When building a cottage or cottage, any zealous owner should first of all think about the correct water supply for the site. Poor water is a source of the spread of various diseases for humans, as well as a threat to the reliable operation of many household devices (washing machine, dishwasher, faucets). Unfortunately, in many cases it is not possible to connect to the central water supply. It is necessary to produce water from individual wells or wells.
Therefore, the issue of providing quality water for a full and healthy life sometimes comes first. Modern manufacturers offer a large number of different cleaning systems and water filters for the cottage. The main task of the owners of suburban areas is a careful review of the products offered and the installation of special equipment. This will help tips on choosing the right cleaning system.
Types of household water pollution
The complexity of connecting to the central water supply necessitates the use of a number of measures and filters for water treatment in the cottage. But the use of equipment should correspond to the properties of water in a suburban area. Knowing the types of water pollution helps to properly use special treatment systems.
The main types of pollutants that significantly affect water quality are:
- Sand, clay or silt sediment, they make the water cloudy. The presence of such substances that do not dissolve in water makes it unsuitable for consumption.
- The presence of various bacteria and microorganisms in the water is difficult to determine by appearance. Contaminated water seems clean, but is a dangerous source of various intestinal infections. Identification of this kind of infection is carried out by conducting special chemical analyzes.
- A very high risk of a variety of ailments when using water saturated with salts of magnesium and calcium.
- Of particular harm to the human cardiovascular system is water, which contains an increased content of iron and manganese.
- It is also dangerous to drink water with the smell of hydrogen sulfide.
Drinking water requirements
The bodies of sanitary and epidemiological surveillance to determine the quality of water establish such a term as maximum permissible concentrations of harmful substances. This indicator indicates the value of the dose of pollution, which can enter the human body without consequences during the day, during the whole life.
In accordance with these standards, the following requirements are imposed on water quality:
- it should be odorless, transparent and tasteful;
- water hardness should not exceed 7 mmol / l, and the pH should be in the range of 7-7.5;
- the amount of minerals should not exceed 1 g / l;
- harmful chemical impurities in ideal water should be absent or be in tenths or hundredths of the maximum permissible concentration;
- the presence of various pathogenic viruses and bacteria in water is strictly prohibited.
Water purification methods
In the market of household appliances and materials, there are a large number of diverse multi-stage systems that carry out high-quality cleaning of any liquid, as well as individual water filters for the cottage. Of course, a universal system for reliable and quality training does not exist. The selection and use of a special filter for water purification in the cottage is based on the properties of the liquid in a particular area and the need to use water. So, for the operation of the washing machine it is enough to purify the water for domestic use, but for drinking and cooking it is necessary to carry out a more complete removal of harmful substances.
Modern manufacturers offer the following types of water filters for the cottage according to the cleaning method:
- mechanical;
- reverse osmosis;
- ion exchange;
- biological;
- electric;
- physical and chemical.
Mechanical filters
Mechanical water purification is carried out in several stages. At the first stage, substances are removed that are not soluble in water, but are in the form of a suspension. Such harmful substances include sand, pipe rust, clay. Mechanical water filters for the cottage significantly reduce the turbidity and color of the liquid.
Next, the removal of coarse impurities. For these purposes, multistage devices use special filter cartridges made of polymer foam or polypropylene.
Mechanical filters are used as a preliminary water treatment system. The effective functioning of mechanical devices involves the regular replacement of bulk filters for water treatment of cottages. For reliable protection of household units and plumbing devices, the use of mechanical filters is sometimes quite sufficient.
Reverse osmosis
The most environmentally sound and justified is the purification of water by reverse osmosis. A filter with such a system has a semi-permeable membrane through which the purified water seeps. After passing, it loses its concentration, while many dissolved impurities settle on the filter plates. The result of this interaction is the complete removal of various contaminants and salts from the liquid.
Reverse osmosis is effectively used to desalinate sea water. Simple water at the filter outlet needs mineralization to improve properties.
In domestic conditions, a reverse osmosis filter is installed under the sink in the kitchen. Maintenance of the system consists in the regular replacement of cartridges as they become dirty.
Ion exchange treatment systems
The ion exchange method has been widely used previously using ion exchangers of natural origin, mainly as a water filter-softener for a cottage. In modern conditions, the presence of synthetic ion exchange resins has greatly improved the water treatment of private areas.
The fact that active cation exchangers remove not only magnesium and calcium ions, but also divalent metals from the liquid, determine the use of ion-exchange systems as a filter for a cottage for water from iron.
