Whole House Water Filter Cartridges

Why Use Water Filtration Systems At Home?

Just because you are on a municipal system, doesn't mean that you don't need a drinking water filtration system in your home. The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) helps but it does not regulate all possible contaminants. The is even truer if you are on a private well. There are many factors that impact the quality of water that comes out of your household tap. The water treatment plant adds chemicals to the water through the process of treating the water, which may become contaminants with potential health risks. Some of these water treatment chemicals may not be eliminated and can be transported in the water to your home. Municipal water treatment plants can not remove every possible contaminant in water. The (SDWA) sets legal limits for certain contaminants that consider human health and the ability of municipal water treatment systems to achieve these levels based on available technology. Considering the average person uses 100 gallons per day, there is a tremendous load on a municipal treatment system to meet the SDWA standards. 90% of people that get their water from a community source are serviced from a medium to very large system (serve 3,301 to 100,000 people). Your local water filtration systems may be responsible for delivering 330,100 to 10,000,000 gallons per day. With this kind of demand, it may not be economically feasible for a municipal treatment facility to remove certain contaminants to a level that will have no health risk to humans. If you are bottling your own water in jugs at a local supply, you may be putting yourself at risk. Storage requires specific guidelines to prevent bacteria growth during storage. Containers should be sterilized prior to filling and contamination is easy during the filling process. Direct light has an impact on storage as well as the room temperature.

Worried about what might be lurking in your home's water?

Common Well Water Problems

AESTHETIC SUBSTANCES - Mostly harmless contaminants such as chlorine, sulphur, iron and manganese that cause taste, color, staining and odor problems.

SEDIMENT - Solid particles that settle out over a period of time.

HARDNESS - A common water quality problem caused by dissolved calcium and magnesium (limestone) in water. Hard water causes scaling of pipes and hot water heaters, plumbing fixtures, etc. It makes cleaning and laundering more difficult.

COLOR - Yellow or brown colors by the leaching of decaying vegetative matter found in soil.

TASTE AND ODORS - Musty, earthy or woody taste and odors found in groundwater.

SULPHUR - A naturally occurring objectionable substance which contributes a "rotten egg" like odor to drinking water and is also known to be very corrosive to plumbing products and materials.

ACIDITY AND ALKALINITY - Acidity and alkalinity is commonly measured as pH. Neutral pH is 7.0, while an acid pH is below 7.0 and an alkaline pH is above 7.0. Extreme ranges in pH may cause water to be corrosive, unpalatable and objectionable.

TURBIDITY - Turbidity is suspended matter (particles) found in water that gives a cloudy or opaque appearance. Sand, silt, clay, colloidal and related material contribute to turbidity. Heavy turbidity levels are also used as an indicator of possible sewage contamination.

TRIHALOMETHANES (THMs) - THMs are the first organic chemicals regulated by the SDWA. THMs are a byproduct of the chlorine disinfection process. THMs are formed when chlorine reacts with other organic compounds in water. THMs are known carcinogens and have been linked to bladder cancer.

MICROBIOLOGICAL PATHOGENS - Waterborne organisms that are known to cause disease in humans. Common waterborne pathogens include fecal coliform, dysentery, cholera, hepatitis and microbial cysts such as Crytosporidium and Giardia Lamblia.

RADIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCES - Radium and its related cousins may be found in groundwater supplies. They are known cancer causing substances in humans. Radium exposure is through drinking and cooking while radon exposure is normally through inhalation. They are both regulated by the SDWA.

CHLORIDES - Saltwater intrusion into wells can cause an increase in chlorides. The water will have a salty taste and is corrosive to pipes and plumbing fixtures. High levels can lead to hypertension. SDWA safe level is below 250 ppm.

NITRATES - Nitrates can get into ground water from the natural ecosystem, runoff from lawns and gardens, intensely-fertilized farm areas, livestock facilities, municipal and livestock waste treatment systems, septic systems, stored chicken litter systems, stored chicken litter and manure and lagoons. Infants under six months of age are most affected by excess nitrates in the water. They may develop a condition called "methemoglobinemia" (blue baby syndrome), which causes a bluish color around the lips, spreads to the fingers, toes and face, and eventually covers the entire body. If the problem is not dealt with immediately, the baby can die.

Common City Water Problems

AESTHETIC SUBSTANCES - Mostly harmless contaminants such as chlorine, sulphur, iron and manganese that cause taste, color, staining and odor problems.

SEDIMENT - Solid particles that settle out over a period of time.

HARDNESS - A common water quality problem caused by dissolved calcium and magnesium (limestone) in water. Hard water causes scaling of pipes and hot water heaters, plumbing fixtures, etc. It makes cleaning and laundering more difficult.

LEAD - Commonly used in plumbing installation material until the late 1980's. U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) standards have since set limits on the amount of lead that may be used in solder materials. Lead has been found to occur in drinking water primarily due to leaching. Lead exposure has been linked to learning deficiencies in children and, at higher levels, has been associated with hypertension in adults.

ORGANIC CHEMICALS - A group of chemicals commonly referred to as Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). There are over 80 VOCs regulated by the SDWA. Typical VOCs include benzene, trichloethylene, and chlordane. High levels of exposure to VOCs have been linked to a variety of cancers and organ damage.

