Comparison Aquaphor B520-13 vs Aquaphor A5

The area of application for which the cartridge is designed.

— Flow (pre-filter). Cartridges designed for use in flow filters — main or installed under the sink. They can differ in the degree of cut-off of contaminants and types of filtration (see the relevant paragraphs), but all such products have a high throughput — otherwise the filter would interfere with the flow of water in the water supply. Flow systems are quite difficult to install, they require special installation and are installed as a stationary fixture, without the possibility of being carried from place to place.

— Reverse osmosis. Cartridges designed for use in reverse osmosis systems. The principle of operation of such systems is to use a membrane that performs filtration at the molecular level — it allows water molecules to pass through and retains larger pollution molecules. This ensures the highest degree of purification. On the other hand, osmosis systems are demanding on inlet pressure (it must be high), have low productivity and filter only part of the water — about 40 %, the rest of the water is drained back into the sewer.

— Post-filter. Fine filter, which is designed for water treatment at the final stage. Structuring, ionization and mineralization of water can be carried out thanks to the post-filter. The post-filter is equipped with its own case, so it can be us...ed as an additional purification stage, regardless of the design features of the main filtration system.

— Filter jug. Cartridges designed for installation in filter jugs. Such filters are containers divided into two parts: water is poured into the upper one, which, under its own weight, flows through the cartridge into the lower container. Jugs have low productivity and are generally inferior in terms of filtration efficiency to flow-through and, especially, osmotic systems (see the relevant paragraphs); on the other hand, they are extremely simple, inexpensive and easy to use, moreover, they are quite compact and portable — the jug can be transported with you if necessary. And the degree of purification may be quite enough if the water is not heavily polluted.

— On the tap. Cartridges for filters to be put on the water tap. Such systems are a cross between flow systems and filter jugs. They differ from the first ones in ease of installation, as well as lower productivity and degree of purification; on the other hand, tap filters work faster and more efficiently than the same jugs. At the same time, such a filter is not designed for continuous use, it has to be constantly connected/disconnected, which is not very convenient and leads to wear on the tap mount.

— Tourist. Cartridges for travel filters. As the name implies, these filters are designed for trips, hikes and other situations associated with being “away from civilization”. They can have a different design, but a prerequisite is compactness and the ability to work with water without pressure.

— For shower. Cartridges for filters installed on the shower head or in front of the hose. In the overwhelming majority, such systems are designed to improve water quality - eliminate odors, soften water for a gentle effect on the skin and hair, and reduce dry skin after taking “bath procedures.”

— Filter kits. Sets of filter elements for water purification systems. Sets of cartridges are supposed to be installed in strict sequence according to the manufacturer’s instructions, since the sets usually include elements with different filtering purposes: for mechanical cleaning, carbon cleaning, water softening, reducing iron levels, etc. The kits are available in various variations, so you can select the appropriate set of filter elements depending on the specific water parameters. Purchasing them en masse allows you to avoid replacing filters in water treatment systems separately.

— Reverse osmosis kits. Reverse osmosis filter sets are the most effective water treatment systems. Such systems have at least 5 stages of water purification; accordingly, purchasing filters in sets is cheaper than purchasing filter elements separately. Such sets differ from conventional kits in the expanded number of filters - in particular, reverse osmosis systems contain a special membrane, mineralizers, pre- and post-filters.

Cartridge height. Traditionally indicated in inches.

This parameter is relevant for cartridges used in flow systems and reverse osmosis systems (see "Application"). First of all, it allows you to evaluate compatibility with a particular filter. Here we note that filter cases are available in standard sizes, and many cartridges are quite compatible with "non-native" filters due to the coincidence in size. In addition, the larger the filter element (under other equal), the larger its effective area and the higher the throughput. On the other hand, large products cost accordingly.

Now on the market there are cartridges with the following heights: 5 ", 10 ", 12 ", 20 ". And among manufacturers, such cartridges are marked 10SL (10"x2.5"), 20SL (20"x2.5"), 10BB (10"x4.5"), 20BB (20"x4.5").

The width (diameter) of the cartridge. Traditionally indicated in inches.

This parameter is relevant for cartridges used in flow systems and reverse osmosis systems (see "Application"). It allows you to evaluate the compatibility of the cartridge with the "seat" of the filter in which it is planned to be used.

Now on the market there are cartridges with the following width: 2 ", 2.5 ", 3 ", 4.5 ".

The smallest particle size that the cartridge is capable of retaining; smaller contaminants will be able to penetrate through it. Accordingly, the smaller the number in this point, the finer the filtering provided by the cartridge. On the other hand, increasing the filtration thoroughness inevitably reduces the performance, other things being equal. So the choice of cartridge is often based on a compromise between thoroughness of cleaning and throughput.

