Water filters are a very necessary part of great coffee. Your coffee machines and coffee vending machines need them. But not all water filters are the same, so let’s look at them in detail.
Water filters have different functions
A water filter is made with materials that are specific to its function. If it is to remove dirt particles it will have a layer of a fine inert material to trap the dirt. If it is to remove chlorine, it will have a layer of a material that reacts with chlorine to remove it from the water. We use water filters to do all this and also to remove calcium from the water.
Calcium is the mineral that makes life difficult for coffee machines. It bonds to the metal surfaces of your boiler and water tubes and when it does it builds a layer of calcium. What this does is to insulate the surfaces from the water. When that surface is part of a boiler, heat cannot move from the hot metal surface into the water as easily. The result is that your water temperature drops and the coffee starts getting colder!
Water filters dealing with this issue work on two principles and we offer both types.
Siliphos Based Filters
Siliphos is a food grade chemical that is used to soften water and it has an intersting action. It encapsulates the calcium in the water and stops its ability to attach to a surface.
Ion Exchange Resin
These work in a different way to the Siliphos filters. In this filter calcium is absorbed by the resin and in return the resin gives back another ion to the water. So it really is as the name suggests, an exchange of ions.
Call us for advice on water filters. We have been looking after coffee machines in South Africa for over 17 years and we know how to keep yours in best shape.