The two main carbon filter options are solid activated carbon blocks and granular activated carbon (GAC) filters. Unfortunately, our tap water can contain tiny particles that affect your long-term health, the water's taste and smell, as well as microbes that can actually make people sick soon after drinking it. Fortunately, there are water filtration products that can remove many contaminants from water. These filters typically use activated carbon; Activated carbon is a type of carbon that has been processed to have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for contaminants to adsorb or chemically react, allowing them to adhere to the carbon. At Epic Water Filters, our filters use solid activated carbon blocks, which we believe are the best way to filter out contaminants in water. Below we explain why we chose to use solid activated carbon block filters instead of granular activated carbon filters.
Filterdesign
Granular activated carbon (GAC) filters contain loose carbon particles that look like black grains of sand. These black carbon particles are poured into a container and the water is pushed through the container to the other side, past all the carbon particles. Solid block carbon filters, on the other hand, are compressed blocks of activated carbon formed by a combination of heat and pressure. These filters force the water to find its way through solid walls and thousands of layers of carbon until it reaches channels that take the water out of the filter. Both filters are made of carbon that is ground into small particles. Solid blocks of activated carbon are further ground into a fine mesh 7 to 19 times smaller than (GAC).
Mobility channels and contact times
As the water continues to flow through the (GAC) filter, flow channels begin to form, allowing the water to flow around the carbon. In addition, flow channels form between the carbon particles, resulting in reduced filtration efficiency as the contact time between water and carbon becomes shorter and shorter. Solid activated carbon blocks, on the other hand, are much denser and will not even allow microbial cysts such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium (7 to 10 microns in size) to pass through the filter without being trapped by millions of layers of carbon. Because solid blocks of activated carbon are compressed under pressure, they have millions of pores of various sizes, causing the water to take a long, slow path through the filter, increasing the contact time of the contaminated water with the activated carbon to pass through the activated carbon to permit. During this contact time, impurities such as lead attach to the carbon and are removed from the water. This is done in a process called adsorption, another filtration method used with solid activated carbon blocks is what is known as depth filtration. This is where the thickness of the carbon block filter comes into play, helping to remove contaminants that must pass through those thick carbon walls. The disadvantage of solid activated carbon blocks is that they tend to be dense and can often become clogged with organic and inorganic matter, forcing the owner to replace them more regularly. For this reason, when using a Brita Water Bottle Filter (GAC), the filter will continue to run long after it has stopped removing water contaminants. Placing a good 5 micron sediment filter in front of the carbon block filter is a great way to extend the life of your solid activated carbon block and increase its efficiency.
Solid activated carbon block and granular activated carbon
(GAC) filters are inexpensive and easy to manufacture, which is why most water filtration companies choose this manufacturing method. Solid activated carbon blocks, on the other hand, take more time and are more expensive to manufacture, but for the effort you get excellent contaminant removal, as the water has to go through millions before it reaches your drinking glass. A more laborious way for layered compression charcoal.
better filtering
Solid activated carbon blocks, such as those used in the Epic Smart Shield and Epic water filter jugs, remove more contaminants than (GAC) filters due to the greater surface area and thickness of the carbon walls, making Epic water filters Reason Our Solid activated carbon block designs for jugs and undersink water filters have been standardized. (GAC) filters are not sufficient to reduce contaminants, so they are not used where bacteria or cysts may be present in the water. They really aren't 'epic' so we took the (GAC) filter design and let competitors like Woder, Brita, Pur and Invigorated Water use these loose carbon filters to remove inferior contaminants.
Solid activated carbon blocks keep contaminants in contact with more carbon longer, allowing more time to remove stubborn contaminants such as lead (99.9% removal with Epic Pure Pitcher), fluoride (97.8% removal with Epic Pure Pitcher), and PFC (99.8%) remains % distance for epic pure pitchers). Carbon blocks can more effectively remove chlorine, eliminate bad odors, and remove endocrine disruptors such as volatile organic compounds. (GAC) filters, on the other hand, are made up of small particles that move under the water pressure, so they are not as uniform all over and therefore have less contact time with the water and remove fewer pollutants.
What about reverse osmosis?
RO filtration systems remove many contaminants. There are 5 main disadvantages of reverse osmosis systems. The first major disadvantage of reverse osmosis systems is that they are expensive. Most RO systems cost two to three times the price of carbon block systems and typically require 4 to 6 small filter changes per year. The second disadvantage is that reverse osmosis wastes a lot of water. On average, each RO system wastes 5 to 6 gallons for every gallon of potable water it produces. The third disadvantage (and in our opinion the biggest disadvantage of reverse osmosis) is that they remove from the water trace elements and other beneficial substances that the body needs, such as calcium, manganese, iron and other important nutrients. For this reason, RO water is considered stagnant water by many naturopaths, and demineralized water is considered harmful to overall health because it contains vitamins and minerals. The fourth major disadvantage of RO systems is that after the filtering process, your water is in a steel drum lined with a polyisobutylene butyl rubber bladder. This butyl rubber bladder stores filtered water until needed. All rubber and plastic containers will become soaked with water to some extent. The fifth and final major disadvantage of RO systems is that some RO companies believe they could add a "remineralization cartridge" at the end of the filtration process to remove all the beneficial nutrients in the water, since the RO filtration process removes all the beneficial nutrients in the water Water Removed Nature's first good things in water (ouch!). Also, most of these “remineralization boxes” that we see on the market are from China. We often find that scientists or business people are disappointed when they try to imitate nature.
These problems do not occur with full carbon block filters. Epic Water Filters is dedicated to finding the best way to filter out contaminants in your water so you can live a healthier life. We believe that solid activated carbon block filters are the best overall filters. Questions about your water? Great, we love to talk about anything water related. Call us at 720-600-0371 M-F 9am-5pm MST or email your questions to our support team at support@epicwaterfilters.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible.