How to Select a Water Filter Part 3: Sediment Filters

In part 3 of How to Select a Water Filter, we'll finish the sediment filter category by grappling with some of the more difficult sediment issues and by identifying some misunderstood water issues that simply don't belong to the sediment category. Let's start by discussing micron rating. A micron is a metric unit of measurement, and is extremely small. There are 25,400 microns in one inch. As it relates to water filters, the smaller the micron number, the smaller the pores in the water filter. Avoid the classic mistake of starting too small. Many people think if five microns is good, one micron is better. That's not really true. If you begin too tight, your system will suffer from pressure loss due to clogging. Choosing the correct micron rating is entirely about your unique sediment. If you have sand that's large enough to be visually identified, then you probably don't need a 1 micron filter. Sand granules are anywhere from 75 to 150 microns, so a 50 micron water filter will be just right to handle your sediment problem. If, however, you have ultra fine sediment that feels slippery to the touch and is so tiny that you are unable to visually identify a single particle, you almost certainly require something much tighter. As a standard rule, begin loose and work down tighter until you get the desired effect. For those installing new systems, purchase multiple cartridges with varying micron ratings so you can experiment and discover what works and what doesn't. Don't be scared to experiment! If you own an industry standard size water filter housing you are not locked in to a single variety of water filter cartridge. For complicated reasons outside the scope of this article, one variety of media may perform better than another, so if you're unhappy with the results of one cartridge, simply try a different one. Even if your water filter performs well, you can always test drive new filters to find better performance.

For difficult sediment issues, you may require multi-stage filtration. This involves multiple water filter housings with lower micron rating water filters in each successive filter stage. This is required in situations where there is a broad range of sediment sizes. Perhaps you own a well that spews both sand (large particle) and silt (small particle), and though it may be possible to accomplish decent filtration with merely one water filter housing, you will have much better results from a two stage system. In some situations the particle size isn't as obvious, but if you have heavy amounts of sediment in the 5-50 micron range, you may find a single 5 micron cartridge is the best way to obtain the level of quality you desire, but you probably need to change the water filters frequently because of clogging issues. In this situation a dual water filter system with a 25 micron followed by a 5 micron will provide significantly better results. Another circumstance would be water coming from a pond or stream that has large organic matter that could be filtered out with a RUSCO spin down sediment filter followed by a two stage water filter. Each circumstance is unique, but complicated sediment issues can typically be resolved with a multi-stage water filter system.

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The sediment category wouldn't be complete until automatic backwashing sediment filters are discussed. These are systems that are usually 40-50 inches high with a control valve on top of the tank. They look similar to an ordinary water softener. These systems do not use water filter cartridges, and need little maintenance. The precise filter media depends on the brand, but they do basically the same thing. They remove sediment down to a particular micron size, and then they backwash the filter media based on time or total water usage.

In addition to real sediment issues, there are other water problems commonly mistaken as sediment issues. The first is mineral hardness or hard water. This is water that has high levels of minerals that precipitate out of the water and form scale. The scale flakes off and causes problems by clogging faucet screens and is typically misunderstood as a sediment problem. It is possible for a sediment filter to capture this flaky scale, but it will not address the real issue. Hard water is best handled by a water softener. The second mistaken issue is iron bearing water which is often misunderstood to be a sediment issue, but it really isn't.

That's all for the sediment category. In our next article we will address the taste & odor category.

How to Select a Water Filter Part 3: Sediment Filters

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Water Softener Systems: Learn How They Work

Hard water can be very harmful and difficult to use. It can clog the pipes, reduce the lather producing quality of soap and can react with soap to create a sticky scum. It is not at all useful for household purposes.

water softener

Hence, water softening by installing water softener systems is very essential. Hard water contains magnesium and calcium. This leads to its unproductive ability. By using one of these systems, you can very easily get rid of these problems. They replace the magnesium and calcium ions in the hard water with sodium ions. The sodium ions reduce the chances of pipe blockage and reduction in the formation of soap lather. The following article will give you a detailed review about the working of water softener systems.

