Choosing A Home Drinking Water Filtration System
Home water filtration has gone from being a luxury to a necessity. With news of crumbling infrastructure leaching heavy metals and the increased risk of groundwater contamination, more homeowners are having to question exactly what is in their drinking water. Home drinking water filtration is a simple process that can help offer a little peace of mind every time you reach for a glass. Here at efilters, our team is dedicated to providing systems that will keep your family safe from harmful contaminants.
There are several potential risks in drinking water. If your water is cloudy or has a bizarre taste or odor, there is a definite cause for concern. Fine particles in your water can cause turbidity (cloudiness) and bad tastes. If you have these issues with your drinking water, adding a filter system can quickly fix the problem.
There are also several risks that cannot be seen or smelled, but can cause serious health complications. Through old pipes or other contamination sources, heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead and mercury can all find their way into our water. Adding a filter system to your home can greatly reduce the levels of these harmful chemicals. Testing your water is a great way to determine if you are at risk for ingesting these chemicals.
Chemical contaminants are not the only danger when it comes to water. Water is one of the basic building blocks of life and there are still entire ecosystems that can be found in a single drop of water. Harmful cysts and bacteria can still be found in drinking water around the world. While there are systems in place to filter and remove biological agents from our water, these little bugs can still find their way in. Luckily many harmful biological microbes are larger than the filtration capacity of a good home water filter.
One of the most common home filtration solutions is the water filter pitcher. These filters have a small capacity and have to be refilled daily to meet most home’s drinking water needs. The average cartridge on one of these systems can only filter 40 gallons of water before needing to be replaced. Despite this limited capacity, the media in these cartridges is loose enough to allow water through long passed their intended lifespan. This often leads to pitcher users drinking what is basically unfiltered water. They also can take up valuable real estate in your refrigerator, limiting your food storage space.
The main advantage of filter pitchers is their low price point. While they may be affordable, the level of filtration and the amount of maintenance hardly seems worth it. A dedicated water filtration system may have a higher initial cost, but the low maintenance and superior water quality make up for that price difference. When you consider the cost of bottled water, which is roughly $1.45 per 0.5 liters, the yearly cost to drink bottled water would be over $2000 per individual in your household. A single 300-gallon water filter could filter more water than one individual would need in a year (roughly 725 liters or 200 gallons), all for under $100. Combining a home filter system with a reusable water bottle could help you save big on your drinking water over the course of the year.
Here at efilters, we recommend Everpure home drinking water filtration systems. These systems are designed to be simple for homeowners to install and maintain. In addition to their ease of use, these systems also offer incredible filtration power. A standard Everpure home system is designed to remove contaminants as small as 0.5 microns in size. That is roughly one hundredth the diameter of a human hair. This incredible filtration power results in crisp clean drinking water, without removing the essential minerals we need from our water.
The main component of these systems is their cartridge. These metal cylinders contain Everpure’s proprietary Micro-Pure filter media. By arranging this filter media into a pleated system, the cartridge provides an optimized surface area. Combined with the incredible total surface area of the filter media itself, this gives a huge surface to absorb and contain foreign particles.
Why is surface area so important? Well when it comes to filtration, you need materials that maximize surface area. Imagine a sponge. The reason a sponge holds soap and makes such a good cleaning tool is its high surface area. A sponge with a perfectly smooth poreless surface would not be able to absorb soap and water. Just like a sponge, filter media works best with a highly porous surface.
Activated carbon, one of the most common water filter components, is basically a carbon sponge. While it may look like black power, on the microscopic scale each grain is covered in tiny pits and holes, making them ideal for trapping foreign contaminants. In fact, a large handful of activated carbon probably has as much surface area as an entire city block. Everpure’s systems use a blend of activated carbon and other filtration aids to create their incredibly effective media.
No matter what system you choose to install in your home, you simply screw the filter head under your sink at the proper height. Once this is complete you should mount the plastic plumbing pieces as detailed. Once both of these components are installed, you can cut your plastic tubing to size and connect them. Finally, you insert your filter cartridge and run water through the system for a few minutes to purge out any air. After this step is finished, you can enjoy crisp and clean drinking water on tap for months before your system will need any maintenance.
The maintenance process for your new Everpure system is as simple as changing a lightbulb. Once the filter cartridge has reached the end of its lifespan, you will start to notice a decreased water flow. If you notice this, or it’s been a year since you installed the cartridge, you should install a filter cartridge replacement. Simply shut off the valves on the filter head, unscrew the old cartridge, screw the new one in, reopen your valves, and run the system as you did during your initial installation.
Everpure has designed their water filter systems’ filter heads to be interchangeable. This means that if you find yourself replacing your cartridge more often than you would like, you can upgrade to a cartridge which features a large filtration capacity. You might also want to move down to a smaller capacity cartridge if you do not believe you are exhausting your current cartridge after a full year of use.
Another home drinking water filtration option we offer is reverse osmosis filtration. These filter systems, also from Everpure, offer amazing filtration power for homeowners looking for the cleanest possible water. Unlike a standard system, which filters down to 0.5 microns, reverse osmosis filters can remove particles as small as 0.00001 microns in size. This amazing filtration capacity makes reverse osmosis(RO) one of the most effective home filtration options on the market.
The secret to RO filtration is the membrane. These artificial membranes are designed to mimic the osmotic effect of cell walls. In cells, water is drawn through the cell wall, while the internal contents of the cell are able to remain inside due to a phenomenon known as osmotic pressure. By pressurizing water on one side on the membrane above the osmotic threshold of the membrane, water is able to pass through the fine holes in the membrane, while larger particles are left behind.
One thing about RO systems is the filtration process can be a little slower than a conventional filter. This is because of the slow rate at which water can pass through the membrane. As a result, your RO filtration system will come with a convenient storage tank. This tank holds 3 gallons of filtered water so you know you will always have some filtered water on hand, despite the time it takes to filter out impurities.
On the ROMIV system, there is an additional third filter cartridge after the RO cartridge. This filter is designed to filter out any volatile organic compounds that make it through the membrane. The RO process is effective at removing 70% to 80% of VOCs, so there may still be some contamination that makes it through the membrane. These filters use extremely fine filter media to help absorb these compounds, many of which have carcinogenic properties.
Because of the longevity of reverse osmosis membranes, these filter systems only require occasional maintenance. The prefilter cartridge should be changed at least once annually, while the main RO cartridge and the VOC cartridge will only need to be changed every few years or whenever you notice low water flow despite having a fresh prefilter. The process for changing cartridges on Everpure’s ROMIV system is the same as using standard filter systems and should only take a few minutes.
Finding the perfect system for your home all depends on your home and your needs. While an RO system is going to give you amazing clean drinking water, a smaller standard system will be a better option for homeowners dealing with cramped space under the sink. No matter what you choose, you will notice a pronounced improvement in water quality once you start filtering.
Here at efilters, we specialize in drinking water filtration systems for homes and businesses. We can help you find a system that will be a perfect fit for your home based on your water consumption, available space, and filtration needs. With an Everpure system in your home, you will get to enjoy the convenience of having the fresh drinking water you need on hand 24/7.
So if you are tired of bad-tasting tap water, or you are just looking for a little extra peace of mind when you reach for the faucet, visit efilters today. Our team is here to help you find the home drinking water filtration system you need. If you have any questions about the systems we offer, feel free to reach out to a member of our team at info@efilters.net. Clean water is an essential resource, so stop refilling clunky pitchers and overspending on bottled water today to get the water you need. Let us help you find a new filter system today!