How The AquaRain
System Works...
The AquaRain®
system filters water in a very
natural way using gravity to gently draw water down through our "cultured"
ceramic stone
in much the same manner as nature processes ground water through the earth.
The microfine pore structure of our ceramic media will remove dangerous
organisms such as protozoan cysts (Cryptosporidium, Giardia
lamblia) and microscopic bacteria (E. coli, Salmonella typhimurium,
etc...).
Enclosed within the hard ceramic shell we have incorporated a concentrated bed of
Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) that contains a self-sterilizing metallic
silver. The high performance silvered GAC bed will adsorb various
organic chemicals such as MTBE and pesticides, remove chlorine compounds
including carcinogenic halogens, and improve the taste and odor of the water.
To the benefit of good health, our system will also leave unchanged the naturally occurring electrolytes and minerals found in
your water.
How Ceramics
Work...
Ceramic water filters work in
three ways. First, surface sieving, much like a screen door, does not allow
larger particles to pass through the outer surface of the filter. Second,
ceramic filters operate as a depth media, providing a twisting, tortuous path
like a maze, trapping contaminants within the walls (usually in the top
.005" below the surface). Third, surface charge or adhesion, whereby
contaminants that are small enough to penetrate the walls of the ceramic may
cling to the walls like opposite polarity magnets attract each other. This
surface charge is often greater than the force of the water flow that might
otherwise dislodge the contaminant. This is particularly true with gravity or
siphon-fed ceramic applications.
Wall thickness is particularly important with
regard to a ceramic’s performance as a depth media. The maze-like, tortuous
path allows for filtration performance at an effective pore size that is much
less than the actual median pore diameter of the diatomes from which the filter
is made. As clogged filters are cleaned to restore flow, contaminants in the top
.005" of surface material are removed. Gentle abrasive cleaning will
gradually reduce wall thickness, making a reliable end-of-life indicator or
gauge absolutely essential for easy determination of expended ceramics.