Water Filtration

If, like many Americans, you have found yourself in a position where the water coming to your home is potentially harmful to you and your family, you have purchased a filtration system of some kind. There are many different types available and all work in a different way to help keep the water your family uses clean and safe. One thing most have in common, however, is they use water filter cartridges. With that comes, of course water filter replacement cartridges.

Ok, so you started to notice that your baby’s skin was much drier than a few months ago, or that your hair was just a little off-color, or the laundry wasn’t as white as you thought it should be. You did all of the right things. You got the water tested. You were able to find out exactly what was in your water that was making all of these things happen.

You searched for the right filter for your particular contaminants. You were thorough; you did research on the best filters available, you asked questions, and you got a good price. You carefully installed the filters, following the instructions to a tee. You even had the water tested after installation to ensure that the bad stuff was not there. You put your hand on your hips, smiled triumphantly and thought about how well you have protected your loved ones.

But beware. Your work is not yet done. Occasionally, you will need to order water filter replacement cartridges.
You have done a good thing, true, but these units are not “fire and forget”. They require a certain amount of care and maintenance. Most importantly, the water filter cartridges need to be replaced on a regular basis.

Instructions on replacing your water filter cartridges can most often be found in the owner’s manual you received when you purchased your water filter. If you have lost or misplaced the manual, most companies have websites that have any information you need. Be aware of the “shelf life” of your water filter cartridges and how often they should be changed, keeping in mind that certain environmental factors and frequency of use may affect the recommended replacement time frame. Also, be sure to get the right water filter replacement cartridges for your model.

When you bought your filter, you were smart enough to buy from a reliable manufacturer, so actually finding water filter replacement cartridges should be a snap, right? When you do buy the replacements, be sure to buy more than one per unit. It is definitely a good idea to order new water filter cartridges at the same time as when you install the last one. You do not want to wait until the cartridge in the filter is overdue before ordering new ones. After all of your hard work, you don’t want to expose you family to the harmful stuff you have been trying to protect them from, do you?

Excerpted from an Ezine article

Tap water is something you should try to avoid because its not as pure as you think it is. You see, tap water nowadays collects just about everything that is bad in our world - the numerous physical factors such as oils, and other types of particles.

The biological particles that can be anything from viruses to bacteria, and finally, the chemical compounds that are the worst ones yet - they are invisible, and can sometimes be deadly if you do not use some sort of water filtering system.

The clear thing is, none of these contaminants is helping you to live a long and healthy life, therefore finding the right water filter is almost imperative. For you to gain more knowledge on this subject, this article describes the main features of an undersink water filter.

Any undersink water filter is designed to treat tap water before it actually reaches the kitchen sink. This type of filtration will make sure that sediments, physical and chemical factors are removed from the water, thus making it purer and healthier.

Installation is often easy - if you are not generally afraid to change a light bulb, then you should have no problem installing an undersink water filter (on the other hand, if you are afraid, consider calling a plumber).

You see, most under sink water filters are actually screwed onto the valve that exists below your sink, therefore, when water is turned on, it will first go through the filter, and then reach your sink. The process is rather simple and logical, obviously.

Of course, not all under sink water filters do the same thing - the cheaper ones will only clean your water of sediments and similar physical particles, others may clean your water from any biological (bacteria and viruses) particles, and the top notch ones will ensure that all harmful chemical compounds are removed too. You can easily notice the difference by looking at the price tag or at the specification of the box.

Why use under sink water filters?

As with any other water filter, using an under sink water filter has the major advantage of clearing your water, making it healthier, not to mention drinkable. You see, very often, our pipes are rather old (only in newly built places the pipes are new and clean) and it would be very expensive to start replacing them.

On the other hand, using a filter will diminish the problem in a very cheap way. Under sink water filters may not be the best filter choice for you, however, they do avoid clutter in the kitchen (and in the bathroom), and they ensure an efficient filtration of the water that goes to your sink.

