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What to consider before buying a hydrogen-rich water system / an ioniser?
Don't know what Molecular Hydrogen (H2) (also known as 'hydrogen gas') is and why it's important for health and vitality?
Check out our previous article where we talked about the Benefits of Molecular Hydrogen and in more detail.
Here's a summary of therapeutic benefits of molecular hydrogen based on over 500 peer reviewed studies:
Antioxidant, Bioavailable
Anti-inflammatory
Anti-allergy
Cell protective and anti-ageing
Converts cell damaging free radicals into water
Helps the body lower oxidative stress
Helps lower cholesterol levels
Protects against radiation damage
Helps with reducing glucose intolerance
Stimulates energy metabolism to prevent weight gain
Neuroprotective
Supports cognitive function
May help prevent erectile dysfunction
May help prevent age related decline in cognitive capacity
Decreases lactate (lactic acid) build up during exercise
Supports skin health
In the same article we also talked about four ways of getting hydrogen into our bodies, including our own H2 factory in our gut and the importance of fibre rich foods, drinking water with dissolved H2, breathing in/inhaling H2 and skin absorption.
If you don't know about the way how to produce H2 in water, I suggest to check out our article titled 'How to produce Molecular Hydrogen.'
When I already know that hydrogen-rich water is the right choice for me
You've already made a decision and know that Hydrogen-rich water is the right choice for you (click on the title to find out more about this topic). You want to purchase a machine for your own home and/or business but not sure where to start and which one to go for. There's a few to choose from on the market!
To help you with that, I've listed the most common questions to ask yourself and the company you're dealing with before choosing the right product for you.
1. Come to understand what you're buying
What is an ioniser or hydrogen-rich water generator/machine?
You don't need to become a tech expert but it's good to know the basics. There's a lot of misinformation out there including marketing hypes (unfortunately). That's why the ability to know what sort of thing you're buying is important. We've answered these terms in the FAQ section of our website.
2. Be clear about the 'Why'
Do you want to have a unit only to access hydrogen-rich drinking water? Do you want to invest more to use a system which also creates water for skin care, disinfection and rinsing fresh produce? Do you want it hidden under the counter with an additional tap? Or on the counter top? Do you want to have high quality filtration included? Or do you already have an under-the-sink filter and you only want to benefit from an H2 generator without filtration? When you know what you're after, you'll be able to narrow down your search.
3. What does the filter remove?
Overall, the cleaner the source water, the less contaminants are present in your drinking water and the better results.
If you're looking for an H2 unit with filtration, make sure you know what the filter removes. Is it a basic chlorine/activated charloal filter? Is it a dual filter? Does it remove chlorine, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, flouride, chloramines, bacteria, viruses, fungus, algae and heavy metals?
Some contaminants may need different media to remove them, so you may need a pre filtration or a specific filter relevant to your source water. The company you're dealing with/your sales agent should be able to get all this information to you.
4. Educate yourself about molecular hydrogen/hydrogen gas (H2).
Have access to good unbiased resources about the benefits of H2. Through understanding the basics of how H2 is produced in water and what its role in the body is you'll feel more empowered to choose the product that works.
I've created a blog post to help you with this called the Benefits of Molecular Hydrogen.
5. Be aware of the most common myths frequently told to consumers in the industry about hydrogen-rich / ionised water.
Due to the fact that the internet is a space for anyone to say anything, you'll find a lot of misinformation shared - yes, even within the water industry. Since I feel there's absolutely no need for this, we've created a video and blog series of three episodes to help you uncover what these myths are likely to be. Check out our FAQ section (scroll down or search for What are the most common alkaline water myths?)
6. Understand your source water hardness.
What is water hardness? In other words, the level of minerals contained in the water. It's measured by parts per million. A very soft water may be anywhere between 0-50ppm, a very hard water easily above 300ppm.
To find out how hard your source/tap water is, simply google 'water hardness' or 'how hard is the water in ..." (+ your location).
Why is this important? There's no such thing as the same water in all places around the world. The water company you deal with should give you some guidance as for what filter suits your water source and what unit would be the most suitable for you.
7. Be aware of potential drawbacks.
Many companies will try to tell you that their products are the best and that nothing will ever go wrong. Get the right information about what are the potential drawbacks of the technology you're dealing with. Get clear about how long the ionisation chamber inside an ioniser lasts and how long the whole technology should last.
In general, an ioniser should have a very long life span (at least 10 years), but that doesn't mean that some of the electronics parts, for example, don't wear out or that calcium (in hard water) doesn't build up in the tubing over time (that's just a matter of the right maintenance).
If you, for example, have a water of a very low mineral content and low conductivity, you may need a hydrogen-infusion unit instead of a standard ioniser.
8. Ask the company about the % of serviced products they get.
Every company should be able to give you a clear answer about this. In any business, there will always be some percentage of faulty products - either because of a glitch in the manufacturing process or perhaps damaged through transport. This number shouldn't be a lot though - ideally as low as 1% of all products manufactured by the company.
