Enagic® Pre-Filters Explained: Which One to Recommend, by Country and Water Type

Enagic® sells three kinds of Kangen Water® pre-filter: the colour-coded Dual Pre-Filter System (DPS), the Ultra-E, and the newer Enametix Multi Filter. The filters you can recommend depend on the markets you sell to. Australia and New Zealand sell only the colour system, and the US and Canada are the only markets with the Enametix. No single pre-filter handles every water problem, so the right recommendation starts with the customer's water, then the lineup their branch sells.

Why Enagic® pre-filter recommendations are so confusing

Every Enagic® branch sells a different pre-filter lineup, names them differently, and in at least one case gives conflicting advice about the same cartridge.

The lineup changes by market. An Australian customer can order from a combination of six colour-coded cartridges. A Canadian customer can order the Enametix and the Ultra-E, but no colour cartridges at all. A US customer can order the Enametix, the Ultra-E, and a new range of plain-named cartridges that replaced most of the colours.

The names change by market. The same Black cartridge is "Pre-Filter (Black)" in Australia, "DPS Replacement Filter (BLACK)" in the US, and "Replacement prefilter – Black" in Europe. The Purple's closest US equivalent is now sold as "KDF/GAC Filter", with no colour in the name at all.

The guidance conflicts. Enagic® Australia's owner tips sheet (2016) recommends the Green filter as a general combination for hard water. Enagic®'s Europe combinations sheet (2024) says to use Green only when making Strong Kangen or Strong Acidic water, because it adds sodium. Both are official stances that differ between offices.

Advice travels across borders. Distributor group chats are made up of people across borders. This means advice from one distributor to another is often ill-advised. A US distributor saying "just buy the Enametix" gives an Australian customer nothing to order, because the Enametix isn't sold in Australia.

What does each Enagic® pre-filter do?

The Enagic® Dual Pre-Filter System (colour-coded)

The colour system uses a two-cartridge base. Each colour handles one job, and you pick two colours to match the water problem. Capacities here are converted to litres, with the US-gallon figures Enagic® publishes in brackets.

The Enametix Multi Filter

The Enametix is a single carbon-block cartridge that combines the chemical-reduction jobs of the Purple, Black and Grey filters. Enagic® describes the media as a proprietary matrix of at least two types of activated carbon and zeolite minerals, bound with polymers into a porous block. Its published media list doesn't include activated alumina, the fluoride media in the Grey filter.

The Enametix needs a 25 cm (10") one- or two-stage housing, sold separately. The Ultra-E housing doesn't fit it. Enagic® Canada lists its Enametix set as an over-the-sink unit.

Enagic®'s published performance figures on the cartridge label:

• Chloramines and chlorine: more than 99%
• Lead: more than 99%
• Heavy metals: more than 98%
• PFAS: more than 95%
• Fluoride: more than 93%
• VOCs: more than 94%
• Pharmaceutical compounds: more than 96%

Rated capacities: chloramines and lead about 13,250 litres (3,500 US gallons) each, fluoride about 3,800 litres (1,000 gallons), and PFAS about 1,650 litres (435 gallons). The cartridge is about 6.4 × 24.8 cm (2.5" × 9.75").

The Enametix carries NSF/ANSI Standard 42 certification as a component. Standard 42 covers aesthetic reduction such as chlorine, chloramine, taste and odour. The label references other standards beside the lead, PFAS, VOC and pharmaceutical figures, but the certification printed on the cartridge is Standard 42. When you talk to customers, present those other figures as Enagic®'s stated performance, not as certified reduction. Some Enagic® marketing, including a US flyer, describes the filter as "certified to reduce" all eight contaminants. Use the cartridge label's wording instead.

Enagic® also notes that the filter isn't intended for water that is microbiologically unsafe or of unknown quality without adequate disinfection.

