When you install a new water treatment system in your home, you may actually be installing more filters than you think. That’s because some of the best water filtration systems on the market, including many of the products made by Hague, come with pre-filters that do some filtering of your home’s water before it reaches the primary filtration media. Today we’re going to talk about why pre-filters are used in some systems, the types of filtration methods that are useful for pre-filtration and examples of how pre-filters are used in various water filtration systems!
What is the purpose of pre-filters?
There are two primary reasons to use pre-filters. The first, and typically most important, is that pre-filters protect the primary filtration media from damage and degradation. Some types of filtration media are susceptible to damage from certain types of contaminants such as chlorine or bacteria. A pre-filter can be installed that is designed to remove those damaging contaminants so that they cannot affect the primary filtration media. In other situations, the pre-filter is used simply to remove some of the larger and easier-to-catch contaminants so that they don’t clog up the primary filter, which extends the primary filter media’s life.
The second reason pre-filters are used is to remove contaminants that the primary filter is unable to catch. This allows the water system as a whole to remove a wider range of contaminants and produce better quality water than you would get by using the primary filter on its own.
What types of filtration methods do pre-filters use?
There are many different filtration methods that are used by pre-filters in water systems. Three of the most common include:
- Sediment filter. A sediment filter is used to remove suspended (non-dissolved) particles from water. This gets the big stuff out of the water so that the next filter(s) can take care of the smaller particles. Removing sediment can also protect other filters from clogging.
- Carbon filter. A carbon filter can be used as a standalone filter, but it is also often used as a pre-filter. Carbon filters are excellent at removing chlorine from water, which is why they are often used to protect water systems that can suffer from chlorine damage. In addition, carbon media is used in pre-filters to remove large dissolved particles before the primary media takes care of the much smaller dissolved particles.
- Ultraviolet light filter. Ultraviolet filtration is one of the most effective methods for removing bacteria from water. As a result, UV water purifiers are often used to protect primary filters from bacterial growth.
What are some common water systems with pre-filters?
- Water softeners. Chlorine can be very damaging to the resin beds inside of water softeners, which is why many water softeners will use a carbon pre-filter to remove chlorine before the water is softened. Some water softeners, such as the Hague WaterMax, include a sediment pre-filter to protect the system from large suspended particles.
- Reverse osmosis systems. Reverse osmosis (RO) can remove almost every type of contaminant that you can find in water, so why would it need a pre-filter? A pre-filter like a carbon filter can remove the larger suspended and dissolved particles from water before the water reaches the RO membrane, which extends the life of the media. By letting the RO membrane only worry about the smallest contaminants, the media will last much longer because its pores won’t clog as quickly. Many reverse osmosis systems also have a UV lamp pre-filter to take care of bacteria before it reaches the RO membrane.
If you have any questions about water systems with pre-filters, or if you’d like a water system serviced or installed in your home, contact North Carolina Water Consultants, your water softener and water filtration system dealer in North and South Carolina. We provide service all over the Carolinas, including towns like Matthews, Kannapolis and Cornelius, NC.
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