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The Star/ Wednesday 28 July 2004

Shopping For a Water Filter!?
Shopping for and choosing a water filters these days are no easy tasks. Every brand of filters claims to have the best solution, and every sales outlet or salesman will dig deep into their repertoire of sales strategies to highlight the benefits and advantages of their product to you. So with the myriad range of water filtration devices available and sometimes confusing if not conflicting information given by the salesmen, how does one make a rational choice when buying a water filter?

BACFREE recommends that consumers address the following questions before deciding on the final choice:

1. What is the problem with our water?
   This depends primarily on the water source. JBA water comes from various sources including surface water collected in water dams, as well as underground aquifers. The water quality from each source is different due to the characteristics of soil, ground minerals, vegetations, as well as sources of contamination such as industrial discharge, farm wastes, pesticides etc. Even excessive water disinfectant such as chlorine and its degradation by-products (Trihalomethane, Chloramine etc) are potentially harmful in excessive quantity. Different impurities and contaminants will require a different technology to address the problem. The uniqueness in local water quality also means that there is no standard water filtration device that can adequately address all the problems in the water. A thorough knowledge of your water problem is essential in choosing the right water filter.

2. What is the intended purpose of the filter that you are buying?
   Point-of Entry filters improve the water quality for general usage (cleaning, bathing, laundry etc) & mainly address the following problems:
   
   Turbidity - Suspended Solids, sediments, silt etc
   Colour - tannin, lignin, industrial dyes etc
   Smell, taste and odour
   Chlorine
   Organic or inorganic chemical and matters
   
   Point-of Use filters improve the water quality for human consumption & cooking purpose & mainly address the following problems:
   
   Turbidity - Suspended Solids, sediments, silt etc
   Colour - tannin, lignin, industrial dyes etc
   Smell, taste and odour
   Chlorine & Its Degradation Products
   Microbiological Contamination- i.e. bacteria, viruses etc
   Organic or inorganic chemical and matters
   Heavy Metal

3. Is the filtration system based on sound technology? Is there any way of measuring the performance of the filter objectively?
   Each filtration technology is developed to handle only a selected range of impurities and contaminants in the water. Most technologies have their pros. and cons. It is also important to note that the quality of filters produce by different manufacturers can vary widely, depending on the material, quality control and manufacturing practices. The details of each technology warrant a discussion on its own and will not be address in this article.
   
   The quality of filtered water irrespective of the filtration technology must be measurable in an objective way to demonstrate a marked improvement in the parameters that the filtration system claims to improve.
   
   The following is a list of common water parameters targeted by a domestic filter system:

4. What are the maintenances required and the cost involved?
   All filtration system requires maintenance. As a rule-of-thumb, the more advance the technology a filtration system employs, the more maintenance is required to keep the system working properly. Some filtration systems for example multimedia gravity filter (rocket filter, sand filter) are back-wash-able but the effectiveness of the back-wash and the quality of the filtration medium/media being used will determine the life-span and effectiveness of the filter. Some cartridge filters (ceramic filters) are washable, but most are not; all cartridges have to be change at one point or another. For R.O systems, the RO membrane has to be serviced regularly to prevent bacteria growing on the membrane.
   
   What is the recurring cost of the system and its consumables? What is the price of the parts that may need to be change? Some system cost less on purchase but requires frequent maintenance, so knowing what is the long term recurring cost is just as important as knowing the sale price of the system.

5. Is after-sales services provided? What are the charges?
   A filtration system is only as good as the quality of the after-sales services that a company or a brand can provide. As mentioned in the previous section, all filtration system requires maintenance and servicing; without good after-sales services, the life-span and effectiveness of a filtration system is greatly limited. Changing a poorly serviced filter or being highly charged for an existing unit will greatly increase your long-term cost.
   
   Another important point to consider is the quality of the after-sales services. Can the company/brand solve all potential problems that may arise? Some company can solve your leaking problem; some can solve your piping problems, but make sure they can solve your water quality problem if the system fails. Some brand of water filters conduct their sales through agents or distributors, make sure you know who will service your filter when problem arise, who will bear the cost and availability of replacement parts.

6. What are the warranties provided?
   Warranty is given by company to assure their customers of the quality of the company's products, it can also be used as a marketing gimmick to fool those who are unwary. Find out if the warranty given is logical/responsible, for example if a water filter company provides a lifetime warranty for their product, this company must have existed for at least a century with an in-depth knowledge of the system for them to know that the system will not fail or else the warranty is irresponsible and illogical.
   
   Equally important is to find out if the warranty is comprehensive. Ask yourself what is the main purpose of buying a filter? Improving the water quality... I'm sure that's what most people will answer, but strangely not many water filter companies provides a water quality guarantee. Instead, most will focus on warranty for filter casing and piping. This is like buying a car with no warranty on performance but plenty of warranty on the body works. Also find out if there are charges involved for the service and repair work. Finally, find out what the company will do if the filter fails!

7. What is your budget?
   The price of a domestic filtration system ranges from under RM100 to more than RM10,000. Ask yourself if you are willing to pay more for quality or settle for something more affordable. Remember to cost in the long term recurring cost as well.
   
   BACFREE has been the pioneer and market leader in the Malaysian water filter industry and over the last 22 years, we have work hard to provide clean water and various other water quality solutions to over 100,000 households in Malaysia. We have always adhered to our corporate motto of "Superior Water Quality with Excellent Customer Services at Affordable Price."
   
   In response to popular demand, on 16 July 2004 BACFREE will launch its latest Point-Of-Entry water filters under the EC series. The EC15 has inherited most of the features of other BACFREE EC series water filter. As with other EC filters in the series, BACFREE has taken immense effort to ensure that our products adhere strictly to our quality control standards and superior water filtration performance that has always been a part of our proud tradition. The EC 15 comes with a unique size that is design to cater for most double storey landed property in Malaysia. Best of all it comes with a competitive and affordable pricing.