The same note appears on Enagic®'s other pre-filter labels. The Ultra-E is the only Enagic® pre-filter with published bacteria, virus and cyst reduction figures, but it isn't a substitute for disinfection. If a customer's water may be unsafe, it needs testing and treatment before any pre-filter.

The Ultra-E

The Ultra-E is a single-cartridge pre-filter using electro-adsorptive media. Enagic®'s US lab testing, done at pH 6.5, reports reduction of more than 99.99% of viruses and bacteria and more than 99.95% of cysts. It also reports reduction of lead (more than 95%), arsenic V (more than 95%), cadmium (more than 95%), ferrous iron (more than 90%), chromium (more than 85%) and selenium (more than 75%), along with VOCs, PCBs, BPA and residual pharmaceuticals. Enagic® also lists mercury reduction of more than 60%, though not among its lab-tested figures.

It's rated for up to about 5,700 litres (1,500 US gallons). The media is NSF 61 approved, which certifies that the material is safe in contact with drinking water. It isn't a performance certification. The media itself is coated micro-glass fibre, Enagic® lists an operating pH range of 4 to 9, and the Ultra-E can't be installed under the sink.

Enagic® states the Ultra-E doesn't work with the Super 501 and isn't recommended for the SD501U.

What each filter covers, and what none of them do

The Enametix consolidates chemical reduction into one cartridge. The Ultra-E is the option for microbiological concerns and the broadest heavy-metals list. Only the colour system and the US Ion Exchange cartridge soften water, and only the Orange corrects low pH.

Does the Enametix replace the other pre-filters?

No. Enagic® designs the Enametix to work alongside a KDF or 5-micron pre-filter in a two-stage housing, and it doesn't soften water or raise pH. Hard-water and acidic-water customers still need a softening or acid-neutralising cartridge where their market sells one.

The idea that one new filter replaced everything usually comes from mixing it up with the FC1. The FC1 is the internal filter inside the machine, and it replaced the older HG-N and F8 internal filters. It consolidated internal-filter models. It didn't make pre-filters unnecessary.

Which pre-filters are sold in each market?

Prices below were checked in October 2026. For current figures across every Enagic® product, see the Enagic® Price List 2026.

Australia (AUD, May 2026 accessories form)

• Purple, Green, Blue or Orange: $77.00 each
• Black or Grey: $93.50 each
• Pre-Filter Set (any two colours): $242.00
• Black or Grey Pre-Filter Set: $264.00
• Pre-Filter Stand: $110.00

New Zealand (NZD, May 2026 accessories form)

• Purple, Green, Blue or Orange: $61.60 each
• Black or Grey: $86.00 each
• Pre-Filter Set (any two colours): $222.00
• Black or Grey Pre-Filter Set: TBC with Enagic® New Zealand
• Pre-Filter Stand: $98.00

United States (USD)

The US has moved most of the colour range onto new one-stage and two-stage housings with plain-named cartridges. These are standard 25 × 6.4 cm (10" × 2.5") cartridges, and Enagic® lists five as compatible with the new housings: 5-Micron Sediment, Ion Exchange (Water Softener), Active Alumina, KDF/GAC and the Enametix. The legacy DPS cartridges aren't on that list. Enagic® USA no longer sells the DPS base they fit, so those cartridges are for existing owners only. The colour equivalents below are matched by filter media; Enagic® doesn't publish the mapping.

• Enametix Multi Filter: $85.00 (housing sold separately)
• One-Stage Filter Housing Set: $40.00
• Two-Stage Filter Housing Set: $60.00
• KDF/GAC Filter (Purple equivalent): $35.00
• 5-Micron Sediment Filter (Blue equivalent): $5.00
• Ion Exchange Filter (Green equivalent): $25.00
• Activated Alumina Filter (Grey equivalent): $25.00
• DPS Replacement Filters, legacy: Gray $60.00, Orange $40.00, Black $40.00
• UltraE Prefilter Set: $70.00; UltraE Replacement Filter: $50.00
• Inline Pre-Filtration System: $40.00; 5-pack replacements: $30.00

The Enametix needs a housing, so the real starting cost is higher than the cartridge price. With the one-stage housing, it comes to $125.00. In a two-stage housing paired with the KDF/GAC filter, it comes to $180.00; paired with the 5-micron filter, $150.00.

