The use of water for domestic and food purposes is almost impossible without preliminary water treatment. It is carried out in several stages, the first of which is mechanical filtration.
Mechanical water purification is required to eliminate a number of various substances. With its help, large inclusions consisting of sand, clay, rust and other components, relatively small components that color the water, as well as impurities that change the taste and smell are removed. With help mechanical cleaning up to sixty percent of all contaminants are eliminated. This is not enough for any use, so it is supplemented with other types of filtration.
Rice. 1 Filters for water purification
Mechanical cleaning is carried out in several stages different methods. Among them are coarse filtration, which removes large inclusions, sedimentation, centrifugation and fine filtration.
All devices by which water is purified from mechanical impurities can be divided into industrial and household.
Industrial filters are used to purify water in large volumes. They have significant performance and consist of several parts.
The first cleaning element is a coarse filter, which catches large inclusions.
After removing large suspended matter from the water, the liquid is settled. In settling tanks, particles that differ in density from water are separated. Some settle to the bottom, while others rise to the surface. In this way, they get rid of solid inclusions that were not retained by the coarse filter, as well as petroleum products and oils.
Next, hydrocyclones and centrifuges are used to create centrifugal acceleration. With their help, fine suspension, which otherwise does not settle, is separated from the water and collected in special devices.
The next step is to use fine filters. They use coal, woven materials, sand and some others, which effectively separate mechanical impurities.
After mechanical filtration, purification is carried out by other methods. Only after this is water supplied to the water supply and sent to the consumer. But cleaning is not always ideal, and old water pipes add pollution, so devices for mechanical filtration and deeper cleaning are also installed in the apartment.
Mechanical cleaning filters for apartments
Mechanical water filtration is required both in an apartment with centralized water supply, and in the house with autonomous system. Water can be taken in with impurities or receive them while passing through pipes. In any case, you need to get rid of inclusions, because... they are harmful to plumbing fixtures, household appliances and fine filters. There are three main types of household mechanical filters. These are mesh without self-washing and self-washing, as well as cartridge ones.
Mesh filters without auto-rinsing
Mesh filters of this type are called mud filters. They have very simple design. Inside there is a metal mesh that traps large inclusions. The size of the retained contaminants depends on the size of the mesh cells. It doesn’t make sense to install the option with small cells right away, because... it will clog quickly. If you want to clean the water as much as possible from mechanical impurities using mud filters, then several devices with different mesh sizes are placed in succession.
Rice. 2 What mechanical water purification filters look like All devices of this type require regular cleaning. When the mesh becomes clogged, the water pressure in the pipes decreases. The filters are equipped with special plugs that must be unscrewed to remove the mesh element.
There are mud bugs different sizes and configurations. They are installed in pipes at the entrance to the house. Connections to pipes can be flanged or coupling.
Mesh filters with auto-washing
Washable strainers are much more convenient to use and maintain. The devices consist of a housing, which is designed to be inserted into a pipe, and a glass with a mesh filter inside. The body is made of metal. The glass can be either transparent plastic or metal. The filter element is usually made from food grade of stainless steel. At the bottom of the glass there is a tap and a drain pipe, which is intended for draining dirty water after washing the mesh.
Rice. 3 Wash filter for mechanical water purification
Backwashing is more effective. In this case, the filter element passes reverse flow water. This option is implemented in some models of mesh devices.
Rice. 4 Automatic water rinsing filter To control water pressure, a number of models have pressure gauges. Two devices, at the inlet and at the outlet, allow you to monitor filter contamination by pressure difference. In some cases, the device is combined with a water pressure reducer, which allows you to adjust its level.
Cartridge mechanical filters
The third type of household devices for mechanical water purification are cartridge filters. They are easy to use and have a low price.
Such filters consist of several functional parts. The first part is the housing, which connects to water pipe. Typically, models are equipped with a suspension system for mounting to the wall, so as not to create additional load on the pipes. There is also a button on the body to reduce internal pressure.
