~ by Nate Clark, Residential Water Specialist, CWS-III
Water Quality Association Credentials
I worked many years in the plumbing & heating trade. Over those years, I screened a lot of job seekers who had been doing plumbing work for ‘many years’, but had ‘just never gotten around to’ getting their licenses. Many considered themselves the equivalent of licensed plumbers because of their years in the trade. What they didn’t understand is that knowing how to do the manual, mechanical work of plumbing is only a small portion of what goes into licensing. Today’s plumbers complete four to five full years of classroom education, learning about sanitary procedures, flow characteristics and pipe sizing, venting, metallurgy, pump performances, temperature and pressure relationships and regulations, gas characteristics and a host of other critical disciplines that together make up the plumbing code, which exists to protect public health and safety. There are no shortcuts.
The same is true when selecting a water professional. There are a lot of factors that go into producing safe, enjoyable water. Water chemistry is a complex study, with many factors that affect the end product. Since the ‘finished product’ is going directly into your body and touching your life in every imaginable way, it’s important to select a professional who is qualified.
The Water Quality Association is a not-for-profit international trade organization based in Illinois that represents the commercial, residential and industrial water treatment industry. In their own words, ‘WQA is a resource and information source, a voice for the industry, an educator for professionals, a laboratory for product testing, and a communicator to the public.’ In short, they are the most highly regarded organization in existence when it comes to training and certification of water professionals. They offer several levels of certification, as well as categories that include Water Specialists, Installers, Sales representatives and Contractual Operators. In addition to passing rigorous exams to receive each of these certifications, they also require regular continuing education credits in order to maintain certification.
At Secondwind, our goal has always been to be the best. A critical part of achieving that goal is acquiring the knowledge and credentials that display a mastery of our craft. As a result, our staff is comprised of TWELVE Certified Water Specialists and SEVEN Certified Installers, representing over 200 years of combined experience! This number represents more certified staffers than ALL of the other nine New Hampshire WQA member companies combined. One additional advantage to using Secondwind is that we share our combined knowledge in order to develop the best methods of treatment for your situation.
You wouldn’t trust your health to someone practicing medicine without credentials. Why do that with your drinking water?
