Crystal Quest SMART Multi-Media Water Filter Cartridge

Crystal Quest's SMART filter replacement cartridge is the brand's flagship multi-media cartridge, treating water in several ways during one pass instead of giving each media a single task. City water relies on chlorine to stay safe in the mains, but no one enjoys its flavor, its smell or the byproducts it leaves. Throw in metals and trace chemicals picked up from aging plumbing and treated supplies, and a basic carbon cartridge quickly runs out of answers.

One SMART shell contains coconut shell carbon, catalytic carbon, two Eagle Redox Alloys from Crystal Quest, ion-exchange resin, as well as ceramic and tourmaline media.

Key features of the SMART filter cartridge

• Four sizes: choose by the dimensions or part number printed on your system or the label of your current cartridge.
• Three capacity levels: Plus, Ultra and Ultimate each use a different proportion of ERA media to make the cartridge last longer.
• Several media working together: coconut shell carbon, catalytic carbon, redox alloy and ion-exchange resin, combined with ceramic and tourmaline media.
• Usual replacement: every 12 to 24 months; most homes land near 18 months. Your water and your usage set the real interval.
• Chlorine reduction tested by an independent lab: read the full test report from IAPMO R&T.

Inside the cartridge

The SMART cartridge is fully sealed. Its end caps are polypropylene, the inner and outer wraps are polyolefin, the netting is polyethylene and the gaskets are Buna-N. The media are layered on top of each other, with a little blending at each boundary.

At the base, a single 1-micron pad supports the media and captures fine particles. A front label shows the part number, size and SMART level, so reordering the correct cartridge takes seconds.

How multi-media filtration works

Adsorption by coconut shell carbon

Activated carbon contains countless microscopic pores; the acid-washed coconut shell carbon Crystal Quest uses has around 1,050 m² of internal surface in each gram. Organic compounds such as pesticides, many VOCs and the substances behind chemical flavors and odors, attach to that surface as the water moves through. On top of that, carbon converts free chlorine into harmless chloride.

Catalytic carbon: handling chloramine

A growing number of utilities use chloramine, a longer-lasting mix of ammonia and chlorine that standard carbon only breaks down slowly. Catalytic carbon starts as coconut carbon but has a more reactive surface, which makes it far better at tackling chloramine.

Because Crystal Quest mixes regular and catalytic carbon in all of its carbon blends, you don't need to find out which disinfectant your water utility adds.

ERA 6500 and ERA 9500: redox

Eagle Redox Alloy is a copper-zinc media that Crystal Quest makes itself. Water flowing across the granules sets off an exchange of electrons between the alloy and dissolved contaminants, known as oxidation and reduction. ERA 6500 is meant for chlorine reduction; ERA 9500 is meant for hydrogen sulfide and ferrous iron.

Some dissolved metals are also changed by these reactions into a form that stays bound to the media. The amount of ERA in a blend is what mainly distinguishes Plus, Ultra and Ultimate, and Crystal Quest adjusts that amount per level to lengthen cartridge life.

Ion-exchange resin: metals

A small dose of potable-grade resin exchanges dissolved metal ions for harmless ones, giving the cartridge a metals stage that pure carbon lacks.

Ceramic and tourmaline media

Ceramic and tourmaline beads assist in conditioning the water and help keep the pH balanced and a little on the alkaline side.

Filter pad

The 1-micron base pad keeps the media from shifting and filters particles within the cartridge. Crystal Quest does not claim an overall micron rating for the cartridge.

What the SMART cartridge reduces, and what it can't treat

Main targets:

• Chlorine and chloramine, including the chemical taste and smell
• Lead, mercury and other heavy metals, at lower concentrations
• VOCs, THMs and other disinfection byproducts
• Pesticides and herbicides
• Pharmaceutical residues and other organic chemicals
• Fine particles, caught by the 1-micron base pad

Reduced too: hydrogen sulfide (rotten-egg odor) and ferrous iron via ERA 9500, at the modest levels a single cartridge stage is designed for. How well it performs depends on the specific contaminant, your incoming water, flow rate and how worn the cartridge is. If you're dealing with a particular water issue, choose treatment based on a water test.

Outside its scope: hardness, total dissolved solids (TDS), fluoride, nitrate, arsenic, and bacteria or viruses. These need their own stage, or one of the SMART combination cartridges: SMART + Calcium GAC Fluoride, SMART + Aluminum Oxide Fluoride, Nitrate Removal + SMART, Arsenic Removal + SMART, or Alkalize/Ionizer, Mineralizer & Oxidation + SMART.

SMART Plus, Ultra or Ultimate?

The levels differ in their proportion of ERA (Eagle Redox Alloy) media, and therefore in how many gallons they can treat. Within one size, Plus is the most affordable to buy, Ultra treats more water, and Ultimate gives you the greatest capacity and the longest life. Exactly when a cartridge is due still comes down to your water and your consumption.

Rated flow is identical for Plus, Ultra and Ultimate in the same size.

Capacity by size

These gallon figures are estimates for water under 100 ppm hardness; real capacity shifts with what is in your water and with your water use. They do not promise a set number of months, nor equal reduction for every contaminant.

About Crystal Quest

• Proprietary media. ERA 6500 and ERA 9500 are developed by Crystal Quest, each documented in a dedicated data sheet; SMART, in turn, is the core blend in the brand's whole house, under-sink and countertop systems.
• One cartridge, many contaminant types. Each media (carbon, catalytic carbon, redox alloy, resin) covers its own category, so a single housing does what would otherwise take several single-media stages.
• Capacity published for all twelve combinations of size and level, each with the conditions it was rated under.
• Trusted since 1994 by over 1,000,000 people. Crystal Quest is ISO 9001 quality managed and has more than three decades of American manufacturing behind it.

Where the SMART cartridge fits

• Single-cartridge systems: SMART does all the work.
• Two-stage systems: carbon block, then SMART.
• Three-stage systems: sediment first, SMART in the middle, carbon block last.
• Specialty systems: SMART goes before the fluoride, nitrate, arsenic or other specialty stage; in a three-stage specialty setup the carbon block leads, followed by SMART and finally the specialty cartridge.
• Ahead of an RO membrane: in the whole house and under-sink RO systems from Crystal Quest, SMART keeps chlorine away from the membrane.

Finding the right replacement

Start by checking the label on your system, or on the cartridge you're swapping out. Match it by part number or size, and check in your system manual which SMART stage it uses.

Dimensions are stated as width across by height, in inches: a 2-7/8" x 9-3/4" cartridge is 2 7/8 inches wide and 9 3/4 inches tall. Larger cartridges only fit larger housings, and sealed inline filters are a separate format.

Common questions