A charcoal filter is a common part of most gravity fed and many force-fed water filters. Charcoal is the product of the destructive distillation of wood. This process yields wood alcohol, acetic acid, several burnable gases, and a few other products. The solid residue that results from this process is what we know as charcoal.

Charcoal is an odorless and tasteless solid, porous, black, and brittle. Charcoal is normally too dense to float in water, yet sometimes it does. How can this be? It is because charcoal has the remarkable ability to adsorb solids and gases. Charcoal does this so well that it can adsorb enough gases to make it float.

The filters usually use activated charcoal, coal, or carbon. This means the charcoal has been processed to make it extra porous. The result is that just one gram of activated carbon has a surface area of between 500 m and 1500 m! When you consider that it takes 454 grams to make one pound and that a tennis court has 260 m, you can see it is very porous! The fact is, the greater the surface area, the more likely it is that impurities will touch the charcoal as they pass by.

Charcoal is used in filters because of its ability to adsorb. This is not absorption but adsorption. “Adsorption is the concentration of a gas, liquid, or solid on the surface of a liquid or solid with which it is in contact.” One cubic centimeter of charcoal has the ability to adsorb 90 cc of ammonia gas. Charcoal adsorbs other substances even better.

Pollutants that are dissolved in the water as it passes through the filter come in contact with the activated charcoal. These substances are actually attracted to the charcoal by van der Waals forces. Wiki explains these forces this way. “In physical chemistry, the van der Waals force is the attractive or repulsive forces between molecules (or between parts of the same molecule) other than those due to covalent bonds or to the electrostatic interaction of ions with one another or with neutral molecules.”

Though this is very technical, it can be summarized by saying molecular forces bind some compounds to the charcoal. Activated carbon does not bind all chemicals equally well. It does not do as well with ammonia, alcohols, strong acids and bases, glycols, metals and most inorganics, such as fluorine, lithium, iron, sodium, lead, arsenic, and boric acid.

This is good in some ways. The minerals in water are needed in the body; drinking distilled water all the time would deplete the body of needed substances. So it is good that they are not filtered out. Also, some do not want fluorine removed from the water because of claims that it aids in dental health. However, others of these chemicals are unwanted and the filters must have other substances in them to remove these.

n conclusion, water and contaminants pass through the activated charcoal filter and, because of the filter?s porosity, the substances will likely come in contact with the carbon. The van der Waals forces will cause the substances to be attracted to the charcoal where they will remain until the filter is washed or replaced. For the contaminant, it is dead end road. For the person drinking the water, it is refreshing and healthy.

For more information please vist http://www.thebestwaterfilterstore.com

Technorati Tags: drinking water, filtration, multi-pure

The earth contains plenty of water for us all. It contains 326 million trillion gallons of water, meaning we could each have our own 56 billion gallons. The average person in the world has a daily requirement of water for sanitation, bathing, and cooking needs of about 13.2 gallons. Thus we have enough water down here to last each of us over 11 million years (not counting population growth)! And that doesn’t take into consideration its wonderful ability to be recycled.

Of course, this is a little misleading for not all (or even most) of this water on earth is in a useable form. 98% of the water on the planet is ocean salt water. Of the 2% of the planet’s fresh water, 1.6% is locked up in the polar ice caps and glaciers. Another 0.36% is locked underground in aquifers and wells. A mere trifle, just .036% of the planet’s total water supply, is found in fresh water lakes and rivers. This is still 392 million gallons each, but that isn’t much compared with the 56 billion gallons we could have. The sobering fact is that only about 0.007% of all water on earth (and less than 1% of the world’s fresh water) is accessible for direct human use.

To exacerbate the problem, this fresh water is not evenly available to the population. The average American uses more water taking a five-minute shower than the typical person living in a slum in a developing country uses in a whole day. Nearly one billion people lack access to safe water. Those 884 million amount to approximately one in eight people. Also 2.5 billion do not have improved sanitation, meaning they do not have a means to separate drinking water from waste water.

Major health issues throughout the world result from a lack of sanitary drinking water. As many as half of all people in hospital beds at any given time are there because of a water related disease. As a result, a child dies from a water-related disease every 15-20 seconds in the world, usually from diarrhea. That totals a staggering 1.4 million children each year. Children of the poor often carry 1,000 parasitic worms in their bodies continually. Think of it: 88% of the cases of diarrhea worldwide are caused by unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, or insufficient hygiene.

