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Odors |
Are self-descriptive. Odors
are sometimes transmitted to the sample by the shipping container when it
is not a standard Culligan sample bottle. |
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Operating Pressure |
The range of pressure,
usually expressed in pounds per square inch, over which a water
conditioning device or water system is designed to function. |
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Organic Contaminants |
Carbon-based chemicals,
such as chlorohydrocarbons, solvents and pesticides, which can get into
water through runoff from cropland or discharge from factories. EPA has
set legal limits on 56 organic contaminants. |
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Organic Matter |
Substances of or derived
from plant or animal matter. Organic matter is characterized by its
carbon-hydrogen structure. |
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Osmosis |
A process of diffusion of a
solvent such as water through a semipermeable membranae which will
transmit the solvent but impede most dissolved substances. The normal flow
of solvent is from the dilute solution to the concentrated solution in an
attempt to bring the solutions on both sides of the membranae to
equilibrium. (See equilibrium, reverse osmosis.) |
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Oxidation |
A chemical process in which
electrons are removed from an atom, ion, or compound; causing the
substance's valence to increase. The addition of oxygen is a specific form
of oxidation; combustion is an extremely rapid form of oxidation, while
the rusting of iron is a slow form. Whenever oxidation occurs, an
offsetting reduction reaction must occur. (See reduction.) |
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Ozone |
An unstable form of oxygen
(O3), which can be generated by an electrical discharge through air or
regular oxygen. It is a strong oxidizing agent and has been used in water
conditioning as a disinfectant. |