Carbon Block Cartridge 10" 10 Micron Coconut - Aquapro

Carbon block cartridge 10" - 10 micron

Polishing cartridge in 10" format, made of coconut shell activated carbon compacted into a block, 10 micron rating. Aquapro reference PR-APC-10C-10.

Carbon block or loose carbon

The difference is structural and it governs performance.

In a GAC cartridge (granular carbon), the carbon sits loose inside a shell. Water flows freely through it and naturally finds the easiest path. Over time it carves preferential channels: part of the flow crosses the bed with no real contact with the media. The granules can also settle and migrate.

In a carbon block cartridge, carbon powder is compacted and bonded into a solid block crossed by microchannels. No loose granules, no settling, no path of least resistance.

Water is forced through the material. Contact is uniform across the whole surface, from the first litre to the last.

Why 10 micron

This is what sets this reference apart from the fine carbon block.

A carbon block at a very fine rating, 1 or 0,5 µm, delivers thorough mechanical filtration, but at the cost of a high pressure drop and rapid blinding as soon as the water carries sediment.

10 micron shifts the balance. Priority goes to the carbon treatment, chlorine, tastes, odours, with a deliberately more open mechanical filtration. Three concrete consequences.

Better flow. Pressure drop stays contained, which matters on an installation with limited available pressure or a high flow demand.

Longer service life. The block does not blind mechanically before exhausting its adsorption capacity. The carbon works to the end instead of being taken out of service by sediment.

Less dependence on the prefilter. A 0,5 µm requires careful upstream prefiltration. The 10 µm tolerates less perfectly de-loaded water.

In exchange, it does not capture fine particles: if clarifying the water is also the goal, a dedicated stage is needed.

Coconut shell carbon

The raw material is not neutral. Carbon made from coconut shell develops a particularly dense microporous structure, a very large number of small-diameter pores.

That geometry is precisely what suits the molecules responsible for tastes and odours, and free chlorine. It is the reference carbon for drinking water polishing, ahead of coal- or wood-based carbons, whose porosity is coarser.

What the cartridge handles

The free chlorine in mains water, with everything that implies upstream of an RO membrane: chlorine attacks polyamide TFC chemically and the damage is irreversible.

The tastes and odours, chlorine, earth, must, that make water unpleasant to drink despite being perfectly safe.

Particles down to 10 µm, by mechanical filtration.

Where to use it

As carbon prefiltration ahead of an RO membrane. As polishing on a drinking water point. Protecting coffee and ice machines, where chlorine taste carries straight into the finished product. And on any installation where carbon treatment is wanted without sacrificing flow.

For thorough clarification, pair it with a fine sediment cartridge, 5 or 1 µm, fitted upstream.

Replacement

Every 6 to 12 months depending on usage and water quality.

Activated carbon saturates: its adsorption surface fills up, and once full it captures nothing. A badly overdue cartridge can even release part of what it had captured.

At a 10 µm rating, mechanical blinding rarely occurs before chemical saturation. The reliable signal is therefore the return of chlorine taste or odour, rather than a drop in flow.

Fitting

Shut off the water and depressurise before opening the housing. Follow the flow direction.

After repressurising, flush for several minutes before use: any new carbon releases black fines at start-up. This is normal and harmless, provided it is flushed out.