Polluted water brings death, but also an increase in disease, crime, birth defects, and decreased ability to concentrate in school. In other words, it results in major economic decline. An investment in pure water for a people, or in desalination of the sea, is an investment with big returns. On average, every US dollar invested in water and sanitation for a third world people provides an economic return for them of eight US dollars.

Some want the western civilization to feel guilty for taking a shower or watering their lawns. This is faulty thinking. Lowering our living standard in use of water only borrows their problems. America has sufficient good, clean water because we have learned how to preserve it and where to get it. Our response to criticism should not be guilt but better stewardship and an increased willingness to share our knowledge with others. When our water systems are conserved and maintained, America will continue to set a high standard for others to follow.

By: ThelmaMTA02

It has also been reported that more than 41 million Americans in 24 major cities have been drinking water laced with a cocktail of prescription drugs. Officials in Philadelphia alone discovered 56 pharmaceuticals or drug byproducts in their treated drinking water, including medications for pain, infection, high cholesterol, epilepsy, asthma, heart problems and mental illness.

Tainted water has become a silent epidemic, with entire populations, perhaps millions of Americans, drinking their way into long-term negative health effects as a result. World wide, 3.575 million people die each year from water-related diseases, according to Water.org. A landlord who rents out an apartment that contains lead paint can go to jail, yet nothing is being done by our public officials about lead, drugs and other toxins in our drinking water, which affect us all.

Can and should we really depend on the current government to provide us with one of our most basic necessities – pure water? — Only if you want to be at the mercy of a system which has repeatedly failed the people in favor of catering to large corporate and financial interests.

Where anarchists may rebel by conspiring to blow up a building or power plant to make a point, the most effective way for an individual to take a stand against a corrupt or inefficient system is through self-reliance. Unplug, and provide for yourself. One household, one neighborhood, one community at a time.

If enough individuals unplug, the system must change, or risk being made redundant. Unplugging requires accepting personal responsibility for providing you and your family with one of life’s most basic requirements – water.

“How do I secure my personal water supply”, you may ask?

The premier product on the market today for guaranteeing an independent water supply is the atmospheric water generator. This new technology condenses the humidity in the air into pure drinking water. No water source is needed. Just plug the water condenser in and it produces up to seven gallons of pure, clean drinking water every day – from the air. The water machine shuts off automatically when the reservoir is full so it is constantly replenishing itself.

Alternatively, a low cost and simple clean water solution is a counter top or under counter water purifier, which will filter tap water, well water or any other water source, to remove 99.99% of contaminates. There are easy how-to guides on making your own inexpensive water filter system at home.
The next step up would be a whole house system that can be attached to the incoming water pipe from the source so the entire household water supply is purified. You will really appreciate this system when you shower.

An additional bonus would be alkaline or ionized water and structured water options, which could be attached to pipes, be under the counter or counter top units. There are reports of some amazing health benefits associated with ionized and structured water consumption.

Other than municipal water supplies, well water is a good reliable water source, depending on the location and circumstances, although it should still be filtered.

Any house with a roof can be set up for rain water harvesting with a good catch and cistern storage system. Rain catch will provide a reoccurring water supply, depending on the weather. Make sure to filter stored water as well.

They best choice would be a home running on a solar electric power system, along with an atmospheric water generator. This would provide a constant source of energy and a reliable supply of water regardless of what happens on the grid.

This water and power combo is ideal for the most secure form of urban survival preparedness one may desire. With a supply of stored food and seeds to grow a backyard garden for the coming season, the basic necessities of life can be provided for – without government involvement or control – for an indefinite period of time.

By: ucan2win

Water is the most important thing that we can drink. So why we would risk drinking the stuff that comes out of our tap?

Some homes that use wells to get their water are sure to have something that is clean and tastes great. But those of us who have to rely on city water should be careful because it is known to contain bacteria that may be harmful to your health.

One of the only ways that you can be assured to have clean drinking water that you can enjoy is to have some that has been filtered or purified. There are water filters and manufacturers that will clean the bacteria and chemicals from the water to make it healthy and tasting great for the conssmer.

