Sediment Filters

Tank and bore** water are often contaminated with sticks, leaves, and rock sediment. However, you'd be surprised just how much sediment - such as sand, dirt, clay, silt, and even rust particles - can make its way through municipal water supplies and into your home! In some cases, finely dissolved matter can even cause visible discolouration, build up and staining, along with a foul taste and odour - and even a gritty texture in some rare cases! Installing a sediment filter also filter helps protect your pipes and pump from getting clogged, and can also help to protect your carbon filters from getting blocked up with ultra-fine silt. 

Pleated (Washable/Reusable) Sediment Filters

• • Larger Surface Area Catches More Debris
  • Reusable/Washable
  • Ideal Pre-Filter for Tanks/Bores**

Pleated filters carry a much larger surface area than polyspun filters, and therefore they are able to catch a lot more debris. Simply remove the filter, clean, and re-use! Very popular for tank water when you have a lot of debris like leaves and dirt, particularly after a fresh rain. Pleated filters are also useful for bore water when you have a small amount of iron or manganese present, as pleated filters are easy and quick to clean. The washable pleats on this filter are designed to be washed and reinstalled. However, please consider that if this is drinking water you need to be careful not to overuse a pleated filter, because it will eventually gather bacterial contaminants and incur micro-tears. If the water isn't all that bad you might want to consider using a polyspun disposable filter and replace it when dirty. 

Pure Brand 100% Coconut Carbon Filters

• High Quality, 100% Coconut Shell Carbon that Produces "Sweet" Tasting Water
• Excellent Contaminant Reduction Capacity for Common Water Additives such as Chlorine, Trihalomethanes and Volatile Organic Compounds
• Recommended 12 Month Lifespan if Used on Municipal Treated Water
• Designed for Minimum Impact on Water Pressure

The perfect carbon block filter is made from 100% Coconut Shell Carbon, which creates what many believe to be the sweetest tasting water. The unique pore structure of this carbon is well suited for chemical absorption, including VOC's, while reducing chlorine and chemicals that contribute to taste and odour. Coconut Carbon provides a much higher volume of micropores than coal, wood, or lignite-based carbon. Thus, resulting in a more effective removal of trihalomethanes (THMs) from municipal water supplies. The larger surface area provides a more effective method of filtering common contaminants such as chlorine and chloramines. The unique raw material of the coconut shell and the carbon manufacturing process ensures exceptional hardness and low ash content.

Pure Brand's 100% Coconut Carbon Block Filters are made from a combination of high-performance coconut shell carbon, unique binders, and industry-leading manufacturing processes to deliver supreme-quality filtration. Expertly designed and manufactured, these filters deliver exceptionally low-pressure drop, resistance to sediment build-up, and excellent contaminant-reduction capabilities. Pure Carbon Blocks are registered in compliance with NSF/ANSI 42, 53, and 61 for several things, including VOCs, THMs, Lead & Heavy Metal Reduction, Chloramine Reduction & Chlorine Taste & Odour reduction. This also includes meeting incredibly high standards of purity and safety in the materials used.

Please see below for a full comparison of our range of Carbon Filters specifically recommended for Rain/Tank*** Water Applications:

GT4-19BCC - 5 or 0.5 Micron Bacteriostatic (Silver Impregnated) Coconut Carbon Block (For Preventing Filter Biofouling in Raw/Tank/Bore** Water)

• • Ideal for Pre-Filtering tank** & Raw Water Prior to Ultraviolet Treatment.
  • Prevents Bacteria from Proliferating within the Cartridge.

So, how does Silver Impregnation inhibit the growth of bacteria in a carbon filter? When bacteria come into contact with silver, the silver ions puncture the bacteria's cell membrane and wreak havoc by binding to and denaturing the bacteria's DNA. The sulphydryl group already within the bacterial cell also reacts with the silver, producing a silver sulphur complex that immobilises the respiratory and reproductive activity of the bacterial cell. Interestingly, Silver Impregnation has an incredibly long-lasting effect, as the dead bacteria then leach the silver molecules back into their environment, effectively killing neighbouring live bacteria as they die.

Dead bacteria store the microscopic silver particles within their cells (see above image of dead bacteria with silver nanoparticles (white spots), making them deadly to live bacteria.
(Source: "Antibacterial Activity of Silver-Killed Bacteria: The "Zombie" Effect" (2015), https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25906433/).

Tank Water/BoreWater** Filter Combo Example* (Recommended Over 50 psi/344 kPa Pump Pressure):

Filter 1: 5 Micron Pleated Sediment Filter
Filter 3: 0.5 Micron Silver Impregnated Carbon
Filter 3: Ultraviolet Treatment (Not Included)

OR

Bore/Tank Water** Filter Combo Example*:

Filter 1: 5 Micron Pleated Sediment Filter
Filter 2: 5 Micron Silver Impregnated Carbon 
Filter 3: Ultraviolet Treatment (Not Included)

GT4-19LRC - 0.5 Micron Lead Reduction Composite Coconut Carbon (For Chlorine Reduction & Heavy Metal Concerns in Rainwater, Old Infrastructure, Cities & Industrial Areas)

• • Dual Reduction of Chlorine and Heavy Metals.
  • Ideal for Filtering Tank/Bore Water** or Mains Water.
  • Recommended for use after the 20 Micron Low Pressure Drop Carbon Cartridge (see above) for improved chemical reduction in mains-treated water. 

Constant exposure to heavy metals combined with the different chemicals being used to treat our water supplies can have serious health effects, and can also cause severe plumbing problems within our homes. Rainwater (acidic pH) and chlorine/chloramine treated water (basic pH) both tend to be quite corrosive, and this can wreak havoc on the internal plumbing and fixtures within old municipalities and even the copper and brass fixtures in your home (which fittings may contain traces of lead)! Rainwater is also commonly contaminated with heavy metals - especially in cities and industrial areas. On this basis, it is also not uncommon to have elevated heavy metal levels in treated mains water supplies. 

