Everything You Need To Know About A Water Filter System

Water is essential for life. We need clean water to drink, cook, bathe, and clean. But with the growing population getting clean water consistently is becoming difficult. Industrial development and environmental degradation have also played roles in reducing water purity. Furthermore, the government filtration system and policies may not help with the water purity as much as we would like. The best viable option can be setting up a water filtration system, such as Aquatell reverse osmosis water system, in your home. They provide one of the best quality water treatment facilities in the market.

However, you may set up a water filtration system that does not work for you without proper knowledge. To top that off, the unit you buy may be expensive and ineffective because of the uneducated purchase you made. If you are a first-time buyer, your safest bet is to make your purchase from Discount Water Filters and see how well it works for you. But first, let us break things down for you so that you can know everything about water filters.

The evolution of water filtration systems

About 71% of the earth is covered by water; unfortunately, only about 0.3% of it is drinkable. This means that humanity has been purifying water for centuries to make more of this water consumable. 

The first way humans purified water was by boiling it. Even today, many people still use this method. Boiling helps kill microbes and bacteria in the water, removing the pathogens. However, the end product is hard water which may contain a lot of minerals. Our bodies need minerals, but an excess amount can be dangerous. Hard water is also difficult for house chores as it does not foam lather easily when mixed with soap. Meaning you will need a lot of soap just to clean your house or bath. And if you bathe with it, your skin may get irritated from the high concentration of minerals. 

The next part of the water filtration evolution is the use of chlorine. This is a fast and effective way to kill microbes in the water. However, you cannot remove any particles in the water, leaving the water discolored and with visible particles. Another disadvantage of using chlorine to treat water is the chemical has significant health implications. 

As you can see, these methods are not the most effective, and the need for better ways to get best ceramic water filter in Australia.

Active carbon filter

One of the most popular filtration methods today is the active carbon filter. The filtration method uses carbon which in most cases is charcoal. Charcoal is porous, meaning it has very tiny holes which do not allow particles and many microbes like bacteria to pass through it, leaving behind cleaner water. 

The carbon part of the charcoal also reacts with several gasses that may be present in the water, removing them from the water. These gasses include chlorine, ammonia, nitrogen, among other harmful gasses. However, some microorganisms are a lot smaller than bacteria, and they may pass through the filtration process, meaning active carbon, even though efficient, does not remove all the water impurities. 

Bio sand filtration

This filtration uses principles from both biochemistry and physics. Layers of sand and gravel are placed in a cylinder with the biggest granules at the top, and the sizes of the pebbles get progressively smaller as you get lower in the cylinder. At the top, large particles are sieved out first. As the water goes lower in the sand and gravel mixture, more and more particles are sieved according to their size, leaving behind clear water free of many water impurities. 

However, after this process, many dangerous pathogens are still present in the water, and this is where biochemistry comes into play. At the topmost layer of the cylinder, the impure water coming in contact with the gravel creates an ideal environment for helpful bacteria to grow. These bacteria feed on the pathogens that come with the unfiltered water helping eradicate some of these dangerous microorganisms. Despite the ingenuity of bio-sand filtration, they do not remove all dangerous pathogens. 

Reverse osmosis filtration

Reverse osmosis involves a multi-stage water filtration process. It combines carbon and particle filtration. Unlike active filtration and bio-sand filtration, where the system relies on gravity, reverse osmosis uses a pump to pull the water against gravity. The water is first passed through a poly film which has micro-sized pores to filter out most pathogens, minerals, and particles before it passes through the carbon section of the filter. The poly film helps remove pathogens and other dangerous impurities from the water, while the carbon section helps remove any particles and pathogens that may have been saved through. But more importantly, it helps remove the dangerous gasses in the water giving the water a better taste. Most reverse osmosis filters’ efficiency and small size make them popular across many households. The biggest concern with reverse osmosis filtration is that it may remove most of the essential minerals in the water.

UV filters

UV light can be dangerous but can be helpful in small quantities or with the correct wavelength. Nowhere more evident than with water filtration. The system uses minimum radiation UV light to kill all the bacteria and pathogens in the water. This filtration method mainly treats large amounts of water due to its efficiency and speed in killing germs. However, it is often used with additional filtration methods as it cannot remove particles, water odor, and excess minerals. 

Ceramic filters

The ceramic filter’s effectiveness lies in its simplicity. Most ceramic filters are made of clay and combustible material like sawdust or risk husks. This combination helps eradicate most water particles and chemicals like chlorine. It is considered one of the most natural ways to purify water. 

What to look for before buying a water filter

As you can see, there are many types of water filtration systems, each geared to specific functions. That is why it is essential to first get your water tested before making a water filter purchase. This way, you will know what type of filter to buy.

• Purpose of the water: are you looking for a filter for just your drinking water or the entire household?
• Operation cost: does the filter use electricity? Do you need to change the filtrate? If so, how often?
• Installation: how difficult is it to install the system? Do you need professional help?
• Filtration rate: how much water do you need per day? Does the filtration rate of the filter match your needs?

It is important to ask yourself these questions as they can be the difference between making a good purchase or adding an unnecessary appliance to your home.