Monday, November 17, 2014

Is An Activated Carbon Filter Adequate To Clean Water?

Do you want to use an activated carbon filter in order to clean your drinking water? Well if you're going to use this watering cleaning method you have to be sure it's going to work for you the way you want it to. You have several choices when it comes to getting your drinking water clean and you want to choose the best one right?

There are costly home water filtration systems out there that can cost you thousands. And what's even worse is they require updating every so often, which only increases the cost. An activated carbon filter system isn't that expensive and can save you money over the cost of other systems.

The real reason people want to know if an activated carbon filtration filter is going to clean water properly though is because they want to trust the end result. No one wants to drink water having  false sense of reassurance that it's clean when it isn't. So let's get into it.


Does a activated carbon filter filter system work?

The fact is that these types of systems work very well to clean drinking water, but so much of it is going to depend on the quality of water being cleaned in the first place. 

Water has to be pretreated well in order to be effective

Some people live in areas where the water is already pretreated a certain way. This is what you really want. This means the water is already safe to drink. An activated carbon filter would help to make it even better quality. It would get rid of a lot of the odor causing chemicals as well as other particulates in the water. This is going to enhance the taste.

When activated carbon filters might not be effective

When your drinking water is already pretreated, then this means you can trust what you're getting for the most part. However, depending on where you live the treatment plant might not do a good job of getting rid of everything in water in order to make it safe. This is when an activated carbon filter wouldn't do a good job, because it has limitations. A treatment plant should do the job of getting rid of bacteria, viruses, lead, and additional impurities inside of water. An activated carbon filter system just could do it all.

If you're going to use an activated carbon water filter you want to be completely sure that the water you get as a result is going to be clean and safe to drink. Well if you just don't trust that it's going to be as effective as you would like at cleaning water there are some thing you can do. You can try more that one filtering method. Sure this would cost money, but it would be the only way for you to test different methods. If you decide to go with an activated carbon filtering system, then make sure you have a way to test the quality of water every now and them in order to make sure chemicals you're concerned about aren't present.




Guide Picks - Top Portable Household Water Filters

Do you want a portable household water filtering system? If you do then you don't want to purchase something you know is going to be inferior. When you purchase a really cheap portable household water filter chances are it's going to begin experiencing problems sooner than later.

This means you would have to spend money to get the problem fixed and you would find yourself getting rid of it in favor of something better sooner than later. All this would be a waste of money. We believe getting the best options out there are going to not only save you money in the long run, but you'd be able to trust the quality of water you were getting from them. You wouldn't have a false sense of reassurance.

You might not think you need a household water filtering system, because your municipality does a good job at keep your water clean. Can you really trust this though? A portable water filter can offer you extra protection for an already treated water supply at a very reasonable cost.

The top portable household water filters would help to improve your water by getting rid of odors, chlorine, rust as well as sediment. These can also help to remove heavy metals and offer some protection from things such as pathogens, parasites, hazardous organic compounds, etc.

You've heard enough about why you should get one of these. Let's get into some of the top options out there so your search can be made easier.

BRITA Pitchers

The reason why BRITA water pitchers are so good is because they don't cost a lot of money, but they're top quality. You wouldn't have a hard time at all finding different models of these either. These produce clean and clear water for you and there's not going to be any weird aftertaste as a result of using these.

PUR Pitcher Water Filter

PUR portable water filters are good because they are so convenient as well as affordable. These can offer you either comparable or better filtration ability than what you might get with BRITA filters. The only issue with these is that they might take a little longer to work. You can find these in several makes and models.

Culligan Pitcher Filter

Culligan filters are just as good as BRITA or PUR filters, but they would still come in third if you were doing a comparison. These are very easy to find and the cost is reasonable to.

If you don't want any of the brands mentioned above than you do have some other options. You can decide to look for off-brand portable water filters. You would just need to make sure you have a way of knowing what you were going to get was going to be quality. You can do this by looking at number of units sold for certain models assuming you could find this information. You might also want to try looking at some online reviews for specific models or brand of portable home water filters you might want to get.


