Buying drinking water daily is quite expensive 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 using the filter you can extend the life of household appliances and heating systems, 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 ponds, you can choose a filter or equip a cleaning system consisting of prefilters, the treatment plant itself, as well as the final filter, providing residents with high-quality drinking water.
Varieties of filters
To understand which filter you need to install, first you need to deal with the quality indicators of water, find out what you have to deal with. Among them:
- turbidity due to the presence of dissolved and undissolved organics, compounds of iron, aluminum, 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 a poor condition of the source;
- the taste is determined depending on which 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;
acid-base balance - one of the main parameters that determine the suitability of water for use, is characterized by the ratio of alkaline and acid elements in the liquid;- hardness - the presence of calcium and magnesium salts;
- ORP redox potential of water - the most important parameter for human health, must have a value below 0 so that the body does not expend energy on the correction of fluid from the 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 proceed to the study of filters that can correct the situation. Choosing a water filter will help customers who have already installed any home cleaning devices.
Crane nozzles, jugs, filters for washing, as well as public filters on the incoming line, purify water by various methods, on which the final result depends.
Sorption filters
The most popular method is activated carbon or aluminosilicates. These substances attach various chemical impurities to themselves, disinfect the liquid, and also partially soften it, removing calcium and magnesium. Aluminosilicates are also able to remove heavy metals - lead, mercury, cadmium.
Benefits:
- can be pressure and non-pressure, which makes it possible to use them in everyday life and in enterprises;
- eliminate a large number of organic and inorganic compounds, mechanical particles;
- cartridge replacement is carried out independently at home;
- soften the liquid, which allows less frequent prevention of scale in washing and dishwashers.
Cons of sorption purification:
- cleaning is more expensive due to the constant replacement of cartridges;
- low speed filtration procedures;
- in most models it is not possible to create a supply of water.
Of these products, consumers prefer fiber filters that need to be replaced less frequently, while maintaining a high degree of purification.
Reverse osmosis
A large number of reviews on the best filter for water purification received models operating on the principle of reverse osmosis. The method is based on the use of a membrane of polymeric materials through which a liquid passes. The degree of purification reaches 98% in household appliances and up to 100% in enterprises.
The membrane passes water molecules and gases dissolved in water - oxygen, carbon dioxide and even partially chlorine, therefore, together with an osmotic filter, a final cleaner is installed that eliminates 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, from 6 to 12 atmospheres is enough for tap water, from 40 to 70 atmospheres are needed for sea salt water.
Electrocoagulation
The method of electrocoagulation is the most difficult due to the processes of oxidation and reduction that occur 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. In order to optimally configure the operation of the electrocoagulation filter, it is necessary to correctly calculate the flow rate, as well as the strength of the current, its uniform distribution.
The method is rarely used in home cleaning systems. The scope of its application extends to sewage treatment plants, where the level of pollution with 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 filter for water is determined by several criteria:
- At the price - the cheapest storage jug filters with replaceable sorption cartridges when buying. But when using it becomes clear that it is often expensive to change the core. Installations for washing are more expensive - filter elements are changed less often in them. The most expensive reverse osmosis systems in installation, but the cost of water is the lowest.
- Manufacturer. The membrane filter of the Japanese company Toray, designed for 2 thousand liters, performs the highest quality liquid cleaning. Cheaper you can buy a Chinese counterpart, while the water quality will be slightly worse. Domestic manufacturers also produce various models for cleaning tap water and use the latest technologies.
- The size of the installation matters when it is planned to be installed in the apartment.
- The presence of reviews on the purchased product is an important factor, as 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 undesirable elements in the soil layers that affect the quality of the fluid.
- Flow 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. The cost of drinking water will be much cheaper, and such models are rarely served.
Rating of filters for water purification
The first in the rating of water filters are household storage models and nozzles for taps. They are bought because of the low cost. The second - stationary filters, which are installed on the incoming highway of the apartment. This makes it possible to completely clean the liquid and use it for all domestic needs. The third - overall installation for high-rise buildings. They are expensive, and certain conditions and experienced specialists are required for installation.Such systems are most profitable to maintain, their life is about 30 years. They significantly reduce the cost of drinking water.
In the ranking of prices leading foreign manufacturers, 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 the 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 a more expensive and another model. 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 kettle - 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 about prefilters here. I want to share - a very good thing. It traps sand and any dirt, as we live in our house, and water goes straight from the well. They mounted it on the inlet pipe - the washing machine has been working for more than 10 years, although they promised no more than 7, we do not use tablets to soften the water, although the filter is not intended for this. Probably the water itself is soft.
Eugene. The child was diagnosed with bleach allergy at an early age. At first, they did not understand why, after bathing, the baby sneezes and his eyes turn red, his skin peels. 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. They put in a reverse osmosis system - the symptoms almost immediately disappeared.
Nikolay. Thanks to the filter left over from the previous owners, I got rid of (in what way - I don’t know) kidney stones. They just disappeared. We moved 3 years ago, and a month ago I went to the doctor for an ultrasound. She was very surprised where 4 medium-sized stones had gone. Most likely, everything is connected with water - because of the osmotic filter, it did not contain any impurities.