TRIHALOMETHANES (THMs) - THMs are the first organic chemicals regulated by the SDWA. THMs are a byproduct of the chlorine disinfection process. THMs are formed when chlorine reacts with other organic compounds in water. THMs are known carcinogens and have been linked to bladder cancer.

MICROBIOLOGICAL PATHOGENS - Waterborne organisms that are known to cause disease in humans. Common waterborne pathogens include fecal coliform, dysentery, cholera, hepatitis and microbial cysts such as Crytosporidium and Giardia Lamblia.

CHLORINE TASTES AND ODORS - To ensure micro-biological safety, Municipal Water Utilities employ chlorine and/or chlorine plus ammonia. These substances can leave a chlorine "pool like" taste and odor to drinking water.

RADIOLOGICAL SUBSTANCES - Radium and its related cousins may be found in groundwater supplies. They are known cancer causing substances in humans. Radium exposure is through drinking and cooking while radon exposure is normally through inhalation. They are both regulated by the SDWA.

ASBESTOS - A construction material commonly used in insulation, building materials, or certain types of water piping. Asbestos is regulated by the SDWA. However, it has been linked to lung and bladder cancer in humans.

10" or 20" triple Replaceable Cartridge Whole House High Flow Water Filter provides you with great tasting water. Removes hundreds of contaminants from water. Water travels through 7 stages of filtration.

First stage, Water flows through a 10" or 20"sediment filter cartridge that removes sediment, silt, sand and dirt. Also extends the life of the water filters and prevent damage.

Second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth stages, water travels through one micron filter pad, KDF55, KDF85, Ceramic Balls, GAC, and another one micron pad and removes hundreds of contaminants  from your drinking water.

In Seventh stage, water flows through a 10"or 20" solid carbon cartridge for removing volatile organic carbon compounds (VOC's, insecticides, pesticides and industrial solvents. Conveniently provides up to 320,000 gallons of quality water. Great for homes, apartments or office use.

Worried about what might be lurking in your home's water?

First stage, Water flows through a 10" or 20" sediment filter cartridge that removes sediment, silt, sand and dirt. Also extends the life of the water filters.

In stage 2, Water flows through one - micron filter pads (1 micron equals 1/25,000th of an inch), which remove suspended particles such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other un-dissolved matter.

In stage 3, Water flows through granulated activated carbon (GAC). GAC is universally recognized and widely used as an effective adsorbent for a wide variety of organic contaminants, such as chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer (THM's, benzine) pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOC's), PCB's, MTBE's and hundreds of other chemical contaminants that may be present in water that create bad taste and odors. Carbon is extremely porous and provides a large surface area for contaminants to collect. Carbon-only filters must also use their capacity for chlorine removal, resulting in a shortened life. They also may use a bituminous coal carbon, which is good at removing chlorine, but not as effective at removing chemicals. We use a high-grade coconut shell carbon that is most effective at removing chemicals. Coconut shell carbon provides a significantly higher volume of micro-pores than either coal, wood or lignite based carbon. As a result, it is more effective than other carbon types in removing trihalomethanes (THM's) and other chemicals from municipally supplied water. Since our REDOX media removes the chlorine before it reaches the carbon, the carbon capacity is not wasted on chlorine and is free to concentrate more effectively on organic contaminants.
Click here to learn more about GAC

In stage 4, Water flows through ceramic balls, removes harmful bacteria such as E. Coli, Fecal coli form, Salmonella, Streptococcus, and cysts (Cryptosporidium, Giardia) and sediment.

In stages 5 and 6, Water flows through a bed of media made of a special high-purity alloy blend of two dissimilar metals - copper and zinc KDF-55D ®, and KDF-85D ® . KDF is a major advancement in water treatment technology that works on the electro-chemical and spontaneous-oxidation-reduction (REDOX) principles. Chlorine is instantaneously and almost inexhaustibly oxidized. Tests on KDF/GAC cartridge have shown 99+% chlorine removal past 20,000 gallons of water. In comparison, carbon cartridges of comparable volumes drop below 90% effectiveness after only 4,000 gallons. Click here to learn more
Iron and hydrogen sulfide are oxidized into insoluble matter and attach to the surface of the media. Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, and other dissolved metals are removed from the water by the electrochemical process. They are attracted to the surface of the media, much like a magnet. The media inhibits bacterial growth throughout the entire unit In fact, it has been shown to be reduced up to 90%, eliminating the need for silver, which is commonly used in carbon-only filters (silver is considered a pesticide by the EPA and, as such, must be registered with them). Is copper or zinc added to the water in any significant amount? On 2.3 ppm chlorinated water, <0.05 mg/l copper and only 0.46 mg/l zinc were measured. The EPA aesthetic levels are 1.0 mg/l for copper and 5.0 mg/l for zinc. Both zinc and copper are essential minerals for good health - the FDA recommends a daily intake of 15 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper. Click here to learn more about KDF

In stage 7, Water flows through another one-micron filtration pad for further reduction of undesirable particles. The end result is a great reduction or the total elimination of a wide variety of contaminants.

In stage 8, water flows through a 10" or 20" solid carbon cartridge for removing volatile organic carbon compounds (VOC's, insecticides, pesticides and industrial solvents).*
* If present in your water.