Category: Commerical Water Filters

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Waste-Water and How It Affects Business

With water seemingly becoming a more scarce resource, do we see it as precious or do most just regard the supply as endless? With water restrictions in place, spreading drought conditions worsening and municipalities across the world converting seawater and waste-water to potable water, you would think we are changing the way we view how precious fresh water is.

The United States Geologic Service states that Ocean water represents just over 97% of the water on Earth. Almost 70% of the 2.5% of Earth’s fresh water is in glaciers. Lakes, streams and rivers account for 1% of our planet’s freshwater. The remaining 30% is groundwater and water in underground aquifers. Agriculture is the dominant user for fresh water followed by industry, then public use. Businesses and manufacturers are realizing that now more than ever the availability of quality water can pose a risk to its business. Last year, 70% of the 180 FTSE Global 500 companies said water was a substantive risk to their business, which is up from 59% in 2011. Improper use of water and the type of water can hurt their bottom line, their end product and their credibility. Nestlé, one of the world’s largest food companies, set aside $43 million last year to build water-saving and waste-water treatment facilities. The company saved over 60% of water use per ton of product in its Spain production facility. Other companies like Coca-Cola, Ford and Google are investing in similar water saving and waste-water treatment at their facilities to conserve and protect their fresh water supplies. It also benefits their local communities as well. Freshwater demands are increasing as our population grows and availability is becoming more of a challenge. Some solutions may be that people should always do a better job at water conservation. It shouldn’t matter if it is scare or not. We should think of more ways to reduce water waste. Sink, outdoor faucets and toilets can be easily and properly maintained. Landscaping/sprinklers should be used intelligently or have systems that won’t run if not needed while raining. Send us some comments on other successful examples of water conservation methods? If you have any questions on industrial water saving techniques and equipment, please contact Vince Paglino at 1-800-942-9600 or email vince@filterpure.com

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How Filtration Can Go Wrong

A couple years ago, a luxury hotel had attempted to filter their entire water supply. Their desire was to provide their guest with the best experience possible.  While with good intentions this also gave way to some negative consequences.  Understanding what to remove and what to leave in your water supply can affect not just the taste and odor of the water, but the safety of the water as well.  This particular facility had wanted to remove all the chlorine from their incoming water supply and made the decision to utilize a whole building system to do so.  The side effect of removing all antibacterial properties in a large water system is the introduction of bacterial growth after the point of entry system.  This bacteria growth will occur in the piping after the filtration system and will cause exposure to the user’s downstream. What Filter Pure would have recommended was utilizing a mechanical filtered system with Ultraviolet at the point of entry. This would eliminate any possible contaminants entry into the building water supply.  It also maintains the appropriate levels of disinfectant to ensure pipes are not permitting bacterial growth. For taste and odor concern, these should always be handled at the point of use with a system similar to the Insurice Single PF-i2000 system (EV9324-21).  We recommend Everpure for all water point of use systems. Every location has different water quality concerns that require direct and special attention. If you have any questions regarding your facility’s water filtration systems, please contact me, Todd Leach, or our customer service team at 1-800-942-7873. Ask me a questions!

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Point of Use (POU) or Point of Entry (POE)?

Do you ever get confused about all the different types of water filtration systems and which one you should use? Well don’t worry. We can help eliminate some of that confusion. Here are some things you should know to help you understand more about water filtration. There are essentially only two principle locations for installing water treatment systems. Which of the two systems you need depends upon what you hope to accomplish. One is Point-of-Entry water treatment (POE), the other is Point-of-Use water treatment (POU). What’s the difference? Picture the water supply where your local municipality or other supplier delivers water to your house, office building, factory, plant or other facility. At the point where the supply enters the building, it’s connected to a water meter. Your side of the meter is your responsibility and expense. You might be stuck with the water as delivered, but you don’t have to like it or settle for its quality (or lack of quality). There are a lot of POE and POU systems that can help you improve the quality of water before you drink it, cook with it or bathe with it. A Point-of-Entry water treatment system is installed on your side of the meter with the express purpose of treating all of the incoming water before it goes into the individual supply lines that feed your laundry, bathrooms (including toilets), dedicated outside faucets and others as well as your kitchen. POE systems often include softeners, large bed carbon filters, and some systems which are specifically designed to remove (or trap) sediment, foul tastes and odors. POE systems are sometimes considered pre-filters. A Point-of-Use water treatment system is installed in an individual source line ahead of any or all of the building’s taps, faucets or other dedicated outlets used to dispense water for drinking, cooking or bathing. Good POU systems are often expected to capture whatever escapes the POE system.

