PFAS & Lead Water Filters in Chesapeake, VA

Chris: This is Chris. I’m here with Dr. Frank Stillo. I hope you guys have been enjoying the series here about PFAS. We’ve really started the educational part that Frank has been giving us. I think we’re diving into what a lot of you folks have been wanting to learn, and that’s how to get PFAS out of your water.

We’re just going to touch on a few of those things. This is more of an interview setting because there are a few topics we’d like to hear Frank talk about. He may not go into the craziest detail on some of these, but we can always do follow-up videos. As always, you can reach out to us anytime if you’d like a direct phone consultation or more information.

The theme of this one is simple: What actually removes PFAS? The major technologies people have been researching are ion exchange, activated carbon, and reverse osmosis. Frank, why don’t you start us off?

Dr. Frank: Yeah, Chris, you nailed it. There are really three technologies out there that remove PFAS: activated carbon, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange, which is probably the least common.

Let’s start with ion exchange because it’s the least common. It’s probably the hardest one to get and has the highest upfront cost. Basically, it’s a tank or enclosure filled with what they call ion exchange media. The media looks like little beads. As the water flows through, the PFAS compounds attach to the media through an electrical charge.

Once the media fills up, it stops capturing PFAS, so it has to be replaced. That means shutting down the system and replacing either the media or the entire tank. There’s a maintenance cost associated with that.

You also have to understand your drinking water system. You need to know how many gallons of water you use each day, and you need to know the concentration of PFAS coming into the system because the media has a limited capacity.

Chris: Which requires constant testing, I would think.

Dr. Frank: Constant testing. I wouldn’t make a blanket recommendation on how often because there are a lot of variables. It depends on how you use your system, how it’s sized, how the water flows through it, and the PFAS concentration coming into the system.

Chris: That’s a good overview of ion exchange. Let’s move on to activated carbon.

Dr. Frank: Activated carbon works in a similar fashion. You have activated carbon inside a housing. Similar products include refrigerator filters, pitcher filters, and some whole-house filters.

The contaminated water enters the system, and the activated carbon grabs the PFAS compounds and holds onto them. Like ion exchange, activated carbon has a limited life. How often it needs to be replaced depends on the PFAS concentration in the water and how many gallons of water pass through the filter.

Once the carbon reaches its capacity, it no longer captures PFAS. Instead, it can actually begin releasing the PFAS it has already collected.

Chris: So instead of just stopping, it can actually dose you with higher concentrations?

Dr. Frank: That’s right. You can get higher concentrations in short bursts when the filter begins releasing what it has captured. That’s why it’s very important to maintain these systems and test them so you know they’re still working and when they need to be replaced.

Chris: Before we get into certifications, I want to touch on the equipment side. A lot of carbon filters use loose carbon inside tanks without a backwashing valve. Those systems can develop channeling very quickly, sometimes within the first week or two, and then the water only flows through a small portion of the media.

We also get asked about refrigerator filters and pitcher filters. Do they actually remove PFAS, or do they simply reduce it?

Dr. Frank: Generally speaking, if they’re brand new and maintained exactly as the manufacturer recommends, they’ll reduce PFAS to some degree. Some manufacturers claim around 70%, but it varies from product to product and depends on the incoming PFAS concentration.

Even if a filter reduces PFAS by 70%, that still means about 30% is getting through. Is that really the level of drinking water you want?

Chris: To be clear, I haven’t seen any pitcher or refrigerator filter manufacturers claiming they completely remove PFAS. If you read carefully, most say they reduce it.

Dr. Frank: That’s correct.

Chris: Another question we get is once PFAS has been flowing through your plumbing for months, does it remain in the fittings or pipes?

Dr. Frank: That’s a complicated question. There are certain types of tubing, such as Teflon tubing, that actually contain PFAS coatings. I don’t want to say PFAS sticks to every fitting because that’s more complicated than that.

What I will say is that the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) certifies many water treatment products. Some refrigerator filters may have NSF certifications. Certain certifications require activated carbon to reduce PFAS below specified levels. Manufacturers also have to repeatedly demonstrate that performance over time, and their manufacturing facilities are inspected to ensure consistent quality.

Chris: We almost opened another whole discussion about what is actually considered “safe.” That’s probably another video altogether. Let’s move on to reverse osmosis.

Dr. Frank: Personally, I have a reverse osmosis system under my own kitchen sink. It’s the one I like best. It’s easy to maintain. It has prefilters and a reverse osmosis membrane.

The membrane allows water to pass through while preventing larger PFAS compounds from crossing. It also removes many other contaminants, including total dissolved solids, lead, and many others.

The filters should be replaced every year, and the membrane every couple of years. Reverse osmosis systems are also compact enough to fit under a kitchen sink and include a storage tank that provides purified water on demand.

Chris: From the application side, that’s why so many of our customers install one of our Protector Series whole-home systems along with a reverse osmosis system for drinking water. The annual filter replacement on the reverse osmosis system gives customers peace of mind because it removes PFAS along with a long list of other contaminants.

We also developed a whole-home PFAS and Lead Series that is certified for 100,000 gallons. We wanted homeowners to be able to go about one year between filter changes.

One thing to remember is that these whole-home PFAS filters shouldn’t be installed on untreated well water with iron because the iron will quickly clog the filter. On city water, they generally last the full year.

Some homeowners ask about whole-home reverse osmosis. That’s certainly an option, but it requires a large holding tank, additional space, a repressurization pump, and a neutralizer because reverse osmosis lowers the pH of the water. It’s a great system, but it’s also the most expensive option.

Dr. Frank: One thing I would add is that if you maintain your reverse osmosis system once a year, you’re generally in good shape. Unlike activated carbon or ion exchange, reverse osmosis doesn’t store PFAS inside the filter media. It flushes those contaminants to the drain, so you don’t get the concentrated breakthrough that can happen when other media become saturated.

That’s one of the reasons I believe reverse osmosis works the best.

Chris: One last question. If someone already has a water softener and later wants to add a PFAS filter, wouldn’t you agree that the PFAS filter should generally be installed after the softener unless they’re both being installed at the same time?

Dr. Frank: Yes. Especially if they’re keeping the existing system. That’s where taking a complete look at the home’s water treatment system becomes important. You want the safest, most conservative approach, and in many cases that means installing the PFAS filter after any potential source of contamination.

Chris: We also want everyone to feel comfortable calling us for a consultation. We know you can’t eliminate 100% of PFAS exposure. The goal is reducing your exposure as much as practical. We’ll help you find the treatment option that makes the most sense for your home and your budget.

Thanks, as always, Frank. We’ll see you guys soon. Bye.