Questions:
1) What does the purifier remove?
2) What does the purifier leave in the water?
3) Will there be a noticeable difference in
the quality of water?
4) How does the FW1000 system work?
5) How will I know when I need to change the
cartridge?
6) How difficult is it to change the cartridge?
7) How much space does the system require?
8) Does the FW1000 require the use of chemicals
or electricity?
9) What is the operating pressure of the FW1000
system?
10) What is the flow rate from the pure water
supply?
11) What are the minimum and maximum temperatures
the system should be subjected to?
12) Can I purchase the FW1000 purifier without
the tap?
13) Does the FW1000 system soften water?
14) Do I need to purchase a separate purifier
for the water dispenser in American style fridge or for
my instant hot water unit?
15) Will the purifier stop my kettle from
scaling up?
16) How do I clean the tap without damaging
the finish?
17) Is the FW1000 system guaranteed?
18) Does the FW1000 system remove nitrates?
19) Will the FW1000 fit a sink with a standard
size hole?
20) I have heard that water filters breed
bacteria, is this true?
1) Question: What does the purifier remove?
Answer: The FW1000 removes a broad range of contaminants
from water. Contaminants found in water can essentially
be placed in three different categories - microbiological,
chemical & aesthetic. Impurities within these categories
that are removed by the FW1000 system include - harmful
bacteria, protozoa organisms, chlorine, trihalomethanes,
volatile organic chemicals (VOC), synthetic organic chemicals
(SOC), foul tastes & odours, rust particles, sediment,
aluminium sulphate and numerous other undesirable elements
including dissolved and particulate metals.
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2) Question: What does the purifier leave in the water?
Answer: The FW1000 is designed to remove virtually all
harmful contaminants from water while leaving minerals essential
to good health and taste intact. Calcium for example contributes
to the overall taste of drinking water, is a major component
of bones and teeth and is essential for various bodily processes
such as blood clotting. The minimum required concentration
of calcium in drinking water has been set by the EEC at
60 mg per litre. While some products such as distillers
and reverse osmosis systems remove calcium and other beneficial
elements, the FW1000 system has been designed to remove
only harmful contaminants while leaving in essential minerals.
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3) Question: Will there be a noticeable
difference in the quality of water from the pure supply?
Answer: Yes. Most people immediately notice a significant
difference in the overall quality of purified water when
they install a FW1000 system. The extent of this depends
largely on the level of contaminants in the water and individual
sensory thresholds. Most complaints relating to the taste
and odour of tap water are due to the presence of chlorine.
As the system also removes wide range of impurities and
contaminants, people often notice a marked improvement in
the clarity and taste of the purified water. Pure water
enhances the flavour of tea, coffee, soups and cooking in
general.
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4) Question: How does the FW1000 system work?
Answer: By lifting or pressing the ‘touch-flo’
lever on the tap body, cold water is diverted through a
non-return valve to the purification unit located under
the sink. The housing of this unit contains the replaceable
Fresh Water 1000-25-SM cartridge. The cartridge is constructed
in six stages:
a) An outer shell of microporous ceramic that removes harmful
bacteria, protozoa cysts and all particles above 0.9µ
(micron). The ceramic element is proven to remove 99.99%
of particles between 0.6 - 0.7µ (micron). For comparative
purposes a red blood cell is approximately 5µ (microns)
in size while the lower field of human vision is estimated
at 20µ.
b) A premium grade anthracite based Granular Activated
Carbon (GAC) to complement Stage (d) for the elimination
of organic pollutants. These include chlorine, pesticides
and other organic chemicals, foul tastes and odours and
numerous other undesirable impurities.
c) Separation baffle to counteract channelling and improve
contact time.
d) Another type of premium grade coconut G.A.C
e) Selective ion exchange resin to especially remove dissolved
heavy metals such as lead, copper, cadmium and mercury.
f) A pure polypropylene sinter to prevent escape of any
filtration media. After purification the water continues
through its own separate channel and is dispensed via a
purpose made elegant ‘touch-flo’ tap.
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5) Question: How will I know when I need to change the
cartridge?
Answer: After six months use the filtration media begins
to lose its effectiveness, usually coinciding with a significant
decrease in the pure water flow as the ceramic outer section
begins to clog with contaminants. The customer Information
/ installation Instructions supplied with the system contains
a Freepost registration card on which is printed a unique
serial number. Returning the card enables us to register
your details which in turn will ensure you receive a reminder
when a cartridge change is due. Registration will also assist
us in dealing with any additional enquiries you may have.
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6) Question: How difficult is it to change the cartridge?
Answer: The procedure for replacing the cartridge is very
simple and takes only a few minutes. The company does provide
a call out cartridge replacement service thought this is
very rarely required. Full Instructions explaining how to
change the cartridge can be found in the installation Instructions
and also come with every Replacement Cartridge.
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7) Question: How much space does the system require?
Answer: The system takes-up very little space: the purifier,
which is only 31cms high, will fit neatly under the sink
in any size base unit.
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8) Question: Does the FW1000 require the use of chemicals
or electricity?
Answer: No. The system has been designed to work from mains
water pressure, does not require the use of any chemicals
and the cartridge is constructed entirely of natural .
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9) Question: What is the operating pressure of the FW1000
system?
Answer: The system works on normal mains pressure. The
maximum pressure that the unit should be subjected to has
been calculated at 75psi (5 bars), and the minimum recommended
pressure is 25 psi (1.7bars). Average mains pressure falls
somewhere between the above while the pressure from a header
tank in a bungalow is likely to be lower than the recommended
minimum. Small pumps are available to deal with low pressure
situations and pressure limiting valves can be supplied
for households experiencing a higher than average water
pressure.