This cartridge is perfectly suited to reducing trace heavy metals that may be present in your water. The technologically-advanced Lead Reduction Cartridge is impregnated with BASF ATS Lead and Heavy Metals Adsorbent Media, which features a high capacity for the reduction of Lead and other heavy metals such as Arsenic, Chrome, Copper etc., along with the usual benefits of carbon in the reduction of Chlorine, Volatile Organic Compounds, and Trihalomethanes.

Example Filter Combo on Tank/Bore Water**:

Filter 1: 5 Micron Pleated Sediment Filter
Filter 2: 0.5 Micron Lead Reduction Carbon Block 
Filter 3: Ultraviolet Treatment (if on Tank/Bore**) (Not Included)

GT4-19SMC - 0.5 Micron Surface Modification Coconut Carbon (For Reducing Water Discolouration/Tannin Reduction)

• • Ideal for Reducing Discolouration in Municipal, Tank** & Raw Water.
  • Also Filters out Chlorine.

Surface Modification Carbon uses a unique blend of highly reactive catalytic coconut carbon with the highest performance reduction technology. SMC filters are the best type of cartridges to reduce water discolouration, including rust and most tannins. Surface Modification Filters are commonly referred to as ‘Tannin Removal Filters’. Also filters Chlorine. 

A Note on Treating Tannin:
Tannin removal can be a bit hit and miss - usually carbon will remove most of the tannin, but sometimes it doesn’t. Because of this, we normally recommend doing a small scale “litmus test” with a cheap carbon filter to see if this makes a difference to the colour. If it works, then we can be more certain that you will get a good result with a standard carbon filter, and a great result with this 0.5 Micron SMC Tannin Reduction filter! Please contact us before purchasing this filter if you are unsure about the source of colour in your water, so that we can help you with the right recommendation to get the best result!

Tannin Reduction Filter Combo Example* (For Tank/Bore**) (Recommended Over 50 psi/344 kPa Pump Pressure):

Filter 1: 5 Micron Pleated Sediment Filter
Filter 2: 0.5 Micron Tannin Reduction Carbon Block 
Filter 3: Ultraviolet Treatment (if on Tank/Bore**) (Not Included)

**FILTERING RAIN, TANK AND BORE WATER - IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE YOU ORDER**

About Rain Water

Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent, and an astonishing 10% of Aussies don’t have access to a mains water supply, so it’s no wonder why rainwater and bore storage tanks are so popular in rural areas to save water during drought and for household use all year round in cooking, cleaning, gardening, bathing and sometimes even drinking. However, whilst many people enjoy the sweet taste of rain and spring water, and some even swear by the ‘raw water’ trend (which proponents (sometimes falsely) believe has more minerals and fewer contaminants than regular chlorinated town water), we cannot stress enough that drinking untreated water is a very bad idea!

Scarily, in Australia, the general public perception is that rainwater is pure, clean, and safe to drink, but according to the Australian Environmental Health committee’s Guidance of the Use of Rainwater tanks, the fact is that the microbial quality of tank-collected rainwater is typically worse than regular urban tap water, and not to mention, the chemical quality of rainwater can be negatively impacted for those living near heavy industry or in areas with heavy traffic emissions. For example, rainwater samples in Port Pirie, South Australia, (which has one of the world’s largest lead smelters), have been found to contain levels of lead that exceed Australian Drinking Water Guidelines by up to ten times! Even bushfire can contaminate rainwater! And that’s not to mention the microbiologically sickening soup of bacteria, viruses parasites that inevitably make their way into your tank from disease-spreading insects such as mosquitoes, the excrement and decaying carcasses of frogs, snakes, rodents, and possums that commonly live in and around tanks, and the droppings from bats and birds flying overhead! Also consider that bacteria tend to proliferate in moist and warm environments, meaning that warmer weather, in particular, has the tendency to turn your tank into a putrified bacterial breeding ground. Thus, whilst rainwater may smell odourless, taste great, and look clean and clear to the naked eye, with the human senses alone, you simply cannot tell what potentially harmful microscopic contaminants could be lurking in your tank water (even after filtering the water with carbon) – and you certainly don’t want to be drinking it!

Do you need to treat your rainwater tank for safe drinking? Click here to check out our range of Ultraviolet Water Sanitation Systems!

About Bore Water

Bore water will always require filtration, as whilst you would think it is “naturally purified” to some extent as the water seeps through the aquifer via various layers of bedrock, this water is highly susceptible to contamination by bacteria, viruses, parasites (see: Brain-Eating Parasites), sewerage (think human excrement, cleaning and bathing products), chemicals, fertilisers, pesticides, minerals, heavy metals (such as lead, zinc, chromium, copper, cadmium, arsenic and nickel), and sometimes even radioactive elements (such as uranium) from both natural sources and human activity. As with rainwater treatment, the most cost-effective solution is typically to use 5 Micron Carbon Filtration in combination with UV Sterilisation to ensure 99.9% eradication of all parasites, bacteria, viruses. However, this system is not always a "total fix", as bore water chemistry is incredibly complex, and sometimes may not even be treatable. Yet another common misconception we often encounter is that carbon can filter out anything and everything – but unfortunately, carbon doesn’t kill bacteria or remove minerals, salts and other such dissolved inorganic substances!

We STRONGLY recommend that you get your bore water tested to determine if there are any underlying issues in the water chemistry of your bore, before you make any purchases or try to filter it. If you have not had your water tested yet and would like to get this done, please contact us to have your bore water analysed.