Water filtration is a more significant issue than it at first appears. Have you ever opened a bottle of water and didn’t like it? Do you prefer one drinking water company over another?
We assume water will be tasteless but it does always have a taste. This is the reason why most people have a preference when it comes to buying drinking water. The taste comes from the various minerals that were present in the original water sources. And of course, you probably can’t taste and name them individually, but they affect the overall taste. This, is turn, affects your choice of filtration.
This alone makes the subject of water filtration one of interest to your business. Will your staff like the water and drink it?
The topic raises its head again as more and more staff return to their offices and canteens having had the freedom to drink whatever water they like while at home during the pandemic.
In addition, apart from the taste, drinking clean and safe water matters. That’s obvious. But it matters even more to businesses that employ staff who drink the water from the cooler. Clearly, drinking contaminated water can cause serious health problems. This is your responsibility as the supplier. Companies that supply water must therefore make sure that their water filtration provides pristine water – free of odors, chemicals, and other potentially toxic substances.
So let’s deep-dive into the whole subject.
As a dealer or distributor, you need to understand the filtration process. So, in this article, we’ll discuss the different systems of water filtration to help you choose the best option for your market.
Water Filtration Basics
Filters remove germs, bacteria, pathogens, toxic substances, etc. They also remove unwanted impurities that can affect water quality in terms of
- taste,
- odor, and
- color
It’s a core process to produce better water quality that will be used for cooking, drinking alone, or for making beverages.
Water filtration is also necessary to guard against sudden changes in quality after rain, turbulence in the pipe system, or upstream events such as pollution from fracking or pesticide run-off.
What to Consider First When Buying
As already established, not all filtration systems are the same. Consider the following when you’re on the hunt for the best water filtration for your needs.
Water quality
Testing your water quality is important before choosing your water purifier. This will reveal what type of water contaminants are native, and hence what type of water filter you’ll need to have. Simple ways to test your water quality include smelling the water, tasting it, checking color, and observing build-up from corrosion. Of course, this is in addition to any regulatory checks made by water companies in your area! We’ll discuss types of filtration to suit your needs later.
Performance
Look into the overall power of the filter you have in mind to remove the contaminants from unfiltered water at point of use. Each water filter performs differently to produce unique water quality.
Maintenance
Water filtration requires ongoing attention since the filters can become clogged after a period of constant use. Preserving them requires regular monitoring. That’s because it can be costly to change these filters on a regular basis.
Reputation of the Company
Make sure that the company you’re buying from is reputable and well known. It doesn’t have to have been in the business for decades, but you do want to make sure there are testimonies from previous buyers who’ve used their water filtration systems.
Certification
Apart from the company or manufacturer supplying the products, you have to make sure that the products are tested and certified by a third-party organization to prove they filter out the contaminants as claimed. Do your due diligence and you will attract the right customers to your business – or staff approval if you run an office!
The Next Step
Water filters, as we said above, need to be effective at removing contaminants in water such as,
- Sand, dirt, and sediment
- Active ingredients and chemicals: calcium, iron etc.
- Chlorine and chloramine
- Bad odor and taste
However, not all water filters can remove every contaminant. Therefore, the next step is to identify what you’re trying to get rid of and then find filtration system options that have the ability to remove those particles or substances.
To do that, you must know the different types of water filtration system available. We’ll discuss this now.
What are the Different Types of Water Filtration System?
It’s important to understand the underlying system that plays out in each type of water filtration. For most filters available, the system that drives the filtration will likely be one of the following, although there are a few others:
Mechanical
The sole purpose of mechanical filtration is to remove all the physical impurities such as sediments and dirt. This filtration process utilizes a physical filter that has small holes to filter out contaminants of different sizes from small and fine particles to large debris/microorganisms.
If your water supply contains an undesirable amount of dirt and other particles, you may want to consider purchasing a mechanical filter. Alternatively this can be used as a first step to a deeper filtration of very contaminated water.
Reverse Osmosis
This is a water filtration system that uses water pressure to force water through a semi-permeable membrane to filter out all kinds of harmful contaminants and toxic substances. The opening in the semi-permeable membrane is very small, which gives it the ability to remove the dissolved solids. Contaminants like sugars, proteins, bacteria, viruses, and even heavy metals, can therefore be easily removed from water.
Ion Exchange
Ion exchange is a process in which unwanted ions in water, such as magnesium and the calcium found in hard water, are exchanged with other ions such as sodium or hydrogen ions. This process is carried out when you need to soften the water. It uses resin beads to remove dissolved inorganic matter effectively.
