BE SAVVY. BE SAFE. AVOID THESE COMMON CONSUMER TRAPS.

COMMON WATER TESTING SCAMS
Water testing is not typically a dramatic process. If a sales person offers you a water test that provides dramatic results, beware! Here are some common ploys.

The Goldfish Test: A common sales ploy in the home water-filter industry: A technician will place a goldfish in your tap water when he arrives at your home. One hour later, the goldfish will be dead from chlorine. But the significance to human health, according to most experts, is minimal, since humans do not breathe through gills.

The Before Your Eyes Test: In this scam, the salesperson adds chemicals to the water that cause particles to form or color changes to occur "right before your eyes." Generally speaking, these demonstrations prove nothing about the safety of the water for drinking.

The Official Notice Scam: If a salesperson appears with official-looking documents showing water hazards in your community, ask for a copy of the papers and then verify their claims with your local or state department of health. Often these documents are not official, and they are an attempt to get you to treat a problem that doesn't exist.

The You've Won A Prize Scam: If you receive notification out of the blue that you have won a water purification system, odds are that what you've won is of little or no value -- or that the "prize" is a ploy to get you to purchase more products.

Lastly - if you see an "EPA registration number " on any water treatment product, it does not mean that the EPA has tested, recommended or approved this product in any way. It merely means that the manufacturer has registered the product with the EPA. An EPA registration is NOT the same as an EPA certification.

COMMON BOTTLED WATER MYTHS
Bottled water costs 1000 TIMES more than tap water. There are hundreds of brands of bottled water in the U.S. today. Generally, standards for bottled water are no more stringent than those for public water systems.

Before you spend your money on bottled water, you should know that at least 25 percent of bottled waters come from municipal sources. In some regions of the country, where city tap water is of excellent quality and bottled water is only marginal, you might actually do worse with stuff from the supermarket. By reading labels carefully, you might be able to determine how the water was bottled, and whether it is superior to what is coming out of your tap. Some marketing claims for bottled water are strictly regulated; others are meaningless.

Meaningless words include:

• GLACIER
• NATURAL
• ORGANIC
• PURE
  

SPRING WATER simply means (according to FDA definition) "Water that comes out of the ground on its own, or water that is bottled NEAR water that comes out of the ground on its own."

BUYING A WATER TREATMENT PRODUCT
Suburban Water Testing Labs, Inc. is ONLY in the business of testing drinking water.

We don't sell water treatment equipment, so we have nothing to gain by reporting problems in your water.

Before you treat your water problem, you must understand that there is no one individual water treatment device or meter that will remove "everything" from the water. This is why a professional water test is necessary.

If your report indicates a water quality problem, our experienced Technical Assistance personnel are available to provide practical recommendations for correcting any areas of concern.

We don't suggest "brand names." We simply give you the information you need to confidently shop around for the best deals in water treatment equipment. If a "home remedy" will handle the problem, we explain that as well.

In addition, we suggest that you ask the following questions when you buy your water treatment equipment.

1. How long have you been in business? Do you have referrals I can contact?
2. Must I treat the whole house or only the kitchen tap? (As long as water isn't consumed from any other tap.)
3. What is the total capacity of the treatment product in gallons per day?
4. What are the installation and maintenance costs of the treatment product?
5. Will the treatment product considerably affect the electrical consumption in my home?
6. Is there any warning light or indicator if the equipment malfunctions?
7. How often should I re-test my water after installation?
8. What is the life expectancy of the product?
9. Is there a warranty? If so, what exactly does the warranty cover?

IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, PLEASE CONTACT US.