Water & Air – Filter Systems News

Thinking of going camping this fall season? Across the country the leaves have changed and there are a multitude of beautiful colors to be seen.  The cool, crisp air means less bugs and clear night skies full of stars. If you, like me, are not THRILLED at the prospect of sleeping outside and not having clean fresh water to drink, the following products will save the day.

Katadyn MyBottle Water Purifier- Blue Splash

This sleek and stylish Katadyn water bottle does more than simply hold water. This water bottle features a personal filtration system directly inside the bottle. The built in virustat and cyst filter will remove bacteria, viruses, cysts and other impurities from virtually all fresh water sources. In addition, the carbon cartridge removes chemicals, making your water taste better. The MyBottle is even registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency for its efficiency at removing impurities.

Use the Katadyn MyBottle to filter the following water sources:

1)      Lakes

2)      Ponds

3)      Rivers

4)      Streams

Katadyn Mini Ultralight Series Microfilter- Black

                The Katadyn Mini Ultralight Microfilter is ideal for camping and hiking. This filter removes protozoa, cysts, sediment, dirt, viruses, spores dirt and bacteria down to 0.2 microns in size. This microfilter has a 2,000 gallon capacity before needing a filter replacement. Weighing less than a pound, this easy to carry filtration system is great when you do not have a readily available fresh water source.

Klean Kanteen 18 oz Bottle & Loop Cap- Red

    The Kleen Kanteen 18 oz Bottle is BPA free and is manufactured out of the highest quality stainless steel. This is an eco friendly alternative to bringing a 24 pack of bottled water to your next camping trip. The convenient loop cap makes it easy to attach to backpacks and camping equipment.  This water bottle comes in a variety of colors.

 Nite Ize Carbiner, Klean Kanteen S-Biner # 3

         The Kleen Kanteen Carbiner will make it easy for you and your family to attach your Kleen Kanteen water bottle to belts, backpacks and camping equipment. Manufactured out of the same stainless steel as your Kleen Kanteen water bottle, two snaps is all it takes to bring your bottle everywhere you need it to go.

Vapur Anti Bottle Water Bottle- Pink 16 oz.

Perfect for the little campers in your party,  this reusable water bottle  features a space saving design. They are extremely flexible and almost completely collapsible, making this water bottle ideal when you are tight on space. The matching clip on the water bottle makes it easy to clip onto hiking bags and camping equipment. This water bottle is made out of BPA free plastic and holds 16 ounces.

With these easy to use products, you can be sure that your next camping and hiking trip will be a great success!

One of the most common physical occurrences in marine science is the accumulation of   microorganisms, algae, mussels, seaweed, plants and other water-related growth that is attached to the hull of ships or on the posts of a pier. Such undesirable growth decreases the performance of a ship and increases fuel consumption. This accumulation is called biofouling or microbiological fouling. Biofouling consists of biofilms, which under normal circumstances are harmless, but can be problematic when they produce build-up on pipes and wells, or completely clog water filtration systems.

Waterborne bacteria and other contaminants can trigger allergic reactions, but you can do something to thwart these harmful pollutants from infiltrating your drinking water supply. Water test kits are available to easily check for waterborne contaminants in your drinking water. If you are in an area where you experience more comprehensive problems with your drinking water, then you will probably need an expert to test your water and advise accordingly. Often water-related allergies associated with biofouling result from improperly maintained water filtration systems, cartridges, filters or membranes that are long overdue for replacement.

Cooling towers, water distribution networks and membranes are not immune to biofouling. If membrane filtration or reverse osmosis systems contain the presence of a huge amount of phosphate, this could reduce production of your system, decrease the life of the membrane for your water filter system and increase maintenance costs. In a cooling tower, the presence of biofouling can lead to an excessive amount of harmful bacteria growth and migration. Biocides are used to prevent biofouling in cooling towers, but could create an environmental concern.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established enforceable standards to apply to public water systems called National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR). According to the EPA, primary standards protect public health by limiting the levels of contaminants in drinking water. The typical agents for microbiological fouling include iron, sulfur-reducing and slime producing organisms, although many others exist. Your drinking water will contain some type of sediment, rust, scale or other waterborne pollutants that could create an environment for biofouling in the walls and membrane of your filtration system. This could lead to water-related allergies or diseases if precautions and proper maintenance are not taken ahead of time.