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The basic functioning of these softeners is very simple. The water in the house runs through a pipe system imbibed with small plastic beads. The plastic beads are made up of zeolite which is nothing but sodium ions. As the water touches these beads the magnesium and calcium ions are replaced with sodium ions. The beads in the softener need to be changed in periodic intervals because the zeolite in the systems wears out eventually. As the zeolite wears out there is nothing but magnesium and calcium ions left on the plastic beads. This acts against the ability of water filtration systems and makes the water hard once again. This is when the chemical matrix or the zeolite from the systems needs to be regenerated.

Regeneration is a very simple process. As mentioned earlier the sodium ions from the plastic beads wear out, hence, the plastic beads have to be soaked in a stream or a solution of sodium ions. You must have noticed that water softener systems are usually loaded with salt. As we all know salt is a very good and strong example of sodium chloride and that is why we fill them with salt. As we pour the salt, the water treatment system mixes up a brine strong solution with the salt and flushes the solution through the beads and the zeolite. The brine solution flushed through the system once again replaces the magnesium and calcium ions with sodium ions. The remaining brine, calcium and magnesium ions are flushed through the drainage pipe of the softener. Please note that water softener systems can emit around 25 gallons i.e. 95 liters of salty water. This happens especially after regenerating the systems. People who happen to have lead pipes should make it a point to remove the lead pipes from their systems and replace them with ordinary pipes. Lead pipes in water softener systems may disturb the entire flow of water and result in the wearing out of lead.

Thus, we see that by installing water softener systems we can ensure a very safe and healthy atmosphere for ourselves.

Water Softener Systems: Learn How They Work

WATER SOFTENER

Water Softeners - An Absolute Must For Hard Water

Many regions of the world have only hard water and this in fact is not very good for our health or life style. Hard water contains extreme levels of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium which are harmful to us. It influences all household chores like cooking, washing and bathing. As a result the laundry will not be clean, dishes have spots on them and so on. The best solution to this problem is to soften the water with the aid of softeners.

water softener shower head

Soft water on the other hand is extremely good for your body, health and for household chores. There are no spots left on your dishes and it is also good for your pipes as they prevent them from clogging. Everything is cleaned better with this. So the best thing would be to soften hard water with softeners.

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This can be done with the aid of water rocks which can be procured from any departmental store. But you have to know the exact amount that has to be used as too much of this is harmful and will only injure your water system.

It is best to get people who are skilled in this area to apply these water softeners to your hard water as they will know the correct amount that has to be added to make it soft. You will have to repeat this process as and when required and it all depends on how hard your water is.

You will find that your drinking water has a better taste and is absolutely odorless after this treatment is done. The water also becomes crystal clear and it will be good for your home in every possible way. It is only after you begin using soft water that you realize how bad the previous stuff was for you.

Among the popular brands of water softeners, Krystal Pure and Cole Massey are brands that are commonly used.

Water Softeners - An Absolute Must For Hard Water

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Effects Of Water Softener Discharge on Septic Systems

There are over 20 million households in the United States currently using on-site septic systems, and that number appears to be growing. We get many questions from our customers as to what effect (if any) water softener discharge has on a these systems. With such a wide range of information and opinions available, we felt that it was appropriate to examine some of the studies on this topic, and try to accurately present an overview of current understanding.

water softener resin

The Septic System and Water Softening Process

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Septic system function is very straightforward. Your homes plumbing is piped into a in-ground storage tank. When wastewater enters this tank, the heavier solids settle to the bottom. Bacteria present in the storage tank digest the solids, breaking it down to a liquid. After this process is complete, relatively clear water is discharged from the primary tank into a second holding tank or distribution box. Water then re-enters the surrounding soil through a drainage field consisting of perforated underground piping.