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10) Question: What is the flow rate from the pure water
supply?
Answer: On normal water pressure the average flow rate
of the pure water supply can go up to around 3 litres per
minute. For optimum chemical removal performance, the service
valve can be adjusted to provide a flow rate of around 1.5
to 2 litres per minute.
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11) Question: What are the minimum and
maximum temperatures the system should be subjected to?
Answer: The purifier should never be subjected to freezing
temperatures as this can damage the unit. Damage can also
occur if the purifier is connected to a hot water supply.
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12) Question: Can I purchase the FW1000 purifier without
the tap?
Answer: Yes. The FW1000 has been designed as a complete
system but the housing and cartridge can be used for many
different applications and can be plumbed in-line to coolers
for instance and customers own individual taps. Please refer
to technical specifications for flow rates and capacities.
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13) Question: Does the FW1000 system soften water?
Answer: No. The FW1000 is not a water softener but can
be used in conjunction with a household softener thereby
supplying hot soft water, cold soft water and hard pure
drinking water. Hard water is good for drinking while soft
water is beneficial for bathing and other uses that do not
involve the actual consumption of water.
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14) Question: Do I need to purchase a
separate purifier for the water dispenser in my American
style fridge or for my instant hot water unit?
Answer: No. A special fixing kit incorporating a tee piece
is available, thereby allowing two separate supplies of
purified water to be drawn from a single unit.
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15) Question: Will the purifier stop my kettle from scaling
up?
Answer: To a degree the answer is yes, though this reduction
will be limited and depends on the overall chemistry of
the water. The FW1000 is not a water softener, and unlike
some filters, does not remove the minerals essential to
good health and taste. Calcium and magnesium, perhaps the
most essential of these minerals, are the cause of scaling.
Some contaminants combine with these minerals and by removing
the contaminants the scaling effect can be reduced.
When water is boiled, some of the temporary hardness (in
the form of calcium carbonate) precipitates into the water.
In extreme cases this results in the appearance of white
flecks in the boiled water or as a surface film on tea and
coffee. A convenient remedy for this problem is to use one
of the new generation of kettles now available. These kettles
incorporate a fine mesh screen that remove the precipitate
but not the dissolved minerals, thereby complementing the
use of the FW1000 system.
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16) Question: How do I clean the tap without damaging the
finish?
Answer: Care should be taken not to damage the plated or
painted finish of the tap. To clean, all that is required
is to gently wipe over the surface with a soft damp cloth.
You should not under any circumstances use abrasive liquids,
powders, or scouring pads to clean coloured taps.
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17) Question: Is the FW1000 system guaranteed?
Answer: Yes, the stainless steel housings are guaranteed
for 10 years and the rest of the system has a warranty for
a period of twelve months after purchase (if free from defects
in and workmanship, when properly installed, and
operated in accordance with our Instructions. The cartridge
life will depend on influent water quality, pressure and
overall usage and is not covered by this warranty.
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18) Question: Does the FW1000 system remove nitrates?
Answer: The FW1000 system is not designed to remove nitrates
and while it will remove a certain percentage, this can
be regarded as accidental. The actual amount removed depends
on whether or not any of the nitrate present is organically
bound. However the FW2000 can incorporate a second cartridge
for special needs such as the removal of nitrates. A separate
data sheet on this is available on request.
[There has been a lot of misInformation in the media about
the dangers of nitrate in drinking water and a fact sheet
dealing with this is also available on request.]
The two health risks that are irresponsibly associated
with nitrates are methaemoglobinaemia and stomach cancer.
Methaemoglobinaemia Also known as the "blue baby syndrome",
it is an extremely rare blood condition that is readily
treated. In the last 49 years there have only been 14 reported
cases of the disorder in the UK, the last one taking place
over 27 years ago in 1972. Nitrates when ingested are converted
by bodily processes to nitrites. Stomach acids or amines
react with nitrites to form N-Nitrosamines. Despite speculation
over a possible link with nitrosamines and carcinogenicity,
the numerous studies carried out world-wide by various respected
authorities have failed to establish any link between the
two. In fact, incidences of stomach cancer are at their
lowest in areas of high nitrate concentration. According
to the World Health Organisation, only 22% of our average
daily nitrate intake is attributable to water with the remaining
78% coming from food. Just one lettuce leaf reportedly contains
up to 20 times as much nitrate as a single glass of water.
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19) Question: Will the FW1000 fit a sink with a standard
size hole?
Answer: Yes. The base of the FW1000 tap conforms with European
standards relating to the diameter of the tap base and the
diameter of the fixing hole. The thread size of our "touch-flo"
tap is only 12mm so an additional drinking tap on any work
surface or in the corner of any sink is very easy to install.
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20) Question: I have heard that water filters breed bacteria,
is this true?
Answer: Yes, but it does not apply to the FW1000 system.
Certain carbon filters have in fact been criticised for
their ability to breed bacteria. However, in fairness to
the manufacturers of these, the situation has been widely
exaggerated and only applies to heterotrophic opportunistic
bacteria. By comparison the ceramic shell of the 1000-25-SM
cartridge was originally developed for its bacteriological
removal capability. The same ceramic shell incorporated
in the 1000-25-SM design is currently being used world-wide
by all British Embassies, the Ministry of Defence, Oxfam,
UNICEF, the Red Cross and all other major disaster relief
agencies, together with thousands of other respected organisations
for the removal of, or protection against harmful disease-causing
bacteria.
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