Water filter cartridge advice sodium vs. hydrogen ion exchange - Page 6

Water analysis, treatment, and mineral recipes for optimum taste and equipment health.
lightbar (original poster)
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#51: Post by lightbar (original poster) »

Yeah, ad least here in Europe :

Brita quell st is Hydrogen exchange
Brita c finest is sodium exchange

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kolu
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#52: Post by kolu »

Yes, it was Purity C Finest. I asked the dude several times as we had horrible experience with every other Brita filters (as they are just decarbonizers).

lightbar (original poster)
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#53: Post by lightbar (original poster) »

HI

I have attached the BWT cartridge direclty to the water tap, flushed with something like 2 l of water and then I have taken another 1 l of water to make some tests. Well they have been different from the one that I have made last week by taking the water from the turned-off group of the machine.
Here the results:

Test 10 ml GH Total Hardness: 10 drops--> 5 dh
Test 10 ml KH carbonate hardness: 5 drops--> 2.5 dh
PH->6.5 (at least it seems 6,5 from the image, you can look below).




So what does this mean? The cartridge is working and the limescale that I have found last week from the water taken out from the machine is because limescale i's already sedimented inside the machine?

lightbar (original poster)
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#54: Post by lightbar (original poster) »

Also I have to make a correction
Until now I have used the BWT Bestmax balance at mark I by-pass regulation, and I'm still using that way. Anyway this is not the hardest regulation (= all the water get through the filtration) because the marks goes from 0 to III ( so it's 0 - I - II - III) I was thinking that it was starting from I to IV. So I'm using the little by-pass configuration.

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homeburrero
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#55: Post by homeburrero »

Those numbers look good as far as GH and KH go - looks like you've selected an appropriate bypass.**

As far as the difference between this and your previous measure taken on water flowing through the machine, I have no explanation. It could be that the water flowing through the group picked up some mineral, but that would be surprising if the water was flushed through and had little contact time with the scale that may have been in there. It might be more related to differences in the flow rates through the cartridge in this recent test vs the previous test. This 'balance' cartridge, as I've said before, is pretty mysterious. Good that you seem to be getting good GH and KH numbers out of it.

** A GH of 5 German degrees would be a total hardness of about 90 mg/L as CaCO3, and for your particular water's Mg/Ca ratio, a calcium hardness of about 60 mg/L as CaCO3, and the 2.5 degrees KH is an alkalinity of 45 mg/L as CaCO3. Nicely in the SCAA and SCA recommended zones.
Pat
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h

lightbar (original poster)
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#56: Post by lightbar (original poster) replying to homeburrero »

Yeah I remember that when I have made the test with machine water I had it flushed, indeed I can't explain either why I get this difference between tests. Also the water was cold. I have talked to a bwt vendor, he said that the balance is not based only on Hydrogen ion exchange, I suppose that there is also another ion exchange (sodium?) . Good to see that the ph has been good in both test.

lightbar (original poster)
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#57: Post by lightbar (original poster) »

Homeburrero, at this point you think that I can buy another Bestmax Balance when I'll need to change my carthridge?

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homeburrero
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#58: Post by homeburrero »

That's a tough call because that 'Balance' cartridge is such a mystery. It does appear to be doing an adequate job of reducing your hardness and alkalinity to reasonable levels, so unless a more conventional cartridge is considerably cheaper I can't see going back to square one and dialing in a different cartridge.
lightbar wrote:I have talked to a bwt vendor, he said that the balance is not based only on Hydrogen ion exchange, I suppose that there is also another ion exchange (sodium?) .
Probably not a conventional sodium or potassium exchange resin, because their product lit claims that it adds no polyphosphate, sodium, potassium, or silver. I think one argument for this filter was the assumption way back that it also had an anion exchange resin that might do a little to reduce your borderline high chloride (49 mg/L as indicated in the city water report you listed here.) If someone from BWT can say for sure that it does have anion exchange resins that will reduce your chloride ion content, then you have good reason to stick with it.

P.S.
I think anion exchange is uncommon in plumb-in cartridge filters for espresso equipment. Claris Prime is one that clearly indicates anionic mineral adjustment with reduction in chloride and sulfate ion (specs here). It's an expensive and shop capacity filter.
Pat
nínádiishʼnahgo gohwééh náshdlį́į́h

lightbar (original poster)
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#59: Post by lightbar (original poster) »

I think that I'll buy a new bestmax balance cartridge by the end year. Clari's prime seems better but also very expensive, I think that I can buy the new BWT bestmax balance for about 80€, the Claris prime cost 4 times more.

By the way, still I haven't get why I have had this different result with the 2 tests. Maybe I should try to open the machine I have to say that I bother me right now. Anyway I can't believe that the boiler and the circuit are already full of limescale.

lightbar (original poster)
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#60: Post by lightbar (original poster) »

Hi all

This evening I have remover the "Doccia" (sorry it's in italian but actually I don't know the english term for that) from one of the group of my Faema E61 legend and this is how the "Portadoccia" looks like after 1 year of use:



There definitely is some limestone deposition.

What do you think?