Infrared and Shungite Water Filters in Chicago
Two advanced filtration stages that go beyond purification - refining water at the molecular level.
Most water filtration systems end at purification. The ProEcoLife PEL75 goes two stages further - infrared ceramic treatment and shungite mineral filtration. These aren't marketing additions. They're the final stages of a system designed around the idea that truly clean water should also be water your body uses well.
Infrared ceramics emit far-infrared energy that reduces the size of water molecule clusters, supporting faster cellular absorption. Shungite – a rare carbon-based mineral from Russia – acts as a natural antioxidant medium, neutralizing free radicals and adding a final layer of purification after the RO membrane. Together, these two stages complete a 9-stage process that produces water unlike anything available from a standard filter, a pitcher, or a bottle.
What Infrared and Shungite Filtration Actually Does
Far-Infrared Water Treatment
Infrared ceramic balls emit far-infrared radiation in the 4–14 micron wavelength range – the same range as natural thermal springs. This energy acts on hydrogen bonds between water molecules, reducing cluster size from large aggregates down to smaller groups. Smaller clusters are associated with faster absorption at the cellular membrane level and a noticeably softer mouthfeel.
Shungite Antioxidant Filtration
Shungite is a Precambrian carbon mineral found only in the Karelia region of Russia. Its structure contains fullerenes — carbon molecules with natural antioxidant properties that neutralize free radicals in water. As a filtration medium, shungite also reduces residual organic compounds, petroleum derivatives, and phenols that may pass through carbon filtration stages earlier in the process.
Positioned After RO Purification
Both stages are placed after the RO membrane and mineral restoration stages – meaning they work on already-purified, already-mineralized water. They’re not compensating for earlier filtration gaps. They’re refining water that’s already clean, adding properties that standard filtration doesn’t address.
Long Service Life
Unlike carbon or sediment stages that require replacement every 6 to 12 months, infrared ceramic and shungite media have service lives of 2 to 3 years under normal residential use. We track each stage independently and replace them based on performance testing — not arbitrary calendar intervals.
How These Stages Fit Into the Full PEL75 System
The infrared and shungite stages don't replace the system's core purification work - they complete it. Understanding where they sit in the 9-stage sequence explains why their placement matters.
Stage 1 removes sediment. Stages 2 and 3 are carbon block filters that handle chlorine, chloramines, and VOCs. Stage 4 is the high-rejection RO membrane – the primary barrier against lead, PFAS, arsenic, bacteria, and heavy metals. Stage 5 reintroduces calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium. Stage 6 raises pH with alkaline calcite media. Stage 7 is the infrared ceramic stage. Stage 8 is shungite. Stage 9 is a final polishing carbon filter before the tap. By the time water passes through all 9 stages, it has been stripped of contaminants, remineralized, pH-balanced, energized, and antioxidant-treated. That’s a different category of water than what a 3-stage or 5-stage system produces.
A Different Experience in the Glass
Chicago households that switch to PEL75 water consistently describe the texture as softer and smoother than bottled water. The combination of mineral restoration, pH balancing, and infrared treatment produces water with a lighter, cleaner mouthfeel that’s noticeable from the first glass – and one that makes it easier to drink the daily volume most people fall short of.
Relevant for Athletic and Active Households
Faster cellular absorption matters most when hydration demand is highest – during and after physical activity. Chicago households where family members train, run, or work physically demanding jobs report that PEL75 water supports recovery in a way standard filtered water doesn’t. The mineral electrolyte content and infrared treatment work together in this context.
No Equivalent Available Retail
Infrared ceramic and shungite filter stages are not available in any standard retail water filter product. Pitcher filters, faucet attachments, and most under-sink systems don’t include them. The only way to access both stages as part of a complete, professionally installed 9-stage system in Chicago is through ProEcoLife.
The question isn't whether infrared and shungite filtration makes a difference. The question is whether you want water that stops at clean, or water that's been refined all the way through.
Getting the Full 9-Stage System Installed in Your Chicago Home
The infrared and shungite stages are part of our complete PEL75 under-sink installation. They're not available as standalone add-ons - they're integrated into a system where each stage builds on the last. Here's how the installation process works:
1
Water Analysis and System Sizing
We test your Chicago tap water before recommending any configuration. TDS, pH, lead, chloramine, and hardness levels all inform how we set up the pre-filtration stages that protect the RO membrane and the post-filtration stages that follow it.
2
Complete 9-Stage Installation
Our technician installs all 9 stages in sequence under your kitchen sink. The infrared ceramic and shungite stages are positioned and connected in the correct order after mineral and alkaline treatment. The dedicated filtered-water tap is installed at the same visit.
3
Output Testing and Documentation
After installation, we run a full output test – TDS before and after, pH before and after, and a visual water quality check. Results are documented so you have a baseline for every future service visit.
Servicing Your Infrared and Shungite Stages
Performance-Based Replacement
We don’t replace infrared and shungite media on a fixed calendar. We test output quality at every scheduled visit and replace these stages when performance data indicates the media is depleting – typically every 2 to 3 years.
Coordinated with All 9 Stages
Every service visit covers the full system – not just the stages due for replacement. We check each stage’s condition, replace what’s needed, and leave with the system performing at full spec across all 9 filtration steps.
Before-and-After Output Confirmation
After every service visit – whether it involves the infrared and shungite stages or not – we run an output test and confirm water quality before leaving. You’re not taking our word for it. You see the numbers.
Local Chicago Service Team
Our technicians are based in Chicago and carry all replacement media for the PEL75 system’s stages. When your infrared or shungite stage is due, we schedule the visit and bring everything needed to complete the service in a single call.
Why Chicago Homeowners Choose the Full 9-Stage System
The infrared and shungite stages are what separate the PEL75 from every other under-sink RO system on the market. Choosing ProEcoLife means:
- Access to infrared and shungite filtration not available in any retail water filter product.
- Both stages correctly positioned after RO purification and mineral restoration - sequence matters.
- Performance-based service schedule - stages replaced when testing says so, not on a generic calendar.
- Local Chicago installation and service - no DIY setup, no shipped components, no guesswork.
Infrared and Shungite Water Filtration — Available in Chicago Through ProEcoLife
These stages can't be bought off a shelf or added to an existing system. They're part of a complete 9-stage installation - and a free water test is how it starts.
ProEcoLife is the only water filtration company in Chicago installing the full 9-stage PEL75 system – including far-infrared ceramic and shungite filtration stages – in homes and businesses. We’ve been doing this since 2014, across every Chicago neighborhood. Call (312) 889-8888 or book your free water test online. We’ll test your water, walk you through every stage of the system, and install it in a single visit.