temperature must be kept at a constant temperature during this process.
Any evaporated water is “captured” and taken through a system of tubes to another container. In this way, the steam condenses back into its original liquid form. Contaminants having a higher boiling point than water remain in the original container. The process removes many minerals, bacteria and viruses, and any chemicals that have a higher boiling point than water from drinking water. Included in this list: Salt. During a distillation process, hardness ions (Ca2+ and Mg2+) are left behind, along with other contaminants.
Distillation is in many respects an ancient, simple and reliable way to treat water. In many circumstances, however, it is relatively expensive. What is more, distillation may not treat every one of the issues a particular customer is concerned about.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is one of the most common water treatment systems on the market. It uses hydrostatic pressure gradients across a special membrane. The membrane has pores large enough to admit water molecules for passage; hardness ions such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ remain behind and are flushed away by excess water into a drain. The resulting soft water supply is free of hardness ions without any other ions being added. But it should be noted that membranes have a limited capacity, requiring regular replacement.
Portable Exchange (PE) uses resin-based softening technology but ensures that the resulting salinity does not enter the water sources. With PE, water softening tanks provide soft water to homes and businesses by exchanging exhausted resin with newly regenerated resin on a regular, as needed, basis. The spent resin is regenerated at a centralized treatment facility under a controlled environment with brine reclaim and reuse which greatly reduces salt discharge. PE is not available in every community, however, and there are likely to be cost considerations.
“Alternative” salt-free softening devices. For many years, numerous firms have promoted what they call “salt free” softening systems. These claims can potentially cause confusion. It is important for customers to understand that water softening is the removal of calcium and a few other minerals that can cause water to damage pipes, appliances and clothing.
Some alternatives that do not remove the hardness minerals sometimes claim to be scale control devices. However, no national third party testing and certification system has been created by the manufacturers of these products, so it is difficult to verify and compare claims.
Remember too that only softeners are demonstrated to extend the life of water-using appliances and plumbing and even your clothes. With a water softener, customers also do not need to use as much soap when doing dishes or laundry.
You should also explore whether rebate programs might be available in your community. For example, in 2014, the city of Scottsdale announced a $164,000 pilot program for homeowners who upgraded their older water softeners.
I’d like for you to understand that as certified professionals; our technicians are receiving the training and knowledge to help you make informed decisions. By looking for certified representatives; you can feel confident that you are renting systems and devices that meet high industry and sustainability standards.
We would like for you to understand all the options in which you can choose to treat your water. Traditional ion-exchange softeners are one choice, but you may wish to look at distillation and RO. And Portable Exchange (PE) where available, is effective at preventing salinity from entering water sources. “Salt-free” devices are often untested by third-party sources and may not remove hardness.
It certainly is vital to provide you this information to make intelligent decisions for your needs and for the environment. Your awareness will not stop here. Once you rent our water treatment equipment – we will teach you how to operate this equipment. It is also important for our staff in the field to be well versed in the larger environmental realities. Often it is during dialog with us that some of the most impactful conversations take place. Our Installation and Service Technicians are often the most trusted individuals in the process.
The first step is making sure the device is installed in a way that maximizes efficiency.
The first step is making sure the device is installed in a way that maximizes efficiency. Each home is different, of course. But there are factors that should always be looked for.
If you have not yet decided on a type of softener, we encourage you to rent an efficiency rated water softener. This would be a DIR (demand initiated regeneration) softener that complies with specific performance specifications that are intended to minimize the amount of regeneration brine and water used in its operation. Efficiency rated water softeners are those that have a rated salt efficiency of not less than 3350 grains of total hardness exchange per pound of salt and do not deliver more salt than its listed rating.
There are some other installation basics to begin with. One of our first tasks is to check and follow all applicable plumbing codes and ordinances when installing equipment. Our systems and installations comply with all state and local laws and regulations (our goal is to exceed these standards).
One of the most important questions we ask you is the intended use of your water. There may be situations where softened water is not called for. For example, landscape irrigation should be supplied with hard water primarily because it is uneconomical to soften so much water, and it increases the use of salt to soften all of the water. We will utilize a nearby drain that can handle the rated drain flow. We will also check the appropriate code to see if it requires an anti-siphon device or air gap.
It is not enough to install a product and simply leave behind an instruction manual. Our Installation and Service Technicians utilize this opportunity to inform you of some of the key practices in which you can engage.
First, you need to know the basics of regeneration. Without getting too technical, we will explain why the bags of salt are necessary. They are used to create a brine solution, which periodically needs to be run over the resin beds, recharging them. The resin beds are then able to draw hardness out of the water. In effect, the resin bed attracts hardness elements, but as that bed wears down through use, it needs a fresh jolt of brine from time to time.
The control valve on the softener regulates how much brine is created and when.
We will always help you determine the best settings.
We set our units: the average person uses 75 gallons of water every day, The hardness level must be determined next.
We explain to you the concepts of grains per gallon.
After we have tested the water for hardness; we explain the results to you.
Our Installation and repair staff will be knowledge about the purposes of softeners.
- Better shampoo lather, less spots on dishes, and reducing film on shower walls are all important esthetic benefits, but there actually are practical reasons to soften water.
