Anyone who has been lived through the 80’s must very well recognize the big filters that your mom used to put on her kitchen top. Infact gravity filters have been since the roman days. There is archeological evidence that ancient romans used a mixture of sand, gravel and powdered sea shells for purifying water. In 1865 an Italian physician Lu Antonio Porzo made the first patented and mass produced water filter. It contained sponge, charcoal and wool. This system was not totally effective yet it was surprisingly powerful. The curtailing of cholera can be attributed to use of such water filters. Since the old times the operation of a gravity water filter has always been the same.
Nowadays due to the advancement of technology and availability of micron size fibers water filtration has taken new strides. The single most important breakthrough is the availability of compounded water filtration materials. Water filter candles also known as ceramic filters are now being widely used in all kinds of gravity based filters. These ceramic filters are also treated with silver and activated carbon fibers to remove chemicals and pathogens. The probability of finding a chemical irritant in a 100ml of purified water sample is just .0001%, pretty impressive by any standards.
Things to check For:
The USFDA and EPA have very strict norms regarding the standardization and testing of water filters. However as a user you too should know what to buy and what not to buy. Here are some pointers that will help you.
1. Check for any hairline cracks or fissures on the filter – A small rupture or a crack can make the filter useless. A crack will allow the water to seep through without being processed. This seeped water could contain untreated impurities and contaminants.
2. Does it have activated carbon ? – Activated carbon basically is a form of carbon that has been made extremely porous and thereby increasing the total surface area. This helps in increasing the absorption capacity. Filters which have a activated carbon module have high chemical and contaminant removal rates. As a matter of fact activated carbon is also used in air purification masks and in hostile biological environment.
3. What grade of ceramic is being used ? – Needless to say that the ceramic material used should be USFDA approved. Many imported water filters do not always confirm to the safety standards and using such products can be harmful.
4. Filtration rate – A water filter element having a good filtration rate ensures that you get clean water faster. As a rule of thumb anything less than 2 gal/hour should be unacceptable.
These are just a few pointers but as always insist on seeing the complete literature before deciding to buy a water filter unit for your home. For budget conscious people a simply gravity based water filter can be a very good option. It not only costs less but also doesn’t use electricity. Based on independent lab tests it is not uncommon to achieve a purification factor of nearly 99.99% with the ability to remove VOC’s and heavy metals. Since almost all of the tested water supplies in the United States contain substantial amounts of metals like lead, zinc and mercury, having a water filter capable of removing them is essential.
Also see: berkey water filter & big berkey filtration system and know more about the contaminants present in normal water. For a full details see berkey water filter review
One comment
Comment by Mr WordPress on January 25, 2012 at 10:12 am
Hi, this is a comment.
To delete a comment, just log in and view the post's comments. There you will have the option to edit or delete them.