Being Transparent with Customers | Life in the Connected Age

We live in a world today that is incredibly connected. It’s also gradually becoming much more transparent. Sometimes that transparency can be downright scary.

I think it’s definitely in our nature as human beings to want to show others only what we think they want to see in us. We all want to be liked and to be approved of – something that probably goes way back to when we were kids.

It’s really no surprise that most businesses today want to do the same thing when it comes to their customers - especially when it comes to attracting new customers!

Our fears tell us that we couldn’t possibly share the entire picture with our clients if there’s any chance they might not like what they see once we’ve done so.

Or could we? Read more…

Falmouth Water Treatment & Testing | Arsenic, Radon, Uranium

Falmouth Water Treatment & Testing | Arsenic, Radon, Uranium & Hardness

Falmouth Water – Life and healthy living in the beautiful town of Falmouth Maine

Falmouth is a fantastic, family based community – great schools, wonderful homes, oceanfront activities and close-by access to all that the Greater Portland area has to offer. We’ve been lucky enough to have been a part of this community for more 30 years.

For homes in Falmouth that receive water from a private well we offer a variety of services for both health relater water concerns and other issues common to the area. Read more…

Blue Stains in Shower or Tub Fixtures? | Your Water may be Corrosive

Blue Stains in Shower, Tub or Sink Fixtures.

Feeling a little BLUE lately? If you have blue stains starting to cover your homes beautiful fixtures & appliances you might find yourself a bit on the frustrated side.

It would be difficult to count the times I’ve been in a customer’s home, for other water related issues, and happen to notice they had blue stain marks in their shower or sink.

After having it brought to their attention, on average 5 out of ten people are genuinely surprised and have never really paid much attention before. Of the other 5 who have noticed it, 90% of those generally have no idea what it is or where it comes from.

In this article we’ll take a look at:

-What causes these blue stains.

-How damaging it is to plumbing, heating systems and appliances.

-What you can do to fix it. Read more…

Generation Baby Boomer | 4 Tips for Senior Fitness

There are couple of “inevitabilities” that I have come to accept in life:

-We’re all getting older.

-Each year feels like it goes by quicker than the last.

-The older you get, the harder it is to stay in shape.

Last week I came across a Facebook post about an inspiring senior from Atlanta, Georgia who is still rocking the Pickleball courts at 99 years of age! It was a beautiful reminder to me that there’s always a way of finding enjoyable physical activities that will help us stay strong and healthy, regardless of our age.

Let’s take a look at just who this 99 year old “model of health” is, what he does to stay fit, and a few simple suggestions from WebMD on living a long and strong life… Read more…

What is Reverse Osmosis Anyways?

What is Reverse Osmosis?

Reverse Osmosis, to me, has always had that very sophisticated and impressive sound to it. The nice part is, the systems work almost as impressively as they sound. You may be looking into a Reverse osmosis system if you have some nasty things in your water like Arsenic, Uranium or even bacteria.

But has anyone actually explained to you what these systems do, or how they work?

In this article we’ll take a quick “101″ look at Reverse Osmosis and answer questions like:

-How does Reverse Osmosis work?

-What water contaminants can it be used for?

-What are the pros & cons to RO systems? Read more…

Don’t Drink that Water! – Part 2 | Tap Water vs Bottled Water

Tap Water Fears

In Part I, we started to take a look at the misconceptions most consumers have about the difference between tap water and bottled water. We also offered some eye opening statistics about the bottled water industry in the U.S.

Facts such as:

-U.S. Consumers purchase over 500,000,000 (that’s half a BILLION) bottles of water every single week.

-Bottled water, costs on average, 2000 times more than the water coming out of your own tap.

-1/3 of all bottled water sold in the U.S. is simply REPACKAGED TAP WATER.

In this article, I’d like to help clear up some of the misconceptions about tap water. I’d also like to explain why there’s a VERY good chance that what is coming out of your faucet might be just as safe, if not safer, than what you’ve been buying from the store every single week.

Read more…

Don’t Drink that Water! | Tap Water vs Bottled Water

Drinking Water Misconceptions

I don’t know about you, but there’s definitely a part of me that is a bit of an idealist. Call that part of me a moral compass, if you’d like. This compass believes certain things ought to be a certain way, and other things just shouldn’t be the way they are.

It’s just who I am, right, wrong or otherwise and I accept that about myself.

Unfortunately, “should be” and reality quite often are two very different things. I learned this years ago and it is simply a part of life. This I also accept.

To our demise, many businesses understand and accept this concept as well. There have been entire industries born and built as a result of this “grey area” between reality and what should be. Heck, a large portion our country’s mega-marketing machine are centered around principles like this.

