Beware water safety con
The safety of Water is an important issue and is vital for keeping healthy. It has been reported that water filter salesmen on the North Coast are scaring people into buying expensive filters by using a simple "purity" test.
Safe and clean water is a necessity but do not be fooled, the colour and clarity of water are not clear indications of its safety.
Salesmen have been going from door to door in Darnall and Zinkwazi asking residents if they can test their water. The men apparently use what is called a “purity” or “Jam Jar” test to prove that the water is unsafe.
The test passes an electric current through the water, turning unfiltered water dark brown.
Water filtered through a reverse osmosis (RO) filter system contains little or no minerals and will not change colour because the necessary minerals for water to conduct electricity are not present.
However, water that is not filtered through reverse osmosis will change colour due to the minerals in the water.
People are easily fooled because they believe the water’s colour change means the water is not clean or safe to drink.
Brian Blake, a resident in Darnall, was visited by the salesmen at his house and he chased them away.
“Several other residents were approached by these people,” said Brian.
Brian’s son, Stuart Blake, works for H2O and says RO filters are necessary in certain circumstances for people who need water without minerals.
“These systems are unnecessary in municipal water and maintenance costs are much higher using them,” said Stuart.
Stuart himself sells RO filters because he believes they produce very clean and mineral free water, but he insists the use of the ‘purity’ test is wrong.
“Its more of a scare tactic. I’ve had people phone me saying salesmen tested their water and that they need their filters changed. I asked them if they did the “Jam Jar” test and they said yes. These guys are scaring people into buying these filters and its not right.”
