We offer Aquasana and Crystal Quest water filters at competitive prices. Details about each model are outlined below in order for you to make an informed choice.

General comparison of models || Maintenance || Technologies ||Costs ||Other methods ||The need for filtration ||What’s KDF?

General Comparison of Models:

Aquasana ’s drinking water filter is an exclusive dual filter system that uses a combination of carbon filtration, ion exchange and sub-micron filtration to produce truly healthy‚ great tasting water at the convenience of your kitchen tap. It filters out chlorine, lead, synthetic chemicals, VOCs, (Volatile Organic Chemicals), THMs (Trichlorethanes – when chlorine reacts with organic matter in water, such as leaves falling into chlorine treated water), MTBE (a gasoline additive that has contaminated water supplies), Turbidity, Cysts (chlorine resistant parasites), various pesticides, herbicides, solvents and more.

Aquasana's whole house Filter is a four stage process. Stage 1 is a sediment pre-filter using a replaceable cartridge that mechanically filters down

Aquasana 4 stage design

to five microns. This important first stage filters the sediment that may be in the water supply so that it doesn't clog the main filter and reduce water flow and/or filter life. Stage 2 consists of natural media made of zinc and copper where granules are fused together by the process of water atomization. This combination creates an active filtration method, possessing a characteristic known as redox potential, which can alter the molecular structure of chlorine and turning it into a harmless zinc chloride. Stage 3 Contains a large granule bituminous activated carbon for improved filtration. This media is recognized by the U.S. E.P.A. as the “Best available technology for the water filtration. Stage 4 Contains a small granule coconut shell based activated carbon for an expanded surface area, which provides the highest reaction kinetics, and absorptive capacity. It is rated for 300,000 gallons of water (about 3 years of whole house usage). For additional information, see the Aquasana page. To view all Aquasana products, go to the Aquasana Selector page.

Crystal Quest now has a whole range of water filters, from their sealed units to replaceable cartridge equivalents to multi cartridge units with 5 to 7 layers of filtration. They also have added whole house filters, ceramic filters, reverse osmosis filters, faucet filters, pitcher filters, as well as countertop and floor model water coolers, a water softener and a water softener and filter combination.

The core of Crystal Quest water filters* is a 5 stage process. In stage 1, water passes through a one-micron filtration pad (1 micron equals 1/25,000th of an inch and a human hair is about 100 microns in diameter), which removes suspended particles, such as silt, sediment, cyst (Giardia, Cryptosporidium), sand, rust, dirt, and other undissolved matter.

* except single replaceable cartridge fluoride and ceramic water filters, and RO water filters

In stages 2 and 3, the water passes through a bed of media made of a special high-purity alloy blend of two dissimilar metals - copper and zinc KDF-55D ®, and KDF-85D ® . KDF is a major advancement in water treatment technology that works on the electro-chemical and spontaneous-oxidation-reduction (redox) principles. Chlorine is instantaneously and almost inexhaustibly oxidized.

Tests on KDF/GAC cartridge have shown 99+% chlorine removal past 20,000 gallons of water. In comparison, carbon cartridges of comparable volumes drop below 90% effectiveness after only 4,000 gallons.

Iron and hydrogen sulfide are oxidized into insoluble matter and attach to the surface of the media. Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, and other dissolved metals are removed from the water by the electrochemical process. They are attracted to the surface of the media, much like a magnet. The media inhibits bacterial growth throughout the entire unit In fact, it has been shown to be reduced up to 90%, eliminating the need for silver, which is commonly used in carbon-only filters (silver is considered a pesticide by the EPA and, as such, must be registered with them).

Is copper or zinc added to the water in any significant amount? On 2.3 ppm chlorinated water, <0.05 mg/l copper and only 0.46 mg/l zinc were measured. The EPA aesthetic levels are 1.0 mg/l for copper and 5.0 mg/l for zinc. Both zinc and copper are essential minerals for good health - the FDA recommends a daily intake of 15 mg of zinc and 2 mg of copper.

In stage 4, water passes through granulated activated carbon (GAC). GAC is universally recognized and widely used as an effective adsorbent for a wide variety of organic contaminants, such as chlorine (99.9%), chemicals linked to cancer (THM's, benzene) pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), PCB's, MTBE's and hundreds of other chemical contaminants that may be present in water, bad taste, and odors from your drinking water.

