THINGS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE BUYING A WATER PURIFIER

The water purifier is an indispensable home appliance nowadays. Choosing the right water purifier is very imperative to safeguard your family from water related health issues. Before buying a water purifier, it is essential for you to assess various factors. Water Purifiers decrease the concentration of pollutants in water, and make it suitable for drinking by means of filtration as well as purification. Generally, the impurities present in water include dissolved as well as floating particles, bacteria, parasites, cysts, metals, and more. Such impurities in water make it unfit for drinking. A reliable water purifier can solve this problem to a great extent.

You should be well versed regarding the source and quality of water supplied to your locality before deciding what type water purifier you actually require. Currently, different types of numerous water purifiers are available in the market. All of them follow different filtration methods for purifying water. If you have decided to buy a water purifier for your home, it is vital to understand the available different models, and their features. Water purifiers are basically divided into three categories with respect to the filtration process used.

Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water purifier

RO is the most well known and widely used filtration method. In the process of reverse osmosis, water is forced to move across a semi-permeable membrane. The impurities are flushed down and pure clean drinking water is stored in a small hygienic tank. RO water purifier is normally suggested for hard water with high count total dissolved solids (TDS). This type of water purifier needs regular maintenance.

Components of RO Water Purifier

Sediment Pre-filter:

It is the primary stage of water purification process. The pre-sediment filter gets rid of impurities containing coarse and fine particles. It also performs a great job in improving the life of the RO membrane.
Activated Carbon Pre-filter: Activated Carbon Pre- filter eliminates dirtiness such as harmful pesticides. It is also capable to adsorb bad odor, and make the taste of the water better.

RO or UF membranes:

RO membrane gets rid of the hardness of water, dissolved salts, heavy metals, and pesticides. It also takes away the microbial impurities in the available water such as bacteria, virus, and cysts.

TDS controller:

It manages the TDS level of the collected water. The reverse osmosis process may take out essential minerals such as Magnesium and Calcium as well. However, the TDS controller helps to retain the presence of essential minerals in the water.

UV Filter:

The high-intensity UV bulb eradicates any bacteria, virus, and parasites present in the water.

Carbon Post-filter:

The Carbon post-filter improves the taste of the drinking water, and also gets rid of the bad smell from purified water.

Storage Tank:

The purified water is collected in a tank. Make sure that the storage tank of water purifier is manufactured with food-grade stuff.

Display:

The basic display is available with necessary ready to act warnings such as TDS level indicator, RO membrane change, etc.

UV Water purifiers

In this water filter Ultra Violet rays are being used to filter water. Here, the apparatus is constituted with a high-intensity UV lamp which eliminates disease-causing microorganisms present in water. They are not capable of eradicating chemicals, and dissolved impurities.

UV water purifiers are suitable for purifying water with small TDS levels. UV water purification method is ideal for removing bacteria from the available water. So, if the water has been infected by bacteria and viruses, a UV water purifier is the best option. This method follows double-layer filtration process for purifying water.

Components of UV water filters

The Reactor Chamber:

The reactor chamber of the water filter is provided with a UV lamp and a tube like sheath. It is capable to control the flow of water through the filtering system. The chamber is typically made of stainless steel material. They are constituted with ports having a range of sizes, to regulate the rate of flow of water as intended.

The UV Lamp:  

The UV lamp restrains a droplet of mercury to create the germicidal UV-C light wavelength. Diverse lamps carry out this function in a variety of ways to arrange the disinfection requirements.

The Quartz Sleeve:

This is a long cylindrical tube which safeguards the UV lamp from the flow of water. The sleeve is constituted of quartz glass, and considered as an indispensable component for the efficient functioning of the filter.

The controller Unit:

The unit arranges the electrical output of the lamp to create UV-C light. With respect to the type of UV system, it may include low-UV alarms, lamp-change timers, or trouble indicator lights. The UV systems are empowered for bringing all the parts to perform together as a total functional system.

Gravity based water purifiers

These type water purifiers are economical, and operate without the requirement of electricity. Gravity based water purifiers are used in conditions of low TDS levels. They are capable to remove dust, chlorine, and bacteria from water. The filters of the gravity based water purifiers cannot remove dissolved solids, or heavy metals from the water.

Components of gravity based water purifier

Semi-permeable Membrane:

This is a thin layer of substance to take apart different type materials. The membrane eliminates bacteria and other microorganisms from the water during filtration. Here, hydrostatic pressure is used to take water through a semi-permeable membrane.

Storage Tank:

Here, in this storage tank, purified water that is passed through the semi-permeable membrane is collected. The capacity of the storage tank varies from filter to filter. The water thus collected in the storage tank is dispensed through the tap.

RO+UV water purifiers

A few high-end water purifiers follow both RO and UV water purification systems. In the beginning, water passes through the RO membrane to separate suspended and dissolved impurities, and then moves through the UV chamber to neutralize bacteria as well as viruses more effectively.

Consider the storage tank capacity

If you are aware of the drinking water supply of your locality, and can make a decision regarding the type of the water purifier that suits your requirements, then the next thing you have to consider is the storage tank capacity. Normally, each person in a family consumes 2 to 4 liters of water every day. Thus, you have to calculate the amount of filtered water required by you in a day, and also decide the required capacity of the water purifier storage tank.

Water purifier with hot and cold water facility

Some water purifiers have facilities to provide hot and cold water as required after the purification process. You can directly use the cold water from the water purifiers for drinking purposes, whereas the hot water can be used for cleaning vegetables, fruits, cereals, and other edible things. These type water purifiers cost more, and are generally used in the higher end sectors.

Warranty and maintenance cost

Normally, most water purifiers provide only one-year warranty on the product, one-year warranty on the RO + UF membrane, while six-month warranty is offered on things like carbon filter, sediment filter, and post-carbon filter. However, some manufacturers offer additional Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) for 1-3 years for free. AMC comprises a regular alteration of filters and membrane for every six months or one year, expense of labor, and repair cost if the working of parts go wrong.

Nowadays, plenty of water purifier options are available in the market which suits your budget and purification requirements. You may consider the aforementioned factors before going to purchase the water purifier of your choice. Remember to buy the product within the limitations of your planned budget, and ask the dealer regarding the after sales service of your water purifier brand.