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Pentek Big Blue Sediment FiltersFree ground shipping on Pentek products in the continental US use checkout coupon PENTEKFS! (Does not apply to dealer pricing). Sediment cartridge filters are primarily used to remove silt, sand or other particulate matter from water. These Big Blue® size water filters are 4-1/2" in diameter either 9-3/4" in length (for 10" housings) or 20" long (for 20" housings). These filters do not contain any activated carbon and so do not improve the taste/odor of water or remove chlorine. For carbon or carbon impregnated Big Blue® size cartridge filters, click here.
Which sediment filter cartridge should I choose? Size of FilterIf you are replacing an existing filter cartridge, you should first verify the diamter and length of your existing filter cartridge. Standard diameter filters vary from a width (diameter) of 2-1/2 to 2-5/8 inches and are available in 10, 20, 30 and 40 inch lengths. "Big Blue®" diameter filters are approximately 4-1/2" in diameter and available in lengths of 10 (9-3/4") and 20 inches. Big Blue® diameter filters are normally chosen for their high capacity (longer interval between filter changes) rather than higher flow rates. If you are choosing a filter for a new system to be installed, you should choose a filter size based on desired flow rate. A general rule of thumb for nominal rated sediment filters is about 8 gallons of minute maximum flow per 10" of filter for filters 5 micron and larger and 5 gallons per minute of flow per 10" of filter for filters less than 5 micron in rating. Undersizing a filter may lead to higher pressure drops across the filter and faster than desired filter change intervals. Oversizing a filter simply results in more cost and a larger filter space footprint. Type of FilterPENTEK® sediment filters can be broken down into two basic categories - pleated filters and depth filters. Pleated filters feature high flow rates and low pressure drops. Pleated cartridge filters are ideal for home point of entry for residential commercial usage because of their high flow rates and low pressure drops. Because pleated filters are a "surface filter" they capture particles on the surface of the media - giving the filter a sharp cutoff on the size of particles captured (for example a 5 micron pleated filters will not capture most particles under 5 micron but will capture the majority of particles 5 microns and above). Because particles 20 microns and smaller in diameter are not visible with the naked eye, 20 micron pleated sediment filters are common for residential usage. PENTEK® depth sediment filters are named so because they capture particles through the entire depth of the filter media which tends to be a thick layer of media. Because depth filters capture a broader size of particles both below and above the micron rating of the filter, they are popular for pretreatment applications where the filter is protecting other equipment downstream of the filter (such as a reverse osmosis system). Filter Material of ConstructionSediment filters are constructed of cellulose polyester, polyester (100%), polypropylene or cotton. Applications with non-chlorinated water are recommended to stay away from cotton or cellulose polyester as this media can provide a food source for bacteria. Municipal or other chlorinated water sources can pretty much use filters with any media type since the chlorine reduces bacterial growth. Polyester is normally used in pleated filters and polypropylene in string wound or melt spun filters simply for ease of construction. Both materials have similar properties. If the application is odor/taste improvement or chlorine reduction in addition to particle filtration, you may want to consider a carbon impregnated pleated filter or even better a carbon block filter with both attributes. Choosing a Filter Micron RatingA general rule of thumb is to choose a filter with the largest micron rating to accomplish your goal. Particles smaller than 20 micron are not visible to the naked eye so if your goal is to reduce visibly objectionable particles a 20 micron or 10 micron filter is probably sufficient. Pretreatment for a reverse osmosis system or carbon block filter is generally recommended at 5 microns to prevent damage to the RO membrane or premature clogging of the carbon block filter. Cysts are about 1 micron in diamter and bacteria can be as small as .2 microns. It is possible to filter out cysts and bacteria but a nominal filter cartridge is not recommended for this application. You should see Siemens FCNA, FCPP or FCWN series of filters for absolute rated filtration. Siemens recommends:
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