Glossary
Activated Carbon
This is a form of carbon that has been processed to make it extremely porous and thus to have a very large surface area available for chemical reactions. This is the age old standard for removing chlorine.
Amperage settings
Amperage is a measurement of electrical current. Since the heart of the ionizer is the electricity delivered to the titanium plates, having the ability to adjust the amperage is very advantageous. It allows you to adjust your ionizer based on your local water conditions to produce alkaline ionized water with the optimum pH.
Antioxidant
An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions by being oxidised themselves. Although oxidation reactions are crucial for life, they can also be damaging; hence, plants and animals maintain complex systems of multiple types of antioxidants, such as glutathione, vitamin C, and vitamin E as well as enzymes such as catalase, superoxide dismutase and various peroxidases. Low levels of antioxidants, or inhibition of the antioxidant enzymes, causes oxidative stress and may damage or kill cells. Antioxidants are crucial for rejuvenating cells and offer oxygen to blood and cellular fluids, which in turn increases vitality in the body.
Slotted plates or mesh plates
This technologies uses systems to increase the surface area of plates while facilitating effective flow of the water along the plates within the ionizer. The water flows in and through the electrically charged plates increasing the electrolysis, which in turn increases pH and ORP of the water.
Micro clustered water
The ionization/electrolysis process creates water molecule clusters that are half the size of regular water molecule clusters. Ionized Alkaline Water has cluster sizes of 6-7 molecules as opposed to 12-13 molecules. This makes the water "wetter" and much more hydrating because it flows through bodily tissues more easily, thus pushing toxins out of our system. The electrolysis process breaks the molecular bonding of water molecules and restructures the water clusters. "Clustered" water is typically characterized by smaller groups of molecules and lower surface tensions and thus can more easily penetrate the cellular membrane. This clustering process is somewhat akin to the ease of carrying a bowling ball through a normal doorway versus trying to carry a 2m diameter balloon through the same doorway.
ORP
This is one of the benefits of an alkaline water ionizer. ORP stands for Oxidation Reduction Potential. ORP is the measure of the machines ability to create anti oxidant properties in the water. In general, the higher the negative number, the better. Please keep in mind that light, air, heat, and magnetic, and electrical components running near the water can have an adverse affect on ORP. This is also the hardest measurement to determine. You must use a high quality ORP meter that is calibrated and even then you will notice fluctuations throughout the day.
pH
This is one of the major benefits of an alkaline water ionizer. pH is measured in logarithms. This means the difference between a pH reading of 8 compared to 9 means that the 9 is TEN times stronger than the 8. So when you see an ionizer that creates 11.0 pH, this means the pH is three times stronger than water at 10.7
Power Systems:
Since the delivery of SMPS Electrical System. This is the coolest running electrical system on the market that will reduce noise, energy consumption, heat related stress, and will expand the average lifespan of the ionizer to an estimated 30 years. You can also run your alkaline water ionizer for longer than the units run by a transformer.
Source Water
Source water is the water that supplies your house with water. It oftern comes froma public water supply, but in rural areas it may come from rainwater tanks, a creek/stream/spring or a bore. For ionization it is important that the source water has an adequate amount of minerals present in the source water. Rain water and reverse osmosis water is acidic at a pH 5.9 and does not have minreals. Soft spring/aquifer water does not have many minerals. Source water with none or low level minerals need to be remineralised to balance the pH and make it fit for ionization. Ionza water ionizers offer extra remineralisation systems which deliver natural dolomite minerals, such as calcium and magnesium into the source water.
Surface Area
Surface area is the measure of how much exposed area an object has. It is expressed in square units. If an object has flat faces, then the surface area is not as big as if the surface is contoured, as the surface area can be calculated by adding together the areas of all its faces. The larger the surface area, the stronger the ionisation capacity
Platinum/Titanium plates:
In an ionizer, an electrical charge is delivered to the water through an array of metallic plates. The majority of quality water ionizers contain plates that are made with titanium with platinum coating. These plates are safe; they work efficiently, and they last. Watch out for phrases like "platinized titanium,” as these are not platinum/titanium plates. It is ideal for the plates to be dipped, not just spray coated.