A recent article in Canadian Grocer claims an old flame has re-captured the heart of thirsty Americans: water. Soda’s run as the nation’s beverage of choice has fizzled, it states.

Photo courtesy of the Canadian Grocer

According to the article:

For more than two decades, soda was the No. 1 drink in the U.S. with per capita consumption peaking in 1998 at 54 gallons a year, according industry tracker Beverage Digest. Americans drank just 42 gallons a year of water at the time.

But over the years, as soda increasingly came under fire for fueling the nation’s rising obesity rates, water quietly rose to knock it off the top spot.

While soda consumption has dropped 17 percent since its peak in the late nineties, water consumption has increased by 38 percent, the article continues.

This is certainly music to our ears! Analysts expect water to hold the top spot for years to come, according to the Canadian Grocer, but whether that water will come from the tap or bottle is uncertain.

You can read the rest of the article HERE.

So what do you think? Is water No. 1 in your heart?

Got questions? Contact us.

Slowly, but surely, spring is making an appearance. It’s very much welcomed after a long, cold winter, but it also means it’s time to keep an eye on your well water.

The Culligan Man is urging you to test your water this spring. Private wells are most vulnerable this time of year as melted snow and ice release contaminants into the soil and groundwater, and could ultimately end up in your well. Here are some things you should know this time of year, if you’re a well owner:

• “Spring runoff” is a term used to describe the influx of contaminants leeching into water systems after snow melts or rivers overflow as the temperatures rise during March, April and May.

• Bacterial contamination may provide the greatest threat to private well users. Ultraviolet sterilizers and chlorine treatments are examples of proven techniques used to fight contaminants such as E. coli.

• Nitrates are a very common issue, and should be tested for regularly.

If you’re concerned, erase any worry and ask your local Culligan Man for a water test. It’s worth the peace of mind.

Got questions? Contact us.

Household water can be host to several water problems.

• Bad tasting
• Smelly
• Hard water spots
• High iron content
• Acid stains

To name a few.

If you recently purchased your home, or never thought to check the quality of your tap water, you don’t have to wonder what’s in your water. You can know! Ask your Culligan Man.

Many Culligan dealers offer a free water analysis. Testing of your water by a licensed local water expert is the key to determining if you have a water problem, how to solve your problem, and what equipment and service you need to protect your family and home.

Interested? It’s simple:

1. Call or email your local Culligan Man to schedule a water analysis.
2. Your Culligan Man will come to your home and provide a complete analysis of your water, fixtures, plumbing and water-using appliances. They will answer any questions you have about your water and provide a detailed report and equipment estimate. The whole process takes about 30 minutes and will be scheduled at a time that’s convenient for you.
3. If you decide a Culligan Water Treatment option is best for you, a trained and certified Culligan service professional will install your new unit to your satisfaction.

Go ahead and contact us. We’ll wait.

Got questions? Contact us. 

Ah, the old rust-stained bathtub. Doesn’t look very inviting for a relaxing bubble bath, does it?

Yeah, we didn’t think so either.

Dissolved iron in your water can leave red or brown deposits on everything. Excessive levels of iron are the second-most common problem today, after hard water. If you see red precipitates in standing water, like toilets, or see red stains on fixtures and clothes, you have iron in your water.

Lucky for you, that’s what the Culligan Man is here for. We can filter out the iron! Iron problems exist in a few forms, which may require different water treatment for its removal, but your Culligan Man can recommend the right system for your household’s unique needs.

Not sure if you have a high iron problem in your water? Here are a few telltale signs:

• Reddish or red-brown stains on your fixtures and clothing
• Yellow or orange-colored water – clean water comes in one color: clear
• Metallic taste to your water

Sound familiar? What are you waiting for? Your Culligan Man awaits.

We talk a lot about the importance of hydration around here. What can we say? Water is what we do.

One of our favorite tips to offer people is that next time you head to the fridge for a soda, have a glass of water instead. It’s a simple way to keep yourself hydrated with a healthy choice. Don’t get us wrong, we love a cold can of soda now and again, but water will always be our first love. And our first choice.

We came across this graphic from Team Life Insurance that details exactly how one sip of soda can impact your health. Interesting stuff (if you click on the image, you’ll get a larger view):

Sort of makes you second guess that next can of soda, huh? If you’re antsy to get some clean and refreshing water in your home, get a hold of your Culligan Man. We’ll hook you up.

Got questions? Contact us. 

