Sediment Filtration
Sediment Filtration
A sediment filter traps and removes suspended solids from your water supply. Sediment can get into your water supply from many sources, whether you are on a public water supply or have a private well. Rainwater can carry tiny grains of sand, clay, soil, etc. into your well groundwater supply while rust and other sediment from old pipes can also enter your water. This may leave your water discolored and unappealing, and even potentially harmful. A constant bombardment of sediment can also damage appliances, clog up valves and fixtures and reduce the life of hot water heaters. It can also prevent filtration systems like water softeners, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet purification, and other systems from operating effectively. Sediment filters keep your water clear and are an important component of the entire water filtration process.
Sediment filters are used in many applications. Restaurants, cafés and other food service providers use sediment prefilters to improve the quality of their food and beverages. Whole house filtration systems start with sediment filtration to eliminate particulate matter from entering your faucets and showers and to protect the efficiency of other installed filtration equipment behind them.
How do sediment filters work?
Some sediment filters use expansive surface areas to catch large amounts of debris, an example being an outside water irrigation system. There are also graded density filters to filter out suspended particles. These force water through walls of filter media that become increasingly tight as the water nears the core, filtering out smaller and smaller particulate matter along the way. These filters have different micron ratings to match the water supply. This design can also increase the life of the filter’s effectiveness. Your water treatment professional will know which makes the most sense for you.
What doesn’t a sediment filter remove?
Sediment filters do not remove dissolved solids, bacteria, chemicals, or heavy metals. While they do improve the overall quality of the water, they do not improve the taste or smell of water. Sediment filters do, however, have a very important function in the water filtration process as described above.
Sediment filters can also perform with much higher capacities. Large homes with many bathrooms and higher sediment loads and other facilities with higher water usage demand would be situations where a large capacity filter, similar to the photo seen at right, may make sense. This eliminates the need for frequent cartridge change-outs.
Point of Entry Large
Capacity Sediment Filter