Carbon Backwash Filters
- Heavy-Duty Chlorine Removal
- Choose Standard Carbon (for chlorine removal) or Catalytic Carbon for Hydrogen Sulfide Removal
- Last for many years. Fully automatic.
- Save hundreds of dollars on expensive filter cartridges
- Chlorine's Side Effects:
- Essential for disinfecting water, ensuring it's safe and clean but may cause long-term health effects.
- Can cause undesirable taste, odor, and skin irritation for some individuals.
- Whole House Carbon Filter Benefits:
- Effectively removes chlorine, enhancing water taste and eliminating odors.
- Alleviates skin irritations and allergic reactions related to chlorine.
- Enjoy showers without the harshness of chlorine.
Cartridge Free Filtration
All of our filtration systems, except for the Carbon Cartridge Series, use filter tanks instead of traditional filter cartridges. This provides numerous benefits including:
Large Capacity:
Won't restrict pressure or flow unlike cartridge-type activated carbon filters.
Fully Automatic:
Sediment and particles are automatically flushed from system, and filter media cleaned! No monthly maintenance.
Large Media Bed Means Long Life:
Huge capacity and special high-grade activated carbon means the media lasts from 1 to 4 years depending on usage. Media is easily changed.
Economical Operation:
Less expensive to operate than carbon cartridges.
Excellent Warranty:
Filter tanks have 10 year warrantyfilter tanks; 5 year warranty on control valves.
NSF Certified Components:
NSF Certified tanks and filter media insure high level of quality and purity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Which model and size is best for me?
A. The 1.5 cubic foot size ("1.5 CF") is best for most standard residential homes with 2 to 4 person and 1 to 2.5 bathrooms. There is no disadvantage in choosing a slightly larger size such as the 2.0 or 2.5 CF size. For large families or for large homes with 2 - 3 bathrooms, the 2.5 CF size is more than large enough to do a great job at removing chlorine (and/or chloramines if the Catalytic Carbon is chosen).
Q. How do these filter remove chlorine and sediment from water?
A. The Backwashing Carbon Filter is a large filter canister filled with activated carbon media. Activated carbon removes chlorine in a chemical reaction that oxidizes the carbon surface. Chlorine tastes and odors are removed. Sediment down to 30 microns in size is also removed by mechanical filtration. The filter is kept clean with a weekly automatic backwash. During the backwash (which typically occurs in the middle of the night) the carbon is washed clean by a 6 to 8 minute backwash and 4 to 6 minute rinse cycle.
Q. What maintenance is required with these backwashing filters?
A. Depending on the level of chlorine in the water, the carbon will need to be changed every 2 to 3 years. This is easily done without any special tools and costs between $100 and $300 depending on the size of the carbon filter.
Q. How can I tell when it is time to change the carbon?
A. You can use a simple chlorine test kit to determine when chlorine is leaking through the carbon and change it when the media starts to wear out.
Q. Will these carbon backwash filters remove sulfur odors (hydrogen sulfide gas?
A. Yes, but choose the Catalytic Carbon option and provide some aeration, air injection or chlorine injection prior to the catalytic carbon filter.
Q. Is chlorine harmful or toxic?
A. Chlorine itself is poisonous but not in the levels found in municipally treated water. The huge benefit of chlorination which is the disinfection of our water supplies far outweighs the slight health risks associated with using chlorinated water over a lifetime. Many people prefer to shower in de-chlorinated water, to avoid the taste, odor and irritation that chlorine can cause. Some of our customers report allergic reaction to chlorinated water, or that they have sensitive skin and found dramatic results after putting in a whole house carbon filter.
Q. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter removes hardness minerals or help cut down on scale build-up?
A. No. The system removes sediment and oxidized iron particles, which may cause some spotting, but the minerals remain the same. If scaling or spotting is a problem, a water softener is required.
Q. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter make my water taste great for drinking?
A. This depends on the quality of the incoming water and on your own personal taste. If your water is chlorinated or has other bad tastes, it will definitely taste a lot better after flowing through the activated carbon. However, some waters are high alkalinity, dissolved minerals such as sulfate, iron or manganese or high total dissolved solids. The carbon will have no effect on these inorganic minerals..
Q. How does the total dissolved solids ("TDS") affect drinkability?
A. If the water has a moderate to higher total dissolved solids content, then merely filtering the water of chlorine could improve taste, but many people will say the water still tastes "heavy" compared to purified water. Taste is very subjective, and the ability to taste varies widely from person to person. The higher the TDS level, particularly when it reaches over 500 ppm (the USEPA recommended aesthetic guideline) the more people will want to purify the water by using reverse-osmosis.
Q. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter remove parasites or cysts?
A. No. Giardia and Cryptosporidium cysts can be removed by 1 micron absolute filters: see our line of drinking water filters and our ultraviolet/filter combinations for cyst removal.
Q. Is bacteria a problem with activated carbon systems?
A. We have tested many of our Backwashing Carbon Filters for bacteria counts over the years and have not found higher levels after the systems. Since the system backwashes with chlorinated water, bacteria growth is retarded. For this reason, non-backwashing tank-type carbon filter systems should not be used. However if the chlorine levels are very low in the incoming water, then a UV sterilizer should be used to disinfect the water after the Backwashing Carbon Filter.
Q. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter remove iron, and can I use it on my well water system?
A. Generally, no. In some cases, we do use Backwashing Carbon Filters if the well water is chlorinated, and sufficient contact time has occurred to oxidize the iron or manganese. Even then, it is usually better to use a Pro-OX iron filter, greensand or a Birm iron filter to remove the iron first, then the backwashing carbon filter to reduce the chlorine in the household water.
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