So once you figure out if you want a POU system or a POE system, the next step is getting a water test done. We can help you with this! After we test your water and once we receive the test results back we then recommend a course of action and what water filtration would best benefit you.  If you are interested in getting your water tested or have more questions about what filtration systems will work best for you, please contact us at 800-942-7873 or ask us a question below! We are here to help! Click here to ask a question!
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Water Testing in Schools

Many schools in the state of Florida have contacted Filter Pure in regards to testing their water. A common problem seen in schools is equipment damage due to hard and unfiltered water. Some of the most expensive equipment in schools can be found right in the cafeteria; ice machines, steamers and combi ovens. The problem with hard and unfiltered water is the limescale build-up that can cause excessive machine downtime and increased maintenance costs. It is estimated that 3mm of limescale build up can cause 25% energy loss in addition to unwanted and costly service calls. So how does Filter Pure help with these issues? We first test the water, checking all levels of chlorine, alkalinity and hardness. Once the test results are received back, we then recommend a course of action and filtering system to put in place to remedy these problems. One system recommended is the MRS-100 Reverse Osmosis System (9970-07). Ideal for flash steamers, conventional steamers, combi-ovens, and more, this system improves equipment life and performance by removing at least 90%+ of all dissolved solids that cause scale build-up. It guards against taste and odor causing contaminants, while removing dirt particulates and dissolved minerals that can adversely affect taste of water and beverages. Sanitary cartridge replacement is simple, quick and clean. Internal filter parts are never exposed to handling or contamination.  For over thirty year, Filter Pure has been providing great solutions to water problems in universities and schools. If you are interested in getting your water tested or have any questions or concerns about your water please contact us at 800-942-7873 or submit your question to the link below. If you are a school or university please contact Amy Easter at Amy@filterpure.com. She has helped hundreds of schools with their water issues and she is more than happy to help you as well.  Submit your question here!

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Commercial Ice Machine Filtration for Healthcare Facilities

Ice serves a variety of purposes in the Healthcare industry including dietary needs, operative procedures, and treatment of inflammation.  The availability of clean ice for all of these uses is dependent on the level of filtration in use.  Healthcare facilities use a variety of ice machines but the most common is the nugget based ice machine for its ability to provide all the needs in a hospital. Nugget ice machines are small counter top dispensers located throughout the buildings to provide quick access for staff. But due to the unit’s small size, facilities are having to install the water filtration systems under the counters. This could be a problem in the sense that a traditional ice machine water filter can exceed over 20 inches leaving little room to install and maintain the unit. Well, Everpure has a solution for that. Everpure’s BH2 (EV9612-51) is the filter of choice to fit below the counter and provide enough capacity to keep up with the demand of the counter top ice machines. The full height of the BH2 filter and manifold would be 16 inches leaving plenty of room for the installation and filter change. The filter is rated NSF 53, providing mechanical filtration to .5 micron and protection from bacterial contaminants.  Scale inhibitor provides protection to your ice machines to keep them running efficiently for years to come. As much as we would like a single application filter to work for everybody, the needs and demands of customers change requiring different types of filtration.  The BH2 is a great filter that has proven to work in a rigorous environment with high demand.  Should you need to discuss other applications or your current filtration, please feel free to contact our Health Care & Lodging Specialist, Todd Leach.

