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Last Updated on June 16, 2023 by Alaina Bullock
You can drink and use tap water efficiently and safely with the use of filters. Learn more about the types of water filters when you click here. These cleaners act as a barrier for smaller particles, sand, metals, sediments in the supply you’re using at home. You can shower or wash the clothes without harmful bacteria or foul taste that’s usually common in many unfiltered taps.
Some have even decided to brew coffee with tap water or make ice cubes that are crystal clear when they have a reliable filter at home by AquaOx. There’s a wide range of purifiers available out there, and here’s information that you may want to know about some of them.
Classification of Water Filters
The types of water filter you should choose depends on your overall goal of what you want to remove from your tap water. The five different types of water filters to choose from include:
- Absorption
- Ion Exchange
- Mechanical
- Reverse Osmosis
- Sequestration
Each of these types of water filters addresses a specific type of problem in the water you’re using at home. Sometimes you can install a combination of the types of water filters along with the help of AquaOx Water Filter for an even more efficient system inside the house. After all, the more levels of filtration you have, the cleaner the water for the household.
How Do the Filtration Systems Work?
One of the most essential substances on earth is water, and it covers more than 70% of the planet’s surface. The human body needs water to survive. Water is also a vital liquid for many industries like science, agriculture, recreation, heating, transportation, and even in the medical fields.
Many people tend to buy bottled water, but this can become very expensive over time. But the alternative is to rely on the municipal supply where the treatments are often inadequate. Some may notice a strong taste of chlorine coming out of the taps in the morning, as well as other unpleasant odors and tastes in their city water.
Chlorine is also often used to disinfect water so that it is free of bacteria and germs. However, depending on your location, many water pipes haven’t had any maintenance for years now and have accumulated limescale deposits in the process. The chlorine taste and the limescale deposits are just some of the issues that the different types of water filters can solve. But how does each type work?
Mechanical
Mechanical filtration is one of five different types of water filters. It is installed to remove dirt, sediments, and other larger particles that may be present in the main supply. These contain mesh that screens out the larger debris, and there are also those ultra-fine complex pore structures that can remove pathogenic bacteria in the water.
The mechanical way of filtration is measured by a rating on how effective they are on the particle sizes that they can remove. Some of the most popular ratings are the following:
- 0.5 microns – can remove cryptosporidium, giardia, and other cysts
- 1 micron – this will remove smaller particles that are often seen in microscopes
- 5 microns – smaller stones and other molecules that are visible to the naked eye can be separated
Absorption Methods
Another type of water filter are the ones that work by the absorption method, This method is usually done by carbon as it is highly effective in filtering out contaminants in liquids. Carbon works quickly thanks to its internal surface that’s full of crannies and nooks. These holes in the middle can trap a lot of impurities like chlorine.
Many companies may even add granular activated carbon that can reduce unwanted odors and tastes. These may be more expensive, but they are worth the investment in the long run. The ones that are generally more effective will feature a micron rating for the removal of particles.
Various substances are also used to make carbon filters. Some of the manufacturers utilize coconut shells and wood because they are more effective. However, they are also costly options.
Sequestration
The next type of water filter is sequestration. This method works by isolating a substance at a chemical level. These filters may use food-grade polyphosphate, and they inhibit magnesium and calcium minerals. This, in turn, can delay the cause of corrosion and limescale to the pipes.
However, polyphosphate is only used in minute amounts because it only acts as an inhibitor rather than a removal agent. They don’t soften the water, but they are working to keep the minerals within this solution to prevent scales from forming.
Because hard minerals are still literally present in the water, some people may not find sequestration to be a helpful alternative. One thing that they do is to mix this with other types for more effective filtration. This can be applicable in areas that have alkalinity levels of 180ppm.
Ion Exchange
Yet another type of water filter is the ion exchange filter. This process is used to soften hard water with the help of hydrogen and sodium ions. Learn more about the ion-exchange chemical reaction on this site: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemical-engineering/ion-exchange. The exchange removes calcium and magnesium that’s often found in topwater. This is not like the scale inhibition because the ion exchange will physically eradicate the causes of limescale buildup. This is suitable for water that’s often used in higher temperatures, like making coffee or hot showers.
The ion exchange process is commonly used with a resin that’s usually found in the form of tiny beads. The type of resin used should be changed periodically to maintain its effectiveness. These filters are generally sold as a sealed unit to prevent contamination.
Reverse Osmosis
The final type of water filter is one that works by reverse osmosis. The process of reverse osmosis involves dissolving calcium ions and magnesium by forcing them into semipermeable membranes. This is done under pressure when pure water passes the system while the contaminants are usually left behind.
This is a very effective way of purifying water since there’s a combination of absorption through activated carbon and sediment filters that are mechanical in nature. The water will return with a few remaining contaminants.
Reverse osmosis will force water through pressure to go through the membranes. Electricity is not usually involved, although some wastes may go down the drain. The multi-stage filtration systems involving reverse osmosis can be more expensive than the other methods, but they can be worth it.