Water Cooler Filter
by Mike
As there are many different water coolers on the market today, there are also many different water cooler filters within these dispensers. Whether they use carbon filters, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet filtration, or ceramic filters, water cooler users have a plethora of options when it comes to the type of water filtration system they may use.
Many water coolers have bottles that are attached to them. Inside the bottles is usually filtered water that is the result of some type of water filtration system. At some point, the bottle will need to changed unless you have bought one of the latest bottleless water cooler systems that have a water cooler filter located right inside the unit as many smaller countertop water coolers do. Either way, it becomes vitally important that you closely monitor your water filter in order to ensure the purity of your next glass.
Carbon Water Filters
Activated carbon filters are one of the most common types of water filters available. They are very effective at removing organic chemicals as well as many industrial chemicals. They also provide better tasting water. The disadvantages of using carbon filters for your water filtration system is that they can grow bacteria and they don’t remove all contaminants. If you’re looking for an arsenic water filter a simple single carbon filter probably won’t do the trick. Also note it is important to closely follow manufacturers recommendations for changing carbon filters because once the carbon has been thoroughly used the contaminants it has collected can leak back into the water you are trying to filter.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis filtration is usually reserved for larger water coolers that have an abundance of room to house the large filtration system that is needed for the reverse osmosis process, however you can find smaller countertop reverse osmosis filtration units. Though the process can usually render the end product very clean and pure, reverse osmosis systems tend to waste a bit of excess water in the process.
The initial filtration phase takes place in a porous filter that will eliminate certain harmful elements from your tap water as well a sediment to help protect the second filter, the reverse osmosis filter. This second filter with even smaller pores, know as the reverse osmosis membrane, will then pass the water through its walls where only small particles are allowed through and larger contaminant particles are trapped in the membrane. In the final stage before being made available to the end user the water is often passed through a carbon water filter. The entire process can be very long and tedious, and purified water is usually not made instantly available unless it has previously been filtered.
Many people who choose this type of filtration in their homes opt for a whole house reverse osmosis water filtration system.
Ultraviolet Water Filtration
UV water filters have recently come into the market and have been praised for their ability to zap out certain harmful elements that are contained in tap water. Unfortunately, UV filters do not provide protection against chemicals that you might find in your everyday drinking water simply because the technology is not advanced enough to seek out and destroy chemicals. However, it does do a very adequate job of killing microbes that can be found in the water. A combination of UV water filtration with another type of water filtration unit is usually a good combination to get the cleanest drinking water possible.
Ceramic Filters
Ceramic filters fall into much the same category as ultraviolet filters. They do a great job at finding microorganisms in your water and filtering them out completely. However, they are incapable of eliminating the dangerous chemicals that can be found in tap water. They also need to be thoroughly cleaned quite often, as the microorganisms that they eliminate are not simply killed like they are with UV filters. The buildup of organisms that can accumulate renders them completely ineffective if they are not.
While all of the above water cooler filters do an extremely good job of cleaning out your tap water to make safe for your drinking pleasure, they all have their drawbacks that ultimately limits them in how effective they can be. There is no doubt that these systems can have a great effect on the water you drink everyday, but it should be recognized that there are still areas where the water cooler filter can be improved.
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