Are you looking for a better way to clean your tap water at home? If so, a water filter might be what you're looking for. Hundreds of water filters exist today, ranging from simple gravity setups to advanced filtration systems.



According to Our World in Data, about three-quarters of the global population accessed safe and well-managed water sources in 2020. That shows a rise of four percentage points in five years. Water filters can help us achieve clean drinking water globally by removing harmful contaminants like toxic chemicals and bacteria. But how exactly do water filters work? Check out this overview below that highlights different water filtration methods.

Reverse Osmosis

The process of reverse osmosis works by passing a flow of pure water through a membrane that contains tiny pores. Water molecules pass through the membranes, but the pores hold larger particles back. This leaves behind impurities while allowing the purified water through. This method requires less energy to produce clean drinking water compared to distillation.

Distillation

Distilled water is produced with help from a heat exchanger, which evaporates water. The evaporated water condenses into steam and then goes through a cooling coil before being collected. Distilling removes all the unwanted elements from the water. However, distilling takes a lot of energy. As such, reverse osmosis is more energy efficient because it uses less energy than distillation.

Ion Exchange Method

Ion exchange units act similar to distillers because the water is boiled to produce pure distilled water. The difference is that, instead of evaporating all the liquid away, the ions inside the water are exchanged with the ions contained in the resins. Ion exchange is a water treatment process commonly used for water softening or demineralization, which results in highly purified water.

Activated Charcoal Filtration

This method helps remove impurities from water by combining carbon particles with contaminants. Dissolved material passes through the filter while trapping suspended solids. Activated charcoal filters usually cost less than ion exchange or reverse osmosis units, but they work best at warmer temperatures.

Water filters remove various contaminants from water before consumption. This ensures you get clean and safe water every time you drink it. Reach out to our professionals at Water Tree Hwy 6 if you are looking for water purification products, alkaline water refills, or water filtration systems!