All about water purifiers
Water is the essential element on earth, without which life would be impossible. However, the water supplied to our homes is unfit for drinking purposes. Thus, to answer the question of as to why we need water purifiers, we need to understand the types of contaminants present in the water and how the water purifiers filter them out.
It is important for you to know the different types of contaminants present in the water before choosing a water purifier for your home. This article will provide you with information like types of contaminants, how to decide on right purifier, problems associated with it and comparison between RO, UV and UF purifiers. Also, few frequently asked questions are listed below to solve any of your queries.
Types of Contaminants
The three most common types of contaminants present in the water are as follows:
1. Physical contaminants
Like the name suggests the physical contaminants change the physical appearance or properties of the water. These include coarse particles such as mud, dirt, dust, sediments and other organic matter. They alter the color and taste of the water and are easily identified without having to test the water.
2. Biological contaminants
These include microorganisms such as algae, Spirogyra, viruses, parasites, protozoa, and bacteria which are invisible to the naked eye. Consumption of water containing these contaminants can cause water born diseases like amoebic dysentery, typhoid, cholera, Guardia, hepatitis A, etc.
3. Chemical contaminants
These contaminants include compounds such as dissolved solids, mineral salts such as carbonates and sulfates, heavy metals such iron, lead, arsenic, fluoride, zinc, etc. they also contain humanly made contaminants such as pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers, bleach, and chlorine. They render hardness to the water and are extremely hazardous for human consumption.
How to decide on the right water purifier
We already know the different types of water purifiers present in the market. It is essential to know the quality of water being supplied to your home before you make a purchase. Go through the write up on test of the quality of water.
After understanding the source and the type of water coming to your home, you can make a selection based on a few of our suggestions given below.
Underground water, bore well, tankers:
The water supplied from these sources is hard, containing high levels of TDS and microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses. The best kind of water purifier to treat this water type is the RO+UV Water Purifier. You can go through our article on RO+UV Water Purifiers for a better understanding.
Tubewell, underground or salt water:
The water coming from these sources is usually hard with high levels of TDS but a low level of bacteria germs and viruses. The best kind of water purifiers is RO Water purifiers. You can go through our article on RO Water Purifiers for a better understanding.
Surface water from rivers, lakes or rainwater harvesting supplied by the municipality
The water supplied from these sources is soft water containing the only disease-causing bacteria and viruses. You can choose UV or gravitation based water purifiers to treat soft water. The article on the best UV water purifiers and best gravitation based water purifiers will help you make the ideal purchase.
Problems Associated with RO water purification
- RO water purifiers remove the natural minerals from the water during filtration.This alters the taste of the water that is provided for consumption.
- The time taken for water purification is long as compared to other water purification technologies.
- RO water purifiers are much more expensive than a UV or UF water purifier.
- It is unable to kill the disease-causing germs and bacteria that grow and multiply in the water. Thus, some germs and bacteria might pass through the RO membrane.
- Unlike other purification technologies, it is not possible to know when an RO membrane would require changing due to damage in the membrane that can be caused by chlorine or other particles clogging the pores.
- It removes the essential minerals like iron, magnesium, calcium which are required by the human body.
- This is why it is advised to go for an RO water purifier that comes with a Mineral booster or TDS controller.
- RO water purifiers waste a lot of water during the purification process, and they consume a lot of electricity.
