Q:  Why are water ionizers so expensive?

A:  First of all, if you compare them to medical equipment, they're not expensive at all. But I'll explain how the expense breaks down.

• The majority of the cost is in the plates. Platinum is right now selling for over $1350.00 per ounce! Each plate in the water cell (which is the heart of the water ionizer) is coated with this expensive platinum. Water ionizers have between five and seven of these plates.
• The second greatest cost is in the research, development and production of the machine. These are very scientifically developed and intricate machines and the researchers don't typically receive grant money for it either.
• Finally, these water ionizers will last a very long time [20 - 30 years or so] and all that time [provided that they are kept clean and free of scale build-up] they will give you the continued health benefits of ionized water. When you break down the expense into the number of years of use, the cost is simply minimal [not expensive at all].

Q: Why do water ionizers need platinum coating the electrodes?

A:  The reason for using platinum is:

0. Platinum [along with titanium] is a very hard & dense metal and will not break down and leach into your water... even over time. So the electrodes will virtually last forever, and 
0. Platinum catalyzes [speeds up] the electrolysis process allowing water to ionize instantly as the water passes through the electrolysis chamber. A water ionizer wouldn't ionize water well at all without platinum.

Q:  How could you be sure your water supply is not too hard or just the opposite does not have enough minerals ...and what can you do about it? 

A: You can call your local water company [see your water bill] and ask them to send you a report, and from there we can analyze your water.

• If you live in an area where your water is extremely soft [below 100 TDS (total dissolved solids)] or you need to use reverse osmosis on your water (due to contamination or just for the best filtration) you’ll need a remineralizer, which is a prefilter that adds enough minerals into your water to ionize it properly [these are all organic minerals by the way]. Water that has little or no minerals has no pathway for the electrolysis or "ionization" to occur.
• Also, in the case of hard water, make sure your machine has a good self-cleaning system, and that you reverse polarity frequently [note: when reversing polarity you do not have to waste that water...it's totally usable, you just get your water out of the opposite spout (acid water comes out of the normally alkaline spout and alkaline water comes out of the normally acid spout)]. If you have hard water and an insufficient cleaning system or you don't reverse polarity often enough, you’ll end up getting scaling on your plates, which will lower your machine’s effectiveness over time. If this happens, see this blog post for directions how to fix it: http://alkalinewaterplus.info/blog/2009/12/15/water-ionizers-may-need-periodic-cleaning-heres-how-why/ Some ways to protect your water ionizer from hard water are:
  • an EOS [Elimination of Scaling] Device can protect your water ionizer from hard water for 2 - 3 years before it needs replacing.
  • anti-scaling pre-filter can protect your water ionizer from hard water for about a year before it needs a filter replacement.
  • an Ionizer Armor magnet can put a charge on your water mineral content and prevent it from sticking to the hoses and electrodes as the hard water passes through your water ionizer. This works best with medium-hard water, but if you have hard or very hard water you should see the first 2 choices, above, for more protection.

Q:  Which brand/model makes the best water? 

A:  I don’t think enough testing has been done to be able to answer that question with 100% confidence. You’re invited to stop-by my “Water Ionizer Comparison Chart” page. I’ve placed objective test results [and videos] on the page and I’ve analyzed the tests and ranked the ionizers according to what I think is Good, Better and Best. Out of the water ionizers I've personally tried [Melody, Athena, Enagic, Tyent 7070, KYK Genesis 3000, Chanson VS70, Chanson Miracle, Jupiter Neptune], I’ve concluded the Athena makes the best alkaline ionized water. The other water ionizers: Tyent, Chanson, Melody, Enagic and KYK are all so close though, it is very, very hard to pick winners. In addition to the ORP [Oxidation Reduction Potential -- or Antioxidant quality of the water] and pH of the ionized water, I base a lot of my judgement of which is the best water ionizer on the type of internal cleaning the water ionizer does, the price, and the warranty. I've posted all of my water ionizer comparison videos on my blog, and welcome you to see for yourself: http://www.alkalinewaterplus.info . These water ionizers [the water ionizers I sell] are all very good.  

Q:  In a nutshell, what is an "alkaline water ionizer"?

A:   First of all an alkaline water ionizer filters and reduces the size of your water molecule clusters so that your water is more absorbable into your cells. It breaks your tap water into two types: alkaline water and acidic water. By passing a small amount of electricity through platinum coated titanium electrodes about 70% of the clusters become negative ORP (anti-oxidant) alkaline water molecules and the other 30% positive ORP acid water molecules. Many scientists now believe the antioxidant properties of ionized water (ORP) are even more important than the alkalinity of the water for health and longevity.

Q:  Why would I want to drink alkaline ionized water rather than regular tap, filtered tap or bottled water?

A:  There are basically five reasons why you should drink alkaline ionized water rather than regular or bottled water:1. Elimination of acid wastes from your body, 2. Great filtration of your water.3. Ionization splits the water into smaller clusters of 5-8 molecules and so making it easier to get the water into your cells.4. Ionization reduces the ORP, so that your water becomes an antioxidant, 5. It costs less than $1.00 or even less than 50¢ per day [depending on the ionizer you buy] to create all the alkaline ionized water you and your family can drink.

Q:  Are there any cautions about drinking ionized alkaline water?

A:   You should start slowly. Set the controls to the lowest alkaline level. Assuming the water agrees with you, increase the amount you drink and the level of ionization intensity. High levels of alkalinity -- up to 9.5-10.0 -- are best for drinking water; the highest levels can be used for cooking.

Use the "Purified Water" setting for taking any medications that your doctor advises not to be taken with alkaline water. Do not drink the acid water that comes out of the lower spout.

Q: What is pH, and how do I test my body's pH?