The main advantage of such a system is its ability to easily get away from the usual methods of oxidation, which can bring rust to the composition of water. That is why purified water by the ion-exchange method does not require flushing the water supply system.
Biological filtration
The use of biological water purification can effectively remove organic substances from its composition. Purification is carried out using microorganisms that are actively involved in metabolic reactions, while organic substances decompose into nitrates.
Most often, biological water purification is used in filters for an aquarium or wastewater disinfection.
Electric water treatment method
The electric cleaning technology is based on the use of a special strong oxidizing agent - ozone gas. A special ozonizer, which is part of the electric filter , generates ozone from oxygen contained in the air. This gas actively reacts with microorganisms and chemicals and produces their oxidation. Then these oxidation products precipitate or form a gaseous form.
The advantages of the ozonation method include its high speed of purification, as well as a wide range of microorganisms, bacteria and viruses, from which it is necessary to neutralize water. It is proved that at present there are no microbes that are resistant to ozone.
The main disadvantage of this method is the high degree of expenditure of electrical energy necessary for gas production.
Physicochemical purification methods
The main methods that are used in most water filters in the cottage, 2 are adsorption and absorption. The adsorption process takes place on the surface of the liquid and is a very effective way of cleaning with a small concentration of harmful substances. In the role of special adsorbents, materials with a finely dispersed structure are used:
- sawdust;
- ash;
- clay;
- peat;
- various slags.
The most effective sorbent is activated carbon.
Also a fairly common method of physico-chemical cleaning is aeration of the liquid. Non-pressure aeration is carried out by spraying liquid through special nozzles in the form of a mixture of water and air. In this case, in a large tank, oxidized harmful impurities settle to the bottom of the tank in the form of sediment.
The pressure aeration system has a more complex cleaning design, in which pumps are used to create the pressure of the mixture.
Water softener
Do not use low-quality or contaminated water for domestic needs or cooking. For hard water for a cottage, a softener filter must be used. In the living room, it is recommended to use even two filters that will produce water softening for connecting household appliances (washing machine or dishwasher, electric kettle, etc.), as well as for drinking and cooking. The former will protect the equipment from damage, and the latter will preserve people's health.
The cause of the problems is the presence of calcium and magnesium salts in the water, which form a scale layer on household appliances, which significantly reduces their efficiency. On the human body, such water causes itching and dryness of the skin after taking water procedures.
The most effective way is to use a water softener filter for a cottage filled with ion exchange resin. The resin is saturated with sodium ions, which bind magnesium and calcium ions, significantly reducing the hardness of the water.
A feature of the use of such a resin is the possibility of its recovery. For these purposes, a concentrated solution of sodium chloride is used. Regeneration occurs when the system is switched from operating mode to recovery mode. During this action, a resin saturated with ions of harmful substances is freed from them and saturated with sodium ions. The residual salts of magnesium and calcium are discharged into the drainage system.
There are other ways to soften water, but they have their drawbacks. So, special dispensers of chemical reagents are compact in size, but they are able to add unnecessary chemicals to the composition of the liquid.
Water deferrization
Water purification from high iron content is carried out according to the same scheme as liquid softening, only in this case iron molecules are removed. Strict requirements are imposed on the iron content in the water, since the glandular liquid has a yellowish-brown tint and an unpleasant metal odor.
Before choosing a water deferrization filter for a cottage, it is necessary to conduct a water analysis to determine the composition of harmful impurities.
There are several types of iron in water:
- Ferrous iron, which is present in water in dissolved form. Water containing such a substance has a transparent form until the impurity comes into contact with oxygen.
- After oxygen saturation, iron becomes trivalent. Moreover, such a liquid will have a red tint.
- A fluid containing glandular bacteria that differs significantly from previous species. Deposits from such water are slippery and soft.
To eliminate bivalent iron, ion-exchange or reverse osmosis filters are used.
Purification from ferric iron is carried out only after fluid filtration.
Tips for choosing a filter for a cottage
Before deciding which home water filter is best, a complete water analysis is necessary. It will not be possible to carry out this procedure on its own, so you need to contact the laboratory experts who will analyze the water and advise the cleaning system in accordance with the analysis results.
When choosing a filter, it is also necessary to consider the purpose of using water. So, for the operation of household mechanisms, it is enough to install a mechanical filter and a de-ironer. But for cooking, you also need to add a charcoal filter or install the reverse osmosis system.
An important factor in the economic plan will be the calculation of the volume of water after treatment, necessary for consumption by family members.
Remember that the issue of water treatment for the cottage should be taken with complete seriousness. The normal functioning of household appliances and, most importantly, the health of all family members can completely depend on this.