How do Carbon Water Filters work?
Water filters provide high quality water and protect your equipment in a variety of ways, so it’s important to know which type best suits your application. In this blog, we will focus on a particular type of filter, the carbon water filter.
The carbon water filter’s function is to purify water – and it does so by using ‘activated’ carbon to remove impurities, as well as removing chorine and bad taste and bad odour – ultimately making water taste better.
What is activated carbon?
To be effective in water filtration, carbon must be treated in a certain way before being used in a filter. This process is called activation and involves the processing of carbon to become more porous, therefore increasing its surface area. This increased surface area is the key to making carbon suitable for filtration as it makes the carbon more adsorptive.
Not to be confused with absorption, adsorption is simply the trapping of any unwanted contaminants. Carbon water filters trap unwanted contaminants of a certain size, until their capacity has been reached and a change is required.Â
Therefore, the lifespan of a carbon water filter is determined mainly by the water’s contaminant levels, and how much water flows through your equipment.
Not to be confused with absorption, adsorption is simply the trapping of any unwanted contaminants. Carbon water filters trap unwanted contaminants of a certain size, until their capacity has been reached and a change is required.Â
Therefore, the lifespan of a carbon water filter is determined mainly by the water’s contaminant levels, and how much water flows through your equipment.
The two types of Carbon Water Filter
GAC (Granular Activated Carbon) Filters
The carbon in GAC filters is usually made from organic materials such as coconut shells, coal or wood, with grains processed to increase surface area. One of the main benefits of using a Granular Activated Carbon Filter is the improved taste of water. Chorine gives water an unpleasant taste, and organic contaminants picked up on the way to the tap can also affect taste and odour - GAC filters remove both chlorine and other contaminants through the adsorption process.
Carbon Block Filters
Carbon block Filters operate on a similar basis, using a solid block of carbon rather than the granular form. Carbon Block filters often have what is called a Micron rating – a number which determines the size of the pores in the filter, and therefore the size of the impurities able to pass through.Â
The standard Micron ratings are 0.2, 0.5 and 1. A filter with a micron rating of 1 will prevent impurities like cysts such as Cryptosporidium in drinking water applications, stopping people from getting ill. However, a filter with a micron rating of 0.2 will be able to prevent smaller impurities such as bacteria. To give some context, a human hair is around 70 microns – so Carbon Block Filters can remove very small contaminants, making them very effective in improving water quality.
The standard Micron ratings are 0.2, 0.5 and 1. A filter with a micron rating of 1 will prevent impurities like cysts such as Cryptosporidium in drinking water applications, stopping people from getting ill. However, a filter with a micron rating of 0.2 will be able to prevent smaller impurities such as bacteria. To give some context, a human hair is around 70 microns – so Carbon Block Filters can remove very small contaminants, making them very effective in improving water quality.
How can we help?
Abbeychart have a range of ‘Carbon Only’ Carbon Water Filters available to buy online now. It is important to note that although Carbon Water Filters can remove sediment and chlorine, improving your overall water quality – other filtration systems may need to be installed. To maintain the effectiveness of your filter and maintain high water quality, remember to replace filter cartridges regularly.
How do Carbon Water Filters work?
Water filters provide high quality water and protect your equipment in a variety of ways, so it’s important to know which type best suits your application. In this blog, we will focus on a particular type of filter, the carbon water filter.
The carbon water filter’s function is to purify water – and it does so by using ‘activated’ carbon to remove impurities, as well as removing chorine and bad taste and bad odour – ultimately making water taste better.
What is activated carbon?
To be effective in water filtration, carbon must be treated in a certain way before being used in a filter. This process is called activation and involves the processing of carbon to become more porous, therefore increasing its surface area. This increased surface area is the key to making carbon suitable for filtration as it makes the carbon more adsorptive.
Not to be confused with absorption, adsorption is simply the trapping of any unwanted contaminants. Carbon water filters trap unwanted contaminants of a certain size, until their capacity has been reached and a change is required.Â
Therefore, the lifespan of a carbon water filter is determined mainly by the water’s contaminant levels, and how much water flows through your equipment.
Not to be confused with absorption, adsorption is simply the trapping of any unwanted contaminants. Carbon water filters trap unwanted contaminants of a certain size, until their capacity has been reached and a change is required.Â
Therefore, the lifespan of a carbon water filter is determined mainly by the water’s contaminant levels, and how much water flows through your equipment.
The two types of Carbon Water Filter
GAC (Granular Activated Carbon) Filters
The carbon in GAC filters is usually made from organic materials such as coconut shells, coal or wood, with grains processed to increase surface area. One of the main benefits of using a Granular Activated Carbon Filter is the improved taste of water. Chorine gives water an unpleasant taste, and organic contaminants picked up on the way to the tap can also affect taste and odour - GAC filters remove both chlorine and other contaminants through the adsorption process.
Carbon Block Filters
Carbon block Filters operate on a similar basis, using a solid block of carbon rather than the granular form. Carbon Block filters often have what is called a Micron rating – a number which determines the size of the pores in the filter, and therefore the size of the impurities able to pass through.Â
The standard Micron ratings are 0.2, 0.5 and 1. A filter with a micron rating of 1 will prevent impurities like cysts such as Cryptosporidium in drinking water applications, stopping people from getting ill. However, a filter with a micron rating of 0.2 will be able to prevent smaller impurities such as bacteria. To give some context, a human hair is around 70 microns – so Carbon Block Filters can remove very small contaminants, making them very effective in improving water quality.
The standard Micron ratings are 0.2, 0.5 and 1. A filter with a micron rating of 1 will prevent impurities like cysts such as Cryptosporidium in drinking water applications, stopping people from getting ill. However, a filter with a micron rating of 0.2 will be able to prevent smaller impurities such as bacteria. To give some context, a human hair is around 70 microns – so Carbon Block Filters can remove very small contaminants, making them very effective in improving water quality.
How can we help?
Abbeychart have a range of ‘Carbon Only’ Carbon Water Filters available to buy online now. It is important to note that although Carbon Water Filters can remove sediment and chlorine, improving your overall water quality – other filtration systems may need to be installed. To maintain the effectiveness of your filter and maintain high water quality, remember to replace filter cartridges regularly.