A glass is attached to the body from below. It comes in transparent or opaque plastic and metal. The glass is attached using threaded connection or using additional seals.
Inside the glass there is filter material in the form of a replaceable cartridge. The cartridge is usually a hollow cylinder whose walls are made of porous material. Water entering the glass along the outer walls passes through the filter material into the central cavity and is directed to exit the filter.
Rice. 5 Cartridge device for mechanical cleaning cold water
The filter walls of the cartridge are usually made of polypropylene. It can be spongy, corrugated or in the form of wound threads. The choice of polypropylene for this role is not accidental. The material does not enter chemical reactions, does not highlight harmful substances, can be used in the medical and food industries.
Rice. 6 Mechanical cleaning cartridge Depending on the nature of the filler, the size of the filter cells varies widely. In some cases it ranges from one to five micrometers. Such a filter can hardly be called a coarse cleaning device. In some cases, they can replace fine filters.
The only disadvantage of cartridge filters is the need to replace the cartridges. They are not washed or restored, so periodically you need to purchase consumables.
When choosing a mechanical cleaning device for your home, it is necessary to assess the degree of contamination of the water with insoluble inclusions. In some cases, a cartridge filter will be sufficient, while in others a coarse pre-cleaning device will be required.
ALSO BUY WITH PRODUCTS IN THIS CATEGORY:filters with pressure gauge in Moscow
A filter with a pressure gauge is a complex device that allows you to simultaneously purify water and control the pressure inside the pipeline. Devices of this class are installed on a straight section pipes, do not require the creation of additional bends - pipe fragments and the filter are connected in series.
Filters of this type belong to wash filters, that is, their principle of operation is based on the fact that water passes through a cleaning cartridge and then enters the pipeline already purified, that is, it bypasses the filter element directly along the route.
These filters already contain pressure gauge or have a special connector for connecting it. Using a pressure gauge allows you to monitor the pressure of the working medium inside the pipes in real time, and also allows you to indirectly control the degree of filter clogging. By the way, the flask of most filters of this type is self-cleaning: when you open a special valve at the bottom of the filter, all contaminant particles are washed out of it - and filter ready for effective water purification again.
Depending on the characteristics of the materials from which they are made, filters with pressure gauges are divided into universal ones and those that can only be used in cold water supply networks. Universal, as the name suggests, can be used in both cold and hot water supply networks, as well as in heating systems.
We will help you choose a filter with a pressure gauge that is best suited for your case. If you purchase a filter separately with a connection for a pressure gauge, we will help you choose a pressure gauge for it, and we are also ready to advise you on the choice
Water purification filter with the ability easy removal pollution.
A wash filter is a device for mechanical water purification that does not require periodic replacement of the main element. Simply rinse the filter mesh.
In tap water, even city water, there is enough sand, sediment flakes and rust fragments, from which cheap faucet axle boxes, ceramic spools of mixers, as well as shut-off and drain valves suffer. cisterns. In the sense that they begin to leak or undermine. Additionally, well water may have algae.
There will be no photos of crumpled cardboard packaging.
The rinsable water filter consists of the following components:
- flask with inlet and outlet pipes;
- internal cylindrical mesh;
- rotary drain valve on the lower outlet of the flask;
- some models include a pressure gauge.
The principle of operation is quite simple. The mesh is fixed in the flask from below and above so that there is empty space between it and the walls. Tap water enters through the entrance, seeps through the cells, leaving all the dirt on them, and rises under pressure to the exit. The denser the filter surface, the better cleaning. In addition to the inlet and outlet holes, there is also a third one located at the bottom of the flask. During regular work the filter is turned off by the tap.
When the mesh becomes dirty and the liquid begins to pass through worse, it is opened. Under the influence of pressure, water is directed into the lower hole in a powerful stream, washing away dirt from the cells and walls of the flask along the way. You should make it a rule to periodically wash the filter.
