Practically all the water bodies of the globe today are very heavily polluted. This not only negatively affects the ecological situation, but also quite badly harms human he alth. Each of us has a lot of individual characteristics. What one does not pay attention to, another will bring a lot of trouble. Allergies, dermatosis, diseases of internal organs - this is not a complete list of the negative consequences of using dirty water. To avoid such troubles, mechanical / biological water purification, as well as its chemical treatment, is mandatory. In this article we will talk about the very first type of stonecrop - physical.
Cleaning principle
Mechanical method of water purification is the easiest and most affordable way to rid the liquid of various impurities. With the help of sedimentation and filtration, all foreign substances are removed from dirty water:
- rust;
- suspended particles;
- sand.
The very principle of cleaning is that with the help of various devices coarse impurities are removed from the water. For this, various septic tanks, sand traps, manure traps, gratings and sieves are used. Surface contaminants are removed with the help of oil separators, oil traps and settling tanks. Properly selected filter material is of great importance for the quality of the cleaning system.
Where mechanical filtration is used
Water purification from mechanical impurities has found quite a wide application. This is the most common way to purify water taken from open sources - rivers, lakes, canals, various reservoirs. Mechanical cleaning is also mandatory at municipal water treatment plants.
Mechanical water purification is also used in domestic filtration systems. Such cleaners are most often installed at the common entrance to the house and each apartment.
Such a system is indispensable for wastewater treatment. Using this method allows you to isolate up to 75% of insoluble impurities from dirty domestic wastewater, and all 95% from industrial wastewater.
How wastewater is treated
Mechanical water treatment has been helping out quite a lot for owners of private houses located far from the central sewer for some time now. The main problem such homeowners face is drain filtration. Of course, this problem can be solved with a conventional cesspool. When it's full, you just need tocall the sewer truck, and you can use the pit again.
Sooner or later, homeowners come to the conclusion that the use of a pit latrine is not only impractical, but also unhygienic. Not only does a rather unpleasant smell spread around it, but also household chemicals, seeping into the ground, cause irreparable damage to garden crops. We have to build a mini-treatment facility, install a system of various filters.
Similar systems, only on a much larger scale, are also installed at municipal wastewater treatment plants, where liquid waste from the life of large and small cities and towns is collected.
Filter systems for water purification in apartments
City water entering our apartments, although it goes through some stonecrop, but, as it moves through the pipes, it becomes contaminated again. From this, the life-giving moisture flowing from a home tap is very difficult to call such: it often has a nasty taste, smell and dirty yellow color. In order not to endlessly clean kettles and pots, not to take yellow linen out of the washing machine and not to drink compote with a taste of bleach or a crunch of sand on your teeth, it is worth installing filters in the apartment.
Mechanical purification of cold water, however, as well as hot, allows you to remove insoluble impurities from the liquid. Also, softeners are additionally used in apartments. They remove the s alts that make the water hard.
There is another purification system - reverse osmosis. Its operating principle is thatwater under pressure is driven through a special semi-permeable membrane, which traps impurities.
Water treatment from wells
Some people think that well water doesn't need to be treated. This is not true. Of course, surface pollution does not affect such water, but a lot of iron, calcium and magnesium s alts are dissolved in it. Therefore, such water is also subject to filtration.
First of all, mechanical water purification is carried out. The procedure helps to release the liquid from insoluble particles. Next, water is purified from excess iron. It is oxidized to larger particles and filtered again.
After that, the water is softened by ion exchange. This allows you to reduce its rigidity. At the last stage of purification, the water is disinfected, because the remains of detergents and the remains of chemicals used as fertilizers are dissolved in it.
What are filters
As you can see, among the variety of cleaning methods, the very first and most effective is still mechanical. There are many tools that are used for this process.
The cold water mechanical filter is primarily divided according to the type and size of the trapped particles. There is a fine and coarse filter.
The first, in turn, are divided into two more groups:
- cartridge;
- flushing.
In cartridge systems, it is used as a dirt-catching mechanismspecial removable insert. Most often it is made of foamed propylene or fine steel mesh. No manufacturer will say exactly how often this element should be changed. It all depends on the degree of contamination of the water flowing through the pipes. The first sign that indicates the need to replace the cartridge is a decrease in pressure. To replace, it is necessary to turn off the water, unscrew the filter and remove the contaminated element. A new one is inserted in its place, and the actions are performed in the reverse order.
The washing filter is arranged according to the same principle. Its only difference is that the cartridge can not be changed, but simply washed and used again. Wash filters are available:
- disc;
- mesh;
- mesh with backwash.
They work almost the same way, the difference is only in the cleaning method.
Coarse filters are quite similar to fine ones. The difference lies in the fact that a coarse filter can only capture large particles, so it is installed at the beginning of the cleaning system. Coarse filters are:
- mesh;
- cartridge;
- mud (without washing);
- pressure high-speed;
- with backwash.
Like fine filters, some can be cleaned and washed, while others only need to be replaced.
How to install a mechanical filter
If rusty liquid flows from your faucet all the timeincomprehensible taste and smell, you definitely need mechanical water purification. The cleaning filter can be installed independently. This task is not difficult. First you need to stock up on tools. You will need:
- hacksaw;
- pipe cutter;
- FUM tape or other sealant;
- special fittings for plastic pipes;
- if the pipes are metal - locknut and coupling;
- thread cutter.
To install, you need to cut a piece of pipe, the size of which is slightly larger than the diameter of the existing filter cover. After that, threads are cut at the ends and fittings are installed using a sealant. Now the filter itself is installed.
To install the water treatment device, you should choose a place so that its lower edge is located at a level of 10 cm from the ground or floor (at least). If you ignore this rule, it will be very difficult to replace the cleaning cartridge. To do this, the filter will have to be dismantled.