Canada (CAD)

• Enametix Multi Filter Set (filter and one-stage housing): $175.00
• Ultra-E Prefilter Set: $90.00; Ultra-E Replacement Filter: $65.00
• Inline Pre-Filtration System: $48.00; 5-pack replacements: $36.00

Canada's store lists no softening or pH-correction cartridge. If a Canadian customer has hard or acidic water, ask your branch what it recommends before promising a fix.

Europe (EUR, excluding VAT)

• Dual pre-filter system: €140.00
• Replacement colours (Blue, Purple, Green, Grey, Black, Orange): €35.00 each
• Dual pre-filter base only: €70.00
• Replacement colours, 5-pack (your choice of colours): €150.00
• Ultra-E Prefilter Set (hose not included): €85.00; replacement filter: €60.00; replacement housing: €30.00
• White water supply hose: €5.00 per metre

The EU set doesn't include the second hose that runs from the tap to the Ultra-E. Enagic® Europe's installation guide cuts the machine's existing white hose into two lengths. Enagic® Europe also sells the white water supply hose by the metre.

Enagic® has said it's aiming to bring the Enametix to Europe in early 2027.

Prepared by FlowQuota, the sales execution system for Enagic® operators.

How to recommend a pre-filter by water problem

Start with the water, not the product. In the US, every community water system publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Report, and WaterHealthCheck walks customers through finding and reading theirs. In Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Europe, the local water utility or council publishes drinking-water quality data. For tank or well water, test the pH before recommending anything.

Then match the problem to what the customer's market sells:

• City water, chlorine: Purple and Blue (Enagic®'s general set-up). In the US, KDF/GAC with 5-micron sediment, or the Enametix.
• Chloramine: Purple and Black, or Blue and Black, with Black always in the second position. In the US and Canada, the Enametix.
• Fluoride: Purple and Grey in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. In the US and Canada, the Enametix, keeping its fluoride capacity of about 3,800 litres (1,000 gallons) in mind.
• Acidic tank or well water: Orange in the first position, paired with Purple or Blue, and never with Black. Enagic® calibrates its machines for neutral-pH water, and its Australian guidance notes that plastic tanks often lack the minerals electrolysis needs.
• PFAS: The Enametix in the US and Canada. Its PFAS capacity is about 1,650 litres (435 gallons).
• Microbiological concerns or a wide heavy-metals profile: The Ultra-E in the US, Canada and Europe, checking machine compatibility first.
• Hard water: Read the next section before recommending Green.

Building the same Enagic® pre-filter system in the US

The US two-stage housing takes any two of the five 25 cm (10") cartridges, so you can recreate the colour-system pairs. The equivalents below are matched by filter media. Enagic® publishes no recommended combinations or position rules for the new range.

A customer who only needs the Enametix can use the one-stage housing on its own. The new range has no acid neutraliser or chloramine-only cartridge. Enagic® USA confirms the DPS bases are no longer sold, and its legacy Gray, Orange and Black cartridges are for customers who already own one. A new US customer with acidic well water has no official option. Ask your branch before promising a fix.

Should you recommend the Green filter for hard water?

Only with care, because Enagic®'s own branches disagree. Australia's 2016 owner tips sheet, still the version Enagic® Australia hosts, pairs Purple and Green as a general hard-water combination. The combinations sheet Enagic® serves for Europe, dated 2024, says Green is sodium-based, so it should be used only when making Strong Kangen or Strong Acidic water, with Blue in the first slot for drinking water.

There's also a capacity issue. Green is rated at 677 grains of hardness, not a fixed volume of water. In water with a hardness of 171 mg/L (10 grains per gallon), that's roughly 260 litres (68 gallons) before it's exhausted. In very hard water it runs out quickly.