You can purchase the purified water at any grocery store for a small price in bottles that you can take with you to the gym, work, or home. However, the best thing you can do is to purchase a water filter system that you use in your home.

Some units are countertops while others can be mounted under the counter . The filters will remove the harmful bacteria your water supply for drinking , cooking or cleaning .When you were to compare the differences you will taste a huge difference.

There are many health advantages to filtered water and why you and your family should be drinking it. By improving the taste of it you will want to drink more of it. Did you know that water helps to flush out fat, bacteria, and oil from your body and skin.

This in turn will give you a healthy glow and make you feel twice as better then if you were to drink soda.

Technorati Tags: drinking water, multi-pure, water bottles, water filters

You would think there’s not a decent source of water for thousands of miles, considering the billions of dollars we spend on bottled drinking water. Containers with a brand name attached give us the impression that somehow we are guaranteeing our safety or quality. Not only is this an expensive misconception, needlessly wasting our money and energy, we desecrate our planet and our environment.

Every year, Americans alone consume and dispose of 60,000,000 bottles daily. While the recycling emphasis is “fashionable”, only one out of 10 bottles actually gets recycled. The rest pile up in our landfills, potentially sitting there for the next millennium. Sadly, many not properly disposed of end up in the habitats of other life, detrimental to its existence.

In reality, each plastic drinking water container requires 3-5 times the water to produce than it can actually hold. Generally speaking, plastic bottles are petroleum based and require as much as 2,000 times more energy than that from the tap to produce. It is little wonder that we often pay several times that of a gallon of gas for just such convenience; in essence, we are squandering even more of our oil producing these bottles.

There are less wasteful and even convenient alternatives. Many are drinking in style with aluminum, glass, or stylish mugs, filled straight from the tap. If taste is an issue, consider a filter for your faucet or your home. There are some companies now offering the best of both options, drinking water containers that have small dispensable filters fixed at their tops.

Now that you know this, find yourself a drinking water container that can be used over and over again. Not only will you be saving money, but will be saving your planet and environment. What you drink from can be yet another way in which you personalize and express yourself; keeping the Earth in mind does so in more ways than one!

Technorati Tags: drinking water, multi-pure, water bottles, water filters

Cashing In On Fear
It seems that many Americans as well as those in other countries are worried about the quality and safety of their drinking water supplies. If this were not the case the bottled water sellers would not be cashing in to the tune of 22 billion dollars per year! The sellers of bottled water say that tap water is polluted with things such as bacterial cysts, prescription drugs, and hazardous chemicals, etc.

What’s The Truth
To their credit, the bottled water people are correct for the most part. Tests of drinking water supplies across the USA have shown as many as 2,100 different toxic substances in tap water. Although these were trace amounts, there have been many cases of severe illnesses and even deaths linked to tainted tap water. So, there is some cause for concern with tap water safety.

The Truth About Bottled WaterRecently PepsiCo the makers of the wildly popular bottled water Aquafina admitted that the source of their water comes from city water sources! They plan to re label their product in the near future with some other form of advertising to make it sound appealing.

Unlike city or municipal water supplies bottled water has very few regulations. Bottled water companies can literally fill a plastic bottle with tap water and sell it. Guess what, some companies actually do just that. Most bottled water companies simply filter out the chlorine in the water they use to make it taste better. Many tests have shown the same pollutants exist in bottled water as in tap water.

Do Your Own Taste Test
Try this taste test on your family or friends. Get some empty water bottles and fill them with tap water. Place them in your refrigerator overnight and conduct a taste test VS bottled water. You will be surprised at the results.

Pollution
We are literally filling up our landfills with plastic bottles to the tune of 1.5 million tons per year, that’s about 38 billion plastic water bottles. Even with recycling, there is a tremendous amount of toxic material released into our air. You also need to consider the tremendous amount of energy (oil) that is used in making the bottles. Tap water can not be accused of this problem.

The Solution
Now that you have been shown what is the difference between bottled water and tap water, we need a solution. The best solution according to experts is to use a quality water filter and make your own bottled water using re usable glass bottles. Some companies that sell quality water filters also sell glass bottles to make your own bottled water.

