Three Types of Sediment Water Filters

Pleated sediment water filters. Pleated filters only filter dirt and sediment from the water.  They do nothing to improve taste or remove chlorine or microorganisms.
Pleated filters come in two varieties: pleated paper and pleated polyester.  The paper are generally the cheapest but can deteriorate quickly, while the polyester are far more bacteria- and chemical-resistant.

Pleated filters are most often used as a prefilter for the salt water intake on watermakers.  Most people don’t use them in drinking water systems.

Most watermaker companies recommend a 5 micron pleated polyester filter as a prefilter, but you should check the specs for your particular system.  Many cruisers try to rinse these and reuse them, with varying success.

String wound sediment water filter
String wound. String wound filters look just like they sound — a bunch of string wound around.  As with the pleated filters, these are for dirt and sediment only and are used almost exclusively for watermaker prefilters.

Many of these now have dual filtration levels, with water passing first through a larger micron level to get the larger particles, then a smaller level.  The theory is that the filter will last longer before it gets plugged up. They cannot be rinsed and reused.

Polyspun sediment water filter
Polyspun filters. Polyspun filters are the third style of dirt and sediment filters.I’ve found several reviews stating that polyspun filters seem to last slightly longer than string wound, and may be slightly cheaper.  Again, they cannot be rinsed and reused.