- Softened water helps protect showerheads and faucets. One independent study found that showerheads using softened water maintained a full flow after repeated use. In fact, the tested showerheads worked nearly as well as on the day they were installed, but those running with hard water lost 75% of the flow rate in less than a year and a half.
- When it comes to dishwashers and clothes washers, after 240 wash cycles, units using softened water have been found to be almost completely free of any scale build up. But those using hard water often have to be delimed and cleaned because of the build up of scale and deposits.
- You can use less detergent in your wash machine and a colder water setting with softened water. In fact, in some cases, you can use half as much detergent and wash at the cold water setting and still get better stain removal and whiter clothes.
- In areas with very hard water, softened water can mean cutting dish detergent by up to 70%.
- Water heaters that use gas storage tanks can maintain their original factory efficiency rating over a 15-year lifetime, just by using softened water. In electric heaters, the life of the heating element will be shortened due to scale build up, because of increased operating temperature of the heating element.
Proper installation is the first step. This includes studying relevant codes and statues. It also means determining how the water to be softened is going to be used. The owner needs to understand the best way to set their softener for maximum efficiency. What’s more, our installers and repair Technicians will talk to you about the positive aspects of softeners and the importance of protecting the environment.
These are the main topics we continue to discuss with you and our qualified team and at this Arizona Water Quality WSPPC-A Certification. I am proud to be the instructor to raise the customer service quality that you receive and to raise the standard of our industry. Won’t you join us in this journey to make our water treatment industry more sustainable in Arizona?
sources:
CASS study: usbr.gov/lc/phoenix/programs/cass/cass.html
http://www.wqa.org/Portals/0/WQRF/ResearchStudy_BenefitsOfSoftenedWater_ExecSummary.pdf
https://www.wqa.org/Improve-Your-Water/Benefits-of-Good-Water-Quality
AWQA.ORG
I hope I have the privilege to instruct these CWSSP-A certification meetings for at least Five years. These meetings are held in downtown Phoenix at Triadvocates. Triadvocates is a wonderful association with whom we are privileged to associate. I have been so impressed with my fine colleagues here. I was informed by Doug Oberhamer that Triadvocates has a great reputation in their field (this did not surprise me – I like that which I see ‘very impressive’).
Here is a little bit of current history of our rayne water conditioning dealership:
We currently represent Rayne Water Conditioning until April 1, 2023. This is the date that our franchise expires. Nick Memmo Managing Partner at Vicente capital partners (An accomplished President and COO) : Vicent owned rayne water conditioning at the time – sent Bret Vessey (he currently operates Rayne Water Conditioning): Rayne Water Conditioning is now owned by Centerbridge Partners: it is a private investment firm focused on leverage buyouts of distressed securities. Centerbridge Partners is run by the two cofounders and managing principles Jeffrey H. Aronson and Mark T. Gallogly. This is the same company that owns Culligan Water. I just wanted to bring you up to date (it helps me to summarize the story; and record the facts).
In the 1950’s Rayne Water Conditioning introduced an advertisement (was published in Life Magazine)
Because our soft water product makes a bath more luxurious we are parsing the original image
to celebrate our long membership with Rayne Water Conditioning, Phoenix Arizona – we have decided we will take some pictures honoring this vintage Rayne Water Conditioning advertisement in Time Magazine.
With our current interpretation of the great benefits that Boyett’s family water treatment provides to you.
These are some of our most famous Rayne Water Conditioning customers in Mesa Arizona; also Paradise Valley AZ.
There is nothing like that spectacular Rayne Water Conditioning; now Boyett’s family water treatment.
We enjoy having fun while we work. We enjoy sharing our fun with you. I hope you can sense the passion we have for our Arizona Water Treatment work. Nothing happens without your trusting and loyal support. Thank you very much for your business and patronage.
Key achievements: The longest continuously owned water treatment supplier in the Valley and Arizona. Our Company started in Mesa in January 1964 with a few hundred clients and today we are honored and humbled that 8,249 clients rent our products; our goal is to provide 100,000 clients our rental water equipment within 42 years (I hope I am here to see this achievement – I’d like to live till I’m 118 years old). It is good to have big audacious goals (this helps make life more interesting and provides great intrigue).
Philosophy for success: We prize our customers’ loyalty above everything, and we stop at nothing to ensure complete satisfaction.
We love and have loved representing Rayne Water Conditioning. When the date of April 1, 2023 arrives and passes; this will be a sad time for us. We will miss rayne, but always retain fond memories. We will talk about Rayne Water Conditioning of Phoenix and Arizona. We will blog about our past history and great memories of Rayne Water Conditioning of Arizona and Phoenix. Our dealership’s title: Rayne of Tempe, Mesa Arizona.
https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/money/article_dc7db6c5-0d01-5306-b4ad-fb9967a4216d.html
If you are looking for any of these:
The BEST WATER TREATMENT COMPANY IN PHX AZ;
The best water treatment company in gilbert az
the best water treatment company in the chandler az
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We feel you have arrived.
Thank you for listening.
Respectfully, Hayden Boyett
Text is best (602) 291.4157
Office (480) 969.7251