Understanding Our Patented Micro-filtration Media
Disease producing microorganisms are a growing problem in the nations 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 to disinfect water supplies. There are a variety of dangerous organisms that are not killed by chlorination. 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 citys water supply.
- Treatment 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.
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.
As helpful as they are, they dont make water safe! A device that can trap 99.95% of cysts can let dangerous bacteria 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.
Our technology uses a patented, entirely new process that focuses on the absolute physical removal of very small particles and microorganisms, achieving more than 99.9999999% (log 9 removal) of the smallest bacteria known. That means that in the aforementioned glass, no microorganism would be left that could cause a disease!
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 described above.
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:
Benefits of Ster-O-Tap®
- Unlike RO, Ster-O-Tap® does not waste 3 7 gallons of water for every gallon it produces.
- Unlike RO, Ster-O-Tap® dispenses a continuous, ample supply of water. You cant run out so you can use purified water to wash vegetables, boil pasta, make beverages, and pour glasses of water.
- Unlike RO, 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 RO, the Ster-O-Tap® membrane cannot break-through rendering product water unsafe without warning.
The Ster-O-Tap® micro-filtration capacity guarantees removal of 99.9999999% of bacteria, molds and spores, and 99.999% of viruses; thus rendering water safer from microorganisms than is possible with any other method, except prolonged boiling or distillation.
Return to Top
The Advantages of LivingWaters Technology
Because of our technology, our family of LivingWaters customers enjoy the best quality drinking water in a way that is less expensive, more convenient, and far more reliable than is available with any other water treatment device.
Our KDF® media surpasses the performance of even the best RO systems at the removal of chlorine, the disinfection by-products of chlorination, heavy metals and other inorganic contaminants. It also turns your water into a powerful anti-oxidant.
When it comes to making water safe, our technology is without equal. Each LIVINGWATERS Water Treatment System employs FOUR technologies proven to control bacteria without electricity. First is the Doulton Sterasyl® silver-impregnated ceramic cartridge capable of removing 99.99% of pathogenic bacteria. Second is the KDF®55 media that uses its redox potential to destroy any remaining bacteria as well as viruses. These two technologies are contained in the first cartridge, and that is only our pre-filter!
In the second cartridge, our premium carbon block resin technology begins the third stage of treatment. Then we go further! All 4, 5, and 6 stage LIVINGWATERS Water Treatment Systems employ the recently developed capillary membrane, micro-filtration technology known as Ster-O-Tap®.
These four technologies form the heart of every LivingWaters Water Treatment System. From there, systems are configured for special water problems like fluoride, nitrate removal, and chloramine removal.
What this means is that for the first time, you can own a water system that you can trust to make your water safer and healthier than has ever before been possible. With our technology, no power is required; no break-through is possible and ALL these technologies work on cloudy or turbid water!
Not even the best ceramic, reverse-osmosis, or carbon-block technologies can meet that standard! It is a remarkable performance that has been confirmed over and over by independent laboratories.
Best of all, as we develop our technology, we commit to implementing our advancements in standard sized cartridges. That is why our family of customers who bought their systems from us years ago are enjoying our latest technology every time they change their filters!
With our technology, the result is a system that is so safe, economical, convenient, and efficient, that nothing else on the market can compare!
Return to Top