The water softening process is accomplished by a chemical cation exchange that replaces the calcium and magnesium in your water with a equivalent number of sodium or potassium ions. During the softening process, your household water passes through the resin bed, and the magnesium and calcium contained in the water are removed. A given sized resin bed has a fixed capacity to remove hardness before it needs to be regenerated to full capacity in order to continue to provide softened water (for example, one cubic foot of resin has the ability to remove 32,000 grains of hardness from your water). When the resin bed is nearing exhaustion, the control valve washes the resin bed, and draws salt containing solution from the brine tank through the resin. As the salt contacts the resin bed, the process of ion exchange occurs, and the magnesium and calcium (hardness) that was collected in the bed during operation is washed to drain. After a final rinse to remove the excess salt, the resin bed is again ready to provide softened water.

The concern of discharging water softeners into an on-site septic system arises out of a belief that sodium salts used by water softeners during the regeneration stage - or the increased amount of water entering into the system - may be harmful and possibly cause septic systems to fail. Although there is no scientific data available that supports harmful effects, there have been many investigations into the potential for problems to occur.

The Effect of Sodium Salt on Septic Systems

Common knowledge supports that higher levels of sodium salt can have a direct impact on bacterial life forms. For instance, most bacteria usually found in fresh water ecosystems would be unable to live in a high salinity environment like an ocean. For this reason, concern was generated that septic systems that rely so heavily on bacterial action may be effected by high concentrations of sodium.

These concerns seem to be unwarranted. First, a typical residential sized water softener discharges between 40 and 70 gallons of water per regeneration. Through much of the regeneration process, fresh water is discharged, containing no salt at all, so the total concentration of salt is very dilute. However, during some stages of regeneration, the sodium concentration can reach as high a 5,000 to 10,000 ppm for brief periods of time.

To see if this level of sodium effected microorganisms typically found in aerobic on-site septic systems, a study was performed that exposed these microbes to a worst case scenario of 10,000 ppm brine solution. The study concluded that "there were no statistically significant differences in the metabolic activity of the microbial community", and that it was "unlikely that failures in domestic water treatment system are the result of exposure to the brine from home water softeners." (1)

Other studies indicate that the effect of putting softened water into septic system can actually be beneficial. There is a very low amount of sodium contained in softened water. For every grain of hardness removed, approximately 8 ppm (parts per million) of sodium is added. Although some naturally occurring water sources have very high sodium levels, softened water normally has a slightly elevated sodium level vs. untreated hard water. While this concentration is normally insignificant at typical hardness levels, these higher sodium levels are more in the optimal range for septic system bacterial growth, and can promote bacterial development.(2,7)

The Effect of Increased Water Volume from Water Softeners on Septic Systems
While the volume of water discharged by a water softener during the regeneration process will vary depending on water pressure, pipe diameter, and softener design, water softeners typically use 40 to 70 gallons of water during regeneration. Questions have been raised as to what effect this increased volume of water (hydraulic load) may have on septic system performance. Did the flow rate and volume of water softener entering the system during water softener regeneration adversely effect the normal settling process, and allow solids to enter the drain field?

Investigations by NSF International determined that the additional volume of water due to softener regeneration is not sufficient to cause any harm to septic tank systems. In fact, water softener regeneration flow rate and volume is lower than the typical discharge from an automatic washing machine.(3) Further, old style "time clock" based water softeners regenerated as set on a calendar basis, normally one to two times per week - the newer generation of metered (on demand) water softeners measure household water consumption, and only regenerate as needed - this further reduces the amount of water discharged into the septic system.

The Effect of Water Softener Salt Discharge on Percolation in Septic Drain Fields

There has been some anecdotal evidence that sodium added to septic systems by a water softener may have negative effects on the ability for the drain field soil to percolate properly.

Many studies have been performed to investigate this issue (2,4,6), and seem to indicate that water softener regeneration discharge does not interfere with drain field percolation, but may actually improve percolation in finely textured soils. This may be due to a higher calcium concentration found in softener regeneration discharge. When this "calcium rich" water enters the drain field, it sometimes increased the porosity of the soil (dependent on the type of soil present), improving the percolation process. To further support this finding, gypsum, another calcium rich material, has long been used for this same purpose.