Follow your own branch's guidance, and explain the sodium trade-off to the customer so they can decide. For everyday scale control, Blue pre-treats hardness minerals without the sodium exchange.

How long do Enagic® Kangen pre-filters last?

Enagic®'s baseline for the internal filter is about 5,700 litres (1,500 US gallons), or 3 to 6 months depending on use. The volume counts everything that runs through the machine: drinking and cooking water, plus the acidic water it produces alongside. How quickly a household reaches it depends on how much it uses:

These are worked examples, not Enagic® figures. Pre-filters with the same rating can be replaced on the same schedule. The rest need their own.

Once a filter's capacity for a contaminant is used up, that contaminant passes through. A customer who chose the Enametix for fluoride needs it replaced at about 3,800 litres, not when the chloramine rating runs out. The Grey runs out sooner still: about 1,900 litres, or 1 to 2 months. That 1-to-2-month figure assumes heavier use, around 30 to 60 litres a day. A single person running about 10 litres a day would take roughly six months to reach 1,900 litres, so household size matters most for the shorter-life cartridges. Check with your branch whether to follow the label interval regardless.

Which Enagic® machines work with pre-filters?

Pre-filters are used with the K8, SD501, SD501 Platinum, JRII and JRIV. Enagic® states the Ultra-E doesn't work with the Super 501 and isn't recommended for the SD501U, and that the Enametix works with every Enagic® machine except the Super 501. The Super 501 runs at a much higher flow rate, so check with your branch before fitting any pre-filter to one.

The Anespa shower system uses its own two cartridges and isn't part of the pre-filter lineup.

How to install an Enagic® pre-filter

• Water flows from the tap into the pre-filter's IN side, and from its OUT side to the machine.
• For the dual base, Enagic® Europe's guide cuts the white supply hose into two lengths: roughly 2/3 m from the tap to the IN side, and 1/3 m from the OUT side to the machine.
• For the Ultra-E, take the diverter off the machine's supply hose and fit it to the new hose that runs to the Ultra-E's IN side.
• Follow the position rules: Orange always first, Black always second, and never Orange with Black.
• The US one- and two-stage housings are designed for wall mounting and come with a mounting bracket, housing wrench, connection hose and fittings. Enagic® doesn't say whether they can stand free on the bench, and notes that professional installation may be recommended, depending on the setup.

Two machine-care rules from Enagic® Australia are worth passing on at installation. Never run warm or hot water through the machine, as it can ruin the filter. And always remove the electrolysis enhancer tank before moving the machine, because leaked enhancer can damage the circuitry and isn't covered by warranty.

How to add Enagic® pre-filters to an order

In Australia, pre-filters go on the accessories order form, which goes to the warehouse separately from the machine paperwork. They don't count as qualifying items for distributor registration. Check your own branch's process in other markets.

Replacement filters are also recurring business. Distributors earn commission on genuine Enagic® replacement filters, including filters their team members buy. Check your branch's filter commission chart for which items qualify.

Every pre-filter recommendation creates a replacement schedule, and every scheduled replacement is a reason to follow up. Recommending the right pre-filter at the point of sale sets up the next conversation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Enametix sold in Australia or New Zealand?

No. Neither the Australian nor the New Zealand accessories form (May 2026) lists the Enametix or the Ultra-E. Both markets sell the colour-coded system only.

Will the Enametix fit my Ultra-E housing?

No. Enagic® confirms the Ultra-E housing only fits the Ultra-E filter. The Enametix needs a 25 cm (10") one- or two-stage housing, sold separately.

Why is the Enametix sold without a housing?

Enagic® hasn't said, but selling them separately leaves the setup open. The Enametix can run alone in a one-stage housing, or in a two-stage housing paired with a KDF/GAC or 5-micron filter. A customer who already has a 25 cm (10") housing from the US range can reuse it, and every replacement after that is the cartridge alone. The Ultra-E is different: it only fits its own housing, so Enagic® sells it as a complete set. In Canada, the Enametix is sold as a set with a one-stage housing.