U.S. Water Hardness Map

If your water smells and tastes like metal or if you find yourself constantly scrubbing that unsightly scum that forms around the interior of your bathtub, then chances are you are suffering from a hard water problem. Water hardness results from the presence of dissolved calcium and magnesium deposits in natural water. Hard water buildup is responsible for most scale formation that clogs and corrodes your pipes, plumbing fixtures, appliances and water heaters. Ion exchange systems, often called water softeners are effective for reducing water hardness with little or no hardness remaining in the water if they are used.

Here are 7 economical reasons why you should consider purchasing a water softening system to condition your hard water: 

1. Cost effective: Saves money on constantly buying cleaning supplies, because you will use less detergent and soap.
2. Clothes last longer: Hard water shortens the life span of your clothes and dulls the color. Conditioned water will help your garments last longer and you may avoid the need for using fabric softeners.
3. Eliminates stains: Hard water creates mineral buildup on your bathroom fixtures and darkens your porcelain. Softened water will deter this problem.
4. Reduces streaky dishes: Hard water creates streaks and water spots on your dishes and glasses. Conditioned water eliminates this problem and helps your dishwasher last longer and perform better.
5. Preserves faucets and protects pipes: Hard water corrodes and clogs the valves in water-using appliances and creates scale buildup. Softened water reduces the attack of hard water on your faucets and pipes.
6. Ideal for your face and body: Hard water is harsh on your face and body. You will find that you tend to use a lot of moisturizing lotions and crèmes to soften your skin.  Conditioned water leaves your skin feeling cleaner and fresher.
7. Wonderful hair: Hard water can contribute to damaged hair. Conditioned water will contribute to manageable, radiant and healthier looking hair. You will also use less shampoo.

Our certified Filters Fast Lifestyle Expert recommends some of the following solutions for tackling your hard water issues:

Pentek WS-10 Water Softening Resin Filter Cartridge

This resin filter cartridge provides a convenient and cost effective way to soften your water at the exact point of need, using FDA grade softener resin.

Hydrotech Water Softener System CAB5600CC-835-75

This basic cabinet model valve water softener features a brine safety float for convenience and worry-free operation.  

Pentek PCC-1 Phosphate Cartridge

This filter cartridge reduces lime, scale build-up, rust staining and corrosion caused by hard water.

We offer a complete line of water filter cartridges and water filter housing units that will be ideal for your residential, commercial or industrial water application. Water softeners require periodic regeneration once their softening capacity has been exhausted. During the regeneration process, water will bypass the softener and subsequently come out hard. Water test kits are a convenient way of testing your water for contaminants. Water softeners should not be used to treat water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality without adequate disinfection.

Good Tasting Tea Requires Great Tasting Water

Tea connoisseurs know that next to superior grown tea, you cannot enjoy the true essence and bouquet of a fine cup of tea without good quality water. The water must be free of waterborne minerals and contaminants to brew a good cup of tea. Water must contain the presence of a sufficient amount of oxygen to enhance the natural flavor of your tea. If the water tastes good alone, your brewed tea will taste great!

Hard water, which is high in dissolved minerals, can affect the taste and appearance of tea by making it dark and cloudy. The taste can be chalky and minerals can cause limescale accumulation that could lead to costly repairs or equipment failure in teapots and infusers. Bottled water with high mineral content has the same negative impact, especially if it does not include substantial oxygen (aeration). Oxygen plays an important part in the brewing process because it helps to release the flavors of your tea. You should always use fresh water that was not previously boiled to brew your tea. Re-heating water that was previously boiled has lost much of its dissolved oxygen. According to the Tea Association of the United States:

Water softening equipment will help to reduce or eliminate water hardness caused by excessive mineral content. An activated carbon filter is used to remove soluble organic chemicals, chlorine, taste and odor causing compounds.

A water filtration housing system like the Pentek 20″ Big Blue Filter Housing & WS20BB Filter will help to soften your hard water dilemma.

Your water supply is an integral part of your tea experience. In the United States it generally comes from municipal water, spring water, well water or bottled water. The predominant supply of water is municipal water. Although this source is controlled by EPA standards, regulations do not eliminate the entire presence of harmful minerals and contaminants. Usually chlorine is added to municipal water to kill bacteria, but when chlorine is present it has a distinctive and unfavorable taste.