A few companies give you a supply of glass bottles with a water filter purchase. Doing it that way you can make your own bottled water for around 10 cents per gallon. Compare that to bottled water at a store where you can pay as much as what a gallon of gas would cost. The cost difference would easily pay for a quality water filter.

Next time you think about buying that case of bottled water, remember what is the difference between bottled water and tap water.

Technorati Tags: bottled water, drinking water, tap water, water filters

Filtration is the first step to restoring water to a point where it can be healthy for us. One of the simplest and most effective types of drinking water filters is carbon water. These are simple systems when it comes to installation, and they are also relatively cost effective while still covering all of the basics of filtration. They make use of a charcoal medium that is initially derived from the husks of coconuts, which is capable of absorbing impurities when the water passes through. 95 percent of all drinking water filters make use of this carbon filter material on a domestic basis. Average charcoal drinking water filters can last for as long as six to nine months.

Distillers are capable creating incredibly pure water by removing everything, even the natural minerals. Unfortunately, because the dissolved minerals in the water are more natural than water in its purest since, distillers are not the most ideal drinking water filters on the market.

Ceramic filters are cartridges that fit into normal bench top filters, using Diatomaceous Earth. Some ceramic filters also incorporate nano-silver which is impregnated into a ceramic outer shell, trapping bacteria as small as .22 of a micron, which is 1 in 100,000th of an inch. While ceramic drinking water filters offer an excellent capability in terms of purifying the water, their flow rate is generally relatively slow.

Reverse osmosis filters were originally developed for use in submarines, and the process involves drawing the water through a membrane that is extremely fine. This membrane acts like an extremely fine level filter in order to take contaminated water and turn it into drinkable water, and it was ideal for converting salt water into fresh. Reverse osmosis drinking water filters are generally relatively slow, but they work well for what they are. The downside here is that the minerals are also removed from the water, and drinking water without these necessarily minerals can create health problems.

Ultraviolet radiation systems use high frequency light through a glass element in order to irradiate water. When water passes through the glass element, the light kills any living organisms into the water that is exposed to it. These are common systems in third world hotels and homes because there is a higher potential risk of serious disease from the local water, and they are less common in countries like the United States.

There are a wide variety of different drinking water filter systems out there including small household systems and larger industrial style systems. Most of the small home filter systems are carbon based and have filters with small capacities. There is a lot of information out there regarding drinking water filters, so doing your research will help you get the best results.

Technorati Tags: charcoal filters, drinking water, multi-pure, multpure, water filters

What are the health benefits of undersink water filters?

Perhaps you are not aware that the water supplied to your taps may contain a number of harmful contaminants that could pose some serious threats to your health. Even if you do not use tap water for direct drinking process, it is invariably used for household uses like making meals, washing and cleaning. Surely, you cannot afford bottled water everyday for all these purposes. Hence, it is wiser to look for undersink water filters that make a one-time investment for providing cleaner and purer water.

How do undersink water filters function?

Undersink water filters treat drinking water directly in the supply line before it reaches the tap. These work towards removing sediments and other pollutants, making the water better flavored. Now days, you could get many undersink water filters that can be easily installed without taking the help of a plumbing professional. The most common undersink water filters are screwed to the valve below the sink where the water passes before getting to the tap.

These filters contain cartridges that extract bacteria, viruses and other particulates. You must change this cartridge from time to time to avoid its clogging. For best effect, you should get a separate tap installed at the sink just for drinking purposes. Undersink water filters are the best option for older households where there is problem of sediment and lead in the pipes that may cause health problems and foul taste. Instead of changing the whole plumbing, you could simply get a filter installed.

What should you look for while buying undersink water filters?

If you do not want to waste your hard-earned money on low quality and inefficient undersink water filters, you must check out a few things before you buy one.

You must particularly enquire whether the filter you are opting for removes impurities like chlorine, lead, cysts, THMs, VOCs, lindane, alachlor, atrizine, benzene and MTBE.

The good undersink water filters do not drain the natural minerals dissolved in the supply water since these provide distinct health benefits.