Carbon is extremely porous and provides a large surface area for contaminants to collect. Carbon-only filters must also use their capacity for chlorine removal, resulting in a shortened life. They also may use a bituminous coal carbon, which is good at removing chlorine, but not as effective at removing chemicals. We use a high-grade coconut shell carbon that is most effective at removing chemicals. Coconut shell carbon provides a significantly higher volume of micro pores than either coal, wood or lignite-based carbon. As a result, it is more effective than other carbon types in removing trihalomethanes (THMs) and other chemicals from municipally supplied water. Since our redox media removes the chlorine before it reaches the carbon, the carbon capacity is not wasted on chlorine and is free to concentrate more effectively on organic contaminants. Click here to learn more about GAC

In stage 5, water flows through another one-micron filtration pad for further reduction of undesirable particles. The end result is total elimination or great reduction of a wide variety of contaminants.

The sealed units consist of this 5 stage filtration method. The new multi-cartridge models add sediment, ceramic, solid carbon block, fluoride, and/ or ion exchange cartridges to the basic 5 stage Crystal Quest filter system.

Some of the original 4 stage filters are still offered. Instead of KDF®55 and KDF®85, they have only KDF®55. KDF®55 is effective in removing lead, mercury, copper, nickel, chromium, cadmium, aluminum, and other dissolved metals. The KDF®85 adds an extra capacity for removing especially iron and hydrogen sulfides (the source of "rotten egg" smell).

Crystal Quest now has a wide variety of water filters, including ceramic, fluoride, replaceable cartridge, reverse osmosis, whole house, water coolers, water softeners, faucet mount, pitcher, and shower filters. Descriptions of these models as well as information on the replaceable cartridges is on the Crystal Quest page. To view all Crystal Quest products, go to the Crystal Quest Selector.

Maintenance

Both home water filters do an excellent job of removing various water contaminations. The maintenance differences between the models is that the Aquasana drinking water model requires replacement of its filter cartridges every 500 gallons - usually 6 months or so. The shower water filter cartridge lasts about 6 months. The Aquasana whole house filter is installed in the main water line by a plumber and lasts 300,000 gallons. Installing the replacement unit does not require a plumber.

Crystal Quest offers both sealed units and replaceable cartridge filters. For the sealed units, when the unit needs to be replaced, the flow of water will automatically either stop or slow down greatly. Counter top, under sink, refrigerator, fluoride, and sediment units are available as sealed units with a KDF/GAC filter life of 10,000; 20,000; or 30,000 gallons for the Plus, Ultra, and Ultimate models respectively. Semi-annual backwashing of the sealed units prolongs life and eliminates channeling. The shower filters have a replaceable cartridge that lasts 1 year and can be reversed and backwashed.

The replaceable cartridge units also come in the large 10,000; 20,000 and 30,000 gallon capacities for the countertop, undersink, and refrigerator models. Replacing the cartridge is similar to the Aquasana model, except that the cartridges last much longer. The PLUS 10,000 gallon cartridges should be replaced at least every 3 years, the ULTRA 20,000 gallon cartridges should be replaced every 4 years, and the ULTIMATE 30,000 gallon cartridges should be replaced every 5 years, even if the full gallon rating has not been used.

Whole house replaceable cartridge filters are offered in 50,000, 100,000, 150,000 and 200,000 gallon capacity filters. Whole house filters with non-replaceable cartridges are also available in 500,000, 750,000 and 1,000,000 gallon capacities including a self-backwashing model. These large capacity whole house units should be installed by a plumber and have smaller pre and post replaceable cartridge filters whose cartridges need to be replaced more often.

The reverse-osmosis unit is available as a portable, countertop version or as a do-it-yourself six stage filtration with replaceable pre - and post - membrane cartridges and a hollow fiber cartridge is offered to replace the membrane itself..

Technologies:

To summarize, the Aquasana drinking water filter uses carbon filtration‚ ion exchange and sub-micron filtration (0.5 microns). Their whole house filter is a 4 stage filtration consisting of: 1) sediment pre-filter; 2) a zinc-copper media much like KDF; 3) a a large granule bituminous activated carbon layer; and 4) a small granule coconut shell based activated carbon.

The Crystal Quest uses a one micron filter, a KDF 55 layer, a KDF 85 layer, a Coconut Shell Activated Carbon layer (GAC), then another one micron filter. This core technology is supplemented in multi - cartridge models by combinations or single instances of ceramic, sediment, fluoride, solid carbon block and/or, ion exchange cartridges. The faucet and pitcher models are the only ones on the market to use this 5 - stage filtration. Single cartridge ceramic and fluoride filters do not contain the 5 stage KDF/GAC cartridge.

