 |
Ster-O-Tap® Microfiltration |
|
The picture to the right is of anthrax, a dangerous spore-forming bacteria. Anthrax is only one of a whole host of pathogenic organisms that can infect water supplies.
Disease producing microorganisms are a growing problem in the nation’s water supply. They are a problem not only for well owners, but also for those who rely on city water. There are at least two significant reasons why this is true:
- Most municipal or community systems rely on chlorination or chloramination to disinfect water supplies. There are a variety of dangerous organisms that are not killed by chlorine. Recently, in Milwaukee Wisconsin, over 250,000 people became ill and over a hundred died from an epidemic caused by dangerous Cryptosporidium cysts found in the city’s water supply.
- Municipal treament systems depend upon machinery and even the best machinery can fail. When this happens (as during floods or times of spring runoff), consumers of city tap water may become infected with dangerous microorganisms while drinking unsanitized water without knowing it.
- The increasing risk of terrorism in our world places the safety of even the best municipal water supplies in jeopardy.
Return to Top |
Manufacturers of inexpensive systems like pour-through pitchers and certain faucet-mounted devices aggressively advertise they meet NSF Standard 53 by removing 99.95% of dangerous cyst-producing organisms.
However helpful that may be, they don''t make water safe! Bacteria are far smaller than cysts. Viruses are even smaller. A device that can trap 99.95% of cysts can let dangerous bacteria and viruses pass through like a bowling ball through a barn door.
Bacteria can occur in unsanitized water at levels from 100,000 to 1,000,000 organisms per milliliter. Since there are approximately 250 milliliters in an 8-ounce glass of water, that glass can contain from 25 to 250 million bacteria of various types. The smallest of these can be as little as .3µ (µ = micron = one-millionth of an inch). The average human hair is about 100 microns in diameter.
Until recently, the only technologies other than chlorination that could claim they effectively control bacteria were reverse-osmosis, ozone, and ultraviolet light. But each of these has serious limitations.
- The problem with reverse-osmosis is that as membranes age, the diameter of the pores in the semi-permeable membrane through which the water is forced become larger. This is a phenomenon known as "breaks-through". All RO systems are vulnerable to this process. As it happens dangerous bacteria find their way into the treated water without warning.
- Ozone and ultraviolet light (UV) require electricity to operate. When power runs out so does your ability to have safe water! Another problem with UV is that if the water is not crystal clear, or the frequency of the bulb or the power supply changes slightly, UV systems lose their effectiveness.
Most of these systems advertise that they remove 99.9% of bacteria. This may sound efficient, but a system rated at 99.9% (log 3 removal) would leave in the above-mentioned glass between 25,000 to 250,000 organisms ? easily more than enough to be an infectious dose depending on the microorganism.
In contrast, our technology uses a patented, entirely new process that focuses on the absolute physical removal of very small particles and microorganisms, achieving more than 99.9999% (log 6 removal) of the smallest bacteria known. That means that in the aforementioned glass, no microorganism would be left that could cause a disease!
Return to Top |
Ster-O-Tap® is a capillary bundle of ultra-filtration membranes, closed on one side and open on the other. These membranes are composed of a gradient-density hydrophillic (water-loving) material embedded in small rigid "straws". These membranes are forged into an element that is embedded in our ultra-pure carbon block resin media.
In-line pressure forces water through the carbon-block wall to the inner bore of the capillary bundle and then leaves the cartridge as filtered and sterile water.
By using a special polymer blend, Ster-O-Tap® has been able to achieve a combination of membrane properties that, until now, has never been achieved: |
- Unlike Reverse Osmosis, Ster-O-Tap® does not waste 3 –to 7 gallons of water for every gallon it produces.
- Unlike Reverse Osmosis, Ster-O-Tap® dispenses a continuous, ample supply of water. You can'’t run out so you can use purified water to wash vegetables, boil pasta, make beverages, as well as pour unlimited glasses of clean, healthy water for you, your family, and a houseful of guests.
- Unlike Reverse Osmosis, Ster-O-Tap® does not require a storage vessel. Apartment dwellers can invest in a portable system that is simple to transport and homeowners can free space under their sink.
- Most importantly, unlike Reverse Osmosis, the Ster-O-Tap® membrane cannot “break-through” rendering product water unsafe without warning.
The Ster-O-Tap® micro-filtration capacity guarantees removal of 99.9999% of bacteria, molds and spores, and 99.99% of viruses; thus rendering water safer from microorganisms than is possible with any other method, except prolonged boiling or distillation.
To see our line of LIVINGWATERS® drinking water systems click here.
Return to Top
|
|
|