Comparison Between RO, UV, UF Water Purifiers
Here we compare the three most popular water purifiers namely, RO, UV and UF water purifiers:
RO Water Purifiers | UV Water Purifiers | UF Water Purifiers |
| 1. They are electric water purifiers as they require electricity to function. | They are electric water purifiers as they require electricity to function. | They are non-electric water purifiers that do not require electricity to function. |
| 2. RO Water Purifiers use Reverse Osmosis to purify water where the water is made to pass through a semi-permeable RO membrane. | UV Water Purifiers use Ultra-violet (UV) light to purify water. | UF Water Purifiers use an Ultra-Filtration (UF) membrane to purify water. |
| 3. RO membrane comes with a pore size ranging from 0.0001 to 0.001 micron. | They do not use any membrane. | UF membrane comes with a pore size ranging between 0.1 to 0.001 micron. |
| 4. RO water purifiers can remove dissolved solids, heavy metals, germs and bacteria, physical impurities as well as dissolved salts. | UV water purifiers use UV light to only kill the disease-causing germs and bacteria. They are incapable of removing the bodies of the micro-organism. | UF water purifiers can remove germs and bacteria as well as physical impurities. However, they are incapable of removing dissolved solids and salts. |
| 5. They are very expensive to buy and maintain compared to the other water purifiers. | The total and maintenance cost less for UV water purifiers. | The total and maintenance cost less for UF water purifiers. |
| 6. They are suitable for water with high Total Dissolved Solid (TDS) like underground, borewell or mixed water. | They are suitable for water with low TDS like river and lake water. | They are suitable for water with low TDS. |
| 7. They come with mineral boosters that enhance the taste of the water. | UV water purifiers do not alter the taste of the water. | UF water purifiers do not alter the taste of the water. |
| 8. RO water purifiers require pre-filters like sediment and activated carbon to filter muddy and turbid water. | The water requires to be clear without any turbidity for the UV lamp to function properly. | They are capable of purifying dirty, muddy or turbid water. |
| 9. RO water purifiers come with storage tanks to store the purified water for ready availability of drinking water. | Most UV water purifiers do not come with storage tanks. | Most UF water purifiers are gravity-based water purifiers that come with storage tanks. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Here we answer the most frequently asked questions regarding water purifiers. We hope the following answers most of your queries and provide a solution for the most common troubleshooting problems.
1. What is ABS Plastic Storage tank? Why is it important?
ABS stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene which is a thermoplastic polymer that helps in temperature fluctuations. Stored water allows the ready availability of water during water or electricity shortages. However, stored water is not always clean and may get contaminated with the growth of millions of germs.
ABS plastic is recyclable and non-toxic that helps keep the water clean and pure. It also comes with ingress protection covers that prevent dust and insects from contaminating the water. Hence, your family gets purified water at all times.
2. What to do if your water purifier is leaking?
The water might leak from your water purifier if the fittings of the unit are not secured tightly. It is vital to ensure that all the connections are tightened, and the tap water pressure is not too much. Increased water pressure might damage the filters.
3. What should be done if the water flow is too low?
The tank fills very slowly if the water flow of your purifier is very low. This leads to time consumption and inconvenience to the consumer. There can be two causes of this issue, i.e., the water being supplied to the purifier contain a very high TDS level, or the filters might be clogged. In the case of the first reason, nothing can be done to increase the water flow. Thus it is advised to Test the Quality of water before making a purchase.
However, if the TDS level of the water is compatible with the water purifier call a technician from the brand of your water purifier to de-clog the filters to obtain a smooth flow of purified water.
4. Why do you have to drain the tank after installing a water purifier?
If you have just installed an RO or RO+UV water purifier, it is important to drain out the tank before you start using or drinking that water since it might have a bad taste and odor.
However, if you see that the water being supplied by your water purifier has a bad taste and odor even after using it for a long time; it is time to call the service center to change your filter or membrane.
5. What is RO+MF water purification?
MF refers to micro-filtration which is a membrane that is larger than that of RO membrane. It is used as a pre-filter where water is passed through it to remove the solid particles from the water. RO+MF is a water purifier that uses a double membrane of different pore sizes for better purification.
Conclusion
Each of these water purifiers has its advantages and disadvantages. You can purchase a combination of RO+UV, RO+UF or RO+UV+UF water purifiers. Read our articles on the Best RO+UV water purifiers, Best water purifiers under 10000, Best RO water purifiers and Best UV water purifiers for more insight regarding water purifiers. These articles hope to help you make the right choice.
