What Do Microns Have to Do With Water Filtration?
If you've ever looked into purchasing water filtration equipment for your home, you have probably run into the term "micron" in relationship to the abilities of the device to clean your water.
Since most of us aren't scientists, you may have either just passed over the term to concentrate on something you could understand or you may have figured that it wasn't really important.
Actually, it is very relevant to the type of filtration you are buying, and understanding what the term means and how it applies to your own situation is a vital part of buying a filter.
There's really nothing very technical about the micron rating given to filtering equipment.
The term is applied in relation to the size of the openings within the filtering media that will either allow contaminants to pass through or remove them from the cleaned water.
A lot of the choice you make will depend on what type of particles you need to filter out of the water in your home.
Whereas a filter rated at 1 micron or less will do a great job of removing common cysts, such as Cryptosporidium and Guardia, it won't filter out smaller particles like viruses.
In general, the larger the number, the larger the openings in the filter.
A filter rated at 50 microns will have much larger openings and allow far more material to pass through into your drinking water than one rated 10 microns will do.
It only makes sense that you'll want to purchase a filtration device that has the smallest micron ratings so that you can be sure that you will be filtering all of the harmful particulates out of your water.
Most water sources, including those that have been treated in municipal facilities like your tap water has been, is still laden with materials that may cause unhealthy damage to the bodies of you and your family over the years.
Even chemicals that have been added intentionally, such as chlorine and fluoride, are now known to be dangerous for long-term human consumption.
Two-stage filtering units seem to be the ideal fit for most homes.
These units contain two filters: one for filtering out larger particles and another to take care of the smaller contaminants.
Once again, the micron rating of both of these filters needs to be considered, especially if you use well water that contains unknown substances.
Even water that has only been exposed to the ground contains metals that can cause health issues, so no matter where you live, it's a good idea to consider in-home filtration of all the water your family uses.
Since most of us aren't scientists, you may have either just passed over the term to concentrate on something you could understand or you may have figured that it wasn't really important.
Actually, it is very relevant to the type of filtration you are buying, and understanding what the term means and how it applies to your own situation is a vital part of buying a filter.
There's really nothing very technical about the micron rating given to filtering equipment.
The term is applied in relation to the size of the openings within the filtering media that will either allow contaminants to pass through or remove them from the cleaned water.
A lot of the choice you make will depend on what type of particles you need to filter out of the water in your home.
Whereas a filter rated at 1 micron or less will do a great job of removing common cysts, such as Cryptosporidium and Guardia, it won't filter out smaller particles like viruses.
In general, the larger the number, the larger the openings in the filter.
A filter rated at 50 microns will have much larger openings and allow far more material to pass through into your drinking water than one rated 10 microns will do.
It only makes sense that you'll want to purchase a filtration device that has the smallest micron ratings so that you can be sure that you will be filtering all of the harmful particulates out of your water.
Most water sources, including those that have been treated in municipal facilities like your tap water has been, is still laden with materials that may cause unhealthy damage to the bodies of you and your family over the years.
Even chemicals that have been added intentionally, such as chlorine and fluoride, are now known to be dangerous for long-term human consumption.
Two-stage filtering units seem to be the ideal fit for most homes.
These units contain two filters: one for filtering out larger particles and another to take care of the smaller contaminants.
Once again, the micron rating of both of these filters needs to be considered, especially if you use well water that contains unknown substances.
Even water that has only been exposed to the ground contains metals that can cause health issues, so no matter where you live, it's a good idea to consider in-home filtration of all the water your family uses.
