Water filters are important for your home and the health of our planet. Learn about how water can be made clean enough to drink even if it is contaminated by heavy metals, bacteria, or chemicals.
Why You Need A Water Filter
Each individual consumes roughly 80-100 gallons of water each day on average. While many individuals don’t think about the quality of their water, the Flint, Michigan, water crisis thrust the problem of water pollution and filtration into the national spotlight. According to one research, between 1982 and 2015, as many as 45 million Americans may have been exposed to drinking water that did not fulfill the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act’s guidelines.
While many states struggle to provide clean water to all of their inhabitants, particularly in disadvantaged and rural regions, the reality remains that water departments throughout the nation do an excellent job of keeping drinking water safe overall. Some homeowners, on the other hand, choose to have the extra security of a water filtration system installed in their houses. These systems filter water as it enters the home, removing any pollutants or contaminants that may have accumulated in the pipes.
What Are the Functions of Water Filters?
A water filter is a device that removes contaminants from the supply of potable water. The process for how it works varies depending on the type of filter used.
Filtration is the most crucial step in any water treatment procedure. Filtration’s main goal is to physically remove pollutants from drinking water. This is performed by passing the water through a water filter media, which is a screen-like item. The media may be made of nearly any material as long as it allows water to flow through while preventing solids from passing through.
The presence of this filter medium blocks all solids in the water. These materials get ensnared and clash with one another when they come into touch with the filter. The size of the gap between the media, known as the pore size, is used to determine a filter’s effectiveness. More chemicals are eliminated from the water when the pore size is smaller. Pore diameters that are smaller reduce the pace and amount of water that can be filtered.
Water Filtration Types
There are a number of different filtration systems that can be installed in a home, each one using a slightly different filter media and filtering process. Here are a few Water Filtration Types systems available:
Charcoal Filters
Today’s most popular water filters use charcoal, often known as “activated charcoal.” Charcoal is the residue of partly burnt organic material and is mostly made up of carbon. Activated charcoal is created when chemical processing or specialized heating is applied to charcoal, causing it to become more porous. Charcoal filters work largely on the absorption principle. Large amounts of gases, including those that are toxic, attach to the residue. Charcoal can absorb the majority of pollutants in regular drinking water due to its large surface area and porous nature. Organic contaminants that create poor odor and taste may also be absorbed by these filters. While charcoal filters are usually incorporated into household solutions, they can also be used in smaller filtration units installed on individual faucets.
Reverse Osmosis Filtration System
This method splits tap water into pure liquid and a concentrate containing pollutants by forcing it through an ultra-thin, semi-permeable membrane. The liquid is retained for later use in a storage tank, while the concentrate caught in the membrane is flushed down the drain. Before being distributed in the home, the purified water is filtered using activated charcoal to remove any remaining tastes or smells. Pesticides, petrochemicals, and chloroform levels in drinking water may all be reduced using reverse osmosis systems.
Ion Exchange Water Filters
Originally designed to extract dissolved minerals from water, ion exchange filters were first employed in boilers and other industrial applications before being converted for household purification systems. The original ion exchange mechanism is combined with carbon-based filtration in these residential units. By exchanging natural-forming ions in the water with its own ions, the water that filters through is softened. This eliminates minerals like magnesium, calcium, and fluorides from the water, further reducing the risk of scale buildup.
UV Filtration Systems
UV filters function by using UV rays to kill germs and pathogens in water, which is an exception to the norm of passing water through a filter medium. This approach is known for being ecologically friendly and for conserving the most water without the use of chemicals. Unlike chemical disinfectants, which may be used when harmful pathogens such as E. coli are believed to be present, UV systems kill germs without leaving any taste or odor in the water. UV filtration systems alone are insufficient to clean water since they focus on eliminating bacteria and viruses rather than filtering minerals and other pollutants. As a result, they’re frequently used in conjunction with another filtering procedure.
Distillation Water Filtration System
Distillation is often recognized as the most efficient and dependable technique for removing pollutants from water. The process of distillation involves simply boiling water to generate steam, which burns away contaminants. The steam then cools and condenses into perfectly pure water droplets, which are collected in a container for later use. When paired with carbon filtration, distillation creates 99.9% contaminant-free water that is devoid of microorganisms, salt, heavy metals, and nitrates.
While most municipal water systems and wells supply safe drinking water to homes, some individuals prefer the added security that a water filter may give. While none of them can completely remove all toxins from water on their own, they may be combined in a number of ways to provide a more comprehensive solution.
The majority of these systems, on the other hand, are highly costly to install and maintain. They may potentially cause major harm to residential plumbing if not maintained on a regular basis. Contact a plumbing specialist for further information on what types of filtration systems are suitable for a house.
Water is an essential resource for life. Without it, we would not be able to survive. However, the quality of water varies from place to place and can sometimes be unsafe. That’s where water filtration systems come in handy. They are used to filter out bacteria, viruses, and other harmful substances that might be present in the water supply.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do water filters work?
A: Filters work by trapping particles in the water and letting them settle. This process is conducted through a series of screens that allow some, but not all, of the particles to pass while ensuring none enter or leave the system. The screen on top is designed for use with gravity (positive pressure) so it will hold back larger items like sand or dirt, then push these along as they are filtered out at lower levels below.
How does filtering water purify it?
A: Water is a very good solvent, which means it can dissolve many things. As such, water has the power to remove many pollutants and impurities from an area. However, this can also contaminate the water. Filtering the water will help to remove these contaminants.
Even after installing a water filter, you could have some lingering plumbing issues that need resolving. Find out more in 8 Telltale Signs You Could Have A Broken Sewer.
Related Tags
- how do water filters work brita
- water filtration methods
- types of water filtration methods
- water filters that remove bacteria
- filtration in water treatment