It is quite expensive to buy drinking water every day if you count the number of bottles per month. It is much cheaper to install a filter on the inlet pipe. This method of solving the problem is universal, since with the help of a filter, you can extend the life of household appliances and the heating system, and reduce the cost of cosmetics and hair care products. Depending on the composition of the soil, as well as the presence of large enterprises near the house that pollute water bodies, you can choose a filter or equip a purification system consisting of pre-filters, a purification plant itself, as well as a final filter that provides residents with high-quality drinking water.
Varieties of filters
To understand which filter you need to install, first you need to understand the quality indicators of water, find out what you will have to deal with. Among them:
- turbidity due to the presence of dissolved and undissolved organic matter, iron, aluminum compounds, the presence of plankton or microorganisms, as well as clay or sand;
- color - this indicator depends on the season, the presence of fulvic acids and humates in the soil, ferric iron - in other words, rust; surface waters have a richer color and smell, which indicates the unfavorable state of the source;
- taste is determined depending on what substances are dissolved in the liquid;
- smell - distinguish between natural and artificial, in the first case, the source is organic matter, in the second - chemical impurities;
- hardness - the presence of calcium and magnesium salts;
- ORP - the redox potential of water - the most important parameter for human health, should have a value below 0 so that the body does not spend energy on correcting the fluid coming from outside.
For each indicator there is a device that measures the quality of the liquid. You can take the samples to the laboratory, and then begin to study filters that can correct the situation. Reviews of consumers who have already installed any home cleaning devices will help you choose a water filter.
Crane nozzles, jugs, sink filters, as well as general-use filters on the inlet mains purify the water using different methods, on which the final result depends.
Sorption filters
The most popular method is activated carbon or aluminosilicates. These substances attach to themselves various chemical impurities, disinfect the liquid, and also partially soften it by removing calcium and magnesium. Aluminosilicates are also capable of removing heavy metals - lead, mercury, cadmium.
Benefits:
- can be pressurized and non-pressurized, which makes it possible to use them in everyday life and at enterprises;
- eliminate a large number of organic and inorganic compounds, mechanical particles;
- replacement of the cartridge is carried out independently at home;
- soften the liquid, which allows less frequent prevention of scale in washing machines and dishwashers.
Cons of sorption cleaning:
- cleaning is more expensive due to the constant replacement of cartridges;
- low speed of the filtration procedure;
- in most models it is impossible to create a water supply.
Of these products, consumers prefer fiber filters, which need to be changed less frequently, while maintaining a high degree of purification.
Reverse osmosis
The membrane passes water molecules and gases dissolved in water - oxygen, carbon dioxide and even partially chlorine, therefore, together with the osmotic filter, a final purifier is installed that removes odors and gases. The liquid tastes like spring water, although it is essentially distilled. Doctors recommend using mineralizers to restore the balance of trace elements - magnesium, calcium, iodine, fluorine, potassium, because these substances remain on the membrane.
To purify water of different initial quality, it is necessary to create a certain osmotic pressure. For example, for tap liquid, 6 to 12 atmospheres is enough, for sea salt water, 40 to 70 atmospheres are needed.
Electrocoagulation
The electrocoagulation method is the most difficult because of the oxidation and reduction processes that take place in the liquid. Its principle is based on the use of anodes - steel or aluminum. As a result, organic matter settles, separates or dissolves under the influence of an electric field. To optimally adjust the operation of the electrocoagulation filter, it is necessary to correctly calculate the flow rate, as well as the current strength, its uniform distribution.
The method is rarely used in home cleaning systems. Its scope extends to wastewater treatment plants, where the level of pollution by organic and chemical substances is much higher than in a water pipe. This method makes it possible to obtain the most useful water for the human body, based on the recovery functions.
Criterias of choice
The choice of a water filter is determined by several criteria:
- The price - the cheapest when buying storage filter jugs with replaceable sorption cartridges. But when using it, it becomes clear that it is often expensive to change the core. Installations for a sink are more expensive - they change the filter elements less often. The most expensive systems to install are reverse osmosis, but the cost of water is the lowest.
- Manufacturer. The membrane filter of the Japanese company Toray, designed for 2 thousand liters, produces the highest quality purification of liquid. You can buy a Chinese equivalent cheaper, while the quality of the water will not be much worse. Domestic manufacturers also produce various models for the purification of tap liquids and use the latest technologies.
- The size of the installation matters when it is planned to be installed in an apartment.
- The presence of reviews about the purchased product is an important factor, since there may be fakes on sale.
- The degree of water pollution or the presence of natural organic or inorganic substances in it. Depending on the region, there may be unwanted elements in the soil layers that affect the quality of the fluid.
- Flow-through or storage filter. This is important when the water supply system is intermittent, for example, in multi-storey buildings.
It is recommended to consider the option of inserting a stationary filter into the water supply system. The cost of drinking water will be much cheaper, and such models are rarely serviced.
Rating of filters for water purification
The first in the rating of water filters are household storage models and nozzles for faucets. They are bought because of their low cost. The second are stationary filters that are installed on the incoming highway of the apartment. This makes it possible to completely purify the liquid and use it for all household needs. Still others are large-scale installations for high-rise buildings.They are expensive, and installation requires certain conditions and experienced specialists. Such systems are the most profitable in terms of maintenance, their service life is about 30 years. They significantly reduce the cost of drinking water.
In the rating of prices, foreign manufacturers are in the lead, then domestic and Chinese. You should not buy the cheapest models, as they will cost more to maintain and repair.
Customer Reviews
Svetlana. We decided to put a filter nozzle on the tap. Before that, there was an ordinary household "Barrier", it seemed that replaceable cartridges were very expensive. We decided to take another model more expensive. I liked German, the price is also quite high - something about 3 thousand rubles. In the first month there was absolutely no scale in the teapot - before that we cleaned it with acid to a shine. After 2 months, she began to appear again - not in such volumes as before, but still the German unit could not stand our lime.
Alexander. Nothing is said here about prefilters. I want to share - a very good thing. Retains sand and all kinds of dirt, since we live in our own house, and the water comes straight from the well. Installed on the inlet pipe - the washing machine has been operating for more than 10 years, although they promised no more than 7, we do not use water softening tablets, although the filter is not intended for this. Probably, the water itself is soft.
Eugene. The child was diagnosed with chlorine allergy at an early age. At first, they did not understand why, after bathing, the baby sneezes and his eyes turn red, the skin peels off. We live in an apartment and use tap water. After finding out the reasons, I had to urgently think about how to purify the water. We put in a reverse osmosis system - the symptoms went away almost immediately.
Nikolay. Thanks to the filter left over from the previous owners, I got rid of (in what way - I don’t know) of kidney stones. They just disappeared. We moved 3 years ago, and a month ago I went to the doctor for an ultrasound scan. She wondered where the 4 medium-sized stones had gone. Most likely, everything is connected with water - it did not contain any impurities due to the osmotic filter.
