1. What OMNI filter cartridge replaces the TC3?
The TC3 filter cartridge has been replaced by the CB3. The new "CB" cartridges are more advanced and use
carbon block technology. The CB3 should be available at stores that formerly sold the TC3.
If you are unable to find a CB3, please call our customer service department at
800-937-6664.
2. What OMNI filter cartridge replaces the BC1?
The BC1 filter cartridge has been replaced by the CB1. The new "CB" cartridges are more advanced and use
carbon block technology. The CB1 should be available at stores that formerly sold the BC1.
If you are unable to find a CB1, please call our customer service department at
800-937-6664.
3. What OMNI filter takes out organic solvents?
OMNI Filter Undersink Models OT32 and CBF3 with the CB3 cartridge are
effective at removing many organic solvents and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
4. Can I install two CB3 filter cartridges in
Model OT32 rather than a RS2 and one CB3?
Yes, but the purpose of the RS2 filter is to pre-filter the water
before it hits the CB3. The RS2 is designed to get the "chunky" stuff out so
that the useful life of the CB3 is maximized (the CB3 is more expensive than the RS2). If
you have a Whole house unit that is doing a good job of removing sediment from your water,
then two CB3 cartridges should work fine. You also might want to consider a GAC1 or a CB1
in front of the CB3. These do a good job also and are less money. The CB1 is similar to
the CB3 except the CB3 is designed to take out Lead.
5. When it is time to change an OMNI
refrigerator/icemaker filter, such as the R200, do I have to change the whole unit?
Yes, you replace the entire unit. The refrigerator/icemaker filter
cartridges usually last for 600 gallons, but the quality of your water will affect the
life of the filter.
6. What OMNI filter takes out chlorine in
drinking water?
Carbon is the primary filter media used for chlorine removal.
OMNIFilter sells a full range of carbon filter cartridges. Please consult our replacement cartridge page.
7. Is there an OMNI Whole House unit that filters
out bacteria?
Yes, the BF7 Whole House filter with a CB6 filter cartridge will filter for taste, odor, rust, sediment,
as well as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. The BF7 will also allow a high
enough flow rate for your home's appliances.
8. What is the difference in filtration between a
Whole House filter and an Undersink filter?
The Whole House units filter for taste, odor, rust, and sediment
only. The cartridge filter media must have large enough pore space to allow a high volume
flow for showers, toilets, dishwashers, etc. The Undersink units filter for taste, odor,
rust, and sediment as well as lead, VOCs, and bacteria (such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium).
The removal of these contaminants requires more contact time with the filter media and
therefore would not allow sufficient flow volume for showers, toilets, and other
appliances.
9. What is the flow rate for a Whole House filter
versus an Undersink filter?
The flow rate for a Whole House filter is 5 gallons per minute. The
flow rate for an Undersink filter is 0.5 to 1 gallon per minute.
10. How do I know when to change my filter
cartridge?
OMNIFilter cartridges are labeled with an average life (e.g., 6
months for carbon filters). However, if your water flow starts to reduce, or taste and
odor problems return, you should replace your cartridge. Carbon filters must be changed at
least once every 6 months. Pleated paper or string wound cartridges should be changed
every 3-4 months, but this may vary dramatically depending on the quality of your incoming
water.
11. Can OMNIFilter systems be installed outside?
No, OMNIFilter systems are designed for installation inside your
home. If you must install a filtration system outside your home, please build a protective
covering, such as a small shed or box, to shield the unit from the cold or the sun's UV
rays.
12. What is the expected loss of water pressure
when a Whole House filter is installed?
13. Do you have a filter for water contaminated
with sulfur?
No, OMNIFilter does not sell a filter to reduce sulfur in water. If
your water has high sulfur content, please contact your water utility. You can obtain
their phone number either from your water bill or from the phone book under your city's
public works department. If you are on a well, you need to chlorinate your well water.
14. Do you have a filter for iron to reduce the
staining on water fixtures?
No, water filters are not effective against clear water iron
(dissolved), a contaminant that sometimes leaves rust stains on the surfaces of toilets
and tubs. To treat clear water iron, you need a water softener. Contact a water treatment
company to help you with this problem.
General Water FAQs
1. Will boiling my water get rid of
contamination?
No, boiling water only eliminates bacterial contamination. Many
non-bacterial pollutants, such as nitrates, do not boil out of water. In some cases,
boiling contaminated water can concentrate the pollutants because boiling reduces the
volume of water remaining in the pan by 20%.
2. Do water filters remove fluoride from
drinking water?
No, OMNIFilter units do not remove fluoride from your water. This
makes OMNIFilters ideal for parents who are concerned about water quality but still want
their children exposed to fluoride in water.
3. How do I have my water tested?
Currently, OMNIFilter does not sell a water test kit. We suggest you
contact your water utility and ask for a water quality report. If you have a private well,
we suggest you contact a water testing laboratory. Look under "Water Analysis"
in the Yellow Pages for a lab near you, or contact your state or local health department.
Some local health departments test private well water for free. Look under the government
listings in your phone book for their number.
If you call a water testing lab, be sure it is certified by your
State. You may call your State Certification Officer to get a list of certified water
testing labs in your state. Click here to find out
how to contact your State Certification Officer.