In rural areas, spring and well water are major water sources, but both are subject to serious contamination because they are unregulated. Individual springs and wells must be tested to determine the source and level of contamination. The Hach Water Hardness, Iron & pH Test Kit is a cost effective and complete kit for testing and determining the hardness and quality of your water.

Only companies using a multi-step process of filtration, purification and oxygenation would be considered reliable for brewing good tasting tea. Purified water must be infused with oxygen to assure you are getting the best flavor of tea. The process of water purification filters out minerals and contaminants. When choosing your water you want to make sure that you get the best taste from your brewed tea. Water quality is just as important as the quality of the tea leaves to a tea lover. These tea aficionados are persnickety about their preference of pure water for producing a crisp flavor and clear brew of tea that is aesthetically pleasing.

Cool, crisp, clean, clear water. In the hot summer days of August, there is nothing better. We run to the faucet or Brita Pitcher when temperatures reach over 100 degrees. Imagine a truly sizzling hot day, running for the tap, turning on the cold faucet and the water that comes out is not the regular water you are used to, but cleaned wastewater. As the name implies, cleaned wastewater is water that “has been used in your toilet or sink or shower is purified through a variety of technological processes that make it clean enough to drink” (Alix Spiegel, NPR Article)  Would you feel the same relief from the heat? Or would your mind stop you from enjoying the cool glass of water?

Some scholars say yes.  Dr. Carol Nemeroff, of the University of Southern Maine speculates that many people are not able to get over the “ick” factor of drinking water that could have previously been found in their toilet. The scientific term, contagion, refers to the phenomenon of people thinking that once something has contact with another thing, those two things are always joined. In this case, water and your toilet.  Significant research of over 2,000 people suggests that it is difficult for people to dispel this kind of thinking; regardless of if it is scientifically proven that the cleaned wastewater is safe for consumption.

Therefore, getting Americans on board for the use of wastewater as drinking water may involve less science, and more psychology. The key it seems is to change the identity of the filtered water by connecting it closer to nature. As water reuse expert Dr. Haddad says, people feel more comfortable if the treated water sits in an underground aquifer for a significant period of time. However, this brings up additional problems, as exposing already treated water back to nature can have negative effects on the quality of the water.

It is clear that our water thinking has a significant impact on the way water is used and distributed in this country. Now that we have the science to turn wastewater into drinkable water, we need to find a way to change its identity so that people no longer have visions of drinking water formally found in the bottom of a bath tub or toilet bowl.

Certain scenes from old western movies showed cowboys stopping to sojourn at a nearby watering hole to fill their canteens and continue on their cross-country journey without dying from thirst. We did not see these cowboys or the convoy of covered wagons take out their water testing kits to see what waterborne pollutants lurked in the water before they drank it. It was not needed as much then as it is now.

World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD), an international education and outreach program, builds public awareness and involvement for protecting water resources around the world. WWMD encourages individuals to conduct basic testing and monitoring of their local bodies of water. Participants can use water test kits to take samples of local water and keep track of water quality parameters such as temperature, acidity, clarity and dissolved oxygen. Results are shared with global participating communities on the WWMD website.

Officially, World Water Monitoring Day is celebrated on September 18. The monitoring window was extended from March 22 (World Water Day) through December 31. The coordinators of World Water Monitoring Day, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) and the International Water Association (IWA) are planning to expand participation in 100 countries to one million people by 2012.

Today we are facing a myriad of contaminants lurking in our outdoor water supply that stifles our ability to “dip and sip” like we once did. Even if we do not drink water from a nearby pond, lake or stream, the condition of this water still affects wildlife, the environment, fish and other water-abiding creatures.

If you have not tested your home drinking water lately, it does not hurt to sporadically do so regardless of whether you have well water or municipal water. You may be surprised by your test results.  What you do not know just may be hazardous to your health. Remember, there is still time to submit your data to the WWMD database before the December 31 deadline.

The dead body of an Indonesian maid was found in the rooftop water tank of a residential building in Singapore, a few days ago. A Bangladeshi man has been arrested in connection with the case; he was seen choking her. It is believed that they were in an intimate relationship, and both were seen arguing on the morning her body was found. The case has been classified as a murder by the police, but the exact cause of death has not been determined.