An Ezine article

A water filter cartridge is the most important part in a water purifier. While many people mistakenly take it as just another part in the purifier, the reality is that it is what really does all the purification and filtration the filter is responsible for.

A water filter cartridge is of different types. There are some which are designed to remove sediments from water, there are some for maintaining pH balance in water, and some for softening and hardening the water as well.

In essence, since a water filter cartridge is designed to do a specific task, it is not advised to replace one type of cartridge in another type of purifier. You have to ensure buying the replacement cartridges from the same manufacturer from whom you have selected your water purifier. This guarantees the correct and desired functioning of the purifier.

Ideally before selecting a purifier, it is imperative to check the cost and availability of the replacement cartridge that comes with it. Usually you need to replace the cartridge every 6 months. So you need to make sure the cartridge is readily available and that too at an economical price.

The cost of the cartridge is counted in the recurring cost for maintaining the purifier. So while buying one, you should check both - the one time cost of the purifier as well as the recurring cost that you will have to bear for replacing the cartridges.

There are a few purifiers which come at a low cost but their maintenance cost is high due to their heavily priced replacement cartridges. Steer clear from such systems. There are better ones already available in the market today.

One of them is the effective and efficient multi stage water purifier. These purifiers are based on the advanced filtration techniques - sub micron filtration, carbon filtration and ion exchange. Not only does this make them capable of removing all types of contaminants, it also provides the power to remove them with 99+% efficiency.

These purifiers come with easy to replace cartridges which too are reasonably priced. If you use these systems, it will cost you something less than 10 cents per gallon of fresh and clean water.

Replacing your water filter cartridges periodically is the only way to ensure the quality of the water produced by your trusted purification system. Do yourself a favor by not ignoring them and keeping them up and running month after month.

An Ezine article

Shower water filter systems are not much different than installing a shower head. The content described below may be helpful for a variety of shower filtration systems or just upgrading a standard shower head. Always check the instructions that come with the item you purchased. By following the manufacturer’s recommendations when installing anything helps if you need that product warranteed.

Installing a shower water filter or a shower head is not a hard process most of the time. There are a few tools you will need to make the process easier. A pair of adjustable pliers like the channel lock brand and an adjustable wrench. The other things you may need is a small roll of Teflon tape and or a small can of pipe dope, a couple of rags and an old tooth brush. If you do not know what Teflon tape is, it is the white looking film that might show above where you shower head is connected. It is used to help seal threads so water can not leak around them. Pipe dope may have been used to help seal the threads and this may look like caulking, or putty above the shower head connection. Pipe dope is designed not to glue thing together just help seal the threads from leaking.

If your old shower head has flat spots on the shower head collar use a adjustable wrench. Some collars are round so pliers work the best.(If you are going to reuse the shower head wrap a rag around the collar to help protect the finish.) Make sure if using an adjustable wrench you adjust it so you get a good fit. With one hand, hold the shower arm while removing the shower head. (Turn to the left to loosen) This supports the pipe and will let you know if the shower arm is trying to unscrewing out of the wall. Shower heads are usually not installed much over hand tight.

If this happens use a back-up wrench. I wrap a rag around the pipe to help keep it from getting damaged. Any pair of pliers like channel locks usually works or a small pipe wrench. Remove the old shower head. Some times Teflon tape may have been used as a secondary seal. If it was, remove any loose pieces that are sticking up with the tooth brush. You do not need to remove all of it. A little tape left in the threads usually will not cause any problems. If pipe dope was used it may be a little harder to remove the excess from the threads. If the tooth brush does not remove it, try running a razor blade around in the threads then the tooth brush should remove the excess.

The seal in the shower filter system is usually adequate to make a good seal. To be on the safe side, I use Teflon tape, wrap the threads two times (to the right or clock wise). Leave the beginning threads bare, this makes starting the new filter system easier. If using pipe dope, put an even coat on all the threads, if you add too much it will work its way out as you install the shower head and then you can clean off the extra.