Get a high quality brand undersink water filter so you know you will have contaminant free water. Like Crystal Quest or Aquasana water filters

Technorati Tags: counter, drinking water, multi-pure, multipure, under the sink, water, water filters

A lack of water is not only very harmful to your health but it can also slow down your metabolism. Water is a key ingredient for life and it carries oxygen another vital ingredient for life, into the blood stream. This carries oxygen into the muscles which re energises them and is vital if you are an athlete or have a physically demanding lifestyle.

If you become dehydrated your body will feel sluggish and tired, but also you will start to store water in anticipation of a drought. This water retention will add pounds to your weight, but once you start to drink sufficient water any build up of toxins and excess water will be flushed away.

If you aren’t used to drinking water it may be hard to drink, especially if you don’t feel thirsty. However why not try adding a slice of lemon to turn it into a refreshing drink. You could always try sparkling water for a change and add a few ice cubes.

Lemon is a negative calorie food, which means that it contains so few calories that it needs to use stored calories to digest it. A slice of lemon in a glass of warm water first thing in the morning will give your metabolism a slight boost for the day.

You can be dehydrated and not realise it as you may not always feel thirsty. If your urine is dark this is a sure sign that you need to rehydrate your body immediately.

The kidneys flush out toxins and process water, however if you become badly dehydrated for long periods of time the kidneys become strained and the liver starts to take over this job. One of the main functions of this organ is to convert fat into energy. If the liver is busy processing water it can’t carry out it’s other functions properly, and as a result your body will start to store fat.

Always try and have drinking water nearby, even if you are away from home. You could take a bottle of water with you when you go on a long car journey. Taking frequent sips will keep you hydrated and stop you feeling sluggish. It will also help your concentration which is vital when driving.

Lack of water can not only slow down your metabolism but also affect your memory, concentration, cause dizziness and make you feel tired and lethargic.

Technorati Tags: dehydration, drinking water, filters, metabolism, water

With the increased awareness, most of us today understand the need and importance of drinking pure and clean water. The fact that the quality of the water supplied to our homes is not suitable for consumption is not a news anymore. The water coming out from our taps is heavily contaminated with bacteria, viruses, chlorine, lead, pesticides, cysts, metal traces etc. Consuming such water is not healthy. There are no two ways about it.

The only way to ensure drinking clean water is to make sure it passes through a pure water filter.

The market today is full of water filter companies but not all of them are good and effective enough. In fact there have been recent cases where one brand of water filters were found to be adding some chemical to make the water taste good. The added adulterant turned out to be harmful and caused health issues to the consumers. Eventually the brand was completely pulled out from the market.

It is not difficult to find out the correct filter provided you are ready to do some research on the available pure water filters. Here is a quick fact sheet for you:

http://www.thebestwaterfilterstore.com/comparisonchart.htm

- Some water filter brands do nothing more than removing chlorine from the water.
Chlorine is the most common contaminant which is mostly added by the water companies to keep bacterial growth in control. Not only does it have a bad odor, it also reacts with the organic contaminants present in water to generate hazardous by-products which are very harmful for our health.

A few water filter brands use a simple carbon filter to remove chlorine from the water. The bad odor as well as chlorine is removed but what about the other organic and chemical contaminants? The water is still contaminated and impure.

- Some water filter brands are simply ineffective for a notorious contaminant i.e. lead.
Lead is a toxic material which is very harmful for us. High levels of lead contamination can result in convulsions, major neurological damage, organ failure, coma, and ultimately death.

There are some water filters which are extremely efficient in removing contaminants from water. But the common contaminant that they usually fail to handle is lead. The water generated by these filters is again not pure.

- Some water filter brands remove essential minerals from the water.
The natural water contains some essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, sodium, iodine etc. These minerals are good for our health.

The water filters which are based on the principle of reverse osmosis actually de-mineralize the water i.e. strip away essential minerals from it. The water in this form, though free from contaminants, is not pure. It has been tampered with. Add or remove, if you are tampering with the water, it does not qualify to be called pure.

Multi stage pure water filters provide a good and effective solution to this problem. They are based on a combination of carbon filtration, ion exchange and sub micron filtration techniques. This makes them capable of removing all organic and chemical contaminants including chlorine and lead. They also retain the essential minerals in water.

Technorati Tags: arsenic V, chlorine, contamination, drinking water, lead, water filters