WATER. It's found everywhere on Earth, from the polar ice caps to steamy geysers. But unfortunately, today all water sources are not safe to drink. In this Industrialisation phase, water is getting polluted day by day. And to overcome this Water pollution problem, Water Purifiers are the perfect solution.
But which one to buy? With lots of products in the market, you can't decide which one to buy just on the basis of some product description. Don't worry. In this article, I am gonna tell you all about the water purifiers and which one is best as per your needs. But before that let me explain what actually are the Water Purifiers.
What is a Water Purifier? Speaking in technical language, a Water purifier is a device for removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids and gases from contaminated water. The goal is to produce water fit for a specific purpose by reducing the concentration of particulate matter including suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi; which is mostly for human consumption and from others too like for the medical, pharmacological, chemical and industrial applications.
Types of Water Purifiers- Before buying the water purifier for your home, you need to know which one is the best one for you as per your needs. So here I will explain to you the different types of water purifiers that exist in the market.
A) Reverse Osmosis (RO) Water Purifiers- In an RO Type Water Purifier, the water flows in through the inlet channel and the semi-permeable barrier in the path keeps out all sorts of chemicals including poisonous ones like lead and arsenic.
Pros
1. Ability to treat hard water and remove salts like arsenic, fluoride, and lead.
2. Comes in two types - Table or Wall-mounted water purifiers and the Under Counter Water Purifiers
3. Suitable for homes with space constraints
4. Affordable
5. Improves the taste and odor too
Cons
1. Works on electricity so add to the electricity bill.
2. In an attempt to purify water, it actually discards a lot of water, so not fit for the homes having less water availability. Almost, 50 % of the water ends up as waste.
B) Ultraviolet Water (UV) Purifiers- Within the UV Purifiers, water passes through UV Tube which produces UV lights and kills almost all the microorganisms harmful for human beings.
Pros 1. Very low maintenance cost. 2. Ease in operation.
3. Capable of purifying pure water within a few minutes
4. Low energy consumption.
5. It doesn't remove the essential minerals required for the human body.
6. It doesn't alter the taste of the water.
Cons 1. Incapable to treat hard water. 2. Certain harmful organisms can survive the UV and it can affect the health of the drinking person.
3. It doesn't alter the odor of the water
C) Ultrafiltration (UF) Water Purifiers- It uses a membrane that is built to prevent anything except water to pass through it, but it is not effective for treating hard water and water containing other harmful microorganisms.
Pros
1. It doesn't depend on electricity.
2. Long-lasting without having problems of repair and replacements.
3. It can work in low water pressure conditions also.
4. No germs or dead bodies of bacterias in the purified water.
Cons
1. Not fit for every area - especially for areas having hard water.
2. Also, you have to clean the filtration membrane on a regular basis.
D) Gravity Based Water Purifiers- It uses the concept of gravity and along with that, it can use activated charcoal or a membrane to remove the impurities from the water and making it fit for use.
Pros
1. It doesn't require electrical energy to work.
Cons
1. More useful in areas having clean water and not in those areas having water containing harmful microorganisms.
E) Activated Carbon Water Purifier- Activated Carbon use the adsorption property to remove the impurities from the water including chlorine and various harmful pesticides.
Pros
1. removes disease-causing pesticides and chlorine too.
2. Increases the life of RO membrane life.
Cons
1. It doesn't remove disease-causing microorganisms.
2. It doesn't remove the salts leading to the hardness of the water.
" Guide for you before buying the Water Purifier "
Now, as I have mentioned to you the various types of water purifiers, the next thing that comes is a guide for you before spending your preciously earned money to buy one of these. So before buying the water purifier, you should keep this in mind that it works flawlessly for your home and provide you the best outcomes. Here are some of the features that you should keep in mind before buying it-
1. Type of Water- First you need to know about the water quality in your area. If your area has Hard water (calcium and magnesium salts in it) then you need a Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purifier as they can easily treat the hard water. If you have soft water (contains only sodium salts in it) then you don't need to worry.
2. Water Availability- If your area has less amount of water available, then Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purifier is not your type as almost 50% of the water gets wasted in it.
3. Maintenance- Some of the Water purifiers need regular maintenance and cleaning after two weeks. Ultrafiltration (UF) Water purifiers fall into this category. If you want to avoid this problem then RO Water purifiers, UV Water purifiers, and Gravity based water purifiers, they all will work fine for you.
4. Contaminants in water- Every area has different types of water available. Some area has large contaminants like harmful microorganisms that can make you fall ill easily, while others have a small number of such microorganisms. So before buying the water purifier, you should study and understand the mechanism of the purifiers that how efficient they are in killing those microorganisms and which one suits best for you.
5. Dimensions- Before buying the water purifier, you should also check the dimensions of the water purifier and check that it would fit in your home.
6. Capacity- Capacity is also the major factor in deciding the water purifier you want to buy. Based on the size of the family you should decide which one will suit you the best.
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