Enagic makes the best water ionizers on the planet, but it’s no secret that the built-in water filter is less than ideal for most users. It can reduce some of the Chlorine, but probably not much else (including the byproducts of chlorine disinfection).

Are you really going to let your customers and prospects sample alkaline water that is less-than-pure going into the ionizer?

I’ve talked with a number of Enagic reps about what they use as prefiltration, and I’ve been shocked to see many of these passionate water enthusiasts using either no prefilter, or they are using one that has no third-party testing to verify that it reduces the contaminants it claims.

This seems bizarre for reps that tout ionizers that have more certifications than any other, including one from the Japanese Ministry of Health.

If you’re going to use the Gold Standard in Water Ionizers, wouldn’t you want the Gold Standard in Filtration too?

The Gold Standard in Filtration 

That’s where Multipure comes in. Multipure is a family-owned company that manufactures their own water filtration systems in the USA.

More importantly, Multipure products have more NSF-Certifications for contaminant reduction than any other filters of it kind (NSF-Certification is the Gold Standard for Water Filters).

I’d go as far to say that Multipure is simply the best non-RO water filter available anywhere (and RO water isn’t well-suited for the Ionizer machines).

Consumer Reports Doesn't Lie

Multipure’s bestselling Aquaversa is the #1 Rated Undersink Water Filter by Consumer Reports (if you’re familiar with CR, you know that is not an easy feat to attain). You can see the screenshot below, taken from the CR website's Undersink Water Filters page.

Or, if you get the CR magazine, you can see the Aquaversa listed in the April, 2018 Kitchen Planning & Buying Guide issue.

But for most Enagic users, the best option is the Multipure Aquaperform, a slightly upgraded model that reduces every contaminant the Aquaversa does (with the addition of reducing Arsenic V), AND gets the highest water flow rate of any product we offer.

The Only Option for Arsenic

The Aquaperform (and it’s big brother, the Aqualuxe) are actually the ONLY non-RO water filters available in the USA and Canada that are certified by NSF to reduce Arsenic V.

That’s why last week, an Enagic Distributor from the Boston area was thrilled when I told her about the Aquaperform. She has a lot of customers on well water with Arsenic, and reverse osmosis is just not a good option for use with an ionizer (for many reasons). She was so pleased to learn of a safe, viable option for her customers with Arsenic in their water.

When I told her about the amazing flow rate she’ll get from the Aquaperform, she responded, “funny, our current prefilter doesn’t seem to slow down the flow rate at all.”

I replied, ”that’s usually a sign that the filter isn’t filtering down to a very fine pore size, meaning it’s probably not addressing the health-hazardous contaminants from your water.”

The Issue with Chloramines

Another common issue that surfaces when I speak with Enagic Distributors about prefiltration is Chloramines. Chloramines are much more difficult to address than chlorine, and the internal filter in the Enagic systems will not handle them. The Aquaperform is NSF-Certified for chloramine reduction for 600 gallons (1 year in many cases).

Many filters on the market claim to be able to reduce chloramines, but it’s important to look for NSF-Certification. Many of these products use a granular media instead of a solid block for filtration, and this usually results in a sharp reduction in performance over time (due to channeling).

Even if the product is a solid block, there’s no way of knowing its efficacy without independent third party testing. NSF-Certification for chloramines ensures that your filter will deliver a minimum 97.5% reduction of chloramines for the entire rated duration (600 gallons, in the case of the Aquaperform).

One Enagic rep told me his two biggest priorities in prefiltration are effective chloramine reduction and the ability to still have a strong flow of water (because in many cases, good water filters slow down water flow output). The Aquaperform accomplishes both of these tasks better than any other filter I’ve seen.

The Value of Stainless Steel

The Aquaperform also creates extra perceived value for your customers and prospects. It’s an 11-inch tall, 5.75-inch wide Stainless Steel Cylindrical Tank. It has some mass to it, and it just oozes quality. Think of it as being on par with the nicest stainless steel appliances you’ll see in high-end kitchens.

When you compare that to the plastic cartridge setups I’ve seen some Enagic reps using, it’s just a night and day difference in perception in the eyes of a prospect.  

NSF Certification: The Proof Will Set You Free

Now, back to the NSF Certification for a moment. It’s important to note that many water filters have some degree of NSF-Certification. The key is knowing precisely which contaminants a filter is and is not certified to handle.

If you look at the image below, you’ll see the number of products that are certified by NSF to reduce various single contaminants. You can see, for example, that there are 1,462 different products that can reduce Cysts from water according to NSF Standards. But there are only 45 products that are certified to reduce PCB from water (polychlorinated biphenyl, a man-made industrial chemical that’s been found in water supplies and has been associated with various forms of cancer).

As you can see, there’s a large variety among NSF-Certified Water Filters with respect to what contaminants they address.

Where it really gets interesting is when you take that same list of products and sort by combined contaminant reduction ability. Have a look:

As you can see, the field narrows very quickly as you begin adding contaminants to the mix. You’ll notice on the right the two circled bars of 5 and 1, respectively.

The 5 are all products that are NSF-Certified to reduce Cysts, Lead, Mercury, Asbestos, MTBE, Volatile Organic Compounds (a large list of them), PCB, Chloramine, and all 3 groups of Emerging Compounds, which are pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and insecticides that have been found in water supplies (Google NSF Std. 401 if you wish to learn more about these Emerging Compounds). 

Multipure happens to make all 5 of those products.

