Activated Carbon - Carbon which has been chemically treated to improve it's absorption properties and filtration capacity.

Absorption - The process by which contaminants react with activated carbon and are removed from water.

Aeration - An oxidation process in which air is infected into water generally to convert an unwanted substance.

Brine - The solution a water softener uses to clean it's media bed of captured calcium and magnesium in preparation for service.

Brine Drum - the brine preparation and holding tank on a water softener.

Calcite - The media used in a neutralization system to neutralize acidic water.

Carbon Filtration - A common water filtration method which uses activated carbon to absorb contaminants.

Chlorine - A common water disinfectant used by municipal water utilities.

Conditioned Water - Water free of dissolved calcium and magnesium (hardness minerals); also referred to as soft water.

Countercurrent Regeneration - A type of regeneration in which the flow through a water conditioner is reversed during the cleaning process for greater effectiveness and efficiency.

Cryptosporidium - Probably the most common and certainly the most notorious of a group of microorganisms called cysts; "crypto" was responsible for a major waterborne illness outbreak in Milwaukee in 1993.

Cysts -  Any group of microorganisms that include entamoeba, giardia and cryptosporidium; when ingested, cysts can cause gastrointestinal illness among other and often have more problematic effects on children, the elderly and people with immune deficiencies.

Demand-Initiated Regeneration - A process in which regeneration is initiated based upon a household's water use instead of at a preset interval.

Drinking Water - The one percent of a household's entire water use that is designated for drinking or food preparation; also referred to as food grade water.

Ferric Iron - Dissolved iron which has been oxidized and transformed into an orange particulate.

Ferrous Iron - Dissolved "clear" iron; often found in well water.

Hard Water - Water that contains dissolved calcium and magnesium.

Hardness - The amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in a water sample.

Hydrogen Sulfide - An obnoxious gas with a "rotten egg" odor found in some water.

Ion Exchange - A water softening process in which hardness ions (calcium and magnesium), are exchanged for sodium or potassium ions.

Iron - A common element that is absorbed by water as it passes through the ground; iron is often found in well water and can cause rusty orange stains on clothing and household fixtures.

Lead - A tasteless, odorless water contaminant that may be reached from lead based solder used to join pipes.

Manganese - Iron's close cousin commonly found in well water, manganese can cause black stains on clothing and household fixtures.

Neutralization - The process by which water's acidity is adjusted to a neutral range; acidic water can be corrosive.

Oxidation - A process in which an oxidizer (commonly air or chlorine) reacts with a dissolved substance to convert it into a solid form that can be filtered.

Recovery Rate - A measure of a reverse osmosis system's efficiency; generally measured as amount of water produced divided by amount of water used.  A rate of 25% is usually considered efficient.

Regeneration - A water conditioner's cleaning cycle.  The cycle prepares the system's resin bed.

Resin - Tiny beads used by a water conditioner to soften water; the place where ion exchange occurs inside a water conditioner.

Reverse Osmosis - A filtration method in which water is forced through a semi-permeable membrane which rejects contaminants.

Scale - A hard, crusty substance that remains after hard water dries.

Soap Scum - The substance which results from the reaction of the hardness minerals in water with common household soaps; usually evident as a bathtub ring or glass shower door film.

Soft Water - Water free of dissolved calcium and magnesium (hardness minerals); also referred to as conditioned water.

Solder - A substance used to join pipes; lead based solder was outlawed in the late 1980's.

Source Water - Untreated water that is supplied to a home or business.  Source water is usually best for outdoor applications like watering lawns.

Turbidity - Water cloudiness caused by suspended particles

Volatile Organic Compounds - Organic contaminants including commercial chemicals and pesticides, commonly referred to as VOC's.

Working Water - The water used in a home for most general purposes including bathing or laundering.

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