Okay, so today I messed around with something called carbon blocks, and let me tell you, it was quite the experience. I started off by looking into these things, just trying to figure out what they are even used for. Turns out, they’re pretty common in water filters. Who knew, right?
I found out that you can snag these activated carbon filters for around 68 bucks. There was even a listing that said “34 sold,” so they must be somewhat popular in Johor, wherever that is. My next move was to dig a bit deeper into how these things actually work. Apparently, they do a pretty decent job at cleaning up water. They get rid of stuff like chlorine, some chemicals, and even pesticides. It’s all about making the water less gross, I guess.
I stumbled upon this brand, Ecotech, that sells a pack of three for what seemed like a good deal. They say there’s no “carbon fines” coming off these filters, which is probably a good thing. And they claim to reduce chlorine by 99%. That’s a lot of chlorine gone. There was also this one from a company called Pentair Pentek, a 10-inch filter. It’s a bit more technical, with bonded powdered activated carbon. Sounds fancy, huh?
So, I got my hands on one of these filters and decided to see it in action. I hooked it up to my sink – yeah, I actually did that. The idea behind activated carbon is that it’s super porous, so it can trap a lot of bad stuff. I ran some water through it and, I gotta say, it seemed to make a difference. The water tasted a bit… cleaner, I guess? Less like a swimming pool, that’s for sure.
Then I got curious about how much these whole-house filtration systems cost. They start at around 850 bucks for a basic one, but if you want UV light and a water softener built-in, you’re looking at over 5,000 dollars. That’s a lot of cash for clean water, but I suppose it depends on how bad your water is to begin with. I’m not quite ready to drop that kind of money yet. As for how long these filters last, I found that you’re supposed to replace them every 18-24 months. That’s not too bad, considering they’re working non-stop.
Here’s what I did in a nutshell:
- Checked out activated carbon filters and found some for sale.
- Learned about how they clean water and what they remove.
- Tried out a filter myself and noticed a difference in water taste.
- Looked into the cost of whole-house systems and the lifespan of the filters.
In the end, it was a fun little experiment. I’m no expert, but I feel like I know a bit more about water filters now. Maybe it’ll inspire some of you to look into it, too. Who knows, you might even start drinking better water because of it.