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The Benefits of Prefiltration

There are many benefits in using prefiltration. Most foodservice applications actually require it and there’s a good reason why. Everpure’s EC110 (9534-40) and EC210 (9534-20) saves you money by extending the life of primary filter cartridges by filtering out large dirt and rust particles. Their tightly spun polypropylene design delivers a 10 micron nominal filtration. Durable slim bowl design makes cartridge change outs easy to handle and the clear housing lets you visibly inspect trapped particles and makes determining when to change the cartridge easy. Whether you are filtering water for your soda, ice, coffee or tea, prefiltration is a great option that will not only prove beneficial for your primary filters but also for you financially. Already have a water filter system with no prefiltration? Don’t worry. You can easily add our E-10 (9795-80) and the E-20 (9795-90) to any system. If you are interested in learning more about prefiltration and how it can benefit you, call us at 1-800-942-7873 or email us your questions. Click here to ask us a question!

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What Does the NSF Label on My Pentair/Everpure Water Filter Mean?

 Millions of people take the safety of their food, water and consumer products for granted on a daily basis. Why? Because of three letters: NSF. Founded in 1944 as the National Sanitation Foundation, the foundation changed it’s name to NSF International in 1990 as they expanded services beyond sanitation and into global markets. NSF certification is your key to making sure that the products you use meet strict standards for public health protection. Choosing a product certified by NSF lets you know the company complies with strict standards and procedures imposed by NSF.

There are important reasons to look for NSF certification when purchasing a water filter;

  • Performance claims may be based on internal testing only.
  • Sometimes stated capacities are misleading.
  • In capacity claims it’s not always clear what percentage of chemical contaminants are actually reduced.

NSF Certification ensures that:

  • The contaminant reduction claims certified are true and accurate.
  • The materials of construction do not add anything unwanted to the water such as lead.
  • The system is structurally sound.
  • Advertising claims are true and accurate.

From extensive product testing and material analyses to unannounced plant inspections, every aspect of a product’s development is thoroughly evaluated before it can earn our certification. Most importantly, NSF certification is not a one-time event, but involves regular on-site inspections of manufacturing facilities and regular re-testing of products to ensure that they continue to meet the same high standards required to maintain certification over time. If for any reason a product fails to meet one or more certification criteria, NSF will take enforcement actions to protect you, including product recall, public notification or de-certification. If you have any questions about the quality of the filter that you are currently using and whether or not that filter has an NSF certification please ask us about your filter  below or call our team at 800-942-7873.

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Water Hazards in Building Systems

NSF pushes forward with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) training to reduce risk of microbial, chemical and physicals hazards in building water systems.   

Every year, tens of thousands of preventable injuries and deaths are caused by exposure to microbial, chemical, and physical hazards from building water systems. Utilizing HACCP guidelines to building water systems builds a framework for identifying potential hazards and specifies measures for control to ensure building’s water supply safety. HACCP is a program that provides the necessary training to understand best practices procedure for maintaining a facility water supply.  Filter Pure Systems supports the continued focus by NSF to provide guidelines to promote safe and healthy water.

When working with our Healthcare facilities, we verify with them the level of NSF certification needed by water systems to remove designated contaminants.  NSF 42 certification for water filtration covers systems designed to reduce Aesthetic or non-health related contaminants.  These contaminants include chlorine, taste and odor, and particulates that may be present in public and private drinking water. In the water supply for a hospital, this is not enough protection for the immunocompromised patients.  We recommend utilizing NSF 53 standards at point of use sources for patients that may be susceptible to microbiological exposure. NSF 53 systems are certified to reduce specific health-related contaminants. These contaminants may be microbiological (including cyst and legionella), chemical (including disinfection byproducts, pesticides, herbicides, and insecticides), and particulates.  The first step, we take in securing the quality of our Healthcare facility is to ensure we have a solid foundation of filtration to protect the staff and patients. Using the industry-leading brand Everpure allows us the flexibility to meet the needs of our clients without sacrificing quality or reliability. Let us help you establish a guideline of how to secure the quality of your water from Point of Use to Point of Entry systems.  To view more information on the HACCP training program, please visit nsf.org. For more information or to discuss your current water filtration system, please contact our Health Care & Lodging Specialist, Todd Leach. Click here to ask us a question!

