Posted on Leave a comment

When Crypto Attacks!!!

This past summer there was an outbreak of Cryptosporidium, otherwise known as Crypto. Many of you may not have heard of Crypto or what it is. No, it’s not an evil villain from galaxies far far away or a new type of kryptonite found on Superman’s home planet.

It is a very tiny organism/parasite called Cryptosporidiosis that causes severe intestinal issues. It usually causes cramps, fever, major intestinal problems and diarrhea. It is usually only short term but can last up to 2 weeks. Treatment is fluid rehydration, electrolyte correction and sometimes pain management. Crypto was not discovered until 1976, however it is one of the most common waterborne diseases and is found worldwide. It is transmitted through contaminated material such as the earth or water that has been in contact with the feces of an individual or animal. As unpleasant as it sounds contact is transferred to the mouth and swallowed. It is most common with people in regular contact with bodies of water like swimming pools. Crypto has a high resistance to disinfectants like chlorine bleach. This is because it is protected by an outer shell. So just like the pools, Crypto can get into your household drinking water. Such as private wells, sewage overflows, sewage systems that are not working properly, polluted storm water runoff, and agricultural runoff. Wells may be more vulnerable to such contamination after flooding, particularly if the wells are shallow or have been submerged by floodwater for long periods of time. Crypto gets into surface water sources as well, such as rivers and lakes. Municipal water from treatment plants that get their water from these surface water sources can contain Cryptosporidium as well. This is because of the stool (feces) of infected animals or people maybe in the runoff. How can Filter Pure help with the prevention of Crypto surfacing in your water supply? For your home we would recommend a Reverse Osmosis System. The system is placed under the counter. The unit is called RO-2550. To beat Crypto you need to filter down to 1 micron or smaller. The RO system does better than that. This system gets it to 1/1000 micron. This is a 4 stage filtering system. The water is pre-filtered to reduce the dirt and chlorine. Then the membrane separates the pre-filtered water into Product Water. There are many different filtering systems that you can use in your home. If you are concerned that you may have a Crypto problem or potential for it Reverse Osmosis will protect you against an outbreak. We want to make sure you and your family are drinking healthy. To learn more about Filter Pure or how we can help with your filtration needs please contact us at 800-942-7873. 
Posted on Leave a comment

Save the Planet, One Bottle at a Time

It takes more than 17 million barrels of oil annually to make all the plastic bottles that meet America’s demand for bottled water. That’s enough oil to fuel 1.3 million cars for a year, not including the oil used for transportation of those water bottles. Last year, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles. Altogether, Americans’ used over 50 billion plastic water bottles last year alone. The recommended eight glasses of water a day, at U.S. tap rates equals about $.49 a day. That same amount of bottled water is about $1,400 a year, but keep in mind that people prefer bottled water because it taste great! So, how does one cut out all the plastic bottles from their life but still get great tasting water straight from their tap? By purchasing a high performance drinking water system, that goes under your your kitchen sink. This system uses the same water purification process as Dasani and Nestle and it is called reverse osmosisThis process is used in water purification, manufacturing plants, and chemical laboratories.  One great unit that we recommend is the the PURA QCRO4V. This 4 stage quick change reverse osmosis system can be customized to adapt to changing water conditions. The quick change filters feature the innovative PURA twist and lock design, making filter changes and service fast and easy.

  • Choice of a 50 gpd or 75 gpd membrane
  • Standard Lead Free Air Gap Faucet
  • Color coded tubing for easier installation
  • Quick connect fittings and a self piercing feed valve
  • Interchangeable filters allows the system to be customized to your local water conditions
  • Produces high quality water for better tasting coffee, tea, juices, soups, sauces and pasta and clearer ice cubes
  • System includes a sediment pre-filter, carbon block pre-filter, RO membrane and carbon block postfilter

The first stage of filtration is the sediment filter, which reduces suspended particles such as dirt, dust, and rust. The second stage of filtration is the carbon filter. This filter reduces volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), chlorine, and other compounds that might impact the taste or odor of the tap water. Chlorine should be removed from the water before the water enters the membrane. This will help preserve the life of the membrane. The center and third stage of a reverse osmosis system is the semi-permeable (RO) membrane. It is responsible for rejecting up to 98% of the total dissolved solids in the water. So you can save the planet, save money and drink healthier water! For more information about this system call 800-942-7873 or click the link below to ask us a question. 

Posted on 1 Comment

Chloride Ate Your Combi!

Lately, we have seen a rise in customer’s having problems with their boiler free combi ovens. Whether it is an Alto Sham, Blodgett, Cleveland, Rational, or CONVOtherm, alot of money has been invested in that equipment and with that investment, a long life is expected.  That’s why it’s important to pay attention to the water warranty requirements.

Did you know that the warranty can be voided if there is chloride in the water that is feeding your equipment, especially if the damage is caused by the chloride. The consensus of manufactures’ spec sheets is that chloride, specified in the water feeding your combi oven, is supposed to be less than 25 ppm,( parts per million).

For the combi oven pictured above, the water test came back indicating that the chloride levels were at 308.8 ppm. That’s high!! 

So why is chloride so bad in combi ovens, boiler based or boilerless? Keep in mind that chloride is not chlorine.

