Replacement 0.01 Micron Ultra Filtration Cartridge for Canal Boats, Caravans and other uses This is a very powerful sub-micron filter that filters out anything bigger than 0.01 microns. One micron - aka a micrometer - is a unit of length equal to one-millionth of a metre - ie one-thousandth of a millimetre. (Micron is often used as a term of measurement in water filtration). To give you an idea: a human hair is an average of 100 microns in diameter - so this filter removes particles 10,000 times finer than a human hair. The smallest micro-organism, Mycoplasma, can be as small as 0.3 microns - comfortably larger than this filter's rating. At 0.01 microns this filter will block essentially all bacteria and the vast majority of viruses, since most viruses range from around 0.02 microns upwards. Important Note: some of the very smallest known viruses (for example certain parvoviruses) can be close to or just below 0.02 microns, so while this filter offers a very high level of protection, it should still not be used to filter raw, untreated water without additional safeguards - see below. What is Ultra Filtration This is the ultimate in traditional barrier filtration - i.e where particles cannot get through a mesh / barrier / wall. Ultrafiltration is similar to nanofiltration, microfiltration, and reverse osmosis in that it is another type of membrane filtration whereby a semi-permeable membrane filters water with only one screen filter or barrier filter. It is a self-contained, all-in-one way to purify water. It doesn't require any chemicals. (It can also be used as a pre-treatment for reverse osmosis.) Ultrafiltration used to be primarily used for desalination but has become increasingly used to filter particulate materials, bacteria, and other microorganisms. At 0.01 microns, this cartridge sits at the very tight end of ultrafiltration - finer than standard 0.1 micron ultrafiltration cartridges, and approaching the range where nanofiltration begins. It results in very high water quality, without using chemicals, that is free of almost all the usual contaminants and microorganisms found in raw water. (Raw water is any non-treated water from lakes, rivers, ponds, canals and rainwater.) What this UltraFilter Cartridge Removes Suspended solids Pathogenic Bacteria Some viruses (NB not necessarily the very smallest) Endotoxins and other pathogens Cysts (Giardia) Natural organic material Silt Important Note: some of the smallest known viruses can be close to this filter's 0.01 micron rating, so it should still not be used as the sole treatment for raw canal water - see below. Benefits of Ultra Filtration Highly compact (e.g much smaller than Reverse Osmosis) Chemical-free process (No flocculate, coagulant, disinfectant or pH adjusting required) Consistent particle and microbial removal (i.e performance doesn't decline during filter life) Get an Extra tap and Water Connection Please note this is a standalone cartridge. It does not include a tap or a connection to the water supply. If you need those, no problem! You can order the complete UltraFiltration system You will also see an option to choose an extra three way tap instead of using the standard small water filter tap which comes with the undersink kit. Can I Filter Raw Canal Water With This Filter? We would still recommend caution. While this filter removes the great majority of bacteria and viruses, sewage-contaminated water can occasionally contain the very smallest viruses, which can lead to diseases like meningitis, hepatitis and gastroenteritis. To be totally safe with raw, badly polluted water, we would recommend combining this filter with a Reverse Osmosis system. RO systems can have a pore size as small as 0.0001 microns. Even with an RO filter, if you wanted to filter raw canal water (i.e any raw water which is likely to be badly polluted), to be totally safe, you'd also need to combine it with an Ultra Violet filter and suitable pre-filters, with this 0.01 micron cartridg