Costs:

Crystal Quest produces water at less than 1 ¢ per gallon, and Aquasana delivers water at 9¢ per gallon.

Other Methods:

Distillation:

This method works by vaporizing and condensing water. It removes most bacteria, viruses, and chemicals.

Disadvantages: Removes all trace minerals, some which are necessary for the health system. Using this method also requires electricity, and most models are energy intensive and costly to operate.

Ultra-Violet:

This method kills viruses and bacteria, and also can eliminate some organic chemicals by using UV light.

Disadvantages: This is expensive and ineffective in water that is colored or with high turbidity.

The need for filtration:

The dangers of drinking contaminated water is a big hazard for most of us. The problems are both chemical and biological contamination of the water supply. A recent report by the Ralph Nader Study Group‚ after reviewing over 10‚000 documents acquired through the Freedom Of Information Act‚ confirmed, "U.S. drinking water contains more than 2100 toxic chemicals that can cause cancer." Our municipal water treatment facilities do not remove SOCs (Synthetic Organic Chemicals) and typically only consist of sand bed filtration and dis-infection‚ much like a standard swimming pool filter. For the most part today‘s water treatment facilities are much the same as they were at the turn of the century, filter out the visible particles and add bleach! "Drinking water plants are old and out of date‚ and water supplies are increasingly threatened by and contaminated by chemicals and micro-organisms." - Natural Resources Defense Council.

Don’t think a little pesticide won’t harm, either. One of America‘s leading authorities on water contamination‚ Dr. David Ozonoff of the Boston University Of Public Health states‚ "the risk of disease associated with public drinking water has passed from the theoretical to the real." And, from the U.S. Council on Environmental Quality: "While levels of these carcinogens (SOCs (Synthetic organic chemicals)) in drinking water are low, it is precisely these low levels that carcinogenists believe to be responsible for the majority of human cancers in the U.S." And municipal water regulations are unlikely to help. A major flaw in the estimated risks of chemicals in our drinking water is the false assumption that only that one chemical is being consumed. The regulations are set based on what is assumed safe for a 175-pound adult drinking water with only one chemical present and does not take into account the combined toxicity of two or more chemicals. In a 1995 Science Advisory Report to the EPA‚ it was stated that "when two or more of these contaminants combine in our water the potency may be increased by as much as 1000 times!" It has been shown that areas with the highest levels of these SOCs in their water supplies also have the highest incidence of cancer.

What’s KDF?

KDF 55 is a patented product a major advancement in water treatment technology that works on the electro-chemical and spontaneous-oxidation-reduction (redox) principles. .representing a new and unique way of water processing medium which by its natural process of electrochemical oxidation/reduction and adsorption action reduces and/or removes many unwanted contaminants from water.

KDF 55 medium is a versatile, specially formulated high purity, bimetal material. This product operates as a multifunctional medium which has superior capabilities of dechlorination of drinking water and reduces dissolved heavy metals in water supplies. The dechlorination capacity of KDF 55 medium exceeds that of an equal quantity of activated carbon by over ten-fold.

The media inhibits bacteria growth, , fungi, algae and mold throughout the entire unit (in fact, has been shown to reduce it up to 90%!), eliminating the need for silver, commonly used in carbon-only filters (silver is considered a pesticide by the EPA and, as such, must be registered with them). Is copper or zinc added to the water in any significant amount? On 2.3 ppm chlorinated water 0.05 mg/l copper and only 0.46 mg/l zinc was measured. The EPA Aesthetic levels are 1.0 mg/l for copper and 5.0 mg/l for zinc. We use a special "stabilized" version of KDF ®. It is interspersed with carbon granules to help prevent "bricking", which sometimes occurs on high pH water.

Patented KDF media consists of a high purity copper-zinc formulation. These substances exchange electrons or bond with chlorine and other metals contained in the water to create harmless substances.

Through this basic process known as redox (oxidation/reduction), KDF works behind the scenes to rid your water of chlorine, lead, mercury, iron and hydrogen sulfide. The redox reaction also inhibits the growth of bacteria, algae, and fungi. As an added benefit, KDF reduces lime scale, mold, and fungi.

KDF is completely safe and meets EPA and FDA standards for levels of zinc and copper in potable water, so the process is not toxic and does not cause any adverse side effects.