Sediment or Other Particulate Filtration
Particulate filtration is the removal of sediment, silt, sand or other non-dissolved matter. Sediment filters of any kind have a micron rating which refers to the smallest size particle that the filter can remove. A "nominal" rated filter generally can capture around 85% of the particles equal to the filter's micron rating or higher. Nominally rated filters are usually adequate for most residential and commercial applications. Most inexpensive filters are nominally rated filters. Absolute rated filters remove 99.9% of all particles at or larger than the filter's micron rating. Absolute filters are more expensive filter normally used only in critical life science or medical applications.
Sediment Filtration Using a Whole House System
Particles can be removed using a Whole House Multimedia Filter or a Whole House UF System. Standard mesh Water Softeners also remove particles down to about 20 microns. Whole house media filters nominally remove particles down to about 5 microns (depends on media) and whole house UF systems remove particles as small as .025 microns.
The advantages of a standard media filter is that it is inexpensive and the media is long lasting with no changing of filters or use of chemicals. Multimedia filters cannot filter lower than 5 microns and they do waste water during the backwashing process. Whole house UF systems utilize modern technology to capture particles in a hollow fiber bundle that can be backwashed many times. Whole house UF filters can filter particles as low as .025 microns effectivly removing both particles and bacteria. The downside of whole house UF systems is their high initial cost as well as similar water waste during backwashing that occurs with a multimedia filter.
Sediment Filtration Using Cartridge Filtration
The most common method of removing particulates from water is cartridge filtration. Cartridge filtration utilizes a plastic or stainless steel filter housing that holds one or more cartridges made up of a pleated or porous media. Cartridge filtration can handle high flow rates with low pressure drops and the initial expense is relatively minor (for plastic housings anyway). Many different types of cartridge filters in many sizes are available for almost any application. Replacing cartridge filters can be expensive over time depending on the application and the frequency of changes. Find out more about cartridge filtration.
Sediment Filtration Using Bag Filtration
