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With washable ceramic water filters, should they be washed regularly to improve longevity? Like this type:

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My thinking is that if they're not washed, contaminants could get pushed deep into the core of the filter, making them harder to remove. Is my thinking correct?

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  • Anything that would be removed by washing would be too large to be pushed into the filter. You could make that filter last longer without washing by having a particulate filter before it.
    – Dan D.
    Mar 19, 2016 at 6:20
  • @DanD. Could the smaller particles not be (back)washed?
    – WKleinberg
    Mar 20, 2016 at 17:06

2 Answers 2

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Check with the manufacturer. Some have their own Kitchen Scrubby & others don't say anything about it, so you buy very much more frequently. My understanding & experience is that you want to scuff or sand the surface visibly clean. Basically, sand off anything that's been caught, since really nothing gets past the outer most surface. The outer surface just gets more crowded.

I'm on my 3rd sanding with a Pro-Pur & did 15 sanding's on a previous Berkey. I still have the Berkey as a spare & it probably has 30 or more sanding's left in it. It was working fine & at the same "good for so many gallons capacity" with no weakness or threat of collapse yet, but I wanted to try the Pro-Pur. In both cases, my slow drip was restored to the original quick drip & no taste or smell difference & a food coloring test reveals no difference.

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  • Do you mean actually using a sand paper and sand the ceramic down? That sounds quite damaging.
    – WKleinberg
    Mar 20, 2016 at 15:49
  • Well, you don't go hard or with a power sander. Though I had considered it :) Otherwise, just a kitchen scrubby or scuff pad is what Pro-Pur gave me & I had another Aqua-something way back that gave a pumice type of stone.
    – Iggy
    Mar 20, 2016 at 16:01
  • Most don't realize the green scrubby pads or scotchbrite will actually strip a layer better than sandpaper. Take an old water glass and scrub some green scotchbright on it to see the glass is no longer clear because the scotchbright strips a layer of glass off more uniformly than sandpaper.
    – Ed Beal
    Jan 19, 2018 at 20:04
  • Quite correct. A friend of mine, who was on a well, had to result to a stainless steel scrub pad to get hers back to new. It cut the reuse count down to half, but it was the only way she could get them (12) to last the same few months as when they were new.
    – Iggy
    Jan 20, 2018 at 12:52
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Yes, actual ceramic filters are cleaned with green Scotch-brite©. Also is a good practice to boil them a couple times a year. Put in a pot of water, THEN boil. Let cool, and return to use.

Google: Clack Slimline UltraPure ceramic filter.

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