How backwashing carbon filters remove chlorine and sediment is key to understanding their effectiveness in improving water quality for homes and businesses. These filters use activated carbon—a highly porous material with a large surface area—to attract and trap impurities. As water flows through the carbon filter, it removes contaminants like chlorine, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other chemicals, producing cleaner, better-tasting water. By using carbon filters, individuals can reduce their exposure to unwanted chemicals and enjoy water that is free from unpleasant tastes and odors. Whether you’re looking to improve the taste of your tap water or protect your plumbing fixtures from contaminants, a carbon filter is an effective and reliable choice.
Types of Carbon Filters
There are several types of carbon filters available, each designed to address specific water quality concerns. Granular activated carbon (GAC) filters use loose carbon granules to efficiently remove a wide range of contaminants from water.
Catalytic carbon filters break down stubborn chemicals like chloramines, providing more targeted filtration for municipal water supplies that use these disinfectants. Coconut shell carbon filters are another popular option, prized for their high-quality activated carbon derived from coconut shells.
These filters are especially effective at removing impurities and improving the taste of water. By understanding the differences between granular activated carbon, catalytic carbon, and coconut shell carbon filters, you can select the best carbon filter to meet your unique water filtration needs.
How Carbon Water Filters Work
Carbon water filters work by channeling water through a filter tank filled with activated carbon media. As water flows through the carbon media—often made from coconut shells, coal, or wood—the porous structure of the carbon traps contaminants and removes substances like chlorine, lead, and VOCs. The filter media’s large surface area allows it to effectively capture impurities, ensuring that the water emerging from the filter is cleaner and tastes better. This process, known as adsorption, is what makes carbon water filters so effective at improving water quality. Whether used as a standalone system or as part of a larger water filtration setup, carbon water filters work to deliver safe, great-tasting water for your household.
Backwashing Carbon Filters
Backwashing carbon filters maintains optimal performance by periodically cleaning the filter media. During backwashing, water flows in reverse to flush out trapped debris from the media bed. This prevents clogging and extends the life of the carbon filter. Regular backwashing keeps the filter effective and your water clean and great-tasting.. Backwashing carbon filters are an excellent choice for those seeking a low-maintenance, high-performance water filtration solution.
Chemical Reduction and Carbon Filtration
Carbon filtration is a proven method for reducing chemicals and other impurities in your water supply. Activated carbon removes chlorine, organic compounds, and other chemicals through chemical reduction. This improves taste, reduces odors, and lowers exposure to harmful substances. For full treatment, pair carbon filters with sediment filters for particles and water softeners for hardness minerals. By combining these filtration methods, you can ensure your water is clean, safe, and pleasant to use throughout your home.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How do the Backwashing Carbon Filters remove chlorine and sediment from water?
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.
2. What maintenance is required with these backwashing filters?
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.
3. How can I tell when it is time to change the carbon?
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.
4. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter reduce or remove chemicals other than chlorine?
Possibly, but it depends on the chemical and size of the carbon tank.
Contact our technical staff if you need to remove MTBE, TCE, or other organic compounds. These systems are not NSF or WQA certified and can’t be sold in states like California or Wisconsin that require certification. Many customers use our whole-house carbon filters to dechlorinate water for aquariums or reduce chlorine taste and odor.
5. What about chloramines? My municipality uses chloramines, and I want to remove this chemical.
For chloramines, we only recommend ‘catalytic carbon'. We use a type of high-grade coconut shell catalytic carbon. Catalytic carbon is a special type of processed carbon that causes a reaction to occur on the surface of the carbon. Catalytic carbon for chloramine removal costs more than standard activated carbon. The filter tank holding the carbon generally needs to be larger as the reaction time to remove chloramines is slower.
6. Is chlorine harmful or toxic?
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 an allergic reaction to chlorinated water, or that they have sensitive skin and have found dramatic results after putting in a whole-house carbon filter.
7. I plan to inject hydrogen peroxide to get rid of the sulfur odor. What type of carbon should I use?
For peroxide applications, we recommend coconut shell catalytic activated carbon. Catalytic carbon is a special type of processed carbon that causes a reaction to occur on the surface of the carbon. This works much better than standard coconut shell carbon for removing hydrogen sulfide and other odors and is worth the higher price. It lasts longer and works better for peroxide applications.
8. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter remove hardness minerals or help cut down on scale build-up?
No. The system removes sediment and oxidized iron particles, which may cause some spots, but the minerals remain the same. If scaling or spotting is a problem, a water softener is required.
9. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter make my water taste great for drinking?
This depends on the quality of the incoming water and on your own personal taste. Municipally treated water meets stringent USEPA standards for potability. However, many people drink bottled water for aesthetic reasons. Most of our clients drink home-purified water to remove chlorine aftertaste and heavy tastes from minerals or salts.
10. How do the total dissolved solids (“TDS”) affect the taste or potability of the water?
If total dissolved solids (TDS) are moderate to high, removing chlorine may improve taste, but many still find the water tastes “heavy.” Taste is subjective and varies by person. When TDS levels exceed 500 ppm (the USEPA aesthetic guideline), many people prefer purified water from reverse osmosis or distillation.
11. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter remove parasites or cysts?
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.
12. Is bacteria a problem with activated carbon systems?
Yes and no. We have tested many of our Backwashing Carbon Filters for bacteria counts over the years and have not found higher levels after the systems. The system uses chlorinated water to backwash, which helps prevent bacterial growth.
Avoid using non-backwashing tank-type carbon filter systems for this reason. If chlorine levels in the incoming water are very low, use a UV sterilizer to disinfect the water after it passes through the Backwashing Carbon Filter.
13. Will the Backwashing Carbon Filter remove iron, and can I use it on my well water system?
Generally, no. In some cases, you can use a Backwashing Carbon Filter if the well water is chlorinated and has enough contact time to oxidize the iron or manganese. Even then, it’s usually better to use a Pro-OX iron filter first to remove iron, followed by a backwashing carbon filter to reduce chlorine.
