Microfiltration at 0.5 micron, hollow-fibre ultrafiltration at 0.15 micron, reverse osmosis and water softeners: what each one does and which one your tap water actually needs.
Microfiltration, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis are not three levels of the same thing: they are three answers to three different problems. Here is what each one does, and which makes sense for the water coming out of your tap, at home or in a business.
Request a free on-site survey| The problem | The answer | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| “Tap water tastes of chlorine and I don’t enjoy drinking it” | Microfiltration, 0.5 micron | Holds back suspended particles and, with activated carbon, removes the taste of chlorine. It is the most common choice, and often it is enough. |
| “I want one more barrier on hygiene” | Ultrafiltration, 0.15 micron | Adds a hollow-fibre membrane that also holds back the bacterial load. |
| “Water here is very hard or very rich in salts” | Reverse osmosis | Reduces dissolved salts: it changes the taste and lightness of the water, not only how clean it is. |
| “Limescale is ruining my boiler, washing machine and taps” | Water softener | It works on the building’s plumbing, not on drinking water. It usually sits alongside filtration rather than replacing it. |
This choice cannot be made from a distance: the hardness and the values of your mains water are measured on site, during the survey, and only then does it make sense to say which system you need — including when the answer is that a simple one is enough.
Microfiltration, thanks to the combined action of the large-surface membrane and the powdered activated carbon, achieves a filtration level of 0.5 micron. The double-surface polyethylene-fibre membrane, with a dedicated drain that ensures excellent mechanical action, traps suspended microparticles, rust, mould and algae.
The powdered activated carbon, derived from coconut shells, removes chlorine and its by-products and reduces metals and toxic organic compounds. Finally, the silver salts the carbon is impregnated with provide an important bacteriostatic action, preventing bacteria from proliferating inside the filter.
Ultrafiltration guarantees a filtration level of 0.15 micron. Thanks to the special hollow-fibre membrane it removes from the treated water all suspended microparticles and 99.99% of the bacterial load.
To the hollow fibre is added the Carbon Block filtering element, which reduces suspended particulates by removing excess chlorine, metals, microplastics and toxic compounds.
For the most demanding needs we also offer reverse osmosis systems: the water is pushed through a semipermeable membrane that retains almost all dissolved substances, reducing salts, nitrates, heavy metals and total dissolved solids. The result is particularly light water with a clean taste.
It is the recommended solution where you want to markedly lower the content of mineral salts and contaminants. Based on the measurements taken on your water and the intended use, together we choose the level of filtration best suited to you: microfiltration, ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis.
A water softener does not treat drinking water: it reduces water hardness, that is limescale. It works on the plumbing of the whole building and protects pipes, boiler, washing machine and dishwasher from scale. Along the Romagna coast the water is often hard, so it is a common concern.
A purifier and a softener do two different jobs and often work together: the softener protects the plumbing, filtration takes care of the water you drink. You do not always need both: it depends on how hard your water is and on how you use it. That is why we always start from a free on-site survey, and only afterwards tell you what you actually need — even when the answer is “nothing”.
50+
years of history
Maioli Impianti
Microfiltration
Ultrafiltration
Reverse osmosis
0.5-0.15 micron
Microfiltration or ultrafiltration
Free
on-site survey
Rimini
throughout Italy
Home: purchase ·
Businesses: rental too
Water purifiers and microfiltered water in Rimini, along the Romagna coast and in the Pesaro area — installation and service.