Conclusions and Recommendations

The results of our review are corroborated by a fact sheet published by the Environmental Protection Agency(5), that points out the following:

a) High concentrations of calcium and magnesium in the softener backwash water have no deleterious effect on the biological function occurring in the septic tank and may, in some cases, be helpful.

b) The additional volume of wastewater generated is added slowly to the wastewater stream, and does not cause any hydraulic overload problems.

c) Soil structure in the soil absorption field is positively affected by the calcium and magnesium ions in water softener effluent.

Based on a detailed evaluation of information and studies performed in this area to date, we conclude that water softener regeneration discharge does not negatively impact common on-site aerobic septic systems. Slightly elevated levels of sodium in regeneration discharge do not seem to effect septic system microorganisms, and may indeed benefit the septic process.

Other matters seem to play a much more important role in proper septic tank function. You should always minimize the amount of household cleaners that enter the waste stream. Whenever possible, reduce the use of soap and harsh chemical cleaners, and consider "natural" products containing low levels of phosphates. If you already have a water softener installed, remember that you can reduce the amount of soap use substantially - by as much as 50% to 75% - soap no longer has to work as hard to remove the minerals already removed by a water softener. Avoid using a garbage disposal with an on-site septic, as minimizing these types of organic wastes will reduce the load on the system. And finally, reduce when possible the amount of water flowing into the system from showers, baths, washing machines and dishwashers.

Work in this area is on-going, and a symposium discussing this issue is scheduled for March, 2006 in Chicago. A joint task force has been established between the Water Quality Association (WQA) and the National Onsite Waste Recycling Association (NOWRA) to plan and oversee joint activities and investigate any future findings. Failures of specific on-site septic systems will also be examined by this task force in order to determine the cause.

In conclusion, and after reviewing a range of scientific studies to gain a present-day understanding of this issue, it appears that owners of onsite septic systems can continue to enjoy the benefits that softened water provides, without concerns of system damage.

Effects Of Water Softener Discharge on Septic Systems

WATER SOFTENER

GE Water Purification Systems - GE Whole House Water Filters and GE Drinking Water Filter Review

GE appliances are well known for high quality GE water purification systems. You have different options if you are looking at a GE filtration system including whole house filters, bath and shower filters, drinking water filters and more, depending on your individual needs and preferences.

GE Water Filtration System

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GE filter systems provide you with clear and clean water for laundry, washing dishes and showering as well as drinking. Filtering reduces sand, rust and sediment, meaning less buildup inside pipes, dishwashers, heaters and other fixtures. GE purification systems have remote magnetic reminder lights so you know when it is time to change the filter.

GE Whole House Water Filters

A GE whole house filter features a heavy duty household sediment filtration system, high flow plumbing connections, a push button pressure relief valve and a remote filter change reminder light. It can last for about three months before it needs to be changed.

You might think that a water filter for the whole house would take up a lot of space but the equipment measures only fourteen inches by eight, so even if you do not have a lot of space, there will be somewhere to install this. You should install this filter at the main inlet so it can reduce sand, rust and sediment. It is best to install this kind of filtration system on the main pipe between your heater and softener.

GE Drinking Water Filter

With GE purification systems, you can choose from single or dual stage carbon filtration, reverse osmosis, faucet mounted filtration or water pitcher filtration, depending on your budget.

Carbon filtration systems have a space-saving design and they reduce the contaminants such as mercury or lead. Faucet mounted filters install in minutes on almost any type of faucet. Water pitcher filter are designed to fit in your refrigerator door. The pitcher works quickly and it keeps for days afterwards in the refrigerator.

The GE water filtration system using reverse osmosis means that any contaminants or pollutants are separated from your drinking water via two carbon filters and a semi-permeable membrane. It can work on particles a hundred thousand times finer than a human hair and RO systems tend to be reliable and low maintenance.

GE Water Purification Systems - GE Whole House Water Filters and GE Drinking Water Filter Review

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Water Softeners - Top Tips to Eliminate Hard Water From Your Home in Minutes

Following on from the previous article on water softeners, below is a explanation on the types of water softeners that can be used to minimize the effects of hard water around the home...including the pros and cons of each and the potential health issues that arise.

water softener shower head

Chemical Water Softeners

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This is when specific chemicals are added to the water to control water hardness.