Carbon Block Filters
This method makes use of granular activated carbon and carbon block to absorb impurities found in water. The waterborne contaminants are easily captured in this filtration process because carbon has a natural ability to attract these impurities. This makes it very effective process. It can be used both alone and with other filtration systems. These filters are commonly used to filter drinking water and in the food processing industry.
Combinations
There are many other water filtration options that can be used to filter water according to need. However, although these systems can work fine independently, each filtration method has limitations on what it can remove. That’s why most water filters or filtration systems use a combination of methods to achieve a specific level of water purity. They become even more effective when used in combination with other filtration processes. For instance, depending on what the filtration system aims to achieve, reverse osmosis systems can work well with mechanical, carbon blocks, ion exchange, and other systems. The same applies to all the systems.
Therefore it’s important to understand the various filtration methods and how they can be combined to establish which kind of filters you need to offer or use for any given application.
Water Filtration Solutions For Your Needs
Whatever the source of our water, we can achieve clean, filtered water for the end user using one of the water filtration options that suits our needs. The most common include:
At home filters
If you sell to the general public or very small businesses, these at-home filter options give you better tasting and clean water. They might be:
- Filter faucet attachments. By attaching a slim filter screen directly to the faucets, small particles that may have escaped from the previous filtration can be captured before the water emerges.
- Pitchers. A very inexpensive “method in a jug” to improve the quality of your water by using activated carbon filters that improve the taste and odor of your water by removing contaminants.
- Bottled water. Not a permanent solution but nevertheless the most convenient way of getting filtered drinking water. All bottled water must be filtered before consumption. For busy days and places where it’s not easy to access filtered, clean water, bottled water is the next best option.
Point of use (POU)
Popular in offices, healthcare facilities, and other similar settings, a POU filter is an easy and effective way to consume clean water. Point-of-use filters connect to a water pipe directly to dispense chilled or hot water through a bottle-less water dispenser.
The major advantage of this solution is that it is easily tailored to your specific commercial needs. The options available are as follows:
Under-the-Sink Water Filter
With this option, you don’t need to worry about drilling or mounting your water filter in an open space. The installer mounts the water filter housings and storage tank below your sink and connects to your existing faucet to reduce clutter and save space. The filtered water now comes through your water cooler or water tap without the hassle of changing and carrying gallons of water. Perfect for people with a small space, renters, and those who like a minimalist design.
Countertop Water Filter
These water filters offer a compact design that allows the unit to be right where you need access, at the countertop. These models are great solutions in office spaces and limited space areas for break rooms to offer water free of contaminants for drinking as well as other uses.
Standalone Floor Water Filter
Free-standing units that offer clean, filtered, and fresh (hot and cold) drinking water. There are various choices to fit every budget – a great choice for both home and office use, bottled or bottle-less.
Bottle-less, free-standing water coolers offer a better alternative to the bottled standalone water cooler in our opinion, and are cost effective, simple, and better for the environment.
Are Bottle-less Water Filtration Systems Worth it?
The main job of water filtration is to prevent water-related illnesses and diseases that come from contaminated water. There are many options of water filters and coolers that have bottles and they’re popular choices. So why go bottle-less, you ask? Below are some important reasons to help you switch to the other side.
Convenience
It no longer seems convenient to customers to install individual bottles in offices or waiting rooms etc. Many now want more convenience. Staff drink many gallons of water a month and bottle replacement takes time and effort. Dealers and distributors are therefore wise to sell bottle-less water filtration systems due to current customer demand.
Affordability
This type of water cooler and purifier in the long term costs less than its traditional counterparts. You only have to pay for the initial installation with no monthly charges on water bottles. Customers save money on the cost of maintaining their bottled water inventory. In addition, dealers have a steady cash flow if they use a subscription model for equipment rental and occasional maintenance.
Ease of use
Bottle-less coolers have a sleek design which allows for ease of use. Once they’re installed, you’re able to enjoy water on demand without the heavy lifting required with the bottled coolers. This is perfect for situations where there’s no one available to do so, or with enough expertise to do it safely.
Eco-friendly sustainability
Bottle-less water dispensers, like bottled ones, ensure that there’s unlimited access to clean, filtered water. But a significant benefit of going bottle-less is that not using bottles reduces the amount of plastic waste that affects the environment badly. Eliminating regular deliveries of bottled water also means fewer transport trips. This, in turn, reduces fuel emissions, making the bottle-less system even more eco-friendly.
Making the Right Decision
With so many choices on the market, It can be a challenge to find the right water filtration system for your target market. But it’s not an impossible task. With the help of our team, you can find the water filtration options best suited to your dealership.
We have more than 20 years’ experience talking about water and selling water dispensers. We’re happy to talk with you and then advise on which filtration system will best benefit your business and target market. Check out our products and consult our team of experts to help you build a steady revenue stream.