Activated Carbon Water Filter Tap

A quick look at the options available in water filters on the market will reveal a good number of activated carbon filtering systems. There are actually many good reasons why these devices are so popular, and as many people have already realized, an activated carbon water filter tap is particularly effective at filtering out many of the more harmful particles that may be present in the water supply.

Filtering methods employed

An activated carbon water filter tap may use either one of two filtering components:

  • Granular activated carbon or GAC
  • Powdered block carbon

Regardless of which component your activated carbon water filter tap uses, it will generally do a good job of filtering out contaminants that can have potentially detrimental effects on human health. However, an activated carbon water filter tap that utilizes a powdered block carbon system will be slightly more effective at filtering out contaminants than a similar GAC-based system.

Gauging the effectiveness of your water filter

The effectiveness of an activated carbon water filter tap is determined by two primary factors:

  • the amount of carbon contained in the activated carbon water filter tap
  • the amount of time the contaminant is in contact with the carbon

All other factors being equal (i.e., the quality of the water and the way that the device is used), an activated carbon water filter tap that contains more carbon will generally filter out contaminants more efficiently than a similar system with less carbon. In the same way, an activated carbon water filter tap that is designed to place water in contact with the carbon for lengthier periods will do a better job of filtering out impurities than a water filter in which the water is in contact with the carbon for a comparatively shorter time.

Another important factor that will determine the effectiveness of the activated carbon water filter tap is its rated micron size. Commercially available water filters of this design typically have a rating that ranges from 50 microns to 0.5 microns, with an activated carbon water filter tap with a lower micron rating offering the most effective filtering.

How an activated carbon filter works

There are two primary methods by which an activated carbon water filter tap can remove contaminants from water:

  • Absorption
  • Catalytic reduction

The first process basically involves absorbing the contaminants into the carbon filtering element, thereby removing them from the water. The second process is only slightly more complicated, and it involves attracting the contaminant ions–which have a negative charge–to the activated carbon, which conversely, has a positive charge. The absorption method is better suited to filtering out organic compounds from the water, while catalytic reduction is more effective at filtering out substances such as chlorine and chloramines. Because of these complementary effects, the best activated carbon water filter taps on the market utilize a combination of both filtering methods for maximum protection against a wider range of water-borne contaminants. 

 

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