The History of Water Filtration
The history of water filtration and treatment dates to more than 4,000 years ago. People who lived during these early times were exposed to various diseases, believing that any clear water was safe to drink. As water contamination continued to worsen, various types of water filtration systems emerged and were developed to provide humans around the world with safe and clean water.
Importance of Safe and Clean Water
The importance of having an efficient water filtration system cannot be understated when it comes to preventing water-borne infection and diseases, especially in developing countries. Polluted water does not simply mean it’s dirty -- it can also be deadly. Despite some vast water resources in third world areas, there are still millions of deaths because of lack of access to safe drinking water. The United Nations reported that about 1.8 million people around the world died from waterborne illnesses (e.g. cholera, dysentery, and giardiasis). In addition to keeping us hydrated, water plays an important role in cooking. It also provides animals and plants with essential nutrition to grow and produce food for our daily consumption.
The need for clean, safe drinking water goes beyond sanitation -- it also has a significant impact on the economy. Lack of clean water and affects school and work attendance in certain communities. Instead of walking distances to collect and bring clean water, having a direct supply of clean water in homes allows people to focus on their education, employment, and business ventures.
Early Water Treatment
The earliest attempt to generate clean purified water can be traced to 2000 BC. The ancient methods of purifying water were recorded and outlined in early Sanskrit writings. The traditional methods included boiling the liquid by placing a pot of water over high heat or putting hot metallic instruments inside. Other tactics used crude sand or charcoal filters to provide better tasting drinking water. Many people believed that good tasting water was clean and free from any harmful organisms, which wasn’t always the case.
After a few centuries, Hippocrates (the Greek “father of medicine”) conducted his own methods of water purification and established the theory of the “four humours.” He posited that the body’s essential fluids have a direct relation to the four temperatures of the season. According to Hippocrates, the four humours (black bile, blood, phlegm, and yellow bile) should be kept in balance to have a healthy body. The theory also proposed that water has natural healing powers. Hippocrates believed that bathing feverish patients in cool water would help realign their body temperature and harmony of the four humours. Like other ancient peoples, he also believed that good taste also meant clean and pure water. He designed and built his own crude water filter system (known as the “Hippocratic sleeve”) to help purify the water he gave to patients. This water filtration system poured boiled water through a cloth bag in an effort to trap any particles that were causing bad taste and odour.
Water Filtration in the Middle Ages
During the Middle ages, several water filtration experiments were attempted, but because of the lack of scientific background most recorded efforts were unsuccessful. The first recognized water filtration experiment during this era was carried out by Sir Francis Bacon in 1627. Believing that seawater could be purified and cleansed for drinking purposes, he attempted to desalinate ocean water, using sand as a filter. Bacon assumed the sand could separate the salt as water passed through, but, sadly, the theory proved to be untrue.
The Invention of the Microscope
The Renaissance period sparked several amazing inventions. One major innovation was the microscope, which became crucial to water purification efforts. Robert Hooke, the “English father of microscopy,” confirmed with a microscope that a single drop of water was teeming with microorganisms. Soon scientists all over the world began examining these tiny, living water organisms and exploring how they could affect the safety and cleanliness of water.
The Dawn of Municipal Water Treatment
During the Age of Enlightenment, European philosophers pondered if humans have a right of access to clean, pure water. Their discussions led to French scientist La Hire to propose that every household should have a sand filter installed to help cleanse water. A century after La Hire’s proposal, the government of the United Kingdom considered providing every household with some kind of filtered water. The first citywide, municipal water treatment plant was soon built and installed in Paisley, Scotland in 1804. It used a slow sand filter designed by a famous Scottish scientist named Robert Thom. The water treatment plant helped supply every household within the city with filtered water. Later in 1827, an English scientist named James Simpson began to create a similar water filter system, which was then installed in municipal water treatment plants throughout England.
Since Thom’s and Simpson’s slow sand filters were large and required frequent and extensive cleaning, in the late nineteenth century U.S. scientists developed a rapid sand water filter to meet growing needs for purified water.
Using Chlorine to Purify Water
As more municipal water treatment plants sought higher quality and cleaner water, they began adding chlorine to various water treatment processes. Chlorine became a valuable chemical for purifying water when John Snow used it to treat cholera-causing water in Broad Street Pump. It could disinfect water and prevent deaths caused by cholera, typhoid, and dysentery. As a result, chlorine has been widely used for municipal water treatment for nearly a century.
Present-Day Water Filtration Methods
Despite all the changes to water technology and government regulations, many water supplies remain contaminated. Several water treatment plants strive daily to eliminate disease-causing pathogens, harmful chemicals, and industrial sludge to provide the cities and municipalities with safe, healthy water. While many households use water treated with chlorine or fluoride, chlorine-treated water can cause respiratory problems. Excessive fluoride is also linked to yellowing of teeth and some serious health problems among children.
Since city water treatment plants are often unable to deliver safe, chemical-free water, more residents are starting to install house water filtration units to purify water from city plants. These systems remove chlorine byproducts, microorganisms, and other unwanted chemicals.
The Everpure MC Cartridge
There are many types of water filtration systems available on the market today. The applications are typically for ones home or ones business. For commercial applications, more specifically the foodservice market, one widely-used water filter is the Everpure MC(2) Cartridge. This incredible cartridge-based water filter unit helps deliver premium quality water, improves taste and retains the carbonation of the water used for fountain pop, as an example.
Great things about the Everpure MC2 Cartridge:
- NSF Certified under NSF/ANSI Standards 42 and 53
- Uses the Proprietary Micro-Pure II filtration media, which effectively prevents bacterial growth on the filter media and maintains the product life.
- Exclusive precoat filtration improves the tastiness of the water by removing the unpleasant quality of chlorinated water (and other offensive contaminants).
- Micro-filters remove asbestos fibres and other fine particles as small as 0.2 microns.
- The cartridge uses mechanical means to reduce the risk of infection from cysts (like Giardia and Cryptosporidium).
- Protects drinking system seals, tubing, pump, and small orifices from clogging, corrosion, and abrasive wear.
- The sanitary cartridge is easy and quick to replace and clean and its internal filters are unlikely to get contaminated ( they are never exposed when handling or cleaning).
Everpure MC2 Cartridge specs include:
- Capacity: 9,000 gallons (34,065 liters)
- Maximum flow rate: 1.67 gpm (6.32 lpm)
- Certifications: NSF/ANSI 42 & 53
The MC Cartridge is found in a number of our commercial systems, here are two examples:
Despite the numerous historical and current advances in municipal water cleaning, many homes and businesses opt to add another layer of protection, so they have delicious water for both drinking and cooking.
When looking for a reliable water filtration system, contact Efilters. We have over 25 years’ experience in providing homes and commercial establishments with technical expertise and superior water filtration solutions. Contact us at info@efilters.net or place your order before 2:30 PM EST and it can be shipped on the same day.