Remember: A water test will only tell you what is in your water
that day. Many pollutants or public water treatment plant failures can occur
intermittently (e.g., after heavy rains, seasonal changes, or fertilizing on a farm).
4. Where does my water come from?
Your water either comes from a private well or from a community
water system. Well water typically comes from an underground aquifer. Community water
systems obtain water from a variety of sources including underground aquifers or surface
water sources like lakes and rivers. If you receive community water and you do not know
its origin, contact your water utility. The phone number is listed on your water bill. Or
look up your city's public works department in your phone book.
5. My water smells like chlorine. What do I do?
Your water utility regulates the amount of chlorine added to
disinfect your drinking water. Sometimes, after hard rainstorms or during high spring
runoff, more chlorine may be added to ensure that your water is safe to drink. If you
dislike the taste or smell of chlorine, you should consider installing a water filter.
OMNI's Whole House filter Model U25 will reduce chlorine in
the water entering your home. Any of the OMNI Undersink
filters will reduce chlorine in your water at the tap.
6. Is chlorine in water a health concern?
Chlorine is a disinfectant that is added to water to eliminate
disease-causing bacteria. For more than 80 years, chlorine has proven effective at greatly
reducing the number of diseases caused by contaminated water. However, some scientists are
now concerned that chlorine in water can react with other contaminants and organic
material in the water to form substances like chloroform. These substances, called
disinfection by-products or DBPs, might cause other health problems such as cancer.
If you are concerned about chlorine in your water, OMNIFilter
systems (Whole house or Undersink) with carbon filter cartridges can reduce the
chlorine in your drinking water.
7. Can I get regular updates on water quality
from my water utility?
The best way to check on water quality is to call your water
utility. Their number is on your water bill, or look up your city's public works
department in your phone book. Beginning in 1999, your water utility is required to notify
its customers every year of the levels of regulated contaminants it has found in your
water, as well as the presence of other suspicious, but as-of-yet unregulated, material.
8. Isn't the well on my own land safe?
Not necessarily. There are many sources of contamination that can
leak into your well water. Homes with wells usually have their own septic systems that
often leak into wells. Farms can easily contaminate their own wells with pesticides or
nitrates found in fertilizers. Also, underground water can migrate considerable distances.
So a gas station a few miles up the road may be slowly contaminating your well water with
gasoline that has leaked from an underground tank.
9. Don't community water systems filter out
disease-causing bacteria like Giardia and Cryptosporidium?
Giardia and Cryptosporidium are parasites commonly
found in lakes and rivers, particularly if these bodies of water are contaminated with
animal wastes or sewage. Both parasites exist as cysts in the environment, and the cysts
act as protective covers to the parasites inside them. For this reason, Giardia and
Cryptosporidium are very resistant to disinfection, and even well-operated water
treatment systems cannot ensure their complete removal.
Currently, an EPA drinking water standard is established for Giardia,
but the regulations do not adequately address the complete removal of Cryptosporidium.
OMNIFilter undersink units (Models BF7
with a CB6 filter cartridge, CBF1,
CBF3, and OT32) can remove Giardia
and Cryptosporidium cysts from your drinking water.
10. My water is clear and tastes fine; should I
be worried about water quality?
The look, taste, and smell of water is not indicative of its
quality. There are a number of problems that can affect your water that are completely
invisible. The only way to be certain of your water's quality is to have it tested. If you
receive water from a community water treatment facility, you can request the results from
tests they perform to satisfy EPA mandates. Or you can contact a water testing laboratory
to perform water quality tests. In the Yellow Pages, look under "Water
Analysis."
11. How do I know if there is lead in my
drinking water?
Lead is rarely in your drinking water when it leaves the water
treatment plant. Instead, it leaches into drinking water from older pipes and plumbing
fixtures. Unfortunately, lead cannot be seen, smelled, or tasted in water. If your home is
newer than 1986, your pipes and plumbing fixtures likely do not contain lead. If you live
in an older home, you should have your water tested for lead.
OMNI's Undersink filter Models CBF3
and OT32 both remove lead from drinking water. OMNI's Water Pitcher filter also removes lead from drinking water.
12. How do I know if there is radon in my
drinking water?
Radon exists as a gas in soil. Therefore, it can sometimes be
present in underground water sources. If high levels of radon are inhaled over long
periods of time, it is known to cause lung cancer. To test for radon in your drinking
water, contact a water testing lab. Look under "Water Analysis" in the Yellow
Pages for a lab near you, or contact your state or local health department. Some local
health departments test private well water for free. Look under the government listings in
your phone book for their number.
If you call a water testing lab, be sure it is certified by your
State. You may call your State Certification Officer to get a list of certified water
testing labs in your state. Click here to find out
how to contact your State Certification Officer.
For more information on radon, call the National Safety Council's
Radon Hotline at 800-55-RADON, or EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline at 800-426-4791.
13. Is bottled water safer than tap water?
Bottled water is not necessarily any safer than your drinking water.
However, the National Sanitation
Foundation (NSF) certifies some brands of drinking water. To find out which brands are
certified, either click on the NSF link above or call NSF at 800-673-8010.
Remember: Bottled water is up to 150 times more expensive than
filtered tap water. Plus, filtered tap water offers the convenience of clean water on
demand from the faucet.
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