9. Ask about warranty
What warranty does the company you want to buy from offers? What's the small print? Read the conditions carefully and if anything isn't clear, ask about it. Take your time until you feel you're confident about the information you're getting.
10. Ask about the return policy
Buying a high quality H2 unit is often a matter of a couple of thousand USD investment. This is why you want to make sure that the risk of it not being what you signed up for is minimal. Some companies may offer a money back guarantee for a certain amount of days (e.g. 30day money-back guarantee). This is a great way to give the consumer an opportunity to try the product and if they're not happy with it, they should be able to return it. If this is something that they offer, are there any fees involved if you decide to return it? Is the return void if the unit is used when being returned?
11. Test for Hydrogen / H2
You should be able to test the water for hydrogen after two or a month of usage and still have time to return it if the unit doesn't produce the therapeutic levels of H2. The min. therapeutic levels have been shown to be 0.5parts per million (ppm).
You can test for H2 using H2 Blue Reagent (USD30) available here.
12. Consider certifications
Good questions to ask are related to certifications the company has in place. We'll be clarifying this aspect in one of our upcoming blog posts as without having clear guidance on what certain certifications actually mean, it may seem misleading. Just because a company has a certain certification doesn't necessarily makes its products of a higher quality (although sometimes it may well be the case). Understanding what's relevant will prevent you from falling for several marketing hypes. (Watch this space!)
13. Consider maintenance
As a consumer we want to have things as easy as possible. Ask what maintenance is required to keep the unit in good shape.
Generally speaking, one of the drawbacks often encountered with ionisers may be the calcium deposits in the electrolysis chamber. Calcium build-up means no H2 production.
Preventing calcium buildup is critical. Some units have manual cleaning, others will have self cleaning. Others have replaced cleaning with Anti-Scaling Technology, a patented system which prevents calcium build-up on the electrodes in the electrolysis cell by reversing the charge or polarity of the electrodes each time the unit is turned on.
14. Check reviews & use common sense
Come to understand that the water ioniser industry is a somewhat small industry and like in any other industry, there might be a reason why some companies trash other companies. I personally believe that if you have a product that works, you don't need to engage in fear mongering tactics and slam other brands. Giving a fair comparison is one thing, being emotional is another. Use your common sense when reading reviews.
15. Ask about post-purchase support
Is there someone available who will be able to answer any questions, days or even months after your purchase? As an owner of the hydrogen-infusion unit myself, it was critical for me to have someone there from the customer service or even the company management who I can rely on to make my experience smooth.
16. Check about suitability of the adaptors which come with the unit for your tap.
Unless you are planning to get a separate tap installed, you'll be using an adaptor/diverter on your current kitchen tap. It may be that you have an old or a very unusual tap that will need to be replaced to be suitable with the uni, so it's good to send a photo to the company/your sales agent and ask about this.
In majority of cases of cases it should fit, however, I've had clients who needed to get a new tap. You should know this in advance and send a photo to your sales agent to check.
17. How much is it?
As a consumer, we can't avoid this question. The price of a water unit (and any other product in fact) includes the manufacturing costs, all overheads of the company who creates and sells the product including employee salaries and customer service, marketing costs, sales agent/distributor costs, warranty (yes, part of the cost is included in the price) and profit. Some MLM companies in the industry will generally have nearly two times (1.75) larger profit margin than a traditional direct sales companies, and this is why you may pay more for certain products than others.
On another note, it was interesting to find out that a high quality electrolysis chamber itself costs a few hundred dollars on its own, which means that if you're looking for an ioniser/H2 infusion unit which costs less than USD1,000, you're very likely to be disappointed with its performance and life expectancy.
Generally speaking, the retail price is somewhere between USD1,500 - USD4,000 depending on the quality of the unit and its specifications.
Also, be aware of your ongoing and maintenance and filter costs, how often the filters need to be changed, and if there're any other costs involved throughout the life of your unit.
18. Do they have payment plans?
You may not be in a position to have the full amount at hand. Ask the company if they are able to provide you with a payment plan.
19. Get all your questions answered, engage in a conversation.
Get all questions answered, even the seemingly ordinary ones! Have peace of mind and confidence in the product you're purchasing. Talk to your sales agent, ask to talk to the company's management or customer service where possible. Ask them even potentially uncomfortable or hard questions. They should always answer and provide you with truthful and transparent information.
Watch my video with Paul Barattiero, the CEO of Synergy Science, covering this topic:
(2:48mins)
Want to find out more about molecular hydrogen and hyrogen-rich water and how you can create it in your kitchen?
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Disclaimer: Our aim is to share the above information to help you feel more empowered, make more useful choices, to encourage you to focus on prevention and solutions to stay healthy and increase your resilience and joy of living. This article is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.
