If you have questions regarding water treatment or BARRIER® products, please contact us.
Can’t I boil my tap water instead of filtering it?
In some parts of the world, due to the water source’s initial composition, heavier chlorination is necessary at the water treatment plant. When boiling, the water undergoes complex reactions, producing even more hazardous toxic compounds including dioxins. The newly produced compounds are so strong that they cannot be reduced from water by boiling. Therefore, boiling is only recommended when chlorine and organic chlorine compounds have been reduced from the water, or when water treatment plants recommend boiling to make it safe.
How do I know what’s in my tap water?
For an accurate analysis, consult your local municipality. They can usually suggest a testing facility. But even without testing, there are certain clues to the composition of your water. Perhaps you notice a strong chlorine taste or odor. If your water is hard, you’ll see a whitish crust on your faucets or at the bottom of your coffee maker or teapot. If you have brownish-orange stains on your fixtures or you notice a metallic taste, your water has a high iron content. Only BARRIER® offers filters for specific water problems—to reduce excess hardness or iron, add fluoride or for standard filtration.
How often should I replace my BARRIER® filter cartridge?
The instructions for filter replacement are located in the user manual that comes with each pitcher filter as well as on the package of each replacement filter cartridge. Replacement frequency depends on the number of persons using the filter and on the amount of water filtered per day. Estimating is based on the consumption of 32-64 ounces of water per person per day, which gives the following results:
1 person - 2.5-3 months
2 people - 2 months
3 people - 1.5 months
4 or more people - 1 month
To remind you of the filter replacement date, every water pitcher filter is delivered with a filter replacement indicator (calendar disk or microprocessor-based). Each indicator will remind you of the correct date for filter cartridge replacement.
Is it true that water can be treated with silver?
Silver has water disinfection properties and as such, it is a natural inhibitor of bacteria. BARRIER® filters contain a Unique Silver Impregnated Carbon Technology (USICT) to reduce the possibility of bacterial reproduction within the filter cartridge.
What is hard water?
If you have hard water, you’ll see a powdery white crust on your faucets, heating elements in your dishwasher or coffee maker or on cooking utensils. This substance is formed from excess calcium and magnesium salts. The sooner the formation appears, the higher the salt concentration in the water. Excessive hardness should be eliminated because excess concentrations of calcium and magnesium salts are unhealthy. These salts increase the risk of stone formation in the kidneys and in the gall bladder. Special BARRIER® filter cartridges are available for decreasing water hardness.
What’s inside a BARRIER® replacement filter cartridge?
High-quality activated charcoal is the main element of BARRIER® replacement filter cartridges. It is treated with our exclusive Unique Silver Impregnated Carbon Technology (USICT) in low concentrations. Silver is known to reduce the proliferation of harmful microorganisms. Each filter cartridge also contains ion exchange resin that reduces ions of toxic metals and decreases hardness in tap water.
What’s the difference between BARRIER® pitcher models?
Our pitchers differ by their capacity and their convenience features. Differences include a rubber footing that protects surfaces and keeps the pitcher from slipping, or an electronic microprocessor replacement filter indicator as opposed to a mechanical or manual one. All BARRIER® replacement cartridges fit in all BARRIER® pitchers.
Which is better, bottled or filtered water?
Bottled water is generally filtered water (unless it is mineral water). Before bottling, it is filtered using reverse osmosis (RO) or a simple sediment filter. Or it may not be filtered at all. Regardless, consumers have no way of knowing how long this water has been stored before you drink it. During that time, certain substances contained in the package material, including ingredients from the bottle itself, may leach into the water.
Which is better, filtered or distilled water?
Filtered water is preferable. Distilled water is “dead” water. It contains none of the salts that our bodies need, and the pH balance is far from the normal value (distilled water is acid water). Our bodies require not only liquid, but a number of other substances dissolved in the water.
Why can’t I just let my water sit so that the harmful contaminants will fall to the bottom of the container and other chemicals will simply evaporate?
During this process, only volatile matters such as chlorine will evaporate from the water while most substances will neither be evaporated nor deposited. They remain suspended in the water.
Why is chlorinated water harmful?
Water is chlorinated at water treatment plants to substantially reduce the number of bacteria and microorganisms, however, the chlorine itself is not removed from the water. Therefore, the tap water that comes into your home contains chlorine and organic chlorine compounds. Drinking water isn’t the only way these compounds enter our body. Some may be absorbed through the skin when taking a shower or a bath or inhaled when cooking or washing. Organic chlorine compounds have a toxic effect on the body causing malfunctions of the cardiovascular and reproductive systems. All BARRIER® water filters are certified by the Water Quality Association (WQA) and are effective at reducing the taste and smell of chlorine (aesthetic chlorine).
