The Best Water Filtration Media: Everything You Need to Know

Most local water systems these days are filled with harmful contaminants from the result of bad filtration systems and pollution. Due to this occurrence, it’s become a must to have a whole house water filter installed in every home. 

In order to get the best performance out of your water filter, it’s necessary to get technical and understand more about how it works. One of these parts that you should pay attention to is the water filtration media.

Each water filter system uses a different water filtration media and each type has its own specialty and advantages. Here, we’re going to explore more about water filtration media and the best ones currently used by homeowners.

Getting the Right Water Filter for Your Home

Before we start talking about water filter media, it’s important to understand that there are also different types of water filters available in the market. This means that you should choose the right water filter for your house first before looking for ways to customize the filter’s functionality.

A factor that you should know when finding a water filter is the water source. It’s necessary to get a more advanced water filter if your water source is filled with multiple contaminants. Though if your only problem with your water system is hard water, then it’s a good idea to just invest in a water softener.

Another factor for getting a water filter is your budget, the size of your home, and how much you want to filter out the water in your plumbing system. Small water filters cannot accommodate a large house that has a huge amount of plumbing system installed on it. Whenever looking for the right type of water filter, it’s good to ask a professional before making the purchase.

What is a Water Filter Media?

A water filter media acts as a sieve in your water filter which prevents any type of contaminants from entering into your home plumbing system. It’s usually a tube that’s filled with a powdery substance that is able to trap the contaminants, stopping them from going through your water filter.

There are different types of water filter media, each having their own specific grain size and method to filter out any contaminants. Most homeowners tend to search for water filter media that are able to filter out certain contaminants that are not common but can be found in their water supply.

Whenever you’re choosing a water filtration media for your home’s water filter, it’s necessary to look for one that’s made for removing any specific contaminants in your local water source.

Are Filtration Systems and Filter Medias the Same?

Although these two things work in the same way, a water filtration system is actually the unit that you’re supposed to choose how you want your water to be filtered. 

You can get a gravity water filter where the sediments are all placed below the tank while clean water goes up. Or you can choose a reverse osmosis system where water goes through a semipermeable membrane in order to filter out the sediments from the water.

In contrast, water filter media are installed inside these water filters in order to do the actual filtering process. They’re customizable to whatever type of method you want your water to be filtered and can be replaced at a cheaper cost compared to purchasing an entire water filter.

Some of the Most Used Water Filtration Media

Activated Carbon

The standard and most popular type of water filter media that’s installed in every urban house’s water filter. The char, or carbon, is made from burnt wood or coconut shells which are heated in a way where it turns into char. 

This process results in activated carbon which creates a porous type of filter that’s able to bind to toxins and other types of contaminants. Purified water can then go through it, giving you cleaner and safer drinking water.

You can find this in most whole house water filter and even small water filter for your water bottle or pitcher.

Reverse Osmosis Membrane

A reverse osmosis membrane is also another popular kind of water filter media. This one works by letting water go through a semipermeable membrane while trapping other types of toxins and contaminants found on your water supply. 

It has the same mechanics as to how a reverse osmosis water filter works while also filtering out other specific contaminants. 

Some of these contaminants that it’s able to remove are metals, pathogens, and dangerous chemicals. 

UV Filtration

This type of filtration system is quite new and it requires a bit of technology in order to function. 

It works by letting water pass through this filter media where UV rays, which emit a specific frequency, are emitted. This damages the DNA in harmful pathogens like E.coli and giardia which makes them docile and unable to harm the human body. This method is highly effective in killing every bacteria found in your local water stream as it’s impossible for them to adapt and survive to UV light.

Most homeowners like to install this water filter media as it’s completely safe to use and can efficiently sanitize their water system. 

Mixed Media Filter

A mixed media filter is more of a customized type of media filter where it’s composed of various types of media filter that’s all fitted in one. 

This kind of media filter was created to specifically target multiple contaminants in a water system where one specific type of media filter cannot kill all of them. It usually consists of compounds like gravel, resin, and carbon.

Although this might seem to be rare in some areas. They’re quite used to other places where their local water system is unable to filter out most contaminants. This forces the homeowners to create a media filter that can filter out most unwanted chemicals and pathogens.

Conclusion

There are still other types of water filter media that we haven’t talked about yet, each of them also having their own method and specific type of contaminant that it filters out.

We hope this article was of use to you on finding the right water filter media for your own whole house water filter.