So what happens when you have alot of hydrogen chloride in your water and you super-heat it quickly into steam? It jumps out as hydrochloric acid, which is a clear, colorless, highly pungent solution of hydrogen chloride (HCL) in water. It is a highly corrosive strong mineral acid and it can chew through stainless steel very quickly. So where do you start if you already have a combi oven and you are seeing this type of damage? A detailed water test that will give you a full analysis of the chemical composition of your water is the place to start. Once you know that you do have an unacceptable level of chloride in your water, you can go to work on purchasing a blended reverse osmosis unit in order to remove the chloride. Why blended reverse osmosis? Because, no filter will take chlorides out of your water. Remember this is chloride, not chlorine. Reverse osmosis is not filtration, it is the use of a semi permeable membrane that forces everything but the water molecule out of the water. With blended RO you can then blend back in the right amount of filtered raw water in order to create the chemical composition of the water that you want to feed your combi. Everpure has developed an entire series of Blended MRS, Mineral Reduction System Reverse Osmosis units. From the MRS20, (20 stands for 20 gallons made per day), EV9797-91, up to the MRS600HEII, (600 gallons made per day), EV9970-54. One of the most popular for the combi application is the MRS350, (350 gallons of water made per day), EV9970-17. Note that these solutions require a storage tank. These systems can be sized to fit your piece or pieces of equipment and insure that the water you are using will protect your combi oven from whatever changes occur within your water supply. To get started with a water test please ask us below or call our team with your questions at 800-942-7873. Ask us a question! Sign up for our Newsletter!

Posted on 1 Comment

Water Softening: A Simple Approach to Great-Tasting Water

“Hard water” is generally defined as that which has a high concentration (>100mg/L) of dissolved salts, like calcium and magnesium, which are absorbed from the earth. This excess of particulates can cause numerous problems for the home and small business owner, such as difficulty in regulating water pH (important for pool and aquarium owners), and scaling/deposit buildup in pipes, boilers, and machinery which makes use of water, such as coffee and espresso makers.  The classic tell-tale sign of hard water is difficulty in lathering soap and shampoo. Another such problem is the taste associated with hard water. Water containing mineral contaminants can taste bitter, especially when used to cook or brew fine coffee. When this becomes a concern, many turn to water softening to remove these minerals and make them palatable. Softening, while not a lengthy process, is complex when compared to other purification methods such as reverse osmosis. Water softener cartridges make use of either an all-in-one cartridge such as the Everpure ESO7 or a drop in bowl system such as Everpure’s SO-204 to remove excess minerals from your water. With the ESO 7, not only is water softened, but dirt and particles are removed as well.  The ESO 7’s unique three-stage blending cartridge provides softened, buffered, and precoat filtered water, while the cartridge’s ion exchange resin with buffering capabilities and high-capacity coconut carbon filtered water bypass make it the perfect choice for specialty coffee, espresso, and ice tea applications. Systems such SO-204 combine small size and ease of use with commercial application capability.   Measuring just 26”x5.125”x5.25”, the SO-204’s replacement cartridges are sized to fit under any counter or mounted on the wall behind the coffee or espresso machines.  While relatively small, the SO-204 is designed to handle water having up to 30 grains per gallon (500mg/L) – 5 times the definition of “hard” water.  Moreover, the filters are easy to change.  Not only do replacement cartridges not require a housing wrench to be changed, that is, they can be hand-tightened, but cartridges require only one minute of flushing.  Many high-end coffee and espresso machines require a water softener to ensure the quality of the coffee is preserved through the brewing process and warranty purposes. If you think you would like to make use of a water softening cartridge in either your home or business, contact Filter Pure Systems, Inc. at 1-800-942-7873 today.

Posted on 2 Comments

Seawater/Brackish Water Reverse Osmosis

Reverse Osmosis, also known as hyper filtration, is the preferred method of seawater and brackish water purification. As the equipment needed to perform reverse osmosis is cost-effective, and the process requires little input energy compared to other methods of purification, reverse osmosis has become the worldwide leader among desalinization methods. Developed at UCLA, and used commercially since the 1970’s, seawater reverse osmosis has served marine professionals for nearly 40 years. Seawater Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) is used in a wide range of commercial applications. Marine professionals such as commercial fisherman and offshore rig workers rely on SWRO to provide freshwater for routine daily tasks such as bathing, cleaning and of course, drinking. In larger applications, such as cruise ships, SWRO is sometimes also used. In such applications, it is necessary not only to desalinize water, but to provide quality freshwater. Cruise liner restaurant professionals count on SWRO for water used for cooking, as well as making coffee, soda and other beverages. Here, consistency is key. By way of its simple yet effective design, reverse osmosis is able to consistently satisfy the needs of those who count on it. The process itself is relatively simple and straightforward. In order to purify a liquid, the “solvent” (in this case, water) is put under pressure in excess of 250 psi for brackish water and 1000 psi for seawater, forcing it through a semi-permeable membrane. This application-specific membrane allows water molecules to pass through, but catches “solutes,” yielding purified water. When employed, reverse osmosis is capable of not only of de-salting water, but also removing other impurities such as bacteria, ions and particulates. If you’re considering using reverse osmosis to address your water purification needs, browse our inventory of Everpure reverse osmosis filters.