A Proven Track Record In Purifying Water
With the exception of water distillers, ceramic water filters are the most effective domestic filters for removing bacteria from your tap water.
Several Non Governmental Organizations(NGOs) and the late US public health activist, Ron Rivera, supported the expansion of ceramic filters in the drive towards safer drinking water.
It is no surprise that ceramic filters have grown in popularity. The outer pores of these filters, which are small, narrow and very tightly compressed, greatly inhibit bacteria and cysts from passing through and into your tap water.
Some ceramic water filters have pores sizes as small as 0.2 microns; others may go up to several microns. One micron is equivalent to 1/1000 of a millimeter; hence, a 0.2 micron pore size filter is capable of rejecting virtually all microbiological contaminants.
Bear in mind however, that depending on the temperature and the nutrients present in your water supply, bacteria can contaminate the “clean side” of a ceramic water filter element and consequently, enter your water supply. It does so through a process called mitosis, where over time, bacteria cells divide, multiply and then grow through the ceramic element.
To combat mitosis, most ceramic water filtration systems are treated with colloidal silver. Silver inhibits bacteria, mold and algae from growing within the body of the filter. You can also clean the outside of element yourself using a scrubbing pad. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s cleaning guidelines for maximum filter performance.
Another limitation of ceramic filters is that they don’t remove chemical contaminants such as chlorine and pesticides. To solve this problem, some manufacturers outfit their ceramic water filters with an activated carbon media. You can read more about various types of water filter media.
Ceramic & Carbon Filtration
Activated carbon is very effective in absorbing industrial chemicals and other inorganic compounds. Carbon filters do get clogged, and therefore, need to be cleaned fairly regularly. So once again, heed the manufacturer’s maintenance guidelines.
Before you are ready to buy a ceramic drinking water filter, make sure it is compliant with the United States Environmental Protection Agency(USEPA) testing protocol for water filters/ purifiers.
Ceramic Filter Media Granules
The USEPA has established tough, minimum levels of performance for the elimination of three classes of organisms. These are protozoa or cysts, bacteria, and virus, all of which can cause serious diseases.
For example, a ceramic household water filter that meets the removal standard for bacteria, can remove 99.99% of klebsiella terrigena. The klebsiella bacteria, can cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections and other diseases.
To find out if a ceramic filter is certified to USEPA standards, check the product literature and/or the manufacturer’s website for such information. These sources should mention which third party laboratory have certified the filter.
You can verify this information by calling the EPA hotline in your area. They should be able to advise you as to whether the certification is legitimate or not.
Recognize that some ceramic filters are certified to all three classes of organisms and others might be certified to only one or two. When a filtration device can remove all three classes of organisms, it is a true “microbiological water purifier.”
Distillation devices are true microbiological water purifier, but other devices, such as activated carbon filters with silver, are only partially capable of removing microbiological contaminants.
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