Water Filter FAQ

A   The primary reason our filters perform better than other filtration systems is that each product is designed to guarantee the greatest amount of reduction per contaminant.
The Micro-Porous plastic body of the filter contains thousands of interconnected Omni-directional pores, each being a uniform 2 micron absolute in size. In addition to pore size control, our micro-porous filters have three proprietary media impregnated within that are coordinated carefully for the reduction of potentially harmful contaminants. The mechanical filtration is superior in efficacy in the removal of what is referred to as the "A, B, C, D and R" of water contamination:

• Aesthetic - unpleasant taste and odours, cloudiness, silt, sediment, chlorine, chlorine by-products.

• Biological - harmful microscopic pathogens such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other cysts and spores.

• Chemical - toxic chemicals: Trihalomethanes, PCB's PCE's, detergents, fluoride and pesticides.

• Dissolved solids - including heavy metals such as aluminum, asbestos, cadmium, chromium 6, copper, lead, arsenic and mercury.

• Radiological - Radon 222

Seychelle's exclusive Ionic-Adsorption Micro-Filtration™ combines the different concepts of filtration including absorption, adsorption, chemical bonding and chelation. It reduces specifically all areas of contamination through the exclusive design and impregnation of proprietary media with outstanding filtration capabilities.

A   Three basic reasons:

• 1st - The US EPA, NSF and ANSI Certified Testing Results of our filters assure you consistent quality, great-tasting clean water each and every time. Our water filtration systems are the most tested products of their kind in the world. Efficacy and quality are guaranteed and on record. Many bottled waters, especially in developing countries, are not guaranteed and actual water sources unspecified.

• 2nd - the Seychelle portable water filtration bottle is affordable, efficient, cost effective and can be filled from any convenient water source anywhere, anytime except salt. The Seychelle system produces up to 380 litres of great-tasting filtered water; at a fraction of the cost of bottled water!

• 3rd – Use of the Seychelle portable filter bottle saves the environment from 750 plastic bottles from landfill.

A   The filter will not wear out, per se. However, the maximum filtering capability gradually diminishes and when the water flow is too low, it's time to replace the system.

A   In the United States, water filtration products are tested by independent laboratories to verify the exact capabilities and performance. All Seychelle filters are extensively tested by only the highest quality, US approved laboratories certified to test under the strictest EPA, ANSI & NSF standard methods and protocol. The gallon volume of filtration capacity is tested to NSF standards 42 & 53. In addition, Seychelle filters have been tested in sixteen (16) foreign countries.
All five areas of contamination "A,B,C,D and R" are tested. See laboratory test results for exact percentage reduction.

A   Bacteria can grow on anything, but the key to this product concept is to periodically clean the filter. Most consumers use a Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC) filter element in a manner that the systems are either attached to the faucet or permanently installed under the sink counter.
The major problem is that the water is allowed to collect after use, and this is when bacteria grows or multiplies. Bacteria will grow most effectively in a dark, moist atmosphere, especially if there is no disinfectant in the remaining water. The main reason for the bacteria build-up is that filters cannot sanitize themselves automatically.

To prevent bacteria buildup in bottles that will be stored for some time:

1. Fill the bottle with chlorinated water. Run this through the system and then rinse and flush with filtered water.
2. Allow the bottle/filter assembly to dry overnight unassembled.
3. Re-assemble the bottle/filter.

You may now store the product for any length of time.
Seychelle has not received one report of bacterial growth on one of its filters since its introduction fourteen years ago.

A   Seychelle performs continuous flow tests that exceed 1500 litres. For chlorine removal, the testing laboratories run the filters with heavily spiked water for over 1900 litres without any break-through of residual chlorine or other surrogates used. We state 380 litres as an indication of capacity.

A   It is imperative that all filtering systems be flushed before initial use to insure all minute particles that may have gathered during manufacturing are rinsed from the units. Please refer to product manuals for exact instructions for each product in our line. Some of our filters come pre-flushed, i.e Stainless Steel bottles but there may be some residual carbon in the first few mouthfuls which may taste salty.

A   Seychelle is the top filter and purifier and our Ionic Adsorption Micron Filters are the most laboratory and field-tested of their kind in the world using EPA/ANSI protocols and NSF Standards 42 and 53.
Other water quality solutions include:

Boiling Water
Not a recommended method of filtration or purification. It may serve as a method for killing bacteria in an emergency. However, very little else is removed by boiling. The sediment, dissolved solids (heavy metals), bad tastes and odor in a concentrated form as well as toxic chemicals remain. Boiling is not recommended as a solution.

Bottled Water
USA Consumer's Digest, June 1996: "Bottled water is expensive. It is often priced 700 times higher than tap water and may be of questionable quality. Bottled water is clearly an alternative…an overused one. Past studies have shown that bottled water wasn't much better than tap water in terms of purity”. Costs vary dramatically.

Distillation
Water distillation is a very time consuming process of thermal separation and evaporation. Water is heated in a chamber, usually metal, to produce steam. The steam passes to a cooling chamber and is then condensed into refined product water. In theory, sediment, pathogens, chemicals and dissolved solids are removed as separation takes place.
Some contaminants - chloroform, THM's, and other organic chemicals - have a lower boiling point that water. Distillation is effective at removing most contamination in source water. Energy is required, either electricity or gas, in order to operate. Maintenance and cleaning are necessary for ultimate performance.

Water Softeners
Work on the principle of Ion Exchange by adding sodium ions to exchange calcium/magnesium ions which are the water hardness minerals. This process is effective for home maintenance. It makes washing clothing easier, and dish washing more efficient by reducing soap requirements, keeping dishes, sinks, showers and tubs spot free. The process is not recommended for drinking water due to the increase in sodium.

Reverse Osmosis (RO)
A direct function of pressure, forcing water against a semi-permeable membrane. The membrane, due to its very small pore sizes has the ability to separate the pure water molecules from most contaminants in water. Reverse Osmosis must be used with a pre-filter to keep the membrane clean and a granulated activated carbon (GAC) post-filter to remove various volatile organic compounds. However, it takes 4-10 litres of tap water to produce 1 litre of purified water!

Filtration
There are two basic types of filtration...mechanical and adsorption. Commonly referred to as sediment or activated carbon, each of these filters is used for a specific purpose. Mechanical filters can be designed to be as small as 2 microns to filter pathogens larger than 2 microns; or larger in porosity, up to 25 microns for sediment or suspended materials in source water. Granulated Activated Carbon or GAC filters are small granules that are extremely porous with a high surface ability for adsorbing organics from the water such as chlorine, agriculture and industrial toxic chemicals.
There are many varieties of "filters." Effectiveness varies with the kind of carbon, design, volume, and dwell time (how long the water is exposed to the filter upon passage). Cost and effectiveness varies.