Algae growing in your zazen water filter? It isn’t just you. Many owners of zazen water filters suffer from this frustrating phenomenon in both the bottom and top tanks. In this article we will explore why this happens and how you can prevent it.
Where Does Algae Come From?
Algae can appear in your zazen water filter one of two sources: either from your water supply or from airborne algae spores.
1. Water Supply:
If you are using rainwater opposed to city water, algae may be present in your water from the get-go. City water utilizes chemical treatments such as chlorine preventing biological growth whilst remaining safe for human consumption. This however has the unfortunate drawback of adding an unpleasant taste which many people dislike (This may have been why you purchased a zazen water filter). Without this chemical treatment water is susceptible to biological growths such as algae.
2. Airborne Algae Spores:
In nature one way in which algae spreads is through the release of spores. These spores are microscopic and so light that they can be carried large distances via the air. These spores may settle inside your water filter anytime the interior is exposed to open air after which algae growth may began. More likely than not if you have algae growth in your zazen water filter, this is the cause.
Why does Algae Grow?
There are several conditions that allow algae to grow, including sunlight, warmth, and a lack of disinfectants.
Sunlight: Algae are photosynthetic organisms, this means that they use sunlight, both direct and indirect to grow. This means that if your zazen water filter is in a well sunlit room it may be vulnerable to algae growth.
Warmth: Warm conditions are ideal for algae to grow. Therefore, if your zazen water filter is in an area that is subject to warm temperatures, such as your kitchen in summer, algae growth is highly possible.
Lack of Disinfectants: As your zazen water filter processes water for it to eventually settle in the bottom tank, it typically removes disinfectants such chlorine which prevent algae growth. Although this makes the water ideal for drinking, it also suffers the consequence of making the water vulnerable to algae growth.
How to Prevent Algae Growth
To prevent algae from growing in your zazen water filter we can target the aforementioned causes of growth.
Put an opaque cover over your zazen water filter: This will block the vast majority of the sunlight from your filter completely preventing algae growth. This can be done DIY with cloth of cardboard, however, has the drawback of limiting the aesthetics of your water cover. One such option without this compromise of aesthetic and professionality is bluva, who offer an aesthetic solution.
Take your filter out of direct sunlight: This will significantly slow algae growth, however, does not completely stop algae growth and may not be ideal for your kitchen layout.
Clean regularly: Although tedious, cleaning your zazen water filter regularly will remove any traces of algae before they grow to a visible size.
Don’t let water sit too long: Stagnant water is much more susceptible to algae growth, therefore replacing the water frequently will drastically reduce any algae growth.
Overall, there are many factors that contribute to algae growth, and similarly many ways to slow the growth, with the only permanent solution to be removing all sunlight to your water filter. On this basis we recommend either designing and using a DIY cover, or sourcing a water filter cover from bluva, who are the only source we’ve found to sell water filter covers.
