How Does a Typical Water Filter Work - The Science Behind It?

One of the most FAQ about water filters and water filter jugs is whether they actually work. To know whether or not they do is to understand how a water filter jug works. There are 4 ways that you can filter water.

• The first and most commonly used in household water filters is activated carbon. It is a porous kind of carbon that traps pollutants and chemicals in water in its small nooks and crannies. It is a great way to filter common impurities including chemicals and other contaminants, but it doesn't do very well with limescale. It also gets clogged over time and needs to be replaced.
• The second way you can filter water is through reverse osmosis. Osmosis is when a concentrated solution is separated from a less concentrated solution by a semi-permeable membrane. In reverse osmosis you send a more concentrated solution to a less concentrated solution. By forcing contaminated water in the opposite direction using pressure you purify it. The pressure in these kinds of water filters is provided by electricity so having this kind of water filter will increase your power consumption and bills.
• Ion exchange is another method that is used to purify water. Basically, the process involves splitting contaminants and turning them into ions. The bad ions are released while the good ones are retained. Filters that use this method of water filtration contain lots of zeolite beads. The problem with this kind of water filtration is that it doesn't really take out contaminants, it only splits them into less harmful ions. Also, these water filters need to be recharged on a regular basis to restore sodium ions or replaced.
• The last method of water filtration is distillation which involves simply boiling of water. While this may take out bacteria and other disease causing organisms.

The best water filtration jugs combine 2 or more of these techniques for the simple reason that no single method by itself can get rid of both contaminants and heavy metals. If you want to know whether a water filter jug works the best thing to do is look into what kind of filtration method it uses. If it uses 2 or more then you can be confident that it works. Also, try to buy renowned brands - they are more likely to get your water purified and ready to drink. We recommend Culligan ZeroWater water filter jugs. They come with a unique patented 5 stage water purification or filtration system with uses filters which work as described below.

Culligan ZeroWater - 5 STAGES

Stage 1 - Coarse Filter Screen

Filters out fine particles and sediment

Stage 2 - Foam Distributor

Disperses the water more evenly across the entire width of filter to more efficiently use the filter medium which increases longevity and ability to remove more contaminants

Stage 3 - Multi-layer activated carbon & oxidation reduction alloy

Carbon: filters out a lot of different contaminants and is standard in most conventional filters; particularly good on organics and for improved taste. Oxidation alloy: reduces, removes chlorine and other heavy metals plus, it keeps mould from forming when the filter is moist.

Stage 4 - Dual Comprehensive ION EXCHANGE resin

Negative and positive dual bed ion exchange resin that strips foreign ions from the water molecules and returns them to a pure state. Stage 5 - Ultra-fine screen & non-woven membrane layers To remove ultra-fine particles. You can compare the above five stages utilised by all Culligan ZeroWater filters to most the 2 stages filtration process used today in most common water filter jugs.

Generic - 2 Stage Filters

Stage 1 - Activated Carbon

For Chlorine reduction and improved taste

Stage 2 - Ion Exchange Resin

Reduces contaminant's like copper, mercury and cadmium You can start shopping for an excellent water filter jug today on Culligan ZeroWater's website. They have a wide variety of very reliable models. You can find out more on their website.