: : MEDIA / PRESS RELEASES / MAINTENANCE OF HOUSEHOLD WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM : :

The Star/ Thursday 28 August 2003

Are you looking for a maintenance free water filter? Have you ever been promised a maintenance free or low maintenance water filtration device by a sales person? Be ready to experience a few not so pleasant surprises after you have purchased one of these systems.

With the plethora of different water filtration devices employing various technologies available in the market, consumers are spoiled with choices when looking for a suitable water filter for their homes and businesses. In the past, many articles had been written and published offering tips and points to consider when selecting water filters. However, a very important factor has been frequently overlooked - maintenance & servicing of the water filtration device. In this article, BACFREE will provide recommendations for the maintenance and servicing of water filtration devices & technologies that are popular in the Malaysian market, based on our in depth understanding of the water filtration technologies and over 20 years of experience in bringing quality water filtration systems to the Malaysian consumers.

The maintenance and servicing required are dependent on the type of water filtration system as follows :

Cartridge/Element Filtration System
Cartridge Filters are perhaps the most widely used devices for improving drinking water quality. Their popularity is a result of their simplicity, effectiveness and the ease of maintaining these devices. A ceramic based water filter element of high quality (having a uniform pore size of less than 0.5 micron) with built in activated carbon and heavy-metal reducing resin can pretty much remove all common contaminants and pollutants from the source water.

There are generally 2 categories of filter cartridges - washable and non-washable cartridges. Ceramic based water filter element is an example of washable filter cartridge, while fabric or paper pleated cartridges are examples of non-washable cartridges.

There is a limited life to non-washable filter cartridges, and for best performance, these cartridges should be replaced as often as every 2 months depending on the incoming water condition. After a cartridge has reached the limit of its recommended life-span, the effectiveness of filtration will markedly reduced. Moreover, a cartridge fully loaded with dirt and sediment will impede the normal flow of water.

The washable ceramic based water filters generally last 5 to 6 times longer than the non-washable counterpart. The cartridges should be removed from the casing of the filter to be washed under flowing tap water and scrubbed firmly with a special sponge. This process should be repeated once a week on average but may differ based on water consumption and quality of incoming water. The advantage of a washable cartridge lies not only with its longer lifespan but its effectiveness can be maintained and renewed after each washing cycle.

BACFREE recommends changing of its ceramic based filter cartridges after the filtration of 5000 litres of water which is roughly equivalent to 8 to 12 month duration.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) System
Operating home R.O. systems at their best level calls for careful pretreatment and the need to have a safe, potable water source. Much of the difficulty in getting good performance from an R.O. systems is attributed to inadequate pretreatment. To prolong the lifespan of an R.O. system the source water needs to be disinfected (removing or killing of all micro-organisms), pre-filtered (removal of coarse sediments and suspended solids), softened (removal of excess calcium/magnesium salts) and treated (to remove excess iron, manganese and oxidative agent etc. chlorine).

R.O system should not be use alone to achieve disinfection of water supply. In prolonged continuous use, this method is subject to the real risk of bacterial growth on and through the membrane element, thereby rendering this disinfection process much less reliable in the longer term.

Because of the more sensitive nature of the R.O. process, consumers should insist that suppliers offer frequent after-sale testing and servicing program that include scheduled change of the pre-filter element, replacement of the R.O. membrane based on rejection ability; annual change of carbon post filter; and sanitizing the entire system including the storage tank.

BACFREE generally do not recommend R.O. system for home users due to the need for frequent servicing and the complicity of the maintenance processes. All BACFREE's industrial R.O. systems come with a comprehensive service and maintenance program.

Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection system
UV systems works by producing an electromagnetic wave similar to sunlight that kills bacteria exposed to it. The germicidal effect of UV system results from the intensity of the UV lamp combined with the duration of exposure. However pretreatment of source water is needed to reduce turbidity and iron compound that commonly exist in the water that may reduce the effectiveness of the UV system.

To obtain good operating performance of the UV device, the water should be pre-filtered as mentioned above, the UV light bulb as well as the quartz or plastic jacket (sleeve) should be removed at least 4 times per year for cleaning. The UV light bulbs should be replaced at least annually, as most are rated for not more than 9000 hours of operation (365 days equal 8760 hours).

BACFREE offers UV system that comes equipped with digital UV intensity meter making it easier for consumer to monitor the effectiveness of the UV system as well as deciding when maintenance is needed. Reminder notices will also be sent to remind our customers when it is time to change the UV light bulb.

Distillation Devices
Water distillers produce essentially mineral free water by heating water in a chamber until it boils and produces water vapor that is channeled to a condensing chamber where the distilled water is formed.

The needed maintenance step for home distillers is periodic cleanout of the concentrated salt from the evaporation chamber. Scheduled servicing of the heating coil and the condensing system will also help in prolonging the lifespan of the system.

Since 1982, BACFREE has strived to provide water filtration system of the highest quality to the Malaysian consumers. At BACFREE, we believe in providing adequate after sales services and technical support to all our customers as each water filtration system requires maintenance to ensure optimal performance of the system.