| Fit | Branded-Fit |
|---|---|
| Micron | 5 |
| Media | Coconut shell carbon |
| Max pressure | 125 PSI |
| Removes | Chlorine, odour, taste |
| Price | ₹250 |
Orders are placed on DraQua, the official ION INDIA store. Specifications above are as listed on the LUXGEN range page.
What it is and what it does
The second stage in a purifier. Coconut-shell activated carbon adsorbs chlorine, and with it the smell and taste that chlorinated municipal water carries. It is rated to 125 PSI and filters to 5 microns as well, so it catches fine material the sediment stage let through.
Its most important job is invisible. A TFC RO membrane is a thin polyamide film, and chlorine attacks polyamide. A membrane fed chlorinated water through a spent carbon block loses its salt rejection permanently. On municipal supply, which is chlorinated by design, this cartridge is what stands between the water company and your ₹650 to ₹900 membrane. Branded-Fit means it is dimensioned for major-brand housings; the media is the same as the Universal-Fit.
What it fits, and what it does not
It fits the carbon slot in purifiers from the major brands, alongside the Branded-Fit sediment cartridge that shares the same housing family. The check is the same as for the sediment stage: does the cartridge you removed have brand-specific ends, or is it a generic 10-inch tube?
It does not fit generic 10-inch housings or the carbon slot in locally assembled purifiers, which take the Universal-Fit carbon cartridge at ₹220. It is not a sediment cartridge and should not be used as one; carbon loaded with silt stops adsorbing early.
When to choose it over the Universal-Fit
When your housing is a brand housing, and only then. Filtration is identical between the two: same coconut-shell carbon, same 5 micron, same 125 PSI. This one costs ₹30 more because it is cut for a different housing, not because it does more. If both fits seal in your purifier, the Universal-Fit is the honest recommendation.
What goes wrong if you pick the wrong cartridge
Two failures, both quiet. A Universal-Fit block in a brand housing bypasses at the ends, chlorine passes, and the membrane's rejection drifts down over months with nothing to see. A carbon cartridge left past its year does the same thing on schedule. Either way the symptom shows up on the TDS meter as a membrane problem, and the membrane is replaced while the cause stays in the housing.
When to replace it, and the symptom
Up to 12 months. The unmistakable sign is chlorine smell or taste returning to the output; if you notice it, the carbon is exhausted and the membrane is already unprotected, so do not wait for the calendar. Change it with the sediment cartridge if that is due within a couple of months, so the whole pre-treatment is fresh together.
Which LUXGEN parts it works with
Ahead of it, the Branded-Fit sediment cartridge keeps silt off the carbon so it can spend its life on chlorine. Behind it, the 80 GPD, 100 GPD or molded high-TDS membrane is what this cartridge is protecting. The filter change schedule explains why the order of these three matters.
