Insights

Read before you buy.

What is in the water, what the options cost, and what we would do in your house. No filler.

A 10 inch carbon block cartridge, the stage that saturates without a sign

How often should you change water filter cartridges in South Africa?

Six months is the number for most cartridges on municipal water, and shorter on a borehole. The full table by stage and water source, and the signs that bring a change forward.

The six replacement cartridges of a six-stage reverse osmosis system

4 min read

Which replacement cartridges fit my RO system? The 10 inch standard explained

Measure the cartridge, not the brand. Nearly every under-sink RO sold in South Africa takes the same 10 inch cartridges and the same membrane. How to check in a minute.

The three 10 inch pre-filter cartridges of a reverse osmosis system: sediment, GAC and carbon block

5 min read

How to change the filters on a reverse osmosis system, in fifteen minutes

Three cartridges, one spanner, a bowl and fifteen minutes. The order they go in, the two things people get wrong, and the calendar that keeps the membrane alive.

5 min read

When to replace an RO membrane, and how to tell it is gone

Two to three years is the rule of thumb. A TDS meter and thirty seconds is the proof. Here is the test, the signs that come before it, and what shortens a membrane's life.

The three 20 inch Big Blue cartridges of a whole-house set: 5 micron sediment, carbon block and 1 micron sediment

6 min read

Big Blue 20 inch cartridges explained: sediment, carbon block, GAC and 1 micron

Four cartridges fit the same 20 by 4.5 inch housing and do four different jobs. What each one does, the order they go in, and how to tell when they are full.

3 min read

When The Taps Go Dry, Our Backup Water Supply System Keeps Life Flowing

Outages are part of life in Gauteng. How a backup water system with a tank, a pump and an automatic changeover keeps the house running when the mains stop.

3 min read

How to Choose the Right Water Purification System for Your Needs

Start with what is in your water, decide what clean means to you, then match the technology: sediment, carbon, UV or reverse osmosis. A plain guide for homes.

3 min read

A Peek into the AquaPrimer’s Power

What the AquaPrimer tap-mounted purifier takes out of tap water, from sediment and chlorine to the organisms a micron filter stops, and what it lets through.

3 min read

The AquaPrimer Water Purifier

The AquaPrimer fits an existing tap and purifies every drop before it reaches the glass, with a reusable cartridge and no consumables to buy.

4 min read

Chlorine: The Double-Edged Sword of South African Water

Chlorine keeps municipal water safe to the tap, but it is not something to drink. What it does, where the limits sit, and how a carbon stage takes it out.

4 min read

Filtered Water for Pets: Why Your Pets Need Clean Water Too

Dogs and cats drink the same tap water you avoid. What chlorine, heavy metals and bacteria do to a pet, and how to switch them to filtered water.

Mother cooking with her daughters using clean water.

5 min read

The Importance of Clean Water for Cooking

In every delicious dish, in every simmering stew, there’s one crucial ingredient that often goes unnoticed. It’s not the garlic, the perfectly chopped veggies, or even that pinch of salt that brings everything together.

Comparison between The AquaShield and Municipal water

3 min read

AquaShield vs. Municipal Water

The Truth About Your Tap Water and AquaShield Purification The water flowing from your tap has already undergone a significant treatment process. Municipal facilities filter, treat, and test water to meet SANS standards.

Happy, healthy family drinking clean water

3 min read

Borehole Water Testing: The simple test that protects your family.

Borehole water is not monitored by anyone but you. What a laboratory test checks, what it costs to skip it, and what happens after you order one.

3 min read

Microplastics: A Silent Threat Lurking in Our Bodies

Microplastics are in tap water, bottled water and food. Where the exposure comes from, how much the average person takes in, and how a membrane stops them.

3 min read

Best Water Purifier For Home South Africa

The AquaShield six-stage reverse osmosis purifier for South African homes, and how to choose between the standard model and the Turbo with its booster pump.