And the 1 product on the right that handles all the aforementioned plus Arsenic, Bacteria, and Virus…Multipure makes that product too (it’s called the Aqualuxe). (For a complete list of what Multipure Systems are certified to reduce, click here.)

This unparalleled level of NSF Certification is what’s helped Multipure become one of the largest Carbon Block manufacturers in the world.

That’s why it’s no surprise that as I’ve talked to a number of Enagic distributors about their prefiltration, some of them were in fact already using the Multipure Aquaperform. These diligent distributors had done their homework on their own, and I applaud them for that. 

One distributor told me he thought Multipure and Enagic were “the perfect pairing.”

Another told me he had been using a Multipure as the prefilter to his Enagic system for over a decade. He lauded the fact that the Multipure kept the hoses and internal components of his Enagic system much cleaner (he has hard well water).

The Guarantee

Multipure products come with a 90-Day Money Back Guarantee. They also come with a lifetime warranty on the housing.

Multipure products are reasonably priced and work well for a wide variety of applications. Whether you’re on municipal water dowsed with chloramines or on a well, they’re the best all-around point of use systems I’ve seen.

For Enagic distributors and customers, I just don’t know of anything that comes close to the value the Aquaperform delivers as a prefilter. If you scour NSF’s certification listings, you’ll be hard pressed to find another filter that even comes close to the combination of contaminant reduction AND high flow rate.

FAQ’s

Q: Does the Aquaperform reduce fluoride?

A: No, it does not. At this time there are actually no NSF-Certified filtration systems for fluoride reduction, other than reverse osmosis and distillation systems. Since both of those methods are out for Enagic purposes, the objective is to get the best overall filtration possible without sacrificing flow rate. In particular you want to be able to handle health hazardous contaminants (NSF Standard 53), chlorine/chloramines (NSF Standard 42), and trace pharmaceuticals and pesticides (NSF Standard 401). The Aquaperform accomplishes all of this.

There are other water filters on the market that claim to be able to reduce fluoride. Generally they consist of either bone char (as in charred cattle bones) and/or activated alumina as the filtration media. These medias can reduce fluoride BUT are really only effective when your water has acidic pH levels of 5.5-6.5. They also tend to require long soak times to be effective, ideally for about 20 minutes. Since most municipal tap water is at a neutral ph (usually in the 7.4 range), and since you’re going to want to get a nice, fast flow rate, these medias will not effectively address the fluoride.

In my 9 years of experience in water filtration this is one of the most deceptive practices in the industry. If you own a prefilter that claims to reduce fluoride, ask the company that makes it for independent lab results at a neutral pH, over the lifespan of the cartridge (not just tested when it’s brand new). Our experience is that with these medias, at a neutral pH, over the lifespan of the filter, the results are disappointing. Otherwise, we would make and sell a filter with these medias ourselves.

Q: Is the Aquaperform difficult to hook up to a K8/SD501/etc…

A: It can be really straightforward or a little more complicated, depending on your set up. We do have a few options, depending on whether your set up is under the sink or on the countertop.  Worst case scenario, it’s a handyman job. But in many cases it’s a simple self-install with some adapters.

Q: Can I make money with Multipure by referring my Enagic downline and customers who need a good prefilter for their Kangen water?

A: Yes, call me at 443-416-7565 and I’ll explain how it works. Since you’re working the Enagic business you don’t want to dilute your focus from your main objective, which is selling Enagic ionizers. But since you and your customers need a prefilter anyway, why not make a little extra cash while ensuring they get the best product? I have an arrangement where you can pick up extra money with very little effort on your part, with no commitments or anything. Ask me about it.

Q:  Why is the filter cartridge capacity only 600 gallons?

A: I talk to a lot of Enagic Distributors who have prefilters that claim to be rated for 1,500, 10,000, or even 50,000 gallons.

First of all, take a look at the filter cartridge for the Aquaperform. It’s substantial. It’s got some serious mass to it and it’s a solid block. And it’s certified to last 600 gallons.

That’s an Aquaperform cartridge cut in half. If your current water filter is the same or less in size, ask yourself how could it last 1500 or more gallons?

The answer is that it’s probably not lab tested to last as long as it’s advertised for. And even if it is, you have to ask the question, what specifically is it tested to reduce for that long duration? In every case I’ve seen, the cartridge is either not lab tested and just estimated, OR it’s rated for only chlorine and taste/odor improvement for the advertised duration. Chlorine is easy to address. The Aquaperform will reduce chlorine for a very long time, almost into infinity. It’s the other contaminants (particularly the health hazardous compounds under NSF-Standard 53) that use up the capacity much faster. Of course, these contaminants pose the greatest risks to your health.

With all of that said, if you’re installing the Aquaperform in an undercounter/below the sink setup, there’s an optional capacity monitor (inexpensive) that when used, will extend the cartridge capacity to 960 gallons.

For the Aquaperform to be Certified by NSF for 600 gallons, it has to pass laboratory testing for everything it’s certified to reduce for 1,200 gallons.  They cut the figure in half to add another layer of redundancy (part of why NSF Certification is The Gold Standard).

Q: I have another question/I’d like to order an Aquaperform/I’d like to learn more about how the commission opportunity works with Multipure.

A: Call me at 443-416-7565 and I’ll be happy to assist you. Or you can order an Aquaperform bundled with Enagic Adapters and Installation Kit on my website. Feel free to message me on LinkedIn as well.

 
This article was written by Joe Borowy, Multipure Independent Builder #424074. Contact Joe at 443-416-7565 for more information.