3 Great Tips To Help You Buy The Right Water Purifier For Your Home

71% of our planet’s surface is covered with water. Unfortunately, a great part of this is salty sea water which is unfit for human consumption. Most countries tend to treat water in separate facilities before supplying it to the people. However, due to some contaminant left untreated causing harm, it’s recommended to install a water purifier in your home.

But with a wide variety of brands, types and technologies behind these, it can be daunting to choose the right water purifier. Here are 3 great tips which you ought to keep in mind while making a decision to buy one.

1. Know Your Water Source

Before planning to install the water purifier, it’s imperative to know the water source. The different types of water purifiers have different properties which can be great for one kind of water coming in, but, not for another. In India, most households get their water either from the municipality or from some kind of local ground water source.

The importance of knowing this is for judging the TDS (Total Dissolved Salts) present in the water. If you live in the city, there is a good chance that your water source is the municipality. Such type of water is usually harvested from rain, rivers and lakes or similar ‘soft’ water sources. But when water is drawn from an underground water source, or drawn from bore wells, or supplied from Tankers, it tends to be ‘hard’ water. Hard water may contain fluoride, arsenic or other heavy metals.

If your water source is hard, then you will need to pick an RO water purifier. However, if you find contamination in the hard water, then it makes sense to invest in a RO + UV water purifier. For soft water, it’s advisable to buy a UV water purifier. But what do these terms mean, really? Let’s have a look.

2. Know the Types of Water Purifiers

Water purifiers are broadly classified into 2 types –

a. Electric water purifiers are those whose technology is UV, UF, RO or a combo of these.

b. Non-electric purifiers are those whose technology is some gravity based filtration or a basic kind of UF.

3. Know the Tech Behind Water Purifiers

A. UF (Ultra-Filtration) Technology

This tech is based on a non-chemical approach of purifying water by using a semi-permeable membrane. A small pressure is created to differentiate suspended particles and solute, without the need for electricity. Thus, these type of water purifiers are great for areas which have inconsistent supply of electricity.

B. UV (Ultraviolet) Technology

Ultraviolet water purification is an effective method for disinfecting bacteria from the water. Ultraviolet (UV) rays target harmful pathogens in the water and destroy them. Disinfecting your water with Ultraviolet light is simple, effective and environmentally safe. However, UV light does not work to eliminate contaminants such as chlorine, heavy metals and VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds).

C. RO (Reverse Osmosis) Technology

Reverse Osmosis (RO) is based on the same Osmosis technology that you may have learned in school. Osmosis refers to the flow of water molecules from a higher solution concentration region to a lower concentration region through a semi permeable membrane. So RO water purifier reverses this process. It moves water molecules from a lower region to a higher region. It works by using the pressure of the water to push it across a membrane. During this process impurities and dissolved solids will be left behind on the membrane.

D. EAT (Electro Adsorbent Technology)

EAT (Electro Adsorption Technology) offers a greater advantage of 4 filters in one physical filter along with a 5-stage water purification.

In the first stage, the external pre-filter removes the Sand, Silica, Slit, Dirt, and Dust from the input water. The Mechanical filter is the next level removes the suspended solids from water. In the later stages, the EAT filter removes the Harmful Bacteria, Virus, and Cysts.

Ion exchanges take place to the next level, and the specially activated carbon granules remove heavy metals like lead and arsenic. Dangerous chemicals like Chlorine, Pesticides will be washed away from the water in the last stage.

Worth a read: When Should You Change The Filter Of Your Water Purifier

Ready to buy?

Even though knowing some of the things (like water source) may not be easy, but we hope this guide helps you narrow down your options in your search of finding the right water purifier for you. In case you are still unsure, drop us a comment and we’ll surely try and help out.