The use of sufficient amount of clean water is one of the main factors of conservation and maintaining health. Unfortunately, today water supply systems for a number of reasons can not always provide consumers the necessary water quality, in connection with which it is necessary to clean it before use. For this purpose, various, including technically complex treatment devices, but ceramic membrane filters are most convenient for everyday use.
Device and principle of operation of a ceramic filter for water
Ceramic water filter is metal-ceramic membranes collected in the block, which is mounted in the steel case. In such systems, a flow method is used: very small diameter microscopic membranes skip the water molecules and some salts, but detain pollutants, which, as a rule, are characterized by larger sizes. Often, a multistage filtering system is used in ceramic filters, where the membranes blocks are located in descending order of cell diameter: it allows you to get higher quality cleaning without reducing the service life of the filter.
What is a ceramic membrane?
The ceramic membrane is an ultra-thin porous structure that coats the membrane block channels through which water passes during filtration. Its thickness, as a rule, does not exceed 5 micrometers, and the diameter of the cells, depending on the filter stage, ranges from 0.1 to 0.05 micrometers, which allows to eliminate even the smallest pollutants.
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How and make a ceramic filter?
The main raw materials for the manufacture of ceramic membrane are metal powders and small ceramic crumb - aluminum oxides, zirconium or titanium, silicon carbide, which are sintered at high (up to 1800 ° C) temperatures. Such a technical process allows you to achieve the necessary small-pouring structure of the material and the safety of its further use.From which contaminants and bacteria cleans the water ceramic membrane?
The type of filtered contaminants and the degree of cleaning directly depends on which particular ceramic filter is used, however, the cleaning attitudes of this kind have proven itself as a means for removing water:
- mechanical pollution;
- heavy metals;
- malicious microorganisms (including salmonella, intestinal sticks, cholera, giardia, etc.);
- gland;
- organic compounds (including petroleum products);
- other contaminants with dimensions exceeding the diameter of the membrane.
Does the filter reduces the amount of fluorine?
Ceramic filters for water purification are usually not intended to be removed from this fluorine, however there are additional nozzles and components created specifically for such purposes.
Technical characteristics of filters
The main technical characteristics of flow membrane filters are:- Productivity is the minimum guaranteed amount of water that can process the filter during a certain period of time (measured in liters per hour);
- The membrane surface is the total area of the filter membrane, from which the device performance and service frequency directly depend on (measured in m2);
- Pore size - diameter of pore membranes. Than it is less, the more subtle cleaning produces a filter (measured in micrometers);
- Operating pressure - pressure range in which the durability of the filter and the quality of water purification are guaranteed.
Advantages and disadvantages of ceramic filters in comparison with other systems
Today there is a significant range of water filtration systems, however, a filter with a ceramic membrane has several advantages over each of them:
- Cartridge cleaning systems cope with their task no worse ceramic filters, but they need a regular replacement of expensive components;
- Ozone filters are designed exclusively for disinfection of water, that is, only microorganisms are removed from it. Ceramic filters, in contrast to ozone, allow water from a wide range of pollutants. In addition, indecomposited ozone is dangerous for the human body, so ozone filters require more careful maintenance and neat operation.
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What is the difference between a ceramic water filter and water filtration system in the inverse osmosis?
The reverse osmosis systems are perfectly coping with water filtering from all types of impurities, however, they remove not only harmful substances, but also largely desalted water. Ceramic filters, cleaning water, retain the necessary salts and minerals in it.
Filtration system in reverse osmosis
How to choose a ceramic filter for applying at home
Most convenient for maintenance at home the filtration system designed for installation under the sink. Such a layout of the device allows not only rationally positioned the device with respect to the main water supply, but also provide sufficient access for subsequent maintenance.
The main criteria for selecting filters are:
- The size of the installation and the membrane block is determined by the filter resource until the next maintenance, system performance and the possibility of its convenient installation;
- Compliance of the characteristics of the device with the properties of the filtered water - for rigid and soft water, as well as for water with specific pollutants, special filters can be used.
Types of household ceramic filters for water purification
Membrane ceramic filters can have a different form and diameter of membranes, and on this principle are divided into:
- Microfiltration filters - membrane size from 0.02 to 4 microns. Used in filtration plants for fine water purification.
- Ultrafiltration filters - membrane size 0.02 - 0.2 μm. For the purpose is identical to microfiltration.
- Nanofiltration filters - the size of the membrane 0.001 - 0.01 μm. Used to eliminate excess salts in water (softening).
What is the manufacturer of the filter to choose?
The modern market of ceramic filters is represented by foreign brands "Crystal Quest", "Katadyn", "Doulton", "Pentek" and domestic producers of "Ekoreos", "Geyser", "Akvafor", "Aquacon", "NTC-Water". It is recommended to choose from Russian filters - this will save without losses in quality. At the moment, in the market of household cleaning systems, the most affordable ceramic filter is represented by Ekoreos.
Also, the choice of domestic filtration systems will make components and service more accessible compared to foreign counterparts.
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Warranty service life and maintenance
Most of the manufacturers guarantee the ten-year service life of ceramic filters, subject to the rules of operation.Membrane filters are easy to maintain, and some of them are equipped with a function of self-regeneration - this allows planned work, without disassembling the device. If the device is not equipped with such a function, it is necessary to disassemble the filter to clean the ceramic blocks, disconnect the blocks and gently remove the pollution film with water and a soft sponge without using detergents. During work, it should be remembered that blocks of ceramic membranes are very fragile elements.
Prices for filters and components
Prices for budget household ceramic filters start on average from 15,000 rubles, and the cost of more advanced systems, depending on the configuration, can reach hundreds of thousand rubles.
Prices for components are also greatly vary depending on the manufacturer, but the maintenance of Russian-made filters is guaranteed to hit the pocket much weaker than the same actions with foreign analogues.
How to replace a ceramic cartridge?
One of the main features of ceramic filters is the lack of need to change cartridges, whose role is performed by membrane blocks. Replacing such blocks, as a rule, is not provided.
How to ensure the use of the use filter, and not harm to health
Ceramic filters are absolutely safe, however, to provide stated technical indicators, it is necessary to maintain devices and compliance with the rules of their use.
