FAQ Aqua Filtration

Why do I need a Whole House Filtration System instead of just a kitchen filter?
A whole house system ensures that all water entering your premises is both filtered and sterilized. Once connected and operating, your water supplies will be immediately “protected” by passing through a simple and effective purification process. You can shower, bath, drink, brush your teeth with confidence knowing that harmful contaminants and bacteria’s have been effectively removed from your water.

Many people do not realise that after 6 months, bacterial build-up in under-sink filter units renders water from these filters more dangerous than not having a filter at all.

A crude way to test your water supply is to count your number of bathrooms and kitchens, then open the same number of taps, catching the water in buckets for 30 seconds (A bucket holds about 9 litres of water). Then measure in total, the litres collected in those buckets and double the sum. This will give you the litres per minute you are likely to consume.

Sterilisation rates are measured in nano joules per square centimetre (nJ/sqcm). This will probably mean little to you, suffice to say, the lamp is selected to meet the optimum flow rate of the individual system. It is preferable to have an oversupply of UV sterilisation. The Aqua Filter is designed to provide excess UV for the application. In real terms this only means that the water is subjected to more light than is necessary to kill bacteria. In all Aqua Filter systems, the UV light will effectively eradicate any bacteria, cyst or virus present in the water.

What is in tank, bore, stream, lake or river water that this system will remove?
Tank water may be obtained from a variety of sources, a river, lake or stream bore. However most water tanks are used to store rainwater captured from a roof. Rainwater is exceptionally pure, however the process of rain falling though the atmosphere, falling on your roof and flowing from the spouting into the tank is open to contamination. If you doubt this, just take a look at the silt and foreign matter that collects in your spouting.

Birds often sit on roof ridges, TV aerials and sky dishes as well as on the edge of spouting. Bird droppings contain reasonably high levels of contaminants and bugs such as e-coli and can carry diseases. E-coli is present in the gut of animals and the bacterium is passed in the faeces. In rural areas, rats (that are known carriers of diseases such as TB) also can be heard scurrying along roofs as can other vermin. Animals are generally not too particular about where they relieve themselves and if it is on a roof, it will be washed into your water tank. It is not uncommon to find a dead bird in a spouting.

If your water comes from a river or lake, one must remember that animals often go to water sources when they are close to death. Many actually die in the water. Sometimes animals drown in water as they lose their footing in deep pools. Cows and livestock are also not too particular about leaving the water should they be caught short. Fish die in water, as do plants, bugs and algae. Flowing streams pick up smaller particles and although water may look clean, a closer inspection will show large amounts of water borne contaminants. Often people swim in water holes and giardia is often passed in the urine of people as well as animals. Trees sometimes fall into water sources, leaves, branches and wind blown pollens, seeds, dust particles, insecticide and herbicide sprays as well as contaminants leached from over fertilised soils all find their way into water courses.

Bore water is seemingly clean, especially if it is gathered from a deep well. However wells do pick up fine sedimentary particles that will block washing machine filters and such like. These particles also shorten the life of a pump, especially if a positive displacement pump with its close tolerances is used. Rust stain are often found in toilets and generally filters removed from bores have a reddish tinge as rust particles from metals in the substrate are drawn into the supply.

Water taste is often affected by contaminants in the water, as is smell. Tanks are not cleaned or maintained regularly or the water sources that are prone to large amounts of decaying vegetation seriously contaminate the water supply to a home.

Aqua filter systems installed and maintained in accordance with our instructions, effectively remove all the visible particles of silt and contaminants in water. The smallest filter will remove particles greater than 1 millionth of an inch (1 Micron) The carbon filter will effectively neutralise bad tastes and odours. The UV lamp (which produces between 30,000nJ/sqcm – 60,000nJ/sqcm (nano Joules per square centimetre – which is the measure of UV radiation depending on the system) then destroys all bacteria in the water leaving it safe to drink.

Aqua filter systems will treat water bacteria to the standard required in a municipal water system and in terms of filtration will exceed it. (Municipal supplies are mostly treated with chemicals to kill bacteria, Aqua filter systems use natural UV light that leaves no residue in the water.

Will this system mean I don’t have to treat my water supply with chemicals?
Aqua filter system will mean that you do not need to treat tank water at all. It should be placed after the pump before the water enters the house. We recommend that water be treated after it leaves the tank and that tanks are cleaned regularly to remove silt. The cleaner the water supplied to the Aqua filter, the longer the life of the system.

How can this system improve my shower water, my clothes washing water, my drinking water?
Waterborne diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms that most commonly are transmitted in contaminated fresh water. Infection commonly results during bathing, washing, drinking, in the preparation of food, or the consumption of food thus infected. Various forms of waterborne diarrheas disease probably are the most prominent examples, and affect mainly children in developing countries; according to the World Health Organisation, (WHO) such diseases account for an estimated 4.1% of the total DALT (Disability-Adjusted Life Year) global burden of disease, and cause about 1.8 million human deaths annually. The World Health Organisation estimates that 88% of that burden is attributable to unsafe water supply, sanitation and hygiene.

Fresh drinking water is increasingly becoming a major issue for Indonesians. The sale of under sink filters, reverse osmosis systems, distillation systems as well as carbon filtration is increasing exponentially as more people recognise the health benefits of drinking fresh, clean, treated drinking water. Aqua filter systems however do not only filter and sterilise drinking water, but all the water in your home. This means that the water which you shower and bathe in, wash your clothes and dishes, provide for plants, and give to your pets is going to be the cleanest and most efficiently produced. Mechanical devices that use water including irons, washing machines, dishwashers, electric jugs (etc) will last longer due to the quality of the water passing through them. Clothes do not run the risk of staining due to unfiltered water being used in the wash process and should last longer due to the fact that silt particles are less likely to adhere to the fabric fibres.

What is hard and soft water?
Hard water… is water that contains an appreciable quantity of dissolved minerals (like calcium and magnesium).
Soft water… is treated water in which the only ion is sodium.
As rainwater falls, it is naturally soft. However, as water makes its way through the ground and into our waterways, it picks up minerals such as chalk, lime and mostly calcium and magnesium.. Since hard water contains essential minerals, it is sometimes the preferred drinking water. Not only because of the health benefits, but also the flavour.

When it boils down, the major difference between “hard” and “soft” water can best be seen while doing household chores. Hard water is to blame for dingy looking clothes, dishes with spots and residue, and bathtubs with lots of film and soap scum. Even hair washed in hard water may feel sticky and look dull. Hard water can take a toll on household appliances as well and use up more energy. The elements of hard water are to blame for all of these negative factors, as soap is less effective due to its reaction to the magnesium and calcium. The lather is not as rich and bubbly.

How is this system better than the current town supply water I have and why would I spend that much on it?
I suppose that in real terms it comes down to how important fresh, filtered and sterilised water is to you and your family.

Water in most regions is sterilised chemically, the most common chemical used is chlorine. By the time water reaches your house, it has more than likely travelled down many kilometres of pipes, all in differing states of repair and construction. Any Fire Fighter in NZ will tell you that they always flush a fire hydrant (which comes off a municipal water main) before connecting the water to a fire engine due to the contaminants in a water main. This is especially important in dead end mains and in supplies used for a limited number of premises.

Aqua filter systems (if operated in accordance with the manufacturers instructions) will provide fresh, clean, treated drinking water of a consistently better quality than is being provided in a municipal supply.

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