Q1)
When does a ceramic filter element need
cleaning?
A1) Once the flow
out of the filter becomes noticeably less
than normal.
Q2) How do I clean a
filter candle?
A2) Use a
scouring pad (similar to 3M
“Scotchbrite”). Ensure that the end of the
plastic mount does not come into contact
with unfiltered water and dirty hands.
Rubber gloves are recommended to be used
during cleaning and NEVER use soap or
detergents!
Q3) My filter candle
blocks up too regularly, what can I do
about it?
A3) In some water
conditions, there is so much particulate
or turbidity in the water supply that the
filter element becomes blocked much
quicker than in normal conditions. In
these circumstances, it is beneficial to
use a pre-filter upstream of the ceramic
candle. This prevents the candle from
becoming blocked too quickly, minimizes
cleaning and so extends the life of the
ceramic filter.
Q4) When does a
ceramic filter element need replacing?
A4) This depends
on the type of candle being used:
Two stage ceramics
should be replaced once cleaning fails to
restore the water flow. However, we
usually recommend that these candles are
replaced after 10,000 litres of water have
passed through the candle, to guarantee
optimum performance.
Three and four
stage ceramics.
In combination filter elements (ceramic
shells containing other types of filter
media) cleaning the ceramic will not
extend the life of the internal material.
For example, the ‘life' of the carbon
block in the filter elements is determined
by the concentration of chlorine and/or
volatile organic compounds in the water
supply. The particulate and turbidity
concentration in the water supply govern
the life of the ceramic. This means that
the life of the ceramic might or might not
exceed the capacity of the carbon insert,
depending on the water quality. Whichever
point is reached first – the twelve months
maximum usage or the ceramic becoming
blocked to the extent where cleaning does
not restore the flow – governs when the
filter element requires replacing.
In most cases, the
filter element should be replaced after 6
- 12 months of daily use. The following
flow guidelines can be used to guarantee
optimum performance:
Two stage 700 US
gallons
Three stage 1400 US gallons
Four stage 1200 US gallons
After this amount
of water has passed through the filter
element, the filter will need to be
replaced to guarantee optimum performance.
Q5) I don't have a flow
meter to gauge the amount of water that my
filter has treated. How can I estimate how
much water has passed through the filter?
A5) On average a
family of four uses approximately 8 litres
of water per day for cooking and drinking.
Therefore, based on 10 litres/day for four
people the life of your filter can be
estimated in time rather than capacity.
However, once a cartridge has become wet
it should be replaced at least every
twelve months regardless of use.
Q6) Do I need to
sterilize the candle after cleaning?
A6) The ceramic
shell of all our filter elements contain
trace amounts of silver to prevent
microbiological growth. These elements are
self-sterilizing and should NOT be
sterilized after cleaning. In the case of
combination filter elements, boiling will
damage the internal components of the
element.
Q7) How do I keep my
filter housing clean?
A7) The filter
housing is best cleaned by unscrewing the
body from the head and wiping the surface
and the inside of the body with a soft
cloth dampened with warm water.
IMPORTANT – DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN THE
FILTER HEAD, WHICH COULD CAUSE
CONTAMINATION OF THE FILTERED WATER.
Q8) What happens if I
leave the filter unused for a period of
time?
A8) If normal use
of the filter is interrupted by holidays
or vacations, growth of harmless
heterotrophic bacteria may result in a
‘flat' or ‘stale' taste for a period of
time when use of the filter resumes. This
is especially true for the filter elements
that contain activated carbon such as the
Nepgen cartridge (contains granular
activated carbon), the three and four
stage cartridges (both contain an extruded
activated carbon core). Flushing the
filter system for several minutes after
any prolonged period of inactivity should
eliminate the problem.
Q9) What is the
difference between temporary and permanent
hardness in water?
A9) Hardness
caused by the presence of positively
charged metal ions. Total hardness is
measured as the equivalent of milligrams
per litre of calcium carbonate. Temporary
hardness only contains metal carbonates
and bicarbonates, the most typical being
calcium carbonate. Temporary hardness is
precipitated from water when heated and is
responsible for the furring of heating
elements and metal pipes. Permanent
hardness consists of non-carbonate based
metal salts, and does not precipitate out
on heating.
Q10) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove hardness?
A10)
Unfortunately filtration does not remove
hardness from water so our filter elements
will not affect the hardness in drinking
water. Hardness can be removed by our
BelKraft ‘No Salt' water softener.
Q11) Will hardness
affect the performance of our ceramic
filter element?
A11) The ATS
media used in our four stage ceramic
filters will adsorb lead, even in the
presence of calcium and magnesium ions.
This is proven in the NSF certification
testing. One of the test protocols for
metal(s) reduction calls for testing at
high pH, high TDS conditions to simulate
use in hard waters. Filter elements
containing ATS have to pass this part of
the test protocol before they can receive
NSF certification.
Q12) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Aluminum?
A12) The
BelKraft's rage of ceramic water filters
are only suitable for the removal of
aluminum in particulate form. They are not
proven to be suitable for treating
dissolved aluminum. To treat water
containing soluble aluminum, ion exchange
resin with our Dual system or reverse
osmosis must be used.
Q13) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Arsenic?
A13) No, Arsenic
is likely to be in a dissolved state, to
remove arsenic passage through activated
alumina is the best method. The Belkraft
triple system is designed for Arsenic
removal.
Q14) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove all types of
bacteria?
A14) No. The
large number of different species of
bacteria of different shape, size and
growth characteristics, preclude the
ceramic filter from being effective
against all of them.
The pathogenic
bacteria that FICL claim to be effective
against have been qualified by test data
from independent test laboratories or are
extrapolated from test data of similar
microorganisms (please seek advice from
FICL on permitted extrapolated claims).