‘Tis the season of sniffling, sneezing, coughing and downright misery. Here at H2point0 Headquarters, we’re smack dab in the middle of cold and flu season, and we’re all knee-deep in hand sanitizer to ward off unwanted germs.

If you’re one of the unlucky ones, we wish you well! Rest up and, most importantly, remember the doctor’s orders: drink plenty of fluids. Doctors recommend this for a reason. The water you drink carries nutrients to your cells, eliminates toxins and helps remove waste from your body — all important steps in getting healthy!

While you’re at it, you may as well make sure you’re drinking clean, refreshing Culligan water. We wouldn’t be doing our job, if we didn’t recommend it. [wink]

So break out a fresh box of Kleenex, grab a blanket, hit the couch, and keep filling up that bottle of water. You’ll hydrate yourself to health in no time.

Ah’choo! 

Got questions? Contact us. Want to know more? 

Does this scene look familiar?

Doesn’t look too comfortable, does it? Those salt bags are heavy — trust us, we know. There’s a good chance your Culligan Man offers water softener salt delivery, saving you and your back the trouble. Find the Culligan Man in your area, and give him a call to find out.

While we’re on the topic of salt, and since many of us are in the middle of a cold and icy winter, we thought it’d be a good time to remind everyone: don’t use sidewalk salt in your water softener! Will softener salt work on your icy sidewalks in a pinch? Absolutely. Just make sure you keep your salts separate to avoid any confusion.

On that note, enjoy your weekend! This is your Culligan Man, signing out.

Got questions? Contact us. 

Came across this gem while visiting the Facebook page of our friends, The Good Water Company. The Culligan Definition of “Body of Water” It’s too good not to share on this fine Friday! It is certainly our definition of “body of water” — what do you think?

Got questions? Contact us. 

Our Culligan super heroes in Southwestern Ontario have been real busy today cleaning up the water one city at a time. In the process they spread good cheer for their employees: Tim Horton’s gift cards and some real giggles along the way! Thanks for bringing smiles, Bob and Carolyn!

Bob “Batman” Caissie and Carolyn “Robin” Campbell

If you’ve been following along at home since we began our H2pointO journey in 2010, it’s not news to you that we can talk about water ’til we’re blue in the face. Soft water, hard water, water softeners, bottled water, drinking water, contaminated water, hydration, dehydration, health benefits and more water.

You get the picture.

We blog it, we tweet it, we post it on Facebook.

We know plenty about our product. We may go as far as to say we know everything about it (wink), but what about you? When it comes to your water, what do you want to know?

Let us know!

Tweet us.

Facebook us.

Tell us.

Internet, this is your Culligan Man. How can I help you?

He's got the right idea.

Here at H2pointO headquarters, we’re gearing up for a long, hot weekend. But summer is coming — we wouldn’t want it any other way! But what we do want is plenty of water.

We’re expecting temperatures to hit the nineties around these parts, and if you’re like us, you’ll likely be outside enjoying cookouts and sunshine and good, old-fashioned summertime activities. But what you might be forgetting is to stay hydrated. So this weekend, and throughout the rest of our hot summer, follow these tips to keep you and your family safe and hydrated in the heat!

• Carry water with you throughout the day, either in your favorite water bottle, or just bring along some Culligan bottled water!
• If you’re enjoying some adult beverages, consider rotating with a glass of water in between.
• Don’t forget your pets! Make sure they have fresh, cool water available to them. Bring a bowl along to give Fido some water when at the park.
• Keep a pack of bottled water in your car. You never know when you might need it.
• Double your usual water intake for the day, especially if you’re going to be active.
• Too hot? Douse yourself with cold water.

There you have it, folks. Of course, use our own judgment, and if you’re feeling the effects of too much heat and dehydration, please find some medical help! So stay safe, and enjoy your long weekend. As usual, if you want to know how the Culligan Man can help you stay hydrated this summer, give him a holler or find him on Facebook!

April showers bring… questionable runoff?

You bet it does! And if you’re the owner of a private well, be mindful. If you don’t regularly check for contamination in your well, you could be drinking the arsenic, fertilizers, pesticides and nitrates that have leeched themselves into your water.*

Yes, we thought that was gross, too.

The Canadian Ministry of Health urges us to “Get in the habit of water testing. Next to properly maintaining your well, testing is your best strategy for playing it safe. Test your well water at least three times a year for bacteria. Always test water after major plumbing work or after a flooding.”