What Do I Have To Do To Get Iodine Out Of My Drinking Water?


There are several different processed that can lead to iodine or even radioactive iodine being in your water. Iodine might not be a concern for all, but there are people who just don’t want this in the water they drink. This is understandable. When you drink public water you want to be sure of what you’re getting so you don’t put your health at risk. Once you know what’s in the water you drink you can decide to either accept the risk or do something about it.

Now most people decide to get away from drinking public water altogether. They’ll go to other options such as bottled water or various types of filtered water. These options aren’t free and they’re actually getting more expensive to access. Take bottled water for example. Bottled water used to be reasonably cheap. You could get an entire 24 pack of it for less than five dollars. This isn’t the case anymore.
People have been warned away from getting the cheapest versions of bottled water, because they’ve been told that it’s not safe to consume. So what you have now are different brands of water where the cost per bottle can be several dollars. Who can afford this on a regular basis? The easiest solution is to find ways to get the chemicals out of your water yourself and effectively.
The good news is that getting iodine out of your public drinking water is actually quite easy. All you have to do in order to eliminate it is run the water over activated carbon. There are several water treatment pitchers that can eliminate iodine from the water you drink. You should also have no problem finding activated carbon sold alone.

Understanding how iodine ends up in water

We mentioned that iodine is used to treat water, but this isn’t really the case. Any number of different chemicals is used in the treatment process of water. Iodine is actually a compound that occurs very naturally. It also comes from different sources such as volcanoes, rocks, and even waste that might come from medical applications.

In some cases iodine is added to water in order to make it safer to drink, but the amounts used are usually low. This doesn’t make people feel better who don’t want anything to do with it.
Getting iodine out of the water you drink is not hard to do, but it’s something you have to be serious about. You might find that no matter how hard you try to get iodine out of your water there will always be some tiny trace amount of it left. In the end you might find that you either have to minimize your consumption of public drinking water or at least supplement it with other forms (purified water, distilled water). As mentioned previously though these aren’t free and not everyone will have access to them.
Activated carbon is probably your best option long term for removing iodine from your water.

The Case Against Public Drinking Water Being Fluorized

We all want to feel like we’re going to be safe if we’re going to be drinking public water. The main reason why so many people have gotten away from public water consumption is because they believe it’s unsafe. First we have to worry about the bad things in the water being filtered out properly during the cleaning process. Then we have to worry about the chemicals used in order to clean the water and how it’s going to affect our system.

We also have to worry about the pipes the water comes through before it even gets to our glass or comes out of the bubbler. With all of this being the case, how do you drink public water and feel good about it? Well what we would have to focus on is the chemicals used to clean our water more than anything else. Other problems such as our pipes are all things we can exercise some degree of control over.

We cannot exercise much control over what’s put in tap water in order to make it clean though such as fluoride. Now what’s the first thing you think of when you hear fluoride? You probably think of what you see on the front of toothpaste tubes right? At first, it might seem like water being cleaned with fluoride wouldn’t be much of a problem. If we brush our teeth with toothpaste that as fluoride in it, then having it in our water can’t hurt us right? Well, this isn’t entirely true.

The first case we want to make against fluoride being used to clean water is that it doesn’t have the same effect as topical fluoride does. You use toothpaste in order to clean your mouth. There’s no evidence that consuming large amount of fluoride (which is what would happen over time) isn’t going to be harmful to us.
When we say that there’s no evidence that consuming fluoride in water isn’t bad, this isn’t the case entirely. Studies have been done but more extensive research would be needed. Water usually has low concentrations of the chemicals in it, but people that consume public drinking water on a regular basis will have a lot of exposure over time. This can have negative effects that can be seen right now.

There’s another negative to have fluoride in public water. People who know what they are drinking really can’t do much about it. Controlling the dosage isn’t easy to do. Some people consume more public drinking water than others.

