You are here : Home | Water Filters | Library | Water Filters General Information
[one_fourth padding=”0 6px 0 0″]
Carbon Filter FAQ’s
What is a Carbon Filter
Activated carbon filtration makes use of a specially manufactured charcoal material made up of porous carbon particles to which most organic contaminants are attracted and held (sorbed) on/in the porous surface. However, organic pollutants have large differences in affinity for activated carbon surfaces. Also, the characteristics of the carbon material (particle and pore size, surface area, surface chemistry, density, and particle hardness), the size of the filter, and the flow rate of the water through the filter have a considerable influence on the pollutant removal efficiency of these filters. Usually, smaller carbon particles and slower water flows improve contaminant removal.
How does a Carbon Filter work
Water is pumped in a column which contains active carbon, this water leaves the column through a draining system. The activity of an active carbon column depends on the temperature and the nature of the substances. Water goes through the column constantly, which gives an accumulation of substances in the filter. For that reason the filter needs to be replace periodically. A used filter can be regenerated in different ways, granular carbon can be regenerated easily by oxidising the organic matter. The efficiency of the active carbon decreases by 5 – 10% 1). A small part of the active carbon is destroyed during the regeneration process and must be replaced. If you work with different columns in series, you can assure that you will not have a total exhaustion of your purification system.
What are the advantages of using a carbon filter
- Effectively reduces: bad taste, odours, chlorine, organic chemicals, at point of use.
- Simple to install – easily replaces standard cartridge filters.
- Easy to replace mineral approximately every three years.
- Compact size (7″ x 7″ x 20.5″h) fits conveniently under standard kitchen sink.
- Improves the taste and odour of water and beverages.
- Wastes no water, uses no electricity.
- Chemical free filtration – uses granular activated carbon.
What is Carbon
Carbon adsorption is the most widely sold method for home water treatment because of its ability to improve water by removing disagreeable tastes and odours, including chlorine. Because of these attributes, carbon filters are very well-suited for homes that use municipally treated water. Only a few carbon filter systems have been certified for the removal of lead, asbestos, volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), cysts, and coliform.
Dried graded Anthracite comprising: – Fixed carbon, moisture, ash, volatile, trace sulphur.
What will Carbon remove
Activated carbon filtration may be selected to reduce unwanted tastes, odours, and organic chemicals (such as disinfection by-products, pesticides, and solvents) from drinking water. Activated carbon will also reduce radon gas and residual chlorine. Activated carbon filters will not remove or reduce major inorganic ions (such as sodium, calcium, chloride, nitrate, and fluoride). However, some can reduce lead, copper, and mercury. Activated carbon filters will not soften the water or disinfect it. If the water source is cloudy, this type of filter may be used after a particle filter to remove particles that may plug or reduce its efficiency.
What will Carbon not remove
Similar to other types of water treatment, AC filtration is effective for some contaminants and not effective for others. AC filtration does not remove microbes, sodium, nitrates, fluoride, and hardness. Lead and other heavy metals are removed only by a very specific type of AC filter. Unless the manufacturer states that its product will remove heavy metals, the consumer should assume that the AC filter is not effective in removing them. Refer to the other circulars in the Treatment Systems for Household Water Supplies series for information on systems that do remove the contaminants listed above.
How long will my Carbon filter last
Since water quality varies from place to place, and may even vary in composition over time due to natural variances in makeup and how it might be treated, there is really no specific answer for time at which a carbon filter should be changed. The most common methods for determining when a filter should be changed include development of a noticeable drop in water pressure or a measurable drop in chlorine removal. Some filters have a filter changeout alarm or indicator visible for consumers to see when to change their filter. Others have a stated life that is measured in gallons of water that can be filtered or months of typical usage while still achieving the desired chlorine reduction, but that life may be variable depending on the water.
The life of a carbon filter depends on the type of filter you have and what you are filtering. Any filter designed to remove particulates may prematurely block up if large amounts of sediment are present in your water. A carbon filter is mainly used for chlorine, taste and odour reduction. So if the carbon filter is saturated with taste/odour and other organic chemicals, it may lose its ability to remove any more chemicals from water. However, this depends on the level and type of chemicals in your water.
How long is the guarantee on my Carbon filter
All carbon filters purchased from ourselves have a full parts one year warranty.
It is usual to have your carbon filter serviced by a professional water treatment engineer once per year, twice per year for high flow and industrial applications.
Please contact our service department for further details.
What incoming water parameters does the carbon filter require to work correctly.
Minimum inlet pressure 1.5 Bar
Maximum inlet pressure 8 Bar
Backwash flow rates are based on a superficial velocity of 25m/hr to give a bed expansion of 30% @ 10ºC. contact time of 15 minutes.
[/three_fourth_last]