Clean, fresh-tasting water right from your tap – that’s what an activated carbon filter system delivers. If your water has an unpleasant odor, bad taste, or sediment, a carbon filter is a great and affordable way to solve the problem. Here at Bay Water Plumbing, we often recommend these systems to homeowners who want to improve their home’s water. This blog will look at how carbon filters work and their benefits.

What is Activated Carbon?

Activated carbon is a very porous material made from carbon-rich sources like coal, wood, and coconut shells. It’s not a solid block but rather has tons of microscopic pores and tunnels throughout it. This structure comes from treating the source material with hot gases, which opens spaces between the carbon atoms. The result is an incredibly large surface area inside all those tiny pores, which can adsorb and remove contaminants as water passes through. Each gram of activated carbon can have a surface area bigger than an entire football field!

This porous structure gives activated carbon some very useful properties:

• Absorption – substances stick to the surface of the pores as water passes through. This allows activated carbon to remove contaminants like chemicals, odors, and colors.
• Large surface area – the extensive network of pores provides vast surfaces to absorb contaminants.
• Affordable – activated carbon filtration is very efficient for the low cost. Replacement filters are inexpensive compared to other filtration systems.

Benefits of Activated Carbon Filters

There are several reasons why activated carbon makes such a great water filter:

• Removes bad tastes and odors – chlorine and other chemicals get trapped in the pores, leaving fresh-tasting water.
• Filters out toxins – contaminants like lead and pesticides stick to the carbon surface, removing them from your water.
• Clears cloudy water – particles that make water appear cloudy, like silt and clay, absorb the carbon and are filtered out.
• Prevents scale buildup – activated carbon filters can help prevent scale buildup by removing some minerals like calcium and magnesium that would otherwise attach to your pipes.
• Environmentally-friendly – carbon filtration is an environmentally-friendly process that effectively filters water without relying on as many harsh chemicals for disinfection.
• Affordable and easy maintenance – filter cartridges are inexpensive and easy to replace for care.
• Works for whole house or one tap – Carbon filtration systems come in sizes for whole house water treatment or for a single tap, able to meet the needs of your home.

Activated carbon filtration is an effective and inexpensive way to remove a wide variety of contaminants from your water supply. At Bay Water Plumbing, we provide and install systems from leading brands for cleaner, better-tasting water throughout your home.

Contact us to learn more about the right carbon filter for your needs!