Instructions in Chinese.
Dimensions 90 x 210 mm, diameter 59 mm.
Connection 1/2"".
Weight 444g.
Water temperature 5-40 degrees Celsius. For hot water They produce all-metal filters.
Water pressure 0.1-0.4 mPa (~ 1-4 atm)
Cell size metal mesh filter specified 40-60 microns.
The drain pipe is connected by a flexible hose to the sewer.
I have had two filters in my boiler room since 2011. One for the city water supply, the second for pumping station from the well. They do not require any maintenance other than draining the sludge once a week or month.
Why do I need a third filter, you might think - to filter water from the second well into the Ariston heater in summer kitchen.
Decide for yourself whether to install it at all and where to buy it; there are no options in the stores in my city.
The process of draining the sludge can be seen in the video.
As a result, in the summer kitchen, well water is filtered only to the heater + mixer; for irrigation it goes directly past the filter... In the background, the inlet hose from the pump, blackened by earthen sediment, was once transparent.
And that is not all.
To close the topic, I’ll show you an option for using a local filter. Due to fine sediment, constant leaks shut-off valves forced to find such a filter.
Mechanical impurities are one of the most common things that you can encounter when consuming water, even from a water supply system (which has already gone through the water treatment stage, ideally). There are many options for how to deal with such contaminants.
1.1 Types of filters for removing mechanical impurities
Another wash-type filter model, inlet diameter ½ inch
The main types are as follows:
- Coarse cleaning methods are used (particles ranging in size from 20 to 100 microns are removed);
- Fine purification methods are used (water is purified from particles 1-5 microns in size).
Separately, we consider the so-called “mud filters” (including industrial ones), the task of which is to keep dirt from entering the system (we are not talking about fine cleaning here, they can be used when supplying water from a well).
In this case, filters are installed mainly at the outlet of the well. This is done so that the water is purified on the approaches from the well, and enters the system in a suitable form.
If a well is used as a source of water, coarse purification will be indispensable in the water treatment system (as well as fine purification products).
Methods for cleaning the filter are divided into:
- Flushing (usually main);
- Non-washable (usually a cartridge is used).
A special feature of filters that use a cartridge (including fine filters) is that it is impossible to wash the filter cartridge; after the end of its service life, it must be replaced.
At the same time, cartridges for filtering hot and cold water are not interchangeable, since a temperature greater than that for which the housing is designed will deform it or the cartridge.
In addition, you need to take into account that the life of the cartridge may vary depending on the composition of the water, and if it is necessary to replace it, you will have to shut off the water supply.
A wash filter (including a main filter) requires one or another method of cleaning the filter element.
The same blocks for hot water are usually opaque and metal. The transparent housing of the cold water filter sometimes allows you to “assess its condition by eye.”
2 Which mechanical cleaning filter to choose?
If you buy a main hot or cold water filter using coarse or fine cleaning methods, for household use, a model with the possibility of backwashing will be more convenient (also suitable for supplying water from a well).
Despite the fact that the main filter can be washed in one way or another without turning off the system, it is recommended to wash the mesh separately (that is, still turn off the system for a while), but this is done much less frequently than the need to change the cartridge.
If we compare the types of filters (regardless of whether they are intended for hot or cold water and what methods they use) - mesh or disk - it is often mentioned that the disk type of filter under similar conditions has greater productivity due to its larger filtration area.
But, a big gain can only be provided by the difference in the size of the filtration unit, and with similar sizes, both mesh and disk filters show the same indicators for the water passed through them (including in the case of fine purification).
At the same time, a coarse or fine disk filter may be more demanding on the incoming water pressure than a mesh filter, and may also be more expensive.
Before purchasing, you should decide on the parameters of the system on which the filter will be installed using coarse cleaning methods, and it is planned to be used for hot or cold water.
If the main filter is installed separately, it is necessary to check that the pipe connections and the diameter of the pipe and filter connections are compatible (or take care of their adjustment).