In this article I’d like to look at one of those industries and maybe shed some light on some of those misconceptions we the public share about it. Read more…

Windham Water Testing & Treatment | Radon, Arsenic, Uranium & Bacteria

Windham Water Testing & Treatment | Radon, Arsenic, Uranium & Bacteria 

Windham Water – Life and healthy living in the beautiful Sebago Lakes Region of Maine.

If you live in Windham or the surrounding communities and your home’s or business’ water comes from a private well, we’re here to help. Read more…

Sugary Drinks | Booming Business for Funeral Homes – Part II

If you are just joining us and haven’t read Part 1, let me re-cap where we left off:

-Harvard Researchers determine 25,000 U.S. deaths annually, are linked to drinking sugary drinks like soda, juices & energy drinks.

-I offered the question: “Is this really a surprise to anyone since we are one of the most obese nations on the planet?”

-We looked at the transformation in our society’s health that has taken place over the last 30 years and how much more active many children were before the information age happened.

Last but not least, I was about to propose a “revolutionary” idea that might just put a big old dent in the booming funeral home business, stemming from this nationwide transformation.

I’ll give you a hint. I did this A LOT as a kid.

Read more…

Sugary Drinks | Booming Business for Funeral Homes

Sugary Drinks…not so “Sweet”, after all.

Yesterday morning I was looking over my Facebook page when I saw a message from my Nephew, a 20 year old college student at Southern New Hampshire University. The message had a link from a recent ABC News article. It read:

“25,000 U.S. Deaths Linked to Sugary Drinks“

My immediate reaction was: ”Is this really coming as a surprise to anyone that sugary drinks are killing us? We’re one of the most obese countries on the planet, for crying out loud!”

I knew immediately I wanted to write a blog article about this topic. It got me fired up about a subject that I’m very passionate about…

How fat & unhealthy of a nation we’ve become in the last 30 years. 

As easy as it would be to write this article about the health pitfalls of drinking sugary drinks, I don’t want to do that.

I think if we’re truly going to be honest with ourselves we need to take a very close look at the entire picture when it comes to this embarrassingly tragic story. I don’t think it’s fair to blame the entire problem on the beverage industry. Besides, they or no one else is forcing us to drink this stuff in the first place.

Sugary drinks are only the tiny tip of a very fat iceberg, in my opinion.

Read more…

Uranium in Water: Part 2 | Maine Whole House Uranium Systems

Uranium in Water

Uranium in water and whole house treatment options. Continued from Part 1.

Recapping our first article, the basic scenario is this; you’re in the process of purchasing your family’s dream home. All is going smoothly with the purchase. Then you hit a snag. The home inspector’s test results come back high for Uranium in water.

Not the best of news, but you gather your thoughts and start doing your homework. You decide to install a “whole house” treatment system. Now snag # 2 occurs: the water treatment companies you speak with are recommending installing a whole house Reverse Osmosis system. Sounds great! Then you hear the costs.

In this article we’ll look at an extremely affordable and effective way of dealing with Uranium in water, that won’t clean out your checking account! Read more…

Uranium in Water: Part 1 | Maine Whole House Uranium Systems

Uranium in Water

So, you just found out the not-so-great news that your family’s drinking water has Uranium. I’m guessing you learned it’s higher than the recommended safety limit of 30 ug/L (parts per billion).

My 2nd guess is, you’re probably not incredibly happy about this discovery. Especially if you’ve determined that you want “whole house” Uranium treatment and you’ve started looking at the costs.

Is there a way to remove Uranium in water without having to sacrifice the kids college education to afford it?  Read more…

Symptoms for Dehydration | Signs you Should Look For

httppixabay.comendrinking-sun-water-woman-young-87154

Symptoms for Dehydration

Ignoring the symptoms for dehydration can have a significant impact on your health, your state of mind and in severe cases can even cause death.

In addition, if you use your own thirst level as an indicator of how hydrated you are, you might be surprised to learn that this isn’t always a reliable method.

We’ll look at several important symptoms for dehydration and tell you which ones are serious enough that you should be seeking medical attention.   Read more…

Relieving Stress with Gratitude | Healthy Maine Living

flickr.comphotosalancleaver4331097922

Relieving Stress

Do you have difficulty relieving stress?

If so, have you ever experienced a moment of true gratitude? That feeling of being so grateful  for something or for someone that everything else just seems to completely melt away for you…then voila, you’re happy.