Does the Enametix replace the filter inside my machine?

No. It's a pre-filter that sits between the tap and the machine. The machine's internal filter (FC1 or MW7000HG) stays in place and is replaced on its own schedule.

When will the Enametix be available in Europe?

Enagic® has said it's aiming for early 2027. It hasn't announced timing for Australia or New Zealand.

What does the Enametix filter remove?

Enagic®'s cartridge label lists chloramines and chlorine (more than 99%), lead (more than 99%), heavy metals (more than 98%), PFAS (more than 95%), fluoride (more than 93%), VOCs (more than 94%) and pharmaceutical compounds (more than 96%). Its NSF/ANSI Standard 42 certification covers aesthetic reduction such as chlorine and chloramine; the other figures are Enagic®'s stated performance. It doesn't soften water, raise pH, or reduce bacteria, viruses or cysts.

What is the Enametix made of?

A proprietary carbon block: at least two types of activated carbon combined with zeolite minerals, bound with polymers.

Is the Enametix NSF certified?

The cartridge carries NSF/ANSI Standard 42 certification as a component, which covers aesthetic reduction such as chlorine and chloramine. Its lead, PFAS, VOC and pharmaceutical figures are Enagic®'s stated performance.

Which Enagic® pre-filter goes first?

Orange always goes in the first position, and Black always goes in the second. Orange and Black should never be used together. Enagic® Australia recommends Purple as the base of every combination.

What's the difference between the FC1 and a pre-filter?

The FC1 is the internal filter inside the machine, replacing the older HG-N and F8. A pre-filter sits outside the machine, between the tap and the machine, and treats the water before it reaches the internal filter.

Can I use the Enametix and the Ultra-E together?

Enagic® hasn't published a setup that combines them. They use different housings: the Ultra-E fits only its own, and the 25 cm (10") housings that take the Enametix don't list the Ultra-E as compatible. Using both would mean two separate housings on the supply line, so check with your branch before recommending it.

Can the Ultra-E be installed under the sink?

No. Enagic® states under-sink installation isn't possible for the Ultra-E.

Can the Ultra-E be used with the Super 501?

No. Enagic® states the Ultra-E doesn't work with the Super 501 and isn't recommended for the SD501U.

Key takeaways

Enagic® sells three pre-filter families, and each market sells a different combination of them. The Enametix consolidates chemical reduction but doesn't soften water or raise pH, and it isn't sold in Australia, New Zealand or Europe. Recommend from the customer's water report and your own branch's lineup, and build the replacement schedule into your follow-up from day one.

Sources

All sources accessed October 2026.

Australia and New Zealand

• Enagic® Australia accessories order form (May 2026)
• Enagic® New Zealand accessories order form (May 2026)
• Enagic® Australia, Tips and information about your Kangen Water® system (2016)

United States

• Enagic® USA store: Pre-Filtration Systems
• Enametix Multi Filter
• UltraE Prefilter Set and UltraE Replacement Filter
• One-Stage Filter Housing Set and Two-Stage Filter Housing Set
• DPS Replacement Filters: Gray, Orange and Black
• 5-Micron Sediment Filter, Ion Exchange Filter, Active Alumina Filter and KDF/GAC Filter
• Enagic® Web System, Enagic Filter Fundamentals (September 2023)
• Enagic® USA Enametix flyer and launch post (Facebook)
• Enagic® USA Ultra-E information sheet and setup guide (2017)

Canada

• Enagic® Canada store: Pre-Filtration Systems
• Enametix Multi Filter Set

Europe

• Enagic® Europe store: Pre-Filtration Systems
• Replacement prefilters, 5 pieces, colours of your choice
• Enagic® Pre-Filter Combinations sheet (2024)
• Enagic® Europe pre-filter installation guide
• White water supply hose, sold by the metre