Which Cartridge?

[waterboy]

Hello,

I currently use the Pentek R30-BB for a well system, no problems with pressure, replacement frequency etc. For various reasons it was recommended we use a GAC filter. Will the Ametek GAC-BB provide similar performance in terms of sediment filtration etc., or do I need a separate GAC filter?

Thanks.

[Roxanne]

Sediment Vs Carbon

Hello,

I currently use the Pentek R30-BB for a well system, no problems with pressure, replacement frequency etc. For various reasons it was recommended we use a GAC filter. Will the Ametek GAC-BB provide similar performance in terms of sediment filtration etc., or do I need a separate GAC filter?

Thanks.

Hi Waterboy,

I would actually install a second housing after the R30-BB for the GAC-BB filter. The reason I say this is because these filters are designed for 2 different functions; the R30-BB to remove sediment and the GAC-BB to remove odor. The GAC-BB will remove sediment as well but may become clogged more frequently if you don't use the R30-BB before. Using the sediment as a pre-filter will extend the life of your GAC-BB.

[waterboy]

Rfc-bb

Hi Waterboy,

I would actually install a second housing after the R30-BB for the GAC-BB filter. The reason I say this is because these filters are designed for 2 different functions; the R30-BB to remove sediment and the GAC-BB to remove odor. The GAC-BB will remove sediment as well but may become clogged more frequently if you don't use the R30-BB before. Using the sediment as a pre-filter will extend the life of your GAC-BB.

Thanks for your reply. Would the RFC-BB be a better choice? I would prefer to avoid the expense of an additional housing.

[Roxanne]

Which cartridge....

Hi Waterboy,

You'd have the same problem with the RFC-BB. If you sediment and carbon filtration that won't clog up quickly but you don't want to add a second housing I'd suggest one of the following filters:

NCP-BB
or
AP815
or
TO6 (I wouldn't use this one if you have heavy sediment though)

Hope this helps!

[Andy CWS]

I agree with Roxanne in that using a carbon filter as the primary filtration device is not usually recommended by water professionals for a number of practical and economical reasons.

Let me ask you a couple of questions:
what other water treatment equipment are you currently using?
what water test results do you have at present?
what is the condition of the current BB filter when you remove it? Color, texture, odor, etc?

What were the 'various reasons' for recommending a GAC filter and by whom?

It is always a difficult thing to recommend any particular piece of equipment without knowing the conditions the system is to treat and what the water is intended for.

Andy CWS

[waterboy]

Andy CWS,

Answers to your questions:

what other water treatment equipment are you currently using?
We have a water softener after the filter. Our water is not too hard.

what water test results do you have at present?
We have tested for the following and all results were "satisfactory" except Radon:
Heterotrophic Plate Count
Total Coliform / Fecal Coliform
pH
Alkalinity
Hardness
Nitrates
Nitrites
Lead
Copper
Iron
Manganese
Sodium
Radon

what is the condition of the current BB filter when you remove it? Color, texture, odor, etc?
Color, texture and odor were all good. Water pressure was fine. I changed it after 4 months but think it could go much longer. I belive the prior owners of this house rarely if ever changed it.

What were the 'various reasons' for recommending a GAC filter and by whom?
Radon of 1,700 pCi/L, which is not that high but needs to be reduced. Recommended by county environmental office.

We would expect to change the GAC filter every three months regardless of whether it is pre-filtered or not.

Thanks for your help.

[Andy CWS]

Thanks for your reply.

GAC will reduce radon. Still I would avoid using it as a primary filtration media. A better option would be to place it after the softener. This would serve a number of advantanges.

But first ask yourself why you want radon out of your water and which particular water usage does it not matter.

The reason is that when you treat all the water, including laundry and toilets, etc., is that the life of the filter is diminished by treating water where the radon has no concern for your family's health issues.

Thus any whole carbon treatment must be specified to treat 10s of thousands of gallons and maybe 100,000 gallons a year. A simple 10 x 4.5 inch GAC filter would need to be change on a regular basis to be effective. You might want to consider a backwashing carbon filter with 1 cubic foot or more of carbon.

Don't take shortcuts on your water treatment. Do your research and treat yourself right by treating your water well.

Andy CWS

[waterboy]

GAC filtering

Just to fill in some gaps, in case anyone else comes to this thread with similar concerns:

As I understand it, the primary risk from radon in household water is it's potential impact on radon in the air (from the use of showers, dishwashers etc.). However, it takes a relatively large amount of radon in water to increase airborne radon (10,000:1). A secondary risk is from ingestion.

GAC filtering is one option for reducing radon in water, and a standalone unit is usually mentioned. One problem with this is that the unit will become radioactive over time. In that my radon levels are fairly low, a whole house filter such as a GAC-BB appears to be a viable option for me and this way, as long as I dispose of the filter frequently (i.e. quarterly), I do not have to worry about having a source of radioactivity in my home.

The course of action I am proposing for myself may or may not be the best or even a correct solution but it is based on the best information I have been able to find.