Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Review & Cash Voucher: 3M's Aqua Pure AP902 Outdoor Water Filtration System

I'd earlier reviewed the 3M's Smart Water Drinking System which my family and I love.

Now I am going to talk about the outdoor water filter AP902 by 3M.

So for those who has not heard of the 3M brand, this is again a short introduction to you about 3M.


Who is 3M?
Seriously, who has never heard of the 3M brand? They are famous for their Post-It Notes (at least to me!), and now provides a large varieties of products from different range. 

3M is a Global, Diversified Technology Company.

3M captures the spark of new ideas and transforms them into thousands of ingenious products. Their culture of creative collaboration inspires a never-ending stream of powerful technologies that make life better. 3M is the innovation company that never stops inventing. With USD$30 billion in sales (2013), 3M employs about 88,000 people worldwide and has operations in more than 70 countries. 

3M Purification Inc is a
 Market Leading Filtration Company.
In 2005, 3M acquired CUNO to be 3M Purification Inc. CUNO has over 50 years of experiences in filtration technology.
3M Purification Inc. (3M Purification) is a leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of a comprehensive line of filtration products for the separation, clarification and purification of fluids and gasses. Its proprietary products are used in drinking water, healthcare and industrial markets. 3M Purification
operates manufacturing facilities and sales offices throughout the world.



3M's AQUA PURE AP902 OUTDOOR WATER FILTRATION SYSTEM

Installation and First Impressions

3M Malaysia sent a man to my house to install the water filter at the front porch of my house.
Installation was supposed to be easy, as it requires a 1" inlet and outlet, and some plumbing modification. 

But it took the man quite a while to install it because first they needed to see the most suitable place to have it installed. My water meter area proved to be quite challenging for him as it was confined in a small space outside my gate. 
So with the tight space available, he needed to fix the pipes to it.  
He also identified the place to drill the holes through the super thick walls.


 
 

So it took this man quite some time to fix it. But his work was impeccable.
 

This is the result of his 1 hr+ of hard work under the hot sun. 
Neat and impeccable. 

And the water pipes just behind the water filter. 


And what amazes me is that this 3M AP902 Aqua Pure Outdoor Water Filter is so small, compared to the ones I've seen before which could be as big as an adult size.

And I was at first reluctant as whether something so small can filter water that well? Well, it sure does as I've been using it for about a year now, and we've enjoyed clean water every day.
I like the compact size as it doesn't waste space and doesn't become an eye-sore.

Look at me standing just next to the water filter. Just about 1/3 of my height, so small and compact I love it!



Features of 3M's AP902 

Ok, so let me get now explain the features and benefits of this 3M's Aqua Pure Outdoor Water Filter (AP902).
I will try to be as layman as possible, as I know these water filter stuff can be very technical and confusing. 

This 3M's Aqua Pure AP902 Outdoor Water Filtration System is a single cartridge system which helps provide consistent high quality water for whole house filtration at flow 20 gpm. 

This AP902 is ideal even for larger homes and light commercial applications. Which means is ideal even for landed properties. 
Since installed this water filter, our water is crystal clear with no sediment seen. 
It is proven that AP902 reduces sediment, dirt, sand and rust down to 5 micron nominal.

One strand of human hair is about 75 micron, which means that even our single hair strand cannot go through the AP902 filter. It is 15x smaller and more fine than a strand of a human hair
So what can 5 micron filter do? It removes mud, sediments and sand (see list of grain sizes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grain_size)

I am lucky in the sense that the area that I am staying in Penang, we have quite good water quality (as in it is clear in colour to the naked eye). But in some areas in Penang, tap water without going through filtration is yellow and murky in colour. This is something that I can't stand because can you imagine washing your hands or brushing your teeth in yellow water? Ewwww....
And not to mention when you wash your clothes, your white clothes may turn yellow because of the water quality in your area.
So I think if you fall into those areas, please get an outdoor water filter if possible. 

With this 3M's AP902 installed, we experience cleaner dishes and clothes, and I believe cleaner skin and shinier hair. 


AP902 Does Not Filter Chlorine and Why

However, rest be assured that 3M's Aqua Pure Outdoor Water Filter AP902 does not filter chlorine which is actually important as chlorine acts as a disinfectant as required by the Health Ministry.
The residual chlorine acts as a shield to counter or prevent contamination. 

