Water, a source of life and a precious commodity, is available in drinkable form only in very small quantities despite 70% of the planet’s surface being covered with water. To improve the quality of the water coming from a rainwater collector, from the distribution network or from a well, there is a solution: filtration. Lime scale filter, sediment filter, magnetic filter, activated carbon filter or cartridge filter – domestic water filtration comes in many forms. We reveal all the secrets to choosing a water filter!
Thanks to its many years of experience in the world of water filtration systems , Qualitywaterlab.com is able to offer a complete range of filtering systems that are easy to use and that adapt to all needs. Taking care of your daily hydration allows you to maintain and safeguard the biorhythms of the metabolism, so as to improve the natural work of our body.
What is a water filter
Installed upstream of a water network, before an appliance or household appliance, the water filter is a device that serves to retain impurities, particles and contaminants present in the water. Based on the use of water (drinking water, sanitary water, irrigation), the particles to be retained and the complexity of the filtration system, filters can employ various technologies based on different principles (mechanical, chemical, electromagnetic, etc. .).
Why install a water filtration system
Before going into detail, it is necessary to understand that the installation of a water filtration system does not affect the potability of the water . The filters covered by this guide act on parameters that are not decisive in determining whether a water can be consumed or not. Let’s see the different cases in which it is possible to install a water filtration system.
Drinking water filtration
First of all, it must be considered that the water from the public distribution network that reaches homes is always drinkable and subjected to strict controls. Sometimes, however, it may be necessary to correct some parameters to improve the quality , make it more pleasant and suitable for consumption or to preserve the appliances or the heating system .
In most cases the filtration system is used to remove (or at least limit) incrustations and limescale . Sometimes, however, an excessive presence of ferrous sediments in the pipes and impurities or chlorine will alter the taste and it may therefore be useful to install a filter. Suspended materials contained in water can be retained by a filter provided the correct one is used.
Rainwater filtration
The collection of rainwater for sanitary use is becoming more and more widespread as its price increases on the public distribution network. It can be pumped from a holding tank or basin and used for a bathroom flush, pressure washer, sprinkler system or washing machine. In all cases, the water must be purified with a filtration system, which is essential to eliminate suspended solid particles that could damage the plant and equipment.
The different types of water filters
Alongside the increasingly popular water filter jugs, there are many different types of filters. Let’s look at the most common and used ones, depending on the purpose of the filter.
Cartridge filters
Classic filtration without a real active ingredient, in other words purely mechanical . Capable of retaining suspended particles , cartridge filters are suitable for reducing water turbidity . The filtration capacity is adjustable according to the size of the material to be captured by choosing the filtration diameter of the cartridges . This diameter ranges from 5 to 100 µm (microns).
Cartridge filters can be used in various ways:
- to retain sand that may be in a rainwater collector;
- Upstream of a domestic network to filter the micro particles that are sometimes contained in the water of the mains water supply.
Cartridge filters are often washable, but need to be replaced regularly. The most resistant are the filters with a flush cartridge.
Polyphosphate filters
It is a filtration that integrates an active compound that limits or even eliminates any presence of limestone. Very useful for preventing fouling of pipes and sanitary systems as a whole, polyphosphate filters can be installed both upstream of the domestic network (after the meter) and before the appliances are to be protected (at the entrance to a water heater, for example ).
The polyphosphates chemically act on the different compounds of the limestone, preventing their formation. Depending on the water consumption and the filter capacity, the active compound must be refilled once or twice a year. Polyphosphate filters can take the form of cartridge filters.
Magnetic filters
Like polyphosphates, magnetic filters limit or even eliminate lime scale , but with the help of magnetic waves . The principle is essentially the same as chemical bonds are not modified by a reaction with an additive but by the change in polarity of some elements.
Magnetic filters have the advantage of not using any consumables (or energy for permanent magnet models). However, they are less effective than polyphosphate filters. They are discreet and can be easily installed in the kitchen.
Activated carbon filters
This is the most advanced domestic water filtration system. Designed to remove or limit the presence of various chemicals in tap water, activated carbon is also capable of reducing turbidity and levels of some heavy metals . If it seems to you that tap water tastes of chlorine, the activated carbon filter is the solution to restore a neutral taste to the water .
Installed upstream of the home network, they are often combined with pre filters which have the task of reducing the clogging of activated carbon and thus prolonging their life span. As a general rule, coal should be replaced at least once a year.
The sediment filters
They are also called profilers. The purpose of sediment filters is to protect downstream filters by retaining larger materials in the water.
In most cases, their filtration capacity is around 20 µm . Placed upstream of the domestic network, immediately after the meter, they limit the clogging of the cartridge or activated carbon filters, extending their life and limiting their maintenance.
Water filtration: maintenance
Whatever the type of filtration, the goal is to improve the quality of the water . It is important to know that a poorly maintained filtration system not only fails to do its job, it can even alter the quality of the water! If you install a water filtration system, you must be careful and rigorous about the control and maintenance that the system requires, also to avoid the accumulation of bacteria dangerous to human health in the filtered water.
Change filters when needed, check and refill consumables regularly if needed, and if necessary, clean cartridges regularly.
A well maintained water filtration system is an efficient filtration system!