If you haven’t, let me tell you from personal experience, that it just might be the most powerful “happy pill” you’ll ever swallow. Read more…

Arsenic in Rice | 5 ways of Lowering the Risk

httpwww.flickr.comphotosepsos6755929265

Arsenic in Rice

Arsenic in Rice was a very big topic in 2012.

For years now we’ve been told that consuming brown rice was far better for us than eating white rice. But this past September the FDA released results from a 20 year study sampling Arsenic levels of nearly 200 different kinds of rice and rice products.

Turns out, their findings for brown rice samples contained some of the highest levels of Arsenic out there.

Is there still a way to eat rice without worrying about Arsenic? Let’s take a look at 5 simple ways you may be able to have your rice and eat it too!

Read more…

What is Arsenic? | Maine Water

What is Arsenic? We hear all about Arsenic being in our water. Recently, we’ve heard a lot about it being in the rice we eat. Most people know that it’s very toxic and not healthy to consume. But do you really know what Arsenic is or why it’s bad for you?

In this article we’ll take a look at:

-Just exactly what Arsenic is
-Where it comes from and how it gets in our water
-Why it’s harmful to our health Read more…

Can Dog Walking Make you Healthy? | Maine Living

httpwww.flickr.comphotosmagnusbrath5736323725

Dog Walking for Your Health

If you have a dog and you aren’t going for regular walks together, you may end up getting to know your doctor a whole lot better then you might care for.

According to a recent study at George Washington University, going for regular walks with your four legged friend can have a significant impact on many of your vital health indicators like blood pressure, cholesterol, risk for diabetes and can even help to fend off bouts of depression. Read more…

Sebago Water Treatment & Testing | Arsenic, Radon, Softening

Sebago Water | Arsenic, Radon, Uranium & Bacteria 

Sebago water and healthy living.

If you live in Sebago and your home’s water comes from a private well, we can assist you with health related water treatment and testing for many problem water related contaminants.

Read more…

Gorham Water Testing & Treatment | Radon, Arsenic, Hard Water

Gorham Water | Treatment and Testing

Gorham Water and Healthy Living! – Gorham Maine is a beautiful place to live, with terrific school systems and a strong sense of community. It’s also a wonderful place to raise a family! We’re proud to say we are a part of it’s diverse working community.

We have been helping to supply clean, healthy reliable water to homes in the Gorham area for more than 100 years, now.

Read on and we’ll tell you exactly what water related services we provide and the type of testing and treatment systems common throughout Gorham and the surrounding communities.

Gorham Health Concerns  

A great deal of the Gorham water that provides drinking & cooking water to homes &
businesses, comes from private well-water supplies.

If you have a home in Gorham and your family’s water supply comes from a private well, Ward Water can assist you with health related water testing and treatment systems for contaminants including:

• Arsenic
• Radon
• Uranium
• Bacteria
• Sodium
• Fluoride

Gorham Water | Softening & Mineral Filtration 

In addition, we also test and treat for problems associated with hard water and high mineral content using technologies like Ion Exchange Water Softeners and Oxidative Mineral Filtration Systems.

We test and treat Gorham water for problematic concerns such as:

• Hard Water   (calcium buildup)
• Iron   (red staining)
• Manganese   (brown & black staining)
• Hydrogen Sulfide Odor   (rotten egg sulfur smell)
• Low pH Acidic Water   (blue staining)

Keeping Gorham Water Clean & Healthy for 117 Years

In 1896, the Ward Family began installing wind mill based water delivery systems in homes surrounding the Sebago Lake region and throughout mid-coast communities in Maine.

Years later, our company began changing form. Repairing the plumbing related problems stemming from poor water quality, became a significant part of our daily business.

Moving forward, in the 1970s, we made the decision to expand our services once again. It made far more sense for us to specialize in “treating” those water related issues, before they had the chance to cause problems for the homeowners we served.

We Can Help!

Today, regardless of the water concerns your family may have, Ward Water is here to help. From water softening to Radon, Arsenic and Uranium Mitigation, we are here to help in any way we can.

If you have questions regarding water testing, diagnosis or treatment feel free to contact us via phone or email. In most cases we can answer many of your initial questions right over the phone.

office@wardwater.com

207-675-3272

Healthy Dogs and Water Intake | Top 5 Signs your Dog is Dehydrated

Dogs and Water | Is your dog drinking enough water?

Dogs and water dehydration have a lot in common with people when it comes to healthy living. If your dog isn’t getting enough water he/she can experience a long list of mental and physical problems. Lethargy, depression, joint pain and even serious internal organ issues can occur if they aren’t getting enough daily water.

Knowing the symptoms ahead of time can make all the difference in the world for maintaining proper health for your beloved four-legged member of the family. Read more…