All of those details seem trivial, however, in light of this significance: her corpse may have tainted the drinking water of 700 residents. One resident reported seeing white bubbles in her water while bathing her children. Doctors recommended boiling the water prior to consumption, in order to kill any bacteria or other pathogens present from the corpse, but I’m not sure that I could stomach the thought of drinking water tainted by a dead body, boiled or not.

Incidents like these are few and far between, so I don’t think that a mass manufacture of water filters designed to remove rotting corpse particles would be necessary. (We already have filters that will remove radioactive particles – perhaps they will filter dead body remnants as well…) I’m curious, though, as to what our readers would do in this situation. Boil the water and drink it? Purchase bottled water until the tank is cleaned and sterilized? Buy a Katadyn emergency water filter? Or move out of the building altogether?

With news of more frequent natural disasters, dead bodies found in residential water tanks, and reports of a potential zombie apocalypse from the CDC, now might be a good time to get prepared for the days ahead. We suggest you start by reviewing our post on “How to Survive the Apocalypse with Filters Fast,” as well as our article on Emergency Water Purification.

If you’ve heard anything about hexavalent chromium in tap water, it was probably from the movie Erin Brockovich. In that film, the legal clerk and environmental activist Erin Brockovich (as played by Julia Roberts) built a case against California’s Pacific Gas and Electric litigation alleging that the cancer-causing hexavalent chromium the company was using to fight corrosion in cooling towers had seeped into the ground water of Hinkley, California.

Since settling that case in 1996, Brockovich has continued to work on cases involving hexavalent chromium. Just last year, she began investigating a case in Midland, Texas and assisted in filing a lawsuit against Prime Tanning Corp. of St. Joseph, Missouri. And if recent tests are any indication, Erin Brockovich and others like her might soon be swamped with similar cases.

Recent laboratory tests commisioned by the Environmental Working Group have found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of 31 cities. More disturbing still is the fact that the tap water from only 35 cities was sampled for the cancer-causing chemical, meaning it was found in 89 percent of the cities tested. The EWG estimates that 74 million Americans in 42 states could be drinking tap water that is polluted with chromium or its carcinogenic form, hexavalent chromium.

Hexavalent chromium is also known as Chromium-6 or Chromium (VI), though many refer to it as the “Erin Brockovich chemical”. It is the cancer-causing variant of chromium. The Environmental Protection Agency  allows for 100 parts per billion of total chromium in drinking water, but it has not set a safe or acceptable limit for hexavalent chromium. As such, water utility companies are not required to test for hexavalent chromium. California is the only state that requires such testing, and it has set a legal limit of .06 parts per billion. Of the 31 cities that had hexavalent chromium, 25 cities had levels higher than that amount.

However, there is no set limit for chromium-6, and water utility companies are not required to test for it. California is the only state that mandates testing, and that state’s legal limit for chromium-6 in drinking water is .06 ppb. Sutton and her colleagues found that 25 of the 31 cities with chromium-6 contaminated water had levels higher than that amount.

In an ideal world, the EPA would set legal limits for every state and require that water utilities test to ensure hexavalent chromium doesn’t enter our tap water. But as Erin Brockovich knows all too well, we don’t live in an ideal world. So how do you remove hexavalent chromium from tap water? Many reverse osmosis systems will remove chromium-6, as well as other contaminants.

Our Pentek RO-3500 Reverse Osmosis System reduces 86.6 percent of hexavalant chromium and 92.8 percent of trivalent chromium. What a RO system removes or reduces depends entirely on the filters and membranes used. We do carry many reverse osmosis membranes that reduce hexavalent chromium, so if you have an existing RO system and want to ensure you reduce chromium-6, please give us a call at 866-438-3458 or e-mail us at sales@filtersfast.com.

Not sure if you should be concerned? Our eXact Micro 7+ Standard Photometer Kit allows you to test water for hexavalent chromium and many other contaminants.

On May 1st a major water main supplying water to parts of the Boston area broke, leaving some 2 million people there without safe and clean water for drinking, cooking, washing, and so forth.

On the exact same day a major series of devastating 1,000-year floods swept through parts of Tennessee, which left many residents there in a comparably precarious water-scarce situation as those in the Boston area.  People in both places were forced to rely on bottled water and/or boiled water just to avoid various water-borne diseases and illnesses.

Here at Filters Fast we have a solution to these recent water woes and also for those to come in the future – we recommend that you purchase the Katadyn Ceradyn emergency water filter system explained in depth below in order to provide purified and uncontaminated water for yourself as well as your family, friends, and/or neighbors whenever the next water emergency occurs in your area.

