FAQ’S
FAQ's
Here you’ll find answers to the general questions we get asked the most about about water filtration
Water filter is a general term but essentially can be categorised as a filter that removes unwanted impurities which improve the taste and quality of the water.
Mains water is treated to an industry standard, so while it is safe to drink you may want to use a filter to improve the taste, odour and add some safety against cryptosporidium or heavy metals.
A “point of use” filter, installed just before a drinking water tap is the most common. These can range from simple sediment filters, carbon blocks (commonly called CTO filters, “chlorine, taste and odours”), Doulton ceramic filters through to small domestic Reverse Osmosis units.
A “point of entry” filter, installed as the water enters the property, treats all the water and are therefore physically bigger, but can provide the same function as point of use filters.
Also see our FAQs regarding water softeners.
Private water supplies, such as boreholes will need at least a 5 micron sediment filter used in conjunction with a UV.
Also see our FAQs regarding boreholes.
Activated carbon is carbon that has been treated with steam to a high temperature and is used for the removal or reduction of organic compounds by a process called adsorption. It can be produced from coconut shell, wood, bituminous coal or lignite coal. J&F only specify coconut shell based carbons as they are produced from a renewable source.
The removal of chlorine from drinking water to improve the taste can be achieved by either granular activated carbon filters or carbon block filters. Carbon block filters are more efficient than the loose granular form, due to the specific manufacturing technique, they are denser and therefore contain more carbon allowing the block form to adsorb more chlorine.
Different grades such as “catalytic” carbon will remove chloramines and hydrogen sulphide, whilst one of the primary functions of “acid washed” carbon is pre and post treatment for commercial RO systems.
Cryptosporidium is a microscopic parasite that can cause Cryptosporidiosis which is a gastrointestinal infection causing sickness and diarrhoea in humans and animals. Cryptosporidium can be found in water sources that have come into contact with infected sewage and animal waste.
Whilst boiling water can provide a short term solution for cryptosporidium, a longer term solution is the installation of a Luminor Ultra Violet system or a filter such as a Doulton Ultracarb or an Argonide NanoCeram.
Get in touch to speak to one of our highly trained team today.
Ultraviolet water treatment is a simple and effective process proven to be 99% efficient in stopping the spread of bacteria and viruses in tap and spring water without the addition of chemicals
A special bulb is used to allow a high-powered form of invisible ultraviolet light (UV-C) reach and penetrate the microorganisms, disrupting their DNA and disabling them from replicating.
Further water treatment may still be required to treat other contaminants.
Get in touch to find out more.
Coliform bacteria are always found in the digestive system of animals and humans and can also be present in faeces, raw sewage water, decaying plants and soil. Whilst most coliform bacteria do not cause disease they should not be confused with E.coli or fecal coliforms which can cause serious diseases.
By testing the water for coliform bacteria you are getting an indication that your water may be contaminated. Rather than testing for each individual strain of bacteria, as this is a timely and costly process, we look at how high the coliform count is. The higher the count the more likely it is that your water contains a potentially dangerous bacteria which can cause a range of health problems including vomiting and diarrhoea.
The water can be treated by boiling before use but this is not at all practical if using the water source regularly or if a large volume of water is required.
For a permanent solution we would recommend UV (ultraviolet) filtration which is proven and efficient in killing bacteria in tap and spring water without the addition of chemicals. As an example, E.coli requires a UV dose of 6mJ/cm<sup>2</sup> for a 4-log or 99.9% kill. We typically size our UV systems based on a 30mJ/cm2 dose and typical water waterborne pathogens will be eradicated at half of this dose.
Get in touch today and we will help you decide which type of filter you may need.
Reverse Osmosis is a filtration system which uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove dissolved solids from water.
Reverse Osmosis can remove such contaminants as lead, fluorides, chlorides, sodium and sulphates. A 5 stage RO system typically removes these types of “salts”, a 6 stage RO system also removes them but a final filter adds back essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium which improve the taste of water.
We also build larger commercial reverse osmosis systems for industry. For example poultry, fruit growing, distilleries and breweries.
Take a look at our case studies section to find out about the systems we have provided or get in touch now to speak to one of our highly trained team.
A water softener works by a process called ion exchange. This process exchanges magnesium and calcium ions, which form limescale, for sodium ions.
A common misconception is that this process of adding sodium will make your water taste salty. This is not true. Only Sodium ions are exchanged, as opposed to sodium chloride (which is common salt). Therefore, the water does not taste “salty” and the sodium content of the water is also very low. (There’s 122mg of Sodium in a single slice of white bread compared to 37mg in a litre of softened water).
A mineral tank makes up the main part of the softener containing the ion-exchange resin. Water enters and leaves the tank through a valve which controls the softening process. Once the resin has become exhausted a brine solution (water and common salt) is flushed through the tank which reverses the process and allows the resin to soften the water again.
The control valve can operate on either a time basis or a meter controlled basis, which is more efficient and uses less salt.
Get in touch to find out more.
