Carbon Filters

Carbon filters are used to remove/reduce chlorine from municipal water systems as well as volatile organic compounds (VOC's), pharmaceuticals, etc.

For more information on carbon filters, please see the wqrf fact page

Backwashing Carbon Filters

- pros -

∙ Media lasts up to 6 years

∙ Electronic metering

∙ More hands-off

- cons -

∙ More expensive to install

∙ Requires power

∙ Requires a place to drain

🛈 How it works: Service cycle

➤ Untreated water enters through the valve inlet

➤ Untreated water flows down through the media bed

➤ Treated water flows up through the riser pipe

➤ Treated water exits through the valve outlet

➤ Media can treat a set amount of water before regeneration is needed

🛈 How it works: regeneration cycle

➤ The water flow is reversed to fluff and reclassify the bed

➤ The water flow is returned to the normal direction to repack the media bed

➤ Regeneration frequency depends on water usage and chemistry

Carbon Block Filters

- pros -

∙ Relatively inexpensive

∙ Fairly compact

∙ Readily available

- cons -

∙ More hands-on

∙ Filters last 3-6 months

∙ Use case limitations

Further Reading

Whole house carbon filters can provide the benefits of a pitcher style or refrigerator filter for every faucet in the house.

Chlorine typically used for disinfection in municipal water supplies is efficiently removed by activated carbon at very high flow rates.

VOC's, pharmaceuticals and other chemical compounds require longer contact times for complete removal, and the design of the carbon filter is dependent on the specific chemical compound to be treated.