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Water filter
From CopperWiki
Water filters remove impurities from the water. With the rising concern about contaminants, the popularity of water filters as an economical and convenient way of getting good quality water has grown manifolds. This concern for contaminants is not new and historians believe that the use of water filters began more than 4000 years ago.
The association between water filter and health dates back to mid-19th century London whee certain parts of the city were plagued by diseases. City officials began to link the spread of cholera to poor drinking water quality. They noted that in areas where sand water filters had been installed, the outbreak of cholera had greatly decreased.
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[edit] Why should I be aware of this?
Natural water is a rarity in modern times due to industrial contamination, woodland loss and the need for centralized water storage. With 70% of human body made of water, the quality of drinking water is most important. It must be capable of absorption if it is to be beneficial. The use and the choice of water filter has an impact on the health of the people.
Unlike bottled water, water filters are required to document the purity of the water they generate. If a person needs a water filter, the one he or she buys should match their lifestyle and water problems.
[edit] All about water filter
[edit] Find Out What's in Your Water
It is important to first check the kind of contaminants in the tap water. These can be harmful for pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems. Contaminants like lead are the most common. The nearest laboratory should be able to give you a complete test report upon which you can make your choice of water filter.
[edit] Selecting the Right Filter
Household water filters generally fall into one of two categories:
point-of-entry units, which treat water before it gets distributed throughout the house;
and point-of-use units, which include countertop filters (e.g. filter pitchers), faucet filters, and under-the-sink units.
Some filters use more than one kind of filtration technology.
- Activated Carbon Filter
How it works : Positively charged and highly absorbent carbon in the filter attracts and traps many impurities. Used in : Countertop, faucet filters and under-the-sink units. Gets rid of : Bad tastes and odors, including chlorine. Standard 53-certified filters also can substantially reduce many hazardous contaminants, including heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury; disinfection byproducts; parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium ; pesticides; radon; and volatile organic chemicals such as methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), dichlorobenzene and trichloroethylene (TCE).
- Cation Exchange Softener
How it works : "Softens" hard water by trading minerals with a strong positive charge for one with less of a charge.
Used in : Whole-house, point-of-entry units.
Gets rid of: Calcium and magnesium, which form mineral deposits in plumbing and fixtures, as well as barium and some other ions that can create health hazards.
- Distiller
How it works : Boils water and recondenses the purified steam.
Used in : Countertop or whole house point-of-entry units; can be combined with a carbon filter.
Gets rid of : Heavy metals such as cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and mercury, as well as arsenic, barium, fluoride, selenium and sodium.
- Reverse Osmosis
How it works: A semipermeable membrane separates impurities from water. (Note: This filtration technique wastes a substantial amount of water during the treatment process.)
Used in: Under-the-sink units; often in combination with a carbon filter or UV disinfection unit.
Gets rid of: Most contaminants, including certain parasites such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia; heavy metals such as cadmium, copper, lead and mercury; and other pollutants, including arsenic, barium, nitrate/nitrite, perchlorate and selenium.
- Ultraviolet Disinfection
How it works: Ultraviolet light kills bacteria and other microorganisms.
Used in: Under-the-sink units, often in combination with a carbon filter and sediment screen.
Gets rid of : Bacteria and parasites; class A systems protect against harmful bacteria and viruses, including Cryptosporidium and Giardia , while class B systems are designed to make non-disease-causing bacteria inactive.
[edit] Point of installation
Water filters can be classified according to the type of filtration process they follow or their point of installation.
- Whole-house filters -- These are designed as a point-of-entry system that filters water directly as it enters a home plumbing system from a municipal or private well water source. They remove sediment, rust, and other large particles from water, but they are not designed to remove other contaminants. So even if a family has a whole-house unit, they may need another filter to purify drinking water. Ideally, this type of filtration system is used in conjunction with a counter-top filter in order to ensure the removal of lead and other elements that corrode from pipes after water enters the home’s plumbing system.
- Carafes are inexpensive and useful for filtering small quantities of drinking water. One problem is that the better they are at removing contaminates the quicker their filters clog.
- Faucet-mounted units require less installation than most other installed filters, but they tend to slow the flow of water and can't be used on all faucets.
- Countertop units filter large amounts of water without plumbing modifications, and are less likely to clog than carafes or faucet-mounted units.
- Undersink filters filter lots of water but required plumbing modifications, including a hole drilled through the sink and/or countertop for the dispenser.
- Shower filters are designed to remove chlorine as well as other harmful synthetic chemicals and VOCs from showering water.
[edit] Water filter and health
A century ago water born diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery were rampant in the absence of clean and filtered drinking water. If the type of water filter is inadequate to filter the contaminants in the water of that area then diseases such as jaundice, stomach related problems and infections would arise. In areas where lead is used in door or city plumbing, then a filter which takes care of this is needed. To avoid damage to hair and skin from chlorine and other contaminants, shower filters are required.
[edit] Water filter and environment
Electricity based water filter add to your carbon footprint and waste non renewable resource like power. Reverse osmosis filters waste three to five times the amount of water they filter, thereby using a precious resource such as water. They are slow and consume more power than the others.
[edit] What can I do?
One should buy water filter system that produce clean water without eliminating important nutrients. See if it is possible to buy a water filter that consumer little or no power.
[edit] Maintain Your Filter Properly
No filter will give you good performance over the long term unless it receives regular maintenance. As contaminants build up, a filter can not only become less effective, but actually can make your water worse, by starting to release harmful bacteria or chemicals back into your filtered water. To keep your filter working properly, follow the manufacturer's maintenance directions. Some filters only require a cartridge change, while others are better maintained by a certified professional. Many filter distributors offer maintenance and service contracts for their products. Before buying any water treatment system, compare not only filter prices, but also operating and maintenance costs for the different units.
[edit] Useful tips
- Make sure you get a filter that removes the contaminants of concern in your tap water. Take a look at the city's annual water quality report for information
- Ensure that the filter has been certified by an independent organization.
- Maintain the filter at least as often as the manufacturer recommends, or hire a maintenance company to maintain it
- Remember that a "point of use" filter on the sink will not remove all contaminants. For example, one can be exposed to trihalomethanes in the shower.
[edit] CopperBytes
- Millions of tiny filters called nephrons filter and regulate body water through the kidneys. Gradually the filters wear out, which is the normal process of ageing. Drinking lots of pure water is one way to relieve kidney problems such as stones and urniary tract infections.[1]
- Reverse osmosis filter removes contaminants according to size. If the size of the contaminant is smaller than the pores of the membrane, it will not be removed. [2]
- A person can absorb more chlorine from taking a shower than by drinking tap water. Chlorine can be toxic to human body.
