Posted: August 19, 2025
Categories: Product Articles, Education, Water Articles
Water quality directly affects the taste of your products, the performance of your equipment, and your ongoing maintenance costs. One of the most common, and often overlooked, water treatment chemicals in municipal supplies is chloramine.
 
As your supplier of Vivreau professional filtration systems, we want to help you understand what chloramine is, why it’s used, and how the right filtration can protect your business.
 
What is Chloramine?
 
Chloramine is a disinfectant used by many municipal water authorities to kill bacteria and pathogens, ensuring safe drinking water as it travels through the distribution network. It’s formed by combining chlorine and ammonia, and has been used in public water systems since the 1930s.
 
Why Municipalities Use Chloramine
 
  • Long-Lasting Disinfection: Chloramine is highly stable, which means it stays active for longer as water travels through miles of pipelines. This ensures that water remains disinfected even in complex or extended distribution systems.
  • Fewer Byproducts Compared to Chlorine: Unlike chlorine, chloramine doesn’t react as quickly with organic material found in water. As a result, it produces far fewer disinfection byproducts, such as trihalomethanes (THMs), which are considered potentially harmful.
  • Cost-Effective for Municipalities: For city water departments, chloramine is relatively inexpensive to produce and use on a large scale. That’s one reason many municipalities have shifted to it as their preferred disinfectant.
The Problem for Coffee, Baking, and Foodservice Businesses
 
While chloramine is effective for public health, it can cause real challenges for food and beverage operations:
 
  • Unwanted flavors and odors in water, impacting coffee, tea, and baked goods. It can impart a chemical or chlorine-like taste that overshadows coffee’s natural aromas, as it oxidizes aromatic compounds and oils, leading to a less flavorful brew.
  • Corrosion and pitting in stainless steel, copper, and rubber components
  • Shortened equipment lifespan for espresso machines, combi steamers, and boilers

Corroded Stainless Steel

 
Why Chloramine is Hard to Remove
 
Unlike chlorine, chloramine is chemically more stable, making it harder to remove with standard carbon filtration media. Without targeted removal, it can continue to affect both the flavor of your beverage and your equipment’s integrity.
 
The Solution: Catalytic Carbon Filtration

We provide Vivreau professional filters that harness catalytic carbon - the industry benchmark for effective chloramine reduction. These filters are designed to solve critical water quality challenges by:
 
  • Effectively reduces or eliminates chloramine from your water
  • Protect expensive equipment from corrosion and damage
  • Preserve the taste and aroma of your beverages and baked goods 
Which Filters Remove Chloramine?

 

Filter Model Chloramine Removal Capability
PURITY C500 Quell ST Advanced 100% chloramine removal
PURITY C300 Quell ST Advanced 100% chloramine removal
PURITY C Steam Advanced Up to 80% reduction

 

Protecting Your Business

If your products don’t taste quite right or your equipment is showing early signs of wear, chloramine could be the cause. By installing the right filtration system, you can safeguard your operations, maintain consistent quality, and reduce service costs.
 
Better Water Means Better Business.

Contact us to discuss the best Vivreau chloramine‑reducing solution for your needs.