As you know, the water that goes to our houses are usually stored in tanks above our houses etc. 
Without chlorine, water stored in these tanks will not be protected against possible contamination. So it is important that there are some residual chlorine left in he water tank of your house. 

Below is an article by The Star newspaper on how chlorine is important.
(Clik on it for larger view)



In more technical terms, this 3M AP902 reduces sediment for up to 100,000 gallons while providing unrestricted flow with 1 inch NPT connections, which is about 1-1 1/2 year change out. 

It reduces sediment, dirt and rust and helps prevent water buildup in plumbing and fixtures, thereby extending the life of appliances that use water, for us are the water heaters and washing machines, and to some of you who are lucky enough, it extend the life of your dishwashers too.  
It is said that the 3M Aqua Pure AP902 can help improve the efficiency of my water heater by up to 27% by reducing sediments. 

It is also tested and rated to 20 gallons per minute (GPM)  flow rate which meets the water pressure demands of most homes. 



Understanding the Backwash Process and AP902

Another thing is that you do NOT need to do backwash for 3M's Aqua Pure AP902 Outdoor Water Filtration System, which leads to low maintenance needed

Now to understand the backwash process and AP902 function. 
Backwash is typically a method to remove those captured/trapped dirt from filter by having reverse water flow direction to flush out as much trapped dirt as possible.
Most water filters I know need the owners to perform backwash. Performing backwash can indeed help to remove and reduce the possibility of unloading the captured/trapped dirt. Not performing regular backwash could lead to dirt unloaded from filter and flow into owner' s pipeline, which could be happen under high water pressure.

And as AP902 do not requires backwash, it provides expected filtration performance every time after the new cartridge replaced versus backwash system which might have bigger pore after doing the backwash process, which may affect the performance of the filtration system.

Without the needing to do the backwash process, you also do not need to wet the water meter room as no backwash (no drain point require). 

Another benefit is that it avoids the possibility of the contamination of the water source during the backwash process if you never turn off the water inlet valve (dirty water flow back to the water stream instead of draining it off).



Sanitary Quick Change (SQC) Design

But what I like most about this 3M's AP902 is that it has this innovative Sanitary Quick Change (SQC) design, an industry first for this application.
It allows for fast and easy cartridge change-outs (easy change cartridge) without having to contact the filter media or the need for a filter wrench.
I hate having to call up maintenance people to change for me and most of them call up way too often DWS2500T-CN  to bother me about changing the filters etc. 
With this SQC design, I can do it myself (just like how I changed the 3M Indoor DWS2500T-CN Smart Drinking Water System all by myself).
Just give it a twist and that is all. 

The 3M AP902 Water Filter System also features a stainless steel head which allows for 'sweat in place' installation and is a corrosion resistant material that provides long service life and won't affect the taste of drinking water.

And to help those forgetful people like me, it also includes an electronic countdown timer refrigerator magnet to remind the owner when to change the cartridge. How about that?



In Conclusion

All in all, I love this 3M's AP902 as it is a whole-house water filtration systems that reduce sediment and rust. I also like its compact size. It also improves the quality while supplying cleaner, clearer water to every water source point in the house. 

So definitely, I will recommend this 3M's Aqua Pure AP902 Outdoor Water Filtration System for people who are looking for a fuss-free, compact yet efficient outdoor water filter. 



Cash Voucher Code

Please PRINT THE BELOW VOUCHER (with the Cash Voucher Code SYN01 stated in it) and bring it with you when you purchase 3M Water Filters from their participating distributors to get instant rebate.
It is valid from now until 1st November 2015!





To Purchase

To purchase, please click on this link to see the list of retailers based on your regions:
http://solutions.3m.com.my/wps/portal/3M/en_MY/Water-Filter/Purification/Customer-Service/Where-To-Buy/ 

To check on participating dealers who are carrying our Raya Promo, visit: www.3m.com.my/water/promotion 


So wait no more. Hurry up and get yours now! 

For more info, you can also visit 3M Malaysia Website



* Disclosure: I received an 3M's Aqua Pure AP902 Outdoor Water Filtration System for review purpose, but no monetary incentive was received. All text and opinions are of my own and represents my honest opinion of the product(s).

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