Screw the filter assembly on hand-tight, (turning to the right). Hold onto the shower arm and use the wrench or pliers to tighten about ¼ turn or until the filter assembly will not move on the shower arm. If the shower filtration system uses carbon filtration, do not install the shower head until you flush out the filter. The fine carbon particle may plug the shower filter.

Now you can flush out the filter if the instructions call for it. And you can look for any water leaks. If there is a leak try to tighten that part a little at a time until it stops. (If a leak persist take that part back off and check the condition of the seal. Replace if damaged or put back in place if slipped out of place, reseal the threads.)

You may notice a slight delay in the water changing temp as you adjust in the hot. This is normal as the water goes through the filter. Keep this in mind as you are showering so you do not over adjust the hot.

Now you can install the shower head to the filter. You can seal the threads as described above. Make sure the shower head starts straight on the plastic threads. Sometimes plastic threads are easy to cross thread. Hand tighten and give it a ¼ turn. Check for any leaks and your new shower filter system is ready for use.

An Ezine article

A water filter cartridge is the most important part in a water purifier. While many people mistakenly take it as just another part in the purifier, the reality is that it is what really does all the purification and filtration the filter is responsible for.

A water filter cartridge is of different types. There are some which are designed to remove sediments from water, there are some for maintaining pH balance in water, and some for softening and hardening the water as well.

In essence, since a water filter cartridge is designed to do a specific task, it is not advised to replace one type of cartridge in another type of purifier. You have to ensure buying the replacement cartridges from the same manufacturer from whom you have selected your water purifier. This guarantees the correct and desired functioning of the purifier.

Ideally before selecting a purifier, it is imperative to check the cost and availability of the replacement cartridge that comes with it. Usually you need to replace the cartridge every 6 months. So you need to make sure the cartridge is readily available and that too at an economical price.

The cost of the cartridge is counted in the recurring cost for maintaining the purifier. So while buying one, you should check both - the one time cost of the purifier as well as the recurring cost that you will have to bear for replacing the cartridges.

There are a few purifiers which come at a low cost but their maintenance cost is high due to their heavily priced replacement cartridges. Steer clear from such systems. There are better ones already available in the market today.

One of them is the effective and efficient multi stage water purifier. These purifiers are based on the advanced filtration techniques - sub micron filtration, carbon filtration and ion exchange. Not only does this make them capable of removing all types of contaminants, it also provides the power to remove them with 99+% efficiency.

These purifiers come with easy to replace cartridges which too are reasonably priced. If you use these systems, it will cost you something less than 10 cents per gallon of fresh and clean water.

Replacing your water filter cartridge periodically is the only way to ensure the quality of the water produced by your trusted purification system. Do yourself a favor by not ignoring the replacement water filters in your purification units which will keep them up and running effectively month after month.

An Ezine article

Why Use Water Filter for Refrigerators?

There are various diseases which can be fatal to people with weakened immune systems, such as the very young or the very old. Filtration will remove harmful chemicals that may cause diseases.

One of the reasons that they are popular is because of their convenience. If you use a pitcher filter instead, you have to remember to fill it and you have to wait for it to work. It is better to use the refrigerator faucet rather than the sink faucet because it works instantly.

Installation and Usage

A refrigerator water filter will have a first strainer, a second strainer and a cartridge which can be replaced when necessary. Some types use charcoal systems because they are guaranteed to remove ninety five percent of contaminants. It is important to replace your filter according to the instruction manual but usually six months is the maximum time to replace, even if you do not drink much water, because it will wear out and the bacteria removed can leak into the water.

Most models are quite straightforward to install. They are similar to faucet types in that the water will pass through the pipe to supply the dispenser. Chemicals and metals will be removed in the process.

Many new refrigerators have one already installed but you can install a purifier into most existing refrigerator models too. A lot of people claim to enjoy the taste of their cold drinks more when the ice is made from these refrigerators.

If you want to purify only your drinking water rather than using it for your household, refrigerator water filters might be the best type of home water filter systems to choose. You have instant access to it whenever you want, maintenance is minimal and is usually just a matter of changing the cartridge twice a year.

An Ezine article