Which water filter is better to choose?
Nowadays, when the environmental issue is especially acute, and the idea of taking care of one’s health has begun to take on a global scale, erasing national and geographical boundaries, we are increasingly paying attention to consumed products. Of particular note is the water entering our homes through water pipes. A variety of household filters help to improve the quality of such water: water filters for washing, water softeners and others.
Content
- Criteria for choosing a water filter
- Benchmark for the best manufacturer
- The cost of the product is an important aspect
Devices for the purification of drinking water today have gained wide popularity. It has long been no secret that the water in our homes contains a huge amount of impurities, which are often visible with the naked eye. This may be sand, rust or other impurities, both man-made and natural. In addition, undergoing the disinfection procedure, the drinking water coming from the taps in our homes is saturated with chlorine, which does not have a positive effect on the human body. That is why household water filters are becoming more and more a necessity every day, not a luxury item..
Criteria for choosing a water filter
When answering the question about which water filter to choose, it is necessary to focus on the basic requirements for this type of household appliances. There are several such requirements. Firstly, the filter must have a device for softening the incoming water and its disinfection using special bactericidal additives.
Secondly, safe materials must be used to make the filter. They must be not only environmentally friendly, but also prevent the emergence and reproduction of bacteria.
Thirdly, any household filter should effectively purify water from various contaminants and impurities that must be removed permanently.
Particular attention must be paid to the calculation of the consumed clean water per day. As a rule, the average person consumes 2.5-3.5 liters of water per day. Obviously, this indicator should be multiplied by the number of family members. Experts recommend choosing the device that can give clean water with a three-fold supply per day.
All water filters – reviews about them and the main characteristics can be found on the Internet – must have a hygiene certificate, which confirms not only their safety, but also due effectiveness. In addition, there must be a certificate that serves as a confirmation of the filter’s compliance with the requirements for this type of device.
It is worth noting that the efficiency of the filter is determined by the degree of purity of the resulting water. Such information must be contained on the pages of the passport of the water treatment device. The practice of using household filters has shown that for effective purification of drinking water in our homes, filters must be multifunctional, combining the functions of mechanical filtration, ion exchange and sorption.
Benchmark for the best manufacturer
When deciding which water filter is better, it is impossible to ignore the manufacturers of these household appliances. Currently, experts do not focus on foreign manufacturers, giving them preference. Modern technologies and high-quality materials make it possible to manufacture domestic products that are not inferior in terms of operating efficiency to foreign analogues. Moreover, some domestic filter models may be superior to foreign “brothers” due to the fact that they are made taking into account the characteristics of our water, the degree of pollution and other features. All necessary tests preceding the release of goods to the market are carried out on the water that flows through the water pipes of domestic buildings and structures..
The cost of the product is an important aspect
Of course, filters for water purification – reviews about the models used can be heard from friends – are also divided by price category. The cost of the product is directly proportional to the degree of functionality and practicality of a particular model. The most budget option will be filters, “jugs” or special cleaning nozzles for cranes. Somewhat more expensive are stationary filters. Trunk and membrane household filters for treating tap water are considered to be the most expensive.
Types of Water Filters
Today it is customary to allocate a large number of the most diverse types of household filters. The basis of their separation by type is a set of criteria: dimensions, operating principle, efficiency, cost, productivity, operational properties and others.
Mobile filter – “jug”
The filter “jug” for purification of drinking water: the compact portable device with the simplest scheme of work
Such a filter is portable and does not require a direct connection to the water supply. Their undoubted advantage is the ability to take the device to the country or to nature. The principle of operation of such filters is extremely simple: water is collected in a water purifier, where it is filtered using a special module. Such a “jug” filter is quite capable of satisfying the daily need for 1-2 people in clean drinking water. Each filter module is designed for cleaning about 300 liters, so its change is carried out, as a rule, once every 2-3 months. Such water purification devices differ in volumes. However, in country houses and in the presence of a large family, a flow filter for water is usually used..
Water faucet nozzles
A nozzle on a water faucet will purify water better than a filter jug
Nozzle filters are more efficient than jug filters. Externally, they are a removable device of small size, which is mounted on a water tap. It is worn only when water purification is necessary, the rest of the time it can be stored in a drawer. The filter is connected to the tap with a small hose.
Coal Water Treatment Devices
The carbon filter for water has gained special love among consumers, the effect of which is based on the adsorbing property of activated carbon. It perfectly adsorbs chlorine, pesticides and organics. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that the life of such a filter is approximately 6-9 months. After this period, the filter may not become a water treatment device, but a breeding ground for bacteria and microorganisms harmful to human health..
The carbon filter for household water treatment adsorbs harmful trace elements, organics, chlorine, enriches the composition of water with silver ions
In carbon filters, silver or aluminum oxide is often added. Water quality improves significantly when these substances react with fluorine or chlorine in running water. In addition, silver prevents the rapid growth of bacteria, which not only protects human health, but also extends the filter life by 2-3 months.
Magnetic Water Filters
The magnetic filter for domestic water treatment effectively “captures” solid inclusions
Consumers often confuse a magnetic water filter and a magnetic transducer. They are quite similar in principle, but are not the same device. So, a magnetic filter is designed to purify water by trapping persistent mechanical impurities. The filter traps all solid particles whose sizes exceed the size of the filtering cells. This type of water purification device contributes to the effective protection of devices such as pumps, heat exchangers.
As for magnetic converters, their feature is that under the influence of a magnetic field created by permanent magnets, salt-forming magnesium and calcium ions lose their ability to deposits on sorbing surfaces.
Mechanical cleaning devices
A household mechanical water filter prevents the penetration of insoluble substances
A sufficiently widely used mechanical water filter is designed to effectively protect the entire water supply system from clogging, which leads to premature wear of equipment and reduced pipe throughput. In addition, these filters prevent corrosion..
As a rule, a mechanical water purification filter is installed directly at the inlet of the water supply system, which allows you to effectively purify water from contaminants that are not subject to dissolution: sand, rust, clay, other impurities, microorganisms.
It is the minimum size of the particles present in the water that determines the type of cleaning – there is a fine, ultra-thin and rough cleaning. Fine cleaning takes place when the size of the trapped particles ranges from 0.5-5 microns, with particle sizes less than 0.5 microns, ultrafine purification of water occurs. Coarse cleaning is carried out with a particle size of 5 microns to 500 microns.
Trunk filtration systems
Specialists note that the main filters for water purification are the best option for the protection of household appliances for the operation of which water is required. So, softening water with a main filter can significantly increase the life of a dishwasher or washing machine.
Main filter – a multifunctional system that performs cleaning and optimizes water quality
The type of cartridge used determines the main purpose of the main filter. This can be cleaning water from various mechanical impurities, improving its taste, reducing the amount of chlorine, deferrizing water and eliminating unpleasant odors.
Thus, filters for softening water, cleaning it from various contaminants and impurities play a big role in our life. They not only help to preserve health, but also protect household appliances from hard water that adversely affects it. Of course, the choice of filter today is quite complicated, because in the market of water purification devices a huge number of a wide variety of models. However, compliance with a number of requirements and nuances will allow you to choose the most effective water filter.
