A spotlight on 3M’s under-sink water filter, built from their 80+ years of expertise

[This is a sponsored article with 3M.]

Have you ever seen TV shows where people just drink water straight out of taps? Here in Malaysia, for years, many families do the minimum of boiling it to make it “safe to drink”. While that might’ve been enough about 20-30 years ago, rapid urbanisation and ill-managed waste disposal have negatively impacted our water quality.

The Department of Environment (DOE) highlighted in 2017 that only 46% of the 477 rivers they monitor are clean, whereas the remaining 43% of rivers are moderately polluted, and 11% are categorised as polluted.

According to the National Water Service Commission (SPAN), Malaysia’s tap water is considered safe to drink. However, studies in 2019 have shown that Malaysian families rather rely on water filters for clean water instead of drinking straight out of a tap.

If you look at the local water filter market, one name that you might recognise is 3M. I associate the brand with their tapes in stationery shops and 3M-branded tints on car windows. Turns out, 3M has a rich history in the water filtration industry spanning 80+ years and counting.

3M’s history in water filtration

The American brand entered Malaysia all the way back in 1967 and since then, 3M (previously known as Minnesota (3M) Sdn. Bhd.) has continuously expanded their portfolio and brought more innovations to local waters.

In their water filtration segment alone, 3M Purification has a host of products ranging from full house system filtration, beverage appliance filtration for commercial businesses, under sink filtrations and water treatment filtration systems.

Note: There are slight differences between the filters placed outside of homes and under the sink. Full house system filtrations are used to filter water for showering and cleaning, whereas under sink filters are mainly used to filter water for safe drinking.

The 3M Drinking Water Filter DWS2500T-CN is one of their innovations in water filtration and it is available locally. Since its introduction to the market, over 1,000 households have outfitted their homes with this filter, a 3M representative told Vulcan Post. But unlike most traditional water filters, the 3M Drinking Water Filter DWS2500T-CN has a few standout features.

Improved filter monitoring system

Older water filters use a traditional method of monitoring the filter’s lifespan. You set a note in your calendar for when the filter needs to be changed (which is usually a yearly affair), and you either change the filters yourself or have a service person handle it for you.

As for the 3M Drinking Water Filter DWS2500T-CN, it comes packaged with a faucet equipped with a battery-powered LED light indicator. Once affixed onto the sink, when the filter is functioning as normal, the LED ring around the faucet will glow blue. But when the LED indicator glows red, that means that you’ll have to change the cartridge filter.

If you’re not a fan of glowing lights, the device that holds the filters can also be used to monitor the longevity of the filters. The bar indicates the capacity and usage of the cartridges used.

The cartridge filters on the machine can also be easily replaced. Just twist, turn and pull, and you can plug in a new filter for the machine. 3M even claimed that the average user can change it within 10 seconds. 

So for the maintenance of this machine, you just have to purchase additional filters and change it whenever it needs changing, without calling up the service persons.

Going deeper than just how it looks

When it comes to water safety standards, the filter is NSF / ANSI Standard 42 and 53 certified. These certifications mean that the under-sink water filter is capable of reducing non-health-related contaminants and reducing specific health-related contaminants.

Note: NSF International is an independent lab that ensures drinking water systems are tested and certified to meet public health and safety standards.

The Standard 42 establishes minimum requirements for systems designed to reduce non-health-related contaminants such as chlorine, taste and odour, chloramine, particulate, iron, manganese, zinc, and total dissolved solids.

Whereas Standard 53 establishes minimum requirements for systems designed to reduce specific health-related contaminants which offers over 50 contaminant reduction claims. Some of the most popular include lead, Cryptosporidium, VOCs, and chromium.

3M said that the filter in 3M Drinking Water Filter DWS2500T-CN comes with a 0.2 absolute micron rating. This means that the filter can reduce 99.99% of waterborne bacteria found in water. According to the Water Quality Association, bacteria cells usually range between 0.2 to 1 micron in width.

With the easy-to-change and special blend media filter cartridges, 3M has leveraged their experience in the industry to create a filter that can inhibit the growth of bacteria within it. Thus, you can avoid the hassle of cleaning all the nooks and crannies of the filter and potentially damaging it.

• For more information on the 3M Drinking Water Filter DWS2500T-CN, click here.
• Find out more about 3M Purification here.
• You can buy the 3M Drinking Water Filter DWS2500T-CN on Shopee here.

Featured Image Credit: 3M Malaysia