BOUNTIFUL—When someone turns on the tap in their home they expect fresh, clean water to come out. One local company is focused on making sure that happens every time.

“I used to work all over the world on all kinds of water projects,” said Les Merrill, president and cofounder of RETEGO labs. “The issue I had with major water treatment products was getting accurate data in a timely manner. We’d send it off to the lab and it took two weeks to a month before we received the information back.” 

A lot of water can be processed during that time, he said. “If an issue showed up, you could be exposed to a large fine because you didn’t know until the report came back.”

Merrill said he and his partner decided to take one of his partner’s ideas to create equipment that could accurately and precisely test water. “It gives a snapshot of what’s in your water. We applied for a patent which was issued in 2019. We’re also looking at an international patent.”

Just before COVID hit, they were looking at potential markets for the system. “I realized that in my home I was constantly having water heater failure,” said Merrill. “There can be scaling and buildup of corrosion so I decided to take the technology and test the water in my house.”

As the water came in from outside and moved through the house into the water heater and then the water softener it changed, he said. “We started testing a number of other homes and found similar problems.”

Some people had very expensive stainless steel water heaters, Merrill said. “They had water that was balanced and good – hard, but non corrosive. But when it goes through the water softener it’s not configured properly and can change the water that can be extremely corrosive.”

Merrill said when they tested one woman’s home her water was blue. “There was 600 percent more copper in it than recommended by the EPA. The water coming in tested fine. However, repairs and changes to the plumbing in her home over time created a ‘perfect storm’ that resulted in transforming the safe, balanced water supplied to the home into an intolerable, unbalanced and unsafe condition.”

It can best be described as putrid, he said. “It was unbelievable. It took a couple of days to get the taste out of my mouth.”

RETEGO has come up with a new way to know what’s in someone’s water, Merrill said. “We can give you water that is better for your family. It’s more than just a water softener, we look at the needs of your house. Some people are more concerned about their outside plants and others want drinking water that is safe and good. We can do that.”

Merrill said RETEGO can supply homes with equipment that takes out sulphates, heavy metals, addresses chlorine, fluoride and odors. “It’s state of the art.”

RETEGO has developed a podcast series and a Q&A Facebook page, he said. “We’ll answer anybody’s general questions about water. We do it as a community service.”

For more information about RETEGO visit retegolabs.com