3 min read

How The AquaShield Works

The AquaShield stage by stage: 5 micron sediment, granular carbon, carbon block, the reverse osmosis membrane, post-carbon and the re-mineraliser.

Water Experts - A woman enjoying a glass of pure mineral water

2 min read

Pure Mineral Water From Your Tap, Affordably

Bottled water is an ongoing expense with a plastic problem. How a reverse osmosis system with a re-mineraliser gives mineral water from the tap for far less.

3 min read

How A Backup Water System Works

A backup water system explained: the tank, the pump, the one-way valve and the automatic switch that takes over the moment municipal pressure drops.

3 min read

Why Does My Water Taste Like That?

Chlorine, metals, sulphur, algae and old pipes each leave a taste. What each one means, which are harmless, and which filter stage takes each taste away.

2 min read

Johannesburg Clean Drinking Water : Upgrade Your H2O

Johannesburg tap water is treated, but outages, old mains and taste are real concerns. The filtration and purification options for a Johannesburg home.

3 min read

Hard Water: Friend or Foe? Exploring the Mineral Impact

Hard water is calcium and magnesium: good in a glass, bad in a geyser. The health side, the plumbing side, and when a softener earns its place.

Backup water supply system with variable-speed booster pump

2 min read

Variable-Speed Booster Pump: Smarter Pressure for Your Home

A variable-speed booster pump holds steady pressure from a backup tank, uses less power than a fixed-speed pump and runs quieter. How it works and who needs one.

2 min read

Skip the Jug: Why a Reverse Osmosis System Reigns Supreme

A jug filter takes out chlorine and taste. A reverse osmosis system takes out what is dissolved. What each does, what each costs over a year, and which to choose.

2 min read

How Small is 1 Micron? Unveiling the Hidden World of Water Filtration

A micron is a thousandth of a millimetre; a human hair is about 70 of them. What a 1 micron filter stops, what passes, and why the AquaGuard filters to it.

2 min read

Filtered vs. Purified: Unveiling the Mystery of Clean Water

Filtration strains out particles, chlorine and taste. Purification removes what is dissolved, down to bacteria and viruses. Which you need depends on the water.

1 min read

Heads Up, Gauteng! Rand Water Scheduled Maintenance to Impact Water Supply

Rand Water maintenance means low pressure and outages across Gauteng. How to prepare: store water, fill the tank, and what a backup system does on the day.

2 min read

Get the Full Potential From Your RO System

Reverse osmosis removes the minerals along with the contaminants. Why a re-mineraliser after the membrane puts calcium and magnesium back and fixes the taste.

2 min read

Is Your Borehole Water Safe?

Borehole water is not monitored for bacteria, nitrates or minerals unless you test it. The risks of untested water and what a laboratory test tells you.

2 min read

Unveiling the Magic: How Reverse Osmosis Purifies Your Water

How a reverse osmosis membrane works: pressure pushes water through a film that passes water molecules and rejects almost everything else to the drain.

4 min read

From Twig to Tap: A Guide to Borehole Installation

Borehole installation step by step: siting, the hydrogeological survey, drilling, casing, development, yield testing and the water quality test before you drink.

2 min read

Johannesburg’s Water Lifeline Needs Repairs: What to Expect

The Lesotho Highlands tunnels that feed Gauteng need maintenance. What the shutdown means for supply, how long it runs and how to keep a house in water.

3 min read

Keep your family safe with the Best Water Filter System for Home in South Africa

The AquaGuard whole-house filter and the AquaShield reverse osmosis purifier, what each does, and how they work together for a South African home.

2 min read

The Big Boil: Does Boiling Really Make Our Tap Water Safe in SA?

Boiling kills bacteria and viruses. It does nothing for chlorine, metals, nitrates or sediment, and it costs power in load shedding. What a boil cannot do.

3 min read

Clear Water is not Clean Water

The 2023 Blue Drop report found many municipal supplies failing. Why clear water can still carry bacteria and chemicals, and what to do about it at home.