If we have to give our main reason for why fluoride shouldn’t be used in the treatment of water it would be because it forces people to consume something they don’t want to consume. Sure, people who have the money can find other ways to get the water they need, but what about those who can’t? Drinking fluoride over time is going to put them at risk for any number of health problems. And what makes it worse is even still they wouldn’t have other options.

Fluoride in public water should be stopped altogether and some healthier alternative used. Would this make the treatment process more expensive? Sure it would. But think about the long term benefit to society by not having their health negatively affected down the road.

Different Party Supplies And Related Appliances

Are you thinking about having a party in the near future or any kind of social gathering? What do you believe is going to help you to make it good? Sure, you might know that you need to have certain supplies and food, but you need so much more than that. Too many people who put together parties and get togethers are usually not prepared the way they need to be and this makes things dull. Well not to worry, because we’ve put together a list of items you can use to make a party/get together more enjoyable for you and everyone else.

Crock Pot Triple Dipper Food Warmer

If you’re going to throw a party where you’ll have plenty of appetizers, then you’ll appreciate the crock Pot Triple Dipper Food Warmer. It enables you to serve different dips and foods while keeping them nice and warm.

Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker

A really nice party appliance you can’t do without is the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker. This appliance is going to allow you to make frozen drinks of various sorts for your guests. You can create smoothies or custom drinks to keep everyone happy.  Different models are available.

Rio Brands Party Cooler on Wheels

Whether your party is going to be indoors or outdoors, you’ll make it better with the Rio Brands Party Cooler on Wheels. All you have to do is roll it where you need it to be. You can easily fold it up at the base when you need to store it. What makes this appliance so good is its 77 qt capacity.  This means you’ll have plenty of room to store an assortment of cold drinks.

Crock Pot Trio Cook & Serve Buffet Server SCRBC750

The Crock Pot Trio Cook & Serve Buffet Server SCRBC750 might come off as just another buffet server, but it’s a lot more than that. You can use this to make a whole meal for just a few people or for an entire party. You’ll find that this buffet server is good for meals you might make daily or for any type of get together.

Additional party supplies and appliances you might need
The items listed here are general, because you might decide that a particular appliance or piece of supplies isn’t for you as far as the make and model are concerned. In any case all of these can make a party better and you should seriously consider having as many of these as possible.

An ice maker– An ice maker is going to help you ensure that people’s drinks don’t get cold. Nothing makes a party worse than having beer that gets cold or sodas that get cold.

A coffee urn– A coffee urn is going to come in handy at certain get togethers where people will appreciate access to caffeine. Makes and models are various and some are capable of handling a nice size of people.

A grill– Any party you decide to have is going to have people who’ll get hungry at some point, because if the plan isn’t to order pizza than grilling becomes a good option. Think of all the meats you could prepare with a nice grill such as brats, hot dogs, hamburgers, etc.

A good blender– A good blender enables you to put together different drinks easier. There are other options for mixing together ingredients, but a good blender can still go a long way.

An indoor electric grill– A party can be spoiled by bad weather if the goal is to grill certain meats. So why not move things inside with an indoor electric grill? Indoor electric grills enable you to still make different meats for party goers without having to make a mess or be outside.

Different party supplies you’ll need
The party supplies you’ll need is going to vary, but what you want to focus on are things that will enable guests to be as comfortable as possible. You’ll need to make sure you have proper seating for example. If the party/get together is going to be outdoors you’ll need to have patio chairs or some other form of seating.


When it comes to the food you’ll want to have paper plates, paper cups for drinks, plastic spoons/forks/knives, etc. All of these things allow for convenience and they make cleanup afterwards much easier for you.

Making Your Own PVC Tap Water Filter Made Easy


Do you want to make your own PVC tap water filter? If you do then you’ll need simple to follow in order to make the process as simple as possible. A PVC tap water filter is going to benefit you in different ways.  Mainly it’s going to save you money over more expensive options you might not even be satisfied with. Now the instructions we’re about to give you are all in order. We’ve done our best to make them simple to follow. If we had to rate them by saying their easy, moderately difficult or very difficult we would say they’re easy to follow. It shouldn’t take you more than half an hour to go through these.

