Clean water is the key to health, activity, proper water exchange, and good mood. But buying a filter solves only half the problem. You also need to change the cartridges on time. Because a filter that is clogged is not able to cope with the tasks assigned to it in full. And this makes tap water unsafe to drink.
Period of replacement of cartridges in filters of different types:
- Filter jug. It needs to be changed every two months. But these terms are rather vague and depend on the quality of the source water, and the number of people in the family.
- Triple filter. Once every six months will be enough to change the cartridge.
- In reverse osmosis systems, the filter replacement periods vary and depend on the type. For prefilters, it will be enough to replace it once a season. For mineralizers and post-filters – once every six months. For reverse osmosis membranes – once a year with the help of any affordable RO repair service.
So why change filter cartridges at all? To answer this question, you need to understand how they work.
How filters work
Polypropylene in mechanical cartridges ceases to be effective over time, as it becomes clogged with sand and clay particles and other debris. In addition, polypropylene begins to become overgrown with biological compounds.
Over time, ion exchange resins begin to let ions through themselves. Simply put, if the cartridge replacement periods in such filters are not observed, the drinking water will be hard.
The activated carbon in the filter can also become clogged. And if it is not replaced promptly, these contaminants will start to get into your water.
Mineralizers in filters also tend to wash out, in which case they enter the water in insufficient quantities.
What happens if you don’t change the cartridge in time?
- In a filter jug. The kettle will develop scale as the water will become hard. In addition, the liquid will acquire a greenish color and a bad smell, the taste will also deteriorate and acquire a metallic tint.
- In a triple filter. Organic compounds will appear in the water, which will spoil both its taste and smell. The liquid will be saturated with metals and will become hard, and microbiological contamination will appear in the filter, which will lead to an increase in the number of bacteria and viruses.
- In the reverse osmosis system. If you do not replace the cartridge in time, then over time the water consumption will increase several times, which will require large financial impacts. Also, the pressure in the tap will decrease, which, ultimately, will simply stop the water supply.
Methods of water purification
Home filters use coarse and fine cleaning systems in their work. For the first method of cleaning, fine-mesh polymer or metal nets are used, which remove clay, sand grains, and rust particles from the liquid. Fine cleaning involves the use of the following technologies:
– Sorption – cleans using a sorbent (usually activated carbon), which prevents oil products, chlorides, and organic compounds from entering the running water.
– Reverse osmosis – filters using a special membrane that does not allow any of the known contaminants to pass through.
– Ion exchange – cleans using ion-exchange resin, which helps replace harmful calcium and magnesium ions with safe sodium atoms.
– Ultraviolet – destroys most viruses and bacteria. This technology is already used to prepare water for the central pipeline, so in everyday life it is usually required to filter liquid from wells and boreholes.
Conclusions
A late replacement of the filter cartridge of any type will lead to one thing: a decrease in water quality, which will reduce the benefit of the system to zero. In addition, many systems will break down faster, which will steal money from your budget in the future to buy a new water purifier from any RO service near me. Therefore, the habit of changing the filter cartridge on time should become a habit for you, like brushing your teeth. This is necessary for consuming safe, tasty, and clean water. Such a simple action will keep the filtration system effective and will not hinder its smooth operation.