The Culligan Man is urging you to test your water this spring. Private wells are most vulnerable this time of year as melted snow and ice release contaminants into the soil and groundwater, and ultimately – your well.

Check out some facts about your drinking water, well water owners:

• Bacterial contamination may provide the greatest threat to private well users.
• Ultraviolet sterilizers and chlorine treatments are examples of proven techniques used to fight contaminants such as E. coli.

• Nitrates are a very common issue, and should be tested for regularly.

• With no taste or smell, nitrates can have adverse health effects if unchecked in your water. Infants, for example, cannot safely absorb nitrates because their stomach acid is not strong enough to convert it.

Are you ready to test your well water yet? Invest in a test! Your local Culligan Man can help.

*Contaminants may not be in your water. 

Originally reported at CTV News

TORONTO — More than a decade after the Walkerton disaster, much of Canada’s tap water remains at risk from contamination despite initial progress in front-line monitoring and treatment, a new report concludes.

In its third such report released Tuesday, the environmental group Ecojustice warns that while some jurisdictions have stepped up water protection efforts in the past five years, most have not done enough.

In 2000, seven people died and 2,500 fell ill in Walkerton, Ont., when the town’s poorly monitored drinking water was contaminated with E. coli from farm runoff.

The tragedy prompted most provinces to review and revamp their drinking water laws with mixed results — but that burst of enthusiasm has faded in recent years, according to the report.

“In many places, the health of Canadians is still at risk,” the report concludes.

“The lack of recent progress also seems to indicate that the impetus for improved water protection, spurred by events like Walkerton, is on the wane.”

The report called “Waterproof 3″ finds only Ontario among the provinces worthy of an A grade for its water protection efforts, while Alberta lags with a C-.

The federal government gets an F for a record that continues to worsen, the report states.

In particular, the report criticizes Ottawa for a lack of progress on the legislative front, poor water quality for First Nations, and budget cuts it says will hurt Environment Canada’s ability to monitor the situation.

“The federal government is failing in almost every aspect of water protection, even though it should be setting rigorous standards,” the report says.

For the first time, the report has expanded to include source-water protection efforts — the idea that the best way to provide safe tap water is to ensure the water does not get contaminated in the first place.

The findings are not encouraging.

“Full-fledged source-water protection — a critical first step in achieving safe drinking water systems — has been implemented to some degree in only seven of 13 provinces and territories,” the report states.

“(It) is notably lacking in industry-heavy areas where the risk of contamination is high.”

According to the report, Prince Edward Island leads when it comes to protecting water sources. Almost everyone getting tap water from systems covered by legally binding source-water protection plans. On the downside, the province does not mandate water treatment.

Alberta has no legislation in place to protect water sources, and its standards for testing and treatment have not changed in five years, the report finds.

The report praises Ontario for implementing “the most ambitious source-water protection program” in the country and having the tough standards for treatment, testing, operator training and public reporting.

Among the territories, Nunavut does not legally protect water sources and its treatment standards are “among the lowest” in Canada. The Northwest Territories gets a nod for an “ambitious” review of its laws.

Canadians living in rural and remote areas are most vulnerable to the “alarming deficiency” when it comes to warnings about contaminated water, the report finds.

Overall, the report concludes, the biggest threats have shifted over the past decade from deficiencies in front-line water protection to unprotected source water, climate change and government cuts.

For example, it cites Ontario research that pharmaceuticals are increasingly finding their way into drinking water but testing for them is generally not mandatory and treatment does not always remove them.

Ecojustice — formerly the Sierra Legal Defence Fund — is a national group of lawyers and scientists who work on environmental issues.

Want to learn about solutions? Connect at facebook.com/TheCulliganManCanada.

Take a second to watch this YouTube (via BottledWaterMatters.com) showing the complex process of turning municipal water into a packaged drink. Go behind the scenes and look at the steps involved in further purifying tap water before it gets bottled.

Steps include: pre-filtering, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet, ozonation and adding minerals for taste.

The process is carefully monitored and tested for quality and safety. As you watch, decide for yourself if it’s just “tap water in a bottle.”

Refreshing Culligan bottled water is a healthy choice. With bottled water, kids tend to drink less soda and sugary drinks. Plus, doctors recommend eight glasses a day for dieting, exercising and a healthier lifestyle. Contact us at Culligan of Rothesay CulliganRothesay.com for more information.