The types of chemical that can be used include washing soda and borax. These chemicals form an insoluble precipitate with calcium and magnesium minerals in the water. The mineral ions then cannot interfere with cleaning efficiency, but the precipitate makes the water cloudy and can build up on surfaces. The disadvantage of precipitating water softeners is that they can increase the alkalinity of the water and this may damage skin and other materials being cleaned.

The second type is non-precipitating water softeners use phosphates to collect calcium and magnesium ions. There is no precipitate that is formed and alkalinity is not increased. If used in enough quantity, non-precipitating water softeners will help dissolve soap scum for a period of time.

Mechanical Water Softeners

These are devices that can be permanently installed into the plumbing system to continuously remove calcium and magnesium.

They operate on the ion exchange process in which water passes through a media bed, usually with resin beads that are supersaturated with sodium. The ion exchange process takes place as hard water passes through the softening material. The hardness minerals are collected by the beads while at the same time the sodium on the resin beads is released into the water.

When the beads become saturated with calcium and magnesium, they must be re-newed. The recharging is done by passing a salt solution through the beads. The salt solution which contains sodium replaces the calcium and magnesium minerals in the water which are flushed away.

As explained above, hard water treated with an ion exchange water softener has sodium added. The ion exchange softening process adds sodium at the rate of about 8 mg/liter for each grain of hardness removed per gallon of water. For example, if the water has a hardness of 10 grains per gallon, it will contain about 80 mg/liter of sodium after being softened in an ion exchange water softener if all hardness minerals are removed.

The addition of sodium to the water in these cases is potentially an issue to people with raised blood pressure and some individuals may be advised by their doctor not to install water softeners which use this method. In this case it may be advisable to soften just the hot water, or maybe to bypass the water softener with a cold water pipe to provide unsoftened water that can be used for drinking and cooking.

Next in this series of articles we will discuss the pros and cons of water filters and then magnetic water conditioners with regard to controlling hard water and limescale in our homes. Finally, I will layout a complete overview of water treatment methods discussed so far and explain the approximate cost of each method from installation to electricity running costs.

Water Softeners - Top Tips to Eliminate Hard Water From Your Home in Minutes

WATER SOFTENER

Water Softening, an Overview

A water softener is used to soften water. What that means is that it removes the chemical elements, generally ions, that make water become hard.

The main ions that cause issues are magnesium and calcium. These ions can get into water as it flows through pipes.

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What hard water can do is leave deposits on things, like a film after taking a shower, or spots on dishes that were washed. Additionally, it can make your heaters work slightly less well, which can increase heating costs.

These systems basically work by exchanging ions it contains, generally sodium, or salt, with the hard calcium and magnesium in the water. It does through a diffusion process that occurs as water goes through it.

What it consists of

A softening system consists of a water softening tank, which contains minerals, beads and appropriate internal mechanism. Additionally, it has a brine tank which is used for storing brine and salt.

Finally, there is also generally additional elements such as an electronic monitor and control interface to allow gauging of the water and controlling of activity.

Concerns

They tend to be somewhat expensive, with standard models coming in at around 0-700. They also tend to require a somewhat detailed installation process, being hooked up to the right water pipes.

Additionally, some people are concerned about the sodium that is added to the water, which can cause issues for some with health issues.

The magnetic controversy

Magnetic water softeners work by using magnetic fields to affect the balance of the water. They don't require as significant installation and don't add sodium to the water. As such, they have attracted some audience since the 1930's.

The problem? Professional engineers and water specialists are not convinced that they work so well. They argue that it may technically be impossible to magnetize water. Additionally, some plumbers agree that magnetic water softeners do not work.

Potassium vs sodium salt

Another option some people consider is to use potassium instead of sodium for the replacement.

The reasons for doing so generally are to reduce the sodium content in the water that can come from this process. In general, this isn't so much of an issue, but for some, especially those with health concerns, it may be an issue.

The benefit of doing can also mean that the waste product of the softening is more environmentally friendly. In some cases, it even has potential as a fertilizer.

The downsides include cost and potential taste change to the water.

Water Softening, an Overview

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