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Don’t Forget About the O-Ring!

First, what is an O-ring? An O-ring is a doughnut, or torus shaped seal typically used to prevent the passing of air or fluid. O-rings are used to keep fluid or air IN or OUT of a defined space. This device helps to keep the water tight or air tight integrity of a filter housing or filter application. O-rings come in a wide variety of sizes and different types of materials; Types of Material

  • Buna-N®
  • Ethylene, Propylene
  • Silicon Encapsulated with FEP, an FDA-approved material
  • Silicone (Solid)
  • Teflon® (Solid)
  • Teflon® Encapsulated with FEP
  • Viton® (Solid)

    To extend the o-ring’s effectiveness there are some things you can do: Remove and inspect the o-ring at every filter change or every time the housing is opened, as well as applying the manufacturer’s approved lubricant. The protectant/gel, usually made of silicon is inexpensive and is easy to apply. If there are signs of any wear or improper form of the o-ring, the o-ring must be replaced immediately prior to restarting the filter system.    The life of an o-ring varies based on how you take care of it and what it is made of. It is very important to your operation to make sure you have the proper o-ring for your filtration application. If you have any questions on changing out your o-rings or whether you are using the proper o-ring for your system, I invite you to submit a question below or call our team at 1-800-942-7873. Click here to ask us a question!

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How Often Do I Change My Water Filter?

One of the most common questions we hear from our customers is in regards to how frequently a water filter cartridge should be changed. Whether it’s a standard sediment or carbon filter, every customer has one key priority in mind: How Long Will I Have Dependably Clean, Great Tasting Water? In other words, how can I be sure that my filter is still reducing the impurities that can impact the flavor of my water? Our standard answer: It depends. The frequency of filter changes depends upon your water quality and your water usage. For example, if there are a lot of sediment particulates in your water, then you will have to change your filters more frequently than someone with little to no sediment. If you are a large restaurant consuming large amounts of water a minute or a hospital with large ice machines, then your usage will demand more frequent filter changes. Having said that, we suggest replacement schedules that are generally as follows: Everpure High Flow CRS Quad MC2 System The most common Everpure Filtration System, mainly seen in the back of the house of restaurants should be changed every 6 months, or every 36,000 gallons. The EC210 prefilter, to the left of the MC2 filters, should be changed more frequently to extend the life of the MC2 filters. We recommend every 3-4 months.       Insurice Triple PF i4000(2) System w/ 20″ Prefilter For water filtration on ice machines, sometimes it can be difficult knowing when to change the filters, especially if you see no difference in the ice. But even if the ice is fine, deep inside the machine inches of scale can be forming and ruining your machine. That’s why it is important to keep a filter change out schedule. We recommend every 6 months or however many gallons are specified on the water filters. For the system pictured to the left, the Insurice Triple PF i4000(2), change those filters every 36,000 gallons of use. Again, changing the prefilter will give your primary cartridges longer life. You should also replace your water filters whenever you notice a decline in performance, whether it is a drop in flow rate and/or pressure, or an unusual taste in the water. You should also, per the CDC, replace your water filter after any boil water advisory alert is lifted in your area. Remember: taste and odor may tip you off to the presence of chlorine in your water, but most contaminants are tasteless and odorless. For the benefit of our customers, we have set-up automatic electronic reminders that are sent when we see that their filters are due to be replaced, based on order history.  We can even set-up Auto-Ship for customers that know they will need water filters by a certain date, but may not remember to place an order. If you have a water filter or filter model not included in the list above, and have a question regarding how often you should replace your filter, I invite you to submit a question below or call our team at 1-800-942-7873. Click here to ask us a question!