By Bruce Cohen
Absolute Organix CEO*

With the increasingly fragile state of our country's precious water resources, growing concern over acid mine drainage and the failure of local municipalitiies to meet even local water treatment standards, filtering our drinking water is no longer a "nice-to-have" - it's a wellness essential . But there seems to be a lot of confusion about water filter systems, and consumers are battling to distinguish hype from truth. Ever since we launched HappyWater we have had numerous requests from people wanting to know which water filter they should use.

Over the past two years HappyWater's technical director, Arjan van Zalk, has conducted intensive research into the various water filter systems. His aim was to find the highest quality solution that would enable us to produce the ultra-pure "base" water that HappyWater requires for conversion into living water. 

Arjan's research led ultimately to 3M in the USA, one of the world's leading industrial technology companies (yes, the guys who accidentally invented Post-it Notes). Arjan, an engineer, found that 3M had developed water purification systems in conjunction with the Dow Corporation that exceeded the specifications of anything else he had seen on the market. So he selected the 3M solution for HappyWater and it has been an excellent choice from every perspective - water purity, performance and reliability.

Arjan also learned that 3M had a home drinking water system based on its industrial-strength purification expertise. It's called Aqua-Pure. It has never been available in SA - until now. Recently we managed to persuade 3M to allow us to exclusively introduce Aqua-Pure into SA and I'd like to share with you briefly some information about it. If you have not yet selected a home drinking water purification system, or are thinking of upgrading, I hope you will seriously consider Aqua-Pure.

Click here for the Aqua-Pure brochure. The model we are offering is the Aqua-Pure Complete (the top-end model)

Aqua-Pure is not a Reverse Osmosis (RO) or a distillation system. It is a simple, powerful purification system using a single, high-tech filter cartridge. While we use both RO and distillation in the manufacturing of HappyWater (part of our multi-stage purification protocol), we would not recommend either of these technologies for home use for the following reasons:

* RO systems can waste up to 3 times the amount the water they actually purify. 

* They are also complex, require an electrical connection to drive the pump as well as a storage tank that takes up space.

* RO removes all the minerals from the water, resulting in acidic, lifeless water (exactly the type of water that needs HappyWater drops added to it!).

* Distillation is even more aggressive. It creates truly dead water that the body struggles to recognise and use, and which can result in minerals being leached from of the body.

The Aqua-Pure system does not eliminate the minerals from the water. What it does do is eliminate the major contaminants:
* Sediment
* Chlorine
* Lead, Mercury and Asbestos
* Parasitic Protozoan Cysts (organisms that can cause stomach upset and more severe complications)
* Volatile Organic Compounds (carcinogens such as Lindane, Atrazine, Benzene, Carbofuran, Dichlorobenzene and Toxaphene).

Click here for the Aqua-Pure brochure. The model we are offering is the Aqua-Pure Complete (the top-end model)

The Aqua-Pure cartridge will purify around 2 800 litres of water with zero waste. For a family of 4, each drinking 1,5 litres a day of pure water, the cartridge will last a year, though we recommend replacement every six months to ensure absolute water purity and excellence.

A big plus for the Aqua-Pure unit is that it is easy to install (it is an under-counter unit hidden from view) with no special tools required. No electrical connection or bulky storage tank is required - it produces pure water on demand. It comes with its own stainless steel faucet that can be installed next to the sink, providing a separate, direct supply of pure drinking water. It also has an automatic shut-off valve which makes it easy to replace the cartridge.

All the materials used in the manufacturing of the Aqua-Pure units have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). We source the units directly from 3M; they are not obscure "clones" or grey imports. They are the real thing.