Filters Fast - Water and Air Filter Experts

It's a question we've been bombarded with since yesterday morning, when the Associated Press published an article stating that United States manufacturers and drugmakers have legally released 271 million or more pounds of pharmaceuticals into water sources that often provide drinking water.

During this "PharmaWater" investigation, the AP identified 22 compounds present in drinking water. Included in these compounds are such chemicals as lithium, antibiotics, sedatives, mood stabilizers, sex hormones, skin-bleaching cream and chemicals used to combat head lice and worms.

Yet while drugmakers and manufacturers are certainly responsible for a large portion of the pharmaceuticals in our water, consumers of the pharmaceuticals are just as responsible for depositing pharmaceuticals back into the water supply. After taking these pharmaceuticals, consumers excrete the unabsorbed remainders into the toilet, where they enter the water supply. Flushing drugs down the toilet is a more direct way of doing this, and one that is surprisingly common.

Perhaps the only thing scarier than all of these pharmaceuticals in our drinking water is that there is currently no filter that removes pharmaceuticals from tap water. While companies are currently working on filters that remove pharmaceuticals from water, none do as of yet. Some theorize that filters using activated carbon may work, as the carbon has been shown to capture organic substances that may be found in pharmaceuticals. But as of now, the testing for pharmaceuticals is too insufficient to say whether or not this is the case.

So while we cannot say for certain whether these filters remove pharmaceuticals, we can say that many of our filters do remove contaminants that we know can be harmful to your health, such as arsenic, lead, chlorine, cysts, total dissolved solids, toxic heavy metals and bacteria.

Give us a call to discuss your specific filtration needs. Better yet, consider purchasing one of our many home testing kits, which will tell you exactly what is in your water (again, except for pharmaceuticals).

Then, when you know what's in your water, give us a call and we'll suggest a filter that will remove the undesired contaminants.

Posted by Daniel at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Question:
I have an Amana Model #DRS2660BC. Do you know if there is a filter that removes flouride that will fit my fridge?

Answer:
There is no refrigerator water filter available that will remove flouride. The most common filtration system for flouride removal is a reverse osmosis water filter system. We do have a reverse osmosis system for review. It is the APRO5500.

Posted by Ray at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Original Comment from Blog User

I HAVE A BORRED WELL. I USE A WHOLE HOUSE FILTER. TODAY WHEN I WENT TO CHANGE MY FILTER ONE SIDE OF IT HAD A GREEN GROWTH ON IT. IT WAS ON THE SIDE THAT FACED THE DOOR OF MY WELL ROOM. THE DOOR WAS LEFT OPEN WHICH HARDLY EVER HAPPENS. WHAT IS THIS?

Answer:
What you have on your filter is Algae. Is there any sunlight reaching into the room? Normally sunlight will cause Algae growth. Now, how do you clean it? First discard the old filter. Before placing a new filter into the housing, clean the inside of the housing well with a water and bleach solution. Then replace the filter. After replacing the filter, run your water through a shower or something that uses a lot of water for 5-10 minutes to ensure that the bleach solution has passed through your pipes and your water is safe to drink.

Posted by Ray at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Question: bought a house with a 7 filter system...only label says springhouse and ecotech....what is this? where do i get replacement cartridges for it....does it also have to have a water softener inline with it? what is the electric plug on one of the cartridges do??

Answer:
We found the Users Manual for the system that is installed in your home and it can be found at http://www.ecoquestintl.com/ownersmanuals_web/SpringHouseOM.pdf.
The plug appears to be for Ultra-Violet UV water filtration. UV Filtration is used to kill any bacteria present in water. They do not seem to make any claims to the effectivness of their system on bacteria and looking at the diagram of the the filter flow, it looks like the UV system may have some flaws. UV light can be blocked by larger particles in water. Since the filtration appears to have a 20 micron filter prior to the UV stage, any particles under 20 microns can enter the UV chamber and effectively protect bacteria by being between the UV light source and the bacteria. It seems like a better design would have the 1 micron carbon block filter prior to the UV chamber to remove all particles greater than 1 micron in size which would minimize the shadowing effect. Do not use this filter system with water that has been deemed unsafe for consumption. This system does not have a softener built in. If you have hard water, then you would need a seperate water softener to solve that problem. Replacement cartridges can be found from the manufacturer. Depening on the size of the cartridge, you may be able to use any brand of filter that meet the specifications.

Posted by Ray at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I have a reverse osmosis system GXRM10G. Family of 2. How often should I change the postfilter sump and prefilter sump and should I change the RO cartridge at the same time?

Most Revers Osmosis Filter Systems require pre and post filter changes at 6 month intervals to maintain peak performance. The membrane should be changed every 2 years or if you notice a significant drop in water passing through the reverse osmosis system. In your case the GXRM10G uses the FX12P pre and post filters which should be changed every 6 months and the fx12m membrane which should be changed every 2 years. The O-rings should be changed every other filter change on the pre and post filters and every change on the membrane.

Posted by Ray at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Some people are not aware that after you change your refrigerator water filter, there are two more steps that should be taken to complete the water filter change process.

Step 1:
Reset your water filter indicator light - Most new refrigerators come equiped with an indicator light that notifies you when it is time to change your water filter. This light does not automatically reset when you change your water filter. Here is a list of refrigerator manufacturers and how to reset the indicator light.
Amana Refrigerators - Press and hold the Auto and Dispenser Lock buttons until the water filter status indicator light flashes.
Frigidaire Refrigerators - Press and Hold the Reset Button Until the Indicator Light Flashes.
GE General Electric Refrigerators - Press and Hold the Reset Button for around 8 Seconds.
HotPoint Refrigerators - Press and Hold the Reset Button for around 8 Seconds.
Jenn-Air Refrigerators - Press and Hold The Light and Lock Buttons until the Water Filter light flashes.
Kitchen Aid Refrigerators - Press and Release the Light Button 5 times Quickly.
Maytag Refrigerators - Press and Hold The Light and Lock Buttons until the Water Filter light flashes.
Samsung Refrigerators - Press and Hold the Ice Type and Child Lock Buttons at the same time for 3 seconds.
Whirlpool Refrigerators - Press and Release the Light Button 5 times Quickly.

Step 2:
Flush a couple of gallons of water through your new filter. Since most refrigerator water filters are made of carbon, some carbon residue is present in the first gallon or two of water. This will leave a bitter taste and residue in your water. If you continue to have these problems after flushing a couple of gallons through the filter, it is possible that you have a defective water filter.

Once these two steps are completed, you are all set to enjoy great tasting ice and water through your refrigerator. If you don't see your manufacturer listed or the insructions don't work for your model please post a comment with your make and model number so that we can provide exact instructions for your model.

Posted by Ray at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (73) | TrackBacks (0)