A. The 1.5 cubic foot size ("1.5 CF") is best for most standard residential homes with 2 to 4 person and 1 to 2.5 bathrooms. There is no disadvantage in choosing a slightly larger size such as the 2.0 or 2.5 CF size. For large families or for large homes with 2 - 3 bathrooms, the 2.5 CF size is more than large enough to do a great job at removing chlorine (and/or chloramines if the Catalytic Carbon is chosen).

A. The Backwashing Carbon Filter is a large filter canister filled with activated carbon media. Activated carbon removes chlorine in a chemical reaction that oxidizes the carbon surface. Chlorine tastes and odors are removed. Sediment down to 30 microns in size is also removed by mechanical filtration. The filter is kept clean with a weekly automatic backwash. During the backwash (which typically occurs in the middle of the night) the carbon is washed clean by a 6 to 8 minute backwash and 4 to 6 minute rinse cycle.

A. Depending on the level of chlorine in the water, the carbon will need to be changed every 2 to 3 years. This is easily done without any special tools and costs between $100 and $300 depending on the size of the carbon filter.

A. You can use a simple chlorine test kit to determine when chlorine is leaking through the carbon and change it when the media starts to wear out.

A. Yes, but choose the Catalytic Carbon option and provide some aeration, air injection or chlorine injection prior to the catalytic carbon filter.

A. Chlorine itself is poisonous but not in the levels found in municipally treated water. The huge benefit of chlorination which is the disinfection of our water supplies far outweighs the slight health risks associated with using chlorinated water over a lifetime. Many people prefer to shower in de-chlorinated water, to avoid the taste, odor and irritation that chlorine can cause. Some of our customers report allergic reaction to chlorinated water, or that they have sensitive skin and found dramatic results after putting in a whole house carbon filter.

A. No. The system removes sediment and oxidized iron particles, which may cause some spotting, but the minerals remain the same. If scaling or spotting is a problem, a water softener is required.

A. This depends on the quality of the incoming water and on your own personal taste. If your water is chlorinated or has other bad tastes, it will definitely taste a lot better after flowing through the activated carbon. However, some waters are high alkalinity, dissolved minerals such as sulfate, iron or manganese or high total dissolved solids. The carbon will have no effect on these inorganic minerals..

A. If the water has a moderate to higher total dissolved solids content, then merely filtering the water of chlorine could improve taste, but many people will say the water still tastes "heavy" compared to purified water. Taste is very subjective, and the ability to taste varies widely from person to person. The higher the TDS level, particularly when it reaches over 500 ppm (the USEPA recommended aesthetic guideline) the more people will want to purify the water by using reverse-osmosis.

A. No. Giardia and Cryptosporidium cysts can be removed by 1 micron absolute filters: see our line of drinking water filters and our ultraviolet/filter combinations for cyst removal.

A. We have tested many of our Backwashing Carbon Filters for bacteria counts over the years and have not found higher levels after the systems. Since the system backwashes with chlorinated water, bacteria growth is retarded. For this reason, non-backwashing tank-type carbon filter systems should not be used. However if the chlorine levels are very low in the incoming water, then a UV sterilizer should be used to disinfect the water after the Backwashing Carbon Filter.