Instructions to make your own PVC tap water filter:


  • The first thing you’ll need to have is a piece of PVC pipe. It should be good quality. Now cut the needed length of a 2 and 1/2 inch diameter PVC pipe.

  • Take a drill and drill a hole right in the center of the end cap and make sure it’s the right size to go with the vinyl hose diameter for attachment or insertion.
  • Put the end cap to one end of the PVC pipe.
  • Put on the needed length of the vinyl hose to the hole you drilled in the end cap.
  • Now take a piece of Polu-Bio-Marine  Inc.’s PolyFilter materials and roll it up. Now put it inside of the PVC pipe. After this you’ll want to activate the carbon.
  • Once you’ve done all this all you’ll need to do now is either pour or run tap water right down the open end of the PVC filter. Make sure you guide the treated water properly to where you need it to go.

Some additional tips to help you
You can decide to use 100% silicone sealant in order to seal the vinyl hose as well as the end cap connection.
Here’s a simple rundown of what you’ll need again.


  • 2 and 1/2 inch PVC
  • 1 matching PVC end cap
  • Vinyl hose
  • A drill
  • Activated carbon
  • PolyFilter material

Making a PVC tap water filter is something that’s going to come easy for some, but others might find that they need the help of someone who has done it before. This will ensure that they do it right. Well finding someone who has made their own PVC tap water filters might be tough. What you can do if you really need to be sure about what you’re doing is watch some video footage of the process.

Now you should be able to find this easily on a website such as YouTube. This is good, because you’d be able to go back as much as you needed in order to make sure you got everything right. Your last resort could be hiring someone who knew how to make one, but you would need to make sure the cost was reasonable. We recommend giving these instructions an honest try, because they really are simple.


Different versions of instructions are also available if you want something more detailed. 

How Is A Carbon Filter Used For In The Process Of Water Filtration?

Are you thinking about getting a water filtration system? If you are then you probably want one that isn’t going to be that expensive right? You probably also want something that’s very basic. Well if practical, inexpensive and basic is what you want in a water filtration system, then the best route to go is with a carbon filter.

Carbon filters are so good because they have a multitude of different uses. These would include filtering water as well as making sure a fish aquarium’s water stayed clean. There are some minor drawbacks to this type of filter though, such as the fact that it’s not very effective at cleaning microbes or bacteria.

How does the process work with one of these filters?The process is actually quite simple for a carbon filter. Water goes through activated carbon. Activated carbon is porous in nature. This causes different types of particles to be trapped, because they are drawn to the porous material.

What’s used in order to activate carbon filters?

There are different elements used for the process, but the primary one would be cool. Some makers will make their filters more advanced by using different elements or a mixture of materials. This would include spun fibers.

Any type of carbon filter you get is going to be designed to let a certain amount of water through when it comes to the filtering process. What you’ll have to decide is just how much water you’ll be using at any given time.

How much do carbon water filters cost?

You can find carbon water filters that are on the low end, but these either might not do the job you want them to do or they might not last long. It’s best to go with a carbon water filter that’s made by a good manufacturer. This will ensure longevity. If you do decide to go with a low cost option you can still make sure it’s good. What you need to do is check the size of particles it’s able to attract. This is called the micron rating. The information should be easily available on any carbon water filter you were to decide to get.

There are some things that carbon water filters or water filters in general just aren’t able to do. For instance, if you suffer from hard water problems a filter isn’t going to do much to help. Plus carbon filters are limited when it comes to design. Carbon filters can’t reduce bacteria or microbes found in water either. In order to deal with these things you’ll have to look to other systems such as UV light systems.

Carbon water filters are the safest and most affordable bet for anyone who doesn’t want to risk their health drinking unsafe water. Even though public water is treated well, putting it through an additional filtering process can really help you feel more reassured. All in all it's really worth the investment.