At the time of these photos, the Culligan Men and Women at the Navan Fair served over 3,000 people at our Culligan Hydration Station. They were giving out free reusable bottles and filling them from 6 BFCs.

From @LaurieSouchotte: ” Our labs LOVE our driver. Thankfully he doesn’t mind.

BUT

labs do more spilling than drinking, so we’d be broke. They like the bottles though!”

“Bottled water is also a hot commodity,” says Tim McCardy who works at Culligan of Barrie. The Barrie Culligan dealership pushed water delivery into high gear this week as temperatures rose.

Watch Tim McCardy on ATV News (6:00).

Culligan has a variety of in-home bottled water coolers that can be delivered directly to your residence. To beat the heat with Culligan, contact us at Culligan of Central Ontario on Facebook or our website, HeyCulliganMan.com for more information.

On Monday, Winnepeg residents used 19.5 million litres of water – their third highest consumption level this decade. By 9 p.m. water use had easily surpassed the normal peak summer consumption of 12.5 million litres. Not surprisingly, summer water use is higher than winter consumption as people fill pools, water lawns and try to keep cool.

19.5 million litres seems like a lot, but it’s still less than half the record set in 1988 of 40 million litres. Diane Sacher, manager of water services for the city, credited Winnipeggers for keeping their water use comparatively low by installing water-efficient toilets, faucets, shower heads and appliances.

The increased water flow has resulted in discolored water in at least 53 Winnipeg homes. While this water won’t cause illness, it can have an unpleasant odor or taste.  The city advises residents to run the tap for 10 minutes and then wait another 30. The Culligan Man suggests Winnipeggers contact him on his Facebook page, Culligan of Winnipeg or website for clean water all year round.

(via The Winnipeg Sun)

Would you drink water out of Lake Ontario? That’s exactly what one reporter set out to do. In an effort to become more self-reliant and use resources around her, Emily Mathieu, from theStar.com, experimented with the best way to drink water from Lake Ontario.

She spoke with a civil engineering professor who did not recommend drinking lake water. “Anyone who is going to drink right out of the lake should research the levels of pollution or any potential contaminants and find out what can be filtered out and any long-term effects of drinking the water,” he said.

If you do want to experiment, bring lake water to a rolling boil for at least five minutes. Boiling won’t necessarily kill everything, so chlorine tablets and portable UV lights may help. Other possibilities include granular activated carbon or a hand pump filter.

Even with precautions, it can be impossible to predict what will happen if you stick a mug in Lake Ontario and take a swig. It depends on where you drink, how much you drink, and your age and health. While home filtering processes are good for emergencies or camping, you can put yourself at ease by relying on tap water or installing a professional water filtration system in your home. Visit CulliganCanada.ca to see all options we provide!

On Daniel Alford’s mission trip to Haiti, he was thankful to have access to Culligan water. He expressed his appreciation on his Facebook wall, thanking his friends who work at his local Culligan dealership.

Daniel mentioned that “The Culligan name had become synonymous with clean drinking water in some parts of the country.”

Daniel’s friend, Leah Sommer of Northeast Ohio Culligan commented, “I’m happy to be part of a company like Culligan water that cares about people, locally and internationally.”

Culligan, The Good Water Company is also very happy and proud to be a part of such an amazing company.

Click to learn more about Culligan’s recent donations in Haiti and Japan.

Are you on the Well Water Watch? As a result of this year’s heavy snowfall throughout the region, the frequency and severity of flash floods are expected to increase this spring. “Spring runoff” is a term used to describe the influx of contaminants leeching into water systems after snow melts as the temperature rises during March and April.

• These floods should be of particular concern to residents using private wells, given the vulnerability of wells during this period.
• According to the Ministry of Health: “Get in the habit of water testing. Next to properly maintaining your well, testing is your best strategy for playing it safe. Test your well water at east three times a year for bacteria. Always test water after major plumbing work or after a flooding.”
• Bacterial contamination may provide the greatest threat to private well users.
  • Ultraviolet sterilizers and chlorine treatments are examples of proven techniques used to fight contaminants such as E. Coli.
  • One way to ensure a sterile water analyses is to a) remove the aerator and b) run a lit match quickly around the end of the faucet prior to taking a sample. This will help kill any bacteria clinging to the hardware.
• Nitrates are a very common issue, and should be tested for regularly.

With no taste or smell, nitrates can have adverse health effects if unchecked in your water. Infants, for example, cannot safely absorb nitrates because their stomach acid is not strong enough to convert it.