Carbon water filters need constant replacing

[puuchaibaa]

Happy Songkran to everyone. The missus has yet again noticed a strange taste in our filtered tap water and is nagging me to change the filters again. I put new filters in barely 2 months ago and am surprised that they need changing so soon. I'm trying to determine if I can extend the life of the carbon filters or if I need to use better ones.

There are 4 adults in the household and the water source is our local water plant in town which provides generally clean water. 4 adults x (2 L/day drinking + 1(?) L/day cooking) x 30 days = 360 L/mo. Yet the carbon filters are rated for 4000L, and I have 3 in-line. Maybe the carbon filters I'm using are poor quality with unrealistic ratings? Or maybe the water in my hometown in Isaan has a particularly strong after-taste that's difficult to remove?

Anyway, here is my setup. I have a 4-stage (standard 2.5") pre-filter system I hacked together to feed a purifier. I use the pre-filter to extend the life of the purifier and to improve taste. By the way I also have a whole house filter for sediment.

The 4 pre-filter stages in order are: carbon->carbon->carbon->ceramic. The carbon filters filter down to 5μm and ceramic 0.3μm. I'm wondering if I move the ceramic to the first stage, will this extend the life of the carbon filters (for taste), or make no difference at all? A disadvantage of moving the ceramic to the start is that it will clog more quickly and probably need to be rinsed out every month or so. But this would be ok if it appreciably prolonged the life of the carbon filters.

Hopefully you experts out there can tell me if this new arrangement will work or is a waste of time.

[Jdietz]

Particle filters should always be the first. The extra crud you need to rinse out will otherwise get stuck in the carbon filters as you noticed. You may also want to add a wider spaced filter in front of it. 3 Carbon is overkill.

[puuchaibaa]

Aaah, so I have the wrong sequence. That makes sense. You're probably right about the overkill on the carbon. I'll use a polypropylene filter at the front instead. It should keep the ceramic from clogging so quickly. Good suggestion.

[IMHO]

Yes, wrong order!

Ceramic always goes first to trap the biggest particles - note that these are normally washable too.

If you have a resin filter/softener, it normally goes in circuit before the carbon filters too (but after the ceramic).

Edited April 14, 2016 by IMHO

[wpcoe]

For over a decade I ran my two-cartridge countertop water filter backward ... because that's the way it was when I first bought it. Never knew until recently (by reading here) to put the carbon filter second.

[Pib]

Here's water filter sequencing for a typical 3 or 4 filter drinking water system easy bought in most any store...took these picture this morning in a Makro store. The sequence is generally a sediment filter first with a charcoal filter somewhere in the middle or end. Of course water filter system manufacturers love making systems that have as many filters as possible all in the name of profit and many of them have different filter sequencing.

Personally, here in my western Bangkok home where I have lived around 8 years and the water is suppose to be drinkable from the tap according to the Water Authority I just use a one charcoal filter system (a refillable one...just use the water filter charcoal you buy loose in a bag...costs about Bt100). One filter feeding my frig for ice making and water dispenser. And another filter feeding a separate tap on my kitchen sink for cooking water. I replace the charcoal once a year. The family and I are still alive...have never got sick from the water to the best of our knowledge.

3 filter system

4 filter system

[wpcoe]

Aarrgh. Now I'm confused. Again. In a two-cartridge system with carbon and resin cartridges which goes first?

(RE is before AC in a 3-step system, but RE is after AC in a 4-step system?)

[Isan Farang]

I run the water from my storage tank through two sediment filters and then the outlet water goes to a 5 stage RO filer system.

This water is used for drinking and my marine fish tanks and never had any issue.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

That looks pretty involved and complicated...

Where did you buy/source all those components, and who installed them all?

[Jdietz]

After the particle filters the order of carbon and resin doesn't really matter, as they don't interfere which each other.

As to the Rube Goldberg machine, you can buy these at Big C and Tesco. It's the same setup as all the others but adds extra R.O. and UV steps, so needs power for the light.

[Isan Farang]

That looks pretty involved and complicated...

Where did you buy/source all those components, and who installed them all?

Its not as complex as you think, all the parts shown are available in Thailand. I done the final installation after I had a local run the pipes from the road supply.

This is another set up I have for the washing machine and water going to the main house. None of this water is used for drinking.

[Jdietz]

[Pib]

Aarrgh. Now I'm confused. Again. In a two-cartridge system with carbon and resin cartridges which goes first?

(RE is before AC in a 3-step system, but RE is after AC in a 4-step system?)

In a two step setup the charcoal filter is usually first followed by a resin or ceramic filter. Each filter is primarily filtering/acting on different contaminates.

It's not uncommon to see different water system manufacturers having different filter sequencing because each filter is primarily focusing on removing a certain contaminate and it may not really doesn't matter lot what the sequence is for a simple water filtering system. It's not like if you get some filters in the wrong slots then those misaligned filters are no longer filtering out what they are suppose to. Like you two filter system the resin filter will also catch any small charcoal partials that may want to continue on through in addition to doing its intended filtering job.

But usually if you can see sediment in your water you want a sediment filter first in the line-up...but if your water supply is pretty clean (i.e., no visible sediment) a sediment filter is really not needed. You just need filters to concentrate on the stuff you can't see.

To a degree water system manufacturers play on the fears of people....I expect within a few years even the simplest system sold will have 10 completely different filters (with each manufacturer having a different sequencing) and if you don't have at least 10 filters which you must change frequently (after getting a bank loan to fund the filters replacement) you will surely die a slow death---but aren't we all slowly dying anyway?

Edited April 15, 2016 by Pib