Also note that the choice depends on the purification stage at which the cartridge is planned to be installed. So, at the initial stage, coarse cleaning is used, with clipping impurities at the level of 25 microns or more. Filter elements with an index from 25 to 0.3 microns are classified as fine filters, and lower values are typical for ultra-fine elements, in particular, for osmotic membranes (see "Application").

The filtration rate provided by the cartridge, in other words, its maximum performance (throughput).

This indicator is directly related to the regular use of the cartridge (see above). It is also worth considering here that usually the finer the cleaning, the lower the performance of the filter element. Therefore, for example, flow pre-filter systems at the entrance to an apartment can be performant enough not to slow down the flow, but getting drinking water is inevitably associated with a slowdown in the process. This is especially true for reverse osmosis systems. Filter jugs also do not differ in performance, because they work without pressure. In addition, we note that when installing several filters in series (in a flow system), the final filtration speed will be limited by the speed of the slowest filter.

In general, when choosing a cartridge for a jug, a filter for a tap or a travel filter, you can not pay much attention to this parameter — performance is usually guaranteed to be enough to work for its intended purpose. Detailed recommendations for other types of filters can be found in special sources.

The resource of a cartridge is the amount of water that it can effectively pass through itself and clean without loss of working qualities. For reusable models (see below), the resource between cleanings/regenerations is usually indicated.

This parameter allows you to estimate how long the cartridge will last and how often it will need to be changed or cleaned. There are formulas that allow you to calculate the approximate water consumption depending on the number of people in the family and other factors; these formulas can be found in special sources. However, manufacturers themselves often make approximate calculations and indicate the frequency of replacement in the documents for a filter or cartridge: for example, “when used in a family of 3 people, change every month”. In fact, it is more convenient to use these recommendations.

Types of filtration provided by the cartridge. This parameter takes into account both the types of pollution that the product is able to cope with, and some features of its operation.

— Mechanical(impurities, sand). Purification from mechanical impurities — insoluble particles larger than a certain size (see "Pollution clipping"). The simplest cleaning method that can be achieved with relatively simple and inexpensive filter elements.

— Carbon(active chlorine, smell, taste). Purification through the use of activated carbon or other similar sorbent. Such a sorbent absorbs foreign substances dissolved in water, providing cleaning at the chemical level.

— Colloidal iron (rust). Purification of colloidal iron — particles suspended in water, which consist of insoluble iron compounds and give the water a characteristic "rusty" shade with a corresponding taste and smell. Some of this iron can be removed from the water by mechanical filtration, but additional chemical cleaning methods can be provided to increase efficiency. Therefore, this type of filtering is rendered separately.

— Hardness salts (limescale)). Removal of calcium and magnesium salts, which make water hard and lead to the formation of scale on heating elements (in particular, heating elements of washing...machines and dishwashers). Also note that excessive water hardness reduces the effectiveness of detergents. To remove hardness salts, different methods can be used, depending on the composition of the cartridge (see the relevant paragraph). So, ion-exchange resins take calcium and magnesium ions from water, replacing them with sodium ions; polyphosphate crystals form soluble compounds with hardness salts that do not limescale; and osmotic membranes (see "Application") filter out salts at the molecular level.

— Heavy metal ions. Removal from water of ions of various heavy metals that are harmful to humans — mercury, cadmium, plumbum, etc. Such purification can be carried out both chemically (reagent) and osmotically (see "Application").

— UV cleaning (bacteria). Purification of water from pathogenic bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms, carried out by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Such radiation is detrimental to microorganisms, while it does not affect the chemical properties of water and does not affect its quality.

— Mineralization. Saturation of filtered water with minerals useful for the human body. This function is often provided in reverse osmosis systems (see "Application"): osmotic purification removes not only harmful, but also useful impurities from the water, as a result, the water turns out to be "dead", which does not carry any benefit (and it may even taste unpleasant). Mineralization allows you to compensate for this moment.

— Nitrates. Purification of water from nitrates — salts of nitric acid. Nitrates are widely used as fertilizers; most of them are processed by plants into harmless compounds, but unused residues can enter the water, and such substances are harmful to the human body. Purification can be carried out both by reverse osmosis (see "Purpose"), and chemically — due to substances that connect nitrates and do not allow them to pass the filter.

— Pesticides. Pesticides are toxic chemicals used to combat harmful flora and fauna — weeds, insects, rodents, etc. Most of these compounds are also harmful to humans. Removal of pesticides can be provided by adsorption (absorbing) filters or reverse osmosis systems (see "Application").

— Petroleum products. Oil and various substances obtained from it (gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, fuel oil, etc.). Poisonous when taken orally. Oil products do not dissolve in water, but may be present as a suspension or film on the surface. They are removed mainly by adsorption or reverse osmosis (see "Application").