The Katadyn Ceradyn Drip Water Filter System pictured above is a high performance emergency water filter system that can provide about 1 gallon per hour of safe filtered water which will allow you and your family to make it through the next ‘Aquapocalypse‘ or other similar water emergency.

The Katadyn Ceradyn Drip Water Filter System is a free standing gravity water filter with utilizes three very advanced Katadyn ceramic depth filters for maximum, high-level water filtration.  The three Katadyn ceramic depth filter cartridges remove numerous contaminants and impurities from tainted water, including:

• bacteria
• parasites
• cysts
• algae
• protozoa
• sediment
• dirt
• rust
• mold spores
• certain viruses
• …and other disease causing agents down to the very fine 0.2 micron level.

The Ceradyn gravity drip filter system reduces or removes dirt, bacteria, pathogens, micro-organisms, some viruses, and parasites such as cryptosporidium and giardia that cause diseases such as cholera, dysentery, typhoid fever, and other potentially life-threatening illnesses.

The Ceradyn has a 2.6 gallon (10 liter) capacity for the filtration of larger quantities of water and is especially useful for groups of people: as the safe filtered water is used it can be filled again and again with unsafe water at the top of the unit which is then thoroughly filtered as it trickles down in to the base, thus allowing for a continuous flow of uncontaminated filtered water.

There is no need for pumping or connection to a tap with this Katadyn Ceradyn drip water filter because it uses gravitational filter action. It is ideal not just for water supply emergencies but also for camping, hunting, fishing, boats, cabins, cottages, campers, and so on.  Using this Katadyn water filter you can also filter unsafe water from streams, brooks, rivers, ponds, springs, and lakes for drinking, cooking, washing, cleaning, and so on.  The Katadyn ceramic filters provide filtered, fresh, and natural tasting water without the use of harsh chemicals.

The three top-notch Katadyn ceramic depth filters included with this Katadyn gravity drip water purifier have an extremely long-lasting filter life of approximately 13,000 gallons before they need to be replaced, and they can also be cleaned approximately 100 times before replacement.  A measuring gauge is supplied with this Katadyn water filter in order to easily remind you when it is time to change the three filter cartridges.

Since this Katadyn  gravity drip filter system has no moving parts, basic use and maintenance of this emergency water filter unit is simple.  The following is a list of the technical specifications of the Katadyn Ceradyn Gravity Drip Filter System:

• Color: White
• Dimensions: 18″H x 11″W
• Micron Rating: 0.2 Micron
• Filter Body: BPA-Free Plastic
• Output: About 1 Gallon Per Hour
• Weight: 7.25 Pounds (unfilled)
• Unit Life: Approximately 40,000 Gallons
• Filter Life: Approximately 13,000 Gallons
• Filter Media: Katadyn Ceramic Depth Filters (3)

Katadyn emergency water filters are used by the U.S. military, various international militaries, and by relief agencies like the Red Cross which utilize Katadyn water filters in emergency situations when clean potable water is scarce or unavailable.

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* NOTE – a slightly less expensive emergency water filter option is also available to purchase with the Katadyn Gravidyn Drip Water Filter System.

I just wanted to share some news on the Instapure F5 Faucet Filter, which was just named a Consumers Digest Best Buy. Since this title is awarded to less than three percent of competing models in each category, it’s worth pointing out what makes this filter worthy of such a distinction.
Though the release doesn’t specify exactly why Consumers Digest named it a Best Buy, we think it probably has a lot to do with the fact that the Instapure F5 reduces far more contaminants than most faucet filters. Most such filters reduce only the taste and odor of Chlorine, but the Instapure F5 also reduces 99.99% of microbial cysts, as well as lead. Given this, it’s not surprising the filter was named a Best Buy, which Consumers Digest defines “as a product that offers the most value for a given amount of money.” Filters Fast sells the filter for only $17.
Scott Wright, Instapure’s chief executive officer, emphasized how just one faucet filter can reduce a person’s dependency on bottled water.
“Every 200-gallon filter we put in the hand of consumers has the potential to eliminate 1500 plastic bottles,” Wright said in a press release. “The Instapure filter is truly a green solution to help individuals reduce their carbon footprint.”
Click here to see the Instapure F5, as well as our entire line of Instapure products.