Whether you’re looking at a domestic water filter or a water filter for foodservice applications, you’ll likely notice that amongst the technical specifications, each filter has a micron rating. But what does that mean?

What is a micron?

A micron is a metric unit of measurement, also known as a micrometre, a micron is a millionth of a metre or a thousandth of a millimetre. It is denoted with the symbol: μm.

To help give an idea of just how small this is, a micron is about the size of a single grain of milled flour while red blood cells measure approximately 7-8 microns in diameter.

What is micron rating?

The micron rating is the size at which particles are retained by the filter. For example, a five-micron filter will stop particles of five microns or larger from passing through the media. A micron is a micrometre, which is a thousandth of a millimetre. To put this size into context, a human hair is between 40 to 90 microns in diameter, bacteria range from 0.2 to 50 microns and particles above 50 microns can be seen by the naked eye. 

When filtering solids from liquids, the smaller the micron rating, the more effective the filter and the greater the number of particles that are removed from the final filtrate.

Micro Rating Chart

OBJECT MICRON SIZE
Viruses .01 – .1 microns
Asbestos .08 – .8 microns
Paint Pigment 1 .5 microns
Bacteria .5 – 50 microns
Yeast 2 -15 microns
White Blood Cell 25 – 30 microns
Pollen 10 – 90 microns
Pin Point 75 microns
Human Hair 80 – 100 microns
Silica Sand 100 – 200 microns

Micron Rating Graph

Image Source

Why does my filter need a micron rating?

Micron ratings in water filters are used to offer guidelines into what size contaminant can be removed from the water. The size of the contaminant determines the size of the micron rating you require, for example if we want to filter out asbestos, we would need a water filter capable of removing contaminants that are between 0.8 Microns and roughly 8 Microns which is the size of asbestos.

A micron rating can be compared to mesh doors in hot countries that are used to allow the air to pass through, but prevents flies, bugs and other unwanted creatures from entering. The principle is the same but instead of mesh there are tiny pores allowing water to pass through but blocking tiny contaminants that can be present in water.

Bearing in mind that most micro-organisms and cysts when in the dormant stage of a micro-organism are above 1 micron in size, a water filter with a rating of 1 micron or lower will physically block them from passing through.

Water filters are designed to remove impurities from water, such as sediment, dirt, sand, and other particles. The micron rating of a filter refers to the size of the particles it can effectively remove. A micron is a unit of measurement that is one-millionth of a meter. Thus, a 0.5 micron filter can capture particles that are 0.5 microns or larger in size, while a 0.2 micron filter can capture particles that are 0.2 microns or larger in size.

The choice of whether to use a 0.5 micron or a 0.2 micron filter depends on the specific application and the quality of the water being filtered. In general, a 0.5 micron filter is suitable for most applications where the water is relatively clean and free of large particles. This may include drinking water, water used for cooking, or water used for washing. A 0.5 micron filter is typically used as a pre-filter to protect more expensive downstream filtration equipment, such as reverse osmosis systems.

On the other hand, a 0.2 micron filter is better suited for applications where the water is more contaminated or contains smaller particles. This may include industrial processes, such as manufacturing or chemical processing, where the water needs to be purified to a higher level. Additionally, a 0.2 micron filter may be used in situations where the water source is known to contain a high level of sediment or other particulate matter.

In general, a 0.2 micron filter is recommended when absolute filtration is required, such as in pharmaceutical or semiconductor applications, but for most water filtration needs, a 0.5 micron filter is suitable.

In summary, the choice of whether to use a 0.5 micron or a 0.2 micron filter depends on the specific application and the quality of the water being filtered. In general, a 0.5 micron filter is suitable for most residential and commercial applications, while a 0.2 micron filter is better suited for more demanding industrial or commercial applications.



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Drinking water filtration

Cold Water Application

FEATURES & BENEFITS:

  • Provides clear, fresh, premium quality ingredient water for great beverages
  • Removes chlorine, bad taste & odour
  • Capacity 14 950 Litres (0.25c p/liter)
  • Flowrate (litres per minute) 1.9
  • 0.2 Micron rating

Water filter for hot & cold application

FEATURES & BENEFITS

  • Reduces chlorine taste and odor and other offensive contaminants that can adversely affect the taste of water and beverages
  • Proportioned scale inhibitor feed dramatically prevents limescale from forming in brewing equipment
  • Exclusive precoat filtration provides superior chlorine taste & odor reduction and micro-filters dirt and particles as small as 0.2 microns in size by mechanical means
  • Proprietary Micro-Pure® II filtration media effectively inhibits the growth of bacteria on the filter media can decrease product life
  • Capacity: 3,000 gallons (11,356 L)
  • Service Flow Rate: Maximum 1.9 Lpm
  • 0.2 Micron filtration rating
  • NSF® Certified under NSF Standard 42



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Filtration for Ice

Reduces water-related ice machine problems caused by scale buildup* from dirt and dissolved minerals

Easy, sanitary, quick-change filter replacement

Reduces scale and clogging of distribution lines,

evaporator plate and pump

Exclusive precoat filtration provides chlorine taste & odor reduction and micro-filters dirt and particles as small as 0.2 micron in size by mechanical means

Proprietary Pentair Everpure Micro-Pure II filtration media effectively inhibits the growth of bacteria on the filter media that can decrease product life

NSF/ANSI Standard 53 certified to reduce cysts

Testing water before putting it through a filtration system is important to identify contaminants, determine water hardness and pH, and optimize system performance. This information is critical in selecting the appropriate filtration system and ensuring that it is effective in providing safe and clean water.

CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION OR IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE YOUR WATER TESTED.


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