Choosing the right water purification system

Link to UVDF

Tap water has a variety of different impurities, including ions/salt, bacteria, organics, and nucleases. While the levels of these impurities in the water are safe for human consumption, they are not ideal for the different applications in your laboratory. Some consequences of the impurities can be clogged filters, left behind mineral deposits in lab equipment, or even cause morphology issues with cell and tissue culture. Enter your water purification system.

Water purification systems are a critical component in most labs in avoiding the consequences from impurities. Itis important to choose the right one to fit your application, which can be a daunting task. In order to reduce the frustrations in selecting a water purification system, it will be helpful to keep a few things in mind. First, determine what type of water you need in your lab &#; ultrapure? Pure? Reverse Osmosis? You may think it is a good idea to go for the highest level of water purity and get an ultrapure water system for all your applications, but ultrapure water is actually not a good option for all lab applications. Identifying what application the water will be used in will help determine the type of water you need, and the water purification system that will work best.

Second, consider your budget. It is important to understand both the upfront and annual maintenance costs of a system. Make sure you ask the sales representative the right questions so you are able to pick a system within your budget.

Third, determine the features that will improve your workflow. You will quickly notice that most companies offer multiple systems for each water type. For example, Thermo Fisher Scientific offers the Barnstead&#; GenPure&#; xCAD Plus Water Purification System, Barnstead&#; MicroPure &#; Water Purification System, and the Barnstead&#; Smart2Pure&#; Pro Water Purification System which all will produce Type 1 water. Keep those above tips in mind when determining what will work best for you and your lab.

Interested in learning more about how to choose the right water purification system? Watch this webinar.

Share this article

194

SHARES

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Tumblr

If you want to learn more, please visit our website Laboratory Water Purification Faucet.

Most home water filters&#;like pitcher or fridge filters&#;are not designed to remove germs from your water. These filters typically use a carbon filter to make water taste better or remove heavy metals like lead.

Filters remove both good and bad substances from your water. For example, some filters remove beneficial chemicals like chlorine , which kills germs in water, or fluoride , which prevents cavities. If your tap water is already free from harmful germs and chemicals, you may not want to filter it.

Different water filters have different functions. Some make your water taste better, others remove harmful chemicals, and others remove certain germs. Filters cannot remove some types of harmful substances, so you may also consider other water treatment systems .

If you have a weakened immune system, avoid changing water filters yourself. Changing filters could expose you to the harmful germs or chemicals caught in the filter.

Talk to your healthcare provider and a water disinfection specialist about whether to get a water treatment system. If you do decide to get a system, look for one that will remove Cryptosporidium .

If you have a weakened immune system, you are more likely to get sick from germs in water. In particular, the parasite Cryptosporidium may make you sick.

Tips for choosing a filter

Do not rely on taste or smell&#;

Taste, smell, and appearance are not always good indicators of water safety. Harmful germs and chemicals often do not change the look, taste, or smell of water. Alternatively, substances that are not harmful, like some that contain sulfur, can make water taste or smell bad.

Test your water

Testing your water to find out whether there are harmful germs or chemicals in it will help you choose a filter. If your water is free from harmful germs or chemicals, you may decide you do not need a filter. If your water has harmful germs or chemicals, choose a filter that removes those germs or chemicals.

Well or rain water

If you get your water from a private well or a rainwater collection system, test your water at least once each year for harmful germs and chemicals. Also consider testing your water if you notice changes in color, taste, or smell.

Contact your health department for advice about what to test for and how to find a state-certified lab to do the testing.

Public water system

If you get tap water from a public water system, review the water quality report your utility must provide every year. The report will show if there are harmful germs or chemicals in your water.

Understand pore size

The pore size is the size of the tiny holes in a filter that let water through. Filters work like strainers or colanders. As pore size gets smaller, fewer types of germs and chemicals get through the filter.

If a filter has an absolute pore size of 1 micron, for example, each one of the filter's pores is 1 micron or smaller. This means that anything larger than 1 micron will be caught in the filter and removed from the filtered water.

Filters with a nominal or mean pore size of 1 micron have an average pore size of 1 micron. This means that some pores are smaller and some pores are larger than 1 micron. These filters will let some things that are bigger than 1 micron through the larger holes.

A filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron will catch a 1-micron sized germ, but a filter with a mean pore size of 1 micron may not.

Understand NSF ratings

NSF International is an independent organization that develops public health standards for products. One way to figure out what a water filter removes is to look for an NSF certification on the filter's label. You can look up specific products in the NSF database to see what they are certified to remove from water.

Some of the NSF standards related to water treatment are:

• Standard 42 (taste and odor)
• Standard 53 (cyst reduction)
• Standard 58 (reverse osmosis)
• Standard 62 (distillation)

Look for an NSF certification on your filter's label to see what the filter will remove.

Consider how much water to filter

Point-of-use filters

Point-of-use filters usually filter water in batches and deliver it to a single tap, such as your kitchen sink. These include under-sink filters and those that attach to your faucet. Consider point of use filters if you only need to filter the water you drink and cook with, for example.

Whole-home filters

Whole-home filters, also called point-of-entry filters, filter water as it comes into your home. This means all your water, from every tap, gets filtered.

Consider these filters if you need to remove a harmful substance, such as certain volatile organic chemicals, from all your water. This includes water you use to bathe or clean with, as well as water you drink or cook with.

Keep in mind that if you install a whole-home filter that removes chlorine or other disinfectants, more germs may grow in your plumbing.

Consider maintenance

You will need to maintain any filter you use to keep it working properly and prevent germs from growing in it. This includes regularly changing the filters according to the manufacturer's recommendations. Wear gloves while you change filters and wash your hands afterward to avoid getting sick.

Some filters also require pre-treating water before you filter it to protect the filter and make sure it works properly. Examples of pre-treating include adjusting pH or adding powdered activated carbon.

For more School Water Purification Faucetinformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.