If a cartridge-type filter is installed in a block filtration system, you must also ensure that all blocks are compatible.
Accordingly, the choice is based on the following parameters:
- Is the filter separate or will it be installed in a multi-stage system. Sometimes a main filter is installed on a pipeline in a separate apartment, for example;
- What type of filter will be installed and whether it is compatible with the piping system (filter operating methods);
- Depending on the chosen type, the manufacturer and cost are determined.
Among the direct products of various manufacturers, we can mention filters (coarse and fine) Honeywell or Atlas, and from manufacturers in the CIS countries - the Russian Geyser.
The products of the Danish company Honeywell are distinguished by their reliability and build quality. Filters of this type from Honeywell are usually equipped with a backwash system. You can also expect additional equipment from Honeywell filters (with a built-in pressure gauge, for example).
Honeywell filters are also highly durable and resistant to pressure changes, since the filter housing is made of durable brass (a feature of these Honeywell products). The only downside here can be the cost, that is, Honeywell filters are less affordable.
Filters for water purification from the company, according to the manufacturer, compete with European analogues and are used both in Russia and in European countries.
Under the Geyser brand, both individual types of filters for mechanical cleaning and entire systems for various purposes are produced ( comprehensive cleaning water for cottages and country houses, cleaning technology for enterprises).
As a result, several specialized Geyser solutions compete with more universal analogues. The Geyser company produces both mesh filters and filters that use a cartridge. A comparative advantage of Geyser is also its price (compared to the previous manufacturer).
Thus, Geyser products will be more budget option. Therefore, when choosing between Geyser and Honeywell, we will prefer Geyser in terms of cost, and Honeywell in terms of quality.
2.1 Demonstration of the operation of the washing filter (video)
Tsugunov Anton Valerievich
Reading time: 3 minutes
Purification of water entering the apartment from various mechanical impurities is very important. Not only the final quality of the liquid used for drinking depends on it, but also the service life of all kinds of household appliances. Conventional ones, as a rule, require periodic replacement of cartridges after the filter element has exhausted its resource. A flush filter for mechanical water purification is much more convenient, as it allows you to restore, at least partially, the characteristics of the cleaning element in a short time. In some cases, you don’t even need to remove it.
Principle of operation
Advantages
The advantages of water filters without replaceable cartridges are obvious:
- Significant monetary savings, since there is no need to purchase replacement parts that have a limited service life.
- Maintenance of such units is much more convenient and must be carried out over a longer period of time.
- The cleaning process does not require stopping the water supply in the apartment.
The disadvantages of self-flushing devices include the rather high cost and demanding parameters for water supply to the room.
Kinds
Based on the size of the captured impurities, they are divided into:
- Fine filter capable of catching pieces of rust and sand 20–50 microns in size.
- Coarse cleaning devices that allow filtration of elements with a size of 100–500 microns.
According to the cleaning method, self-cleaning filters are:
- Hand washable. This does not mean that you will have to remove the filter element from the system. The procedure can be carried out even without stopping the water supply. But manufacturers still recommend removing and washing the mesh separately. Although this is not a very convenient procedure, it will have to be performed much less frequently than replacing replacement cartridges. In addition, it does not require any financial costs.
- Semi-automatic. For such models, you will only have to manually give the cleaning command directly; the system will do all the work itself. IN different models Self-cleaning filters from different manufacturers are cleaned differently, much depends on the type of cleaning element and the design of the unit.
- Automatic. The process is started thanks to the readings of various sensors. Another option is that cleaning is performed according to a preset timer.
The last two varieties can rarely be seen in a separate apartment. Such self-cleaning units are more often used on main water pipelines high pressure, which serve to supply water to swimming pools or entire houses.
It is better to purchase self-cleaning filters from well-known manufacturers. You can rely on reviews from friends and acquaintances. This will protect you from unnecessary surprises and save money and time.