Although the
ceramic will filter all types of
heterotrophic bacteria to some extent, it
should be noted that any harmless bacteria
of this type passing through the ceramic
may multiply downstream of the filter.
Since these heterotrophic bacteria are
harmless, normally there are no problems
and some heterotrophic bacteria are
reported to be beneficial to health.
However, if normal use of the filter is
interrupted by holidays or vacations,
growth of these bacteria may result in a
‘flat' or ‘stale' taste for a period of
time when use of the filter resumes. This
is especially true for the filter elements
that contain activated carbon such as the
Nepjen cartridge (contains granular
activated carbon), the 3 and 4 stage
cartridges (both contain an extruded
activated carbon core). Any system
containing activated carbon, which will
reduce residual levels of free chlorine,
will result in an increase in plate counts
over a short period of time until a
constant state of equilibrium is
established. The UK Drinking Water
Inspectorate water regulations call for
the water to be regularly monitored for
consistency as used, therefore since an
equilibrium point is reached in the
filtered water, the filters comply with
the regulations. The presence of this type
of heterotrophic bacteria does not
constitute a health problem since the
organisms present will be harmless and a
suitable level of consistency would be
established. Flushing the filter system
for several minutes after any prolonged
period of inactivity should eliminate the
problem.
Q15) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Chloramine?
A15) Chloramine
may be removed by passing through a bed of
activated carbon, but requires much
greater contact time with the carbon than
chlorine, so a slow flow rate through the
carbon must be ensured. To reduce the
levels of Chloramine you will need to
restrict the flow rate from the filter.
Q16)
Will my BelKraft filter remove diesel,
petroleum or MTBE?
A16) The ceramic
part of our filter elements will not take
out any of these organic materials. The
activated carbon in the 3 and 4 stage
filter elements will have greater effect..
Q17) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Fluoride?
A17) No. Fluoride
salts are soluble in water. To remove
dissolved fluoride, passage through
activated alumina is the best method. The
Belkraft triple system is designed for
Fluoride removal.
Q18) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Iron?
A18) Our ceramic
water filters are only suitable for the
removal of iron in particulate form. They
are not proven as suitable for treating
dissolved iron. To treat water containing
soluble iron, the iron must be oxidised to
induce precipitation prior to filtration.
Alternatively the BelKraft iron filter or
reverse osmosis can be used.
Q19) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Legionella?
A19) Since
Legionella has a similar morphology to
E-coli, our ceramic filter elements should
provide similar protection against
Legionella . However, Legionella is
capable of slow regrowth downstream of the
filter, so if just one organism passes
through the ceramic it could eventually
colonise the water delivery system.
Therefore it is important to regularly
disinfect downstream of the filter or fit
a UV light just after the filter.
Q20) Will my BelKraft
element remove Manganese?
A20) No, to
remove Manganese, oxidation treatment and
filtration can be done, or for low levels
of contamination, Green sand or Inversand
can be used.
Q21) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Nitrates?
A21)
Unfortunately the ceramic filter elements
will not remove nitrates. In the home the
only effective method that can be used to
remove nitrates is ion exchange media with
the BelKraft Dual system.
Q22) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Oestrogen and
Synthetic Oestrogen?
A22) There has
been a limited amount of research into
Oestrogen and Synthetic Oestrogen, and so
we do not have quantifiable test data on
the effectiveness of our products in
removing it. Due to the chemical
properties of Oestrogen, we believe that
activated carbon would be effective in
reducing it. However until better test
methodology is available, we are unable
make a claim.
Q23) Will my BelKraft
filter element remove Pseudamonas
aeroginosa?
A23) Pseudomonas
aeroginosa is a potential coloniser of
water system networks and is similar in
size to E-coli. FICL candles should
therefore, in theory, show a similar
reduction efficiency for Pseudomonas
aeroginosa as for E-coli. However, since
this organism is rapid growing and may
recover quickly, without physically
testing FICL ceramic filters with this
type of organism, it is impossible to
predict a performance claim. FICL is not
prepared to attempt a prediction of
performance, since the filters provide a
<99.99% barrier, but do not provide
100% barrier to E-coli. A limited number
of cells may pass through the filter
which, unlike E-coli, may form colonies
down stream of the filter. It would be
more suitable to combine filtration with a
disinfection stage to ensure removal of
Pseudomonas aeroginosa.
Q24) Why does the pH
of my drinking water increase when I use
my ceramic filter?
A24) The slight
increase in the pH of water passed through
the ceramic filters is due to the presence
of the mineral Wollastonite in the
ceramic. Wollastonite is slightly soluble
and alkaline, so may partly dissolve in
the water as it passes through the filter
causing a minor pH shift which is
harmless. No health based guideline value
for pH in drinking water has been proposed
by the WHO, although accompanying notes to
the guidelines state that the pH range is
often in the range of 6.5-9.5. In general
there is little evidence to suggest that
pH in potable water of around 9-10 is of
public health significance.
Q25) What level of
bacterial contamination can the ceramic
cope with before I need to use something
else?
A25) In the
absence of conclusive data regarding the
levels of infective doses for specific
pathogens, the FICL microbiological
laboratory has been testing our filter
elements for many years using an influent
challenge of 6 log of E-Coli to
substantiate the 4 log E-coli reduction
claim that we make. This level of
protection offered by the filters is more
than adequate in all protected waters and
the vast majority of moderately
contaminated surface waters. However, if
the level of contamination in the water
exceeds levels of 10 4 (4log) an
additional treatment must be used such as
disinfection or UV light treatment. It
would be extremely unusual for water
having a greater level of contamination
than 10 4 , to be considered suitable as a
potable water source.
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