When you are treating water for human consumption or for other use, such as for community use, filtration is vital. You count on your filter to take care of the toxins and unpleasant tastes and smells so that the resulting water is clear, tasty and safe to drink and use. However, the filter media can provide a breeding ground for algae, bacteria and other unpleasant things to grow. This can cause the filter to be less effective or even harmful.
Causes of Media Growth
While some media growth in the filter is expected and normal, too much makes for a difficult water treatment job. As mentioned, natural growth is one cause, but other causes of unexpected, flourishing growth can include:
- Still Water – While this can be a natural or artificial occurrence, algae especially is more likely to form and thrive when the water doesn’t have movement.
- Fertilization Runoff – In agricultural areas, it is not at all unexpected to see runoff of highly fertilized water run from the farms into the water supply. In places where erosion is an issue, this is even more likely to be prevalent. Water that may have this in it will cause media growth within the filter.
- Sewage Treatment – Even the chemicals used to treat sewage can contribute to the media growth issue. In an urban space where water may be less likely to be naturally filtered, the high concentration of chemicals can change the balance of the water’s chemistry and make an environment where algae and fungi thrives.
Effects of Media Growth on the Water Supply
Water that is run through an unclean filter or one that has increased growth is unhealthy, unpleasant and unappealing. It may need to be boiled or treated before using and people do not have confidence in the water they drink. This is a serious problem. Every material that grows within the filter will transfer into the water supply in some way, shape or form. One potential effect is a replacing the filter and replacing it often. While filter replacement is something that should be done regularly, this should only go so far, especially if there is another solution.
However, the effects of media growth are enormous, meaning that something needs to be done about the problem.
Potential Solutions for Media Growth Problems
The key to treating out of control media growth is to use the right products at the right time—ideally, non-hazardous products. One option that may be a good solution is neXt, by Blue Earth Labs. This product is the first non-hazardous, single component filtration media cleaning product. This particular product was developed because customers needed a way to clean filter media without adding harsh, dangerous chemicals. neXt is dry, making it easy to add to the filter. In addition, it is environmentally friendly. While there is a cost associated with this product, it is quite affordable when compared to the cost of replacing the filter. Moreover, there is much less downtime.
There are other solutions too; including replacing the filter each time media growth takes hold. However, there are no better products available today than the ones available by Blue Earth Labs.
While media growth is a problem for anyone involved in the water treatment process, it is not a problem that is irreversible. Spend some time learning more about the media growing on and around your filter, so you can make the best possible decision for your organization’s finances as well as the wellbeing of all who drink and use water from the supply.
