How to buy the right water Purifier or water filter.

The water crisis in India is becoming more prominent day by day. It is said that many major cities will run out of groundwater soon, and the availability of clean drinking water to meet the necessity will become scarcer in the coming times.

While the government is determined to provide piped water to all households in the next five years, the supplied water quality is a thing to be concerned about. But, it's quite difficult to determine on which water purifier is best for home and which purifier will provide the best security to you and your family. This also explains why many homes in urban areas are now increasingly dependent on water purifiers using technology like RO or Reserve Osmosis, UV or Ultraviolet filtration, UF or Ultrafiltration, or a combination of all three.

But, finding the right purifier can be confusing because of the multitude of options available in the market; consumers are mostly confused when it comes to buying a water purifier for their homes. It is an important decision to make as it involves ensuring our families' good health and well-being. So how should we go about picking the best water purifier for your home?

Before selecting a water filter for home, let us check out what is TDS in water and how much is considered acceptable for drinking:

Total Dissolved Solids or TDS is a term used to describe the inorganic salts and small amounts of organic matter present in the water. The principal constituents in TDS are mostly calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium cations and carbonate, hydrogen carbonate, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate anions. TDS is usually measured in mg/Liter or ppm.

Usually, if the TDS in water is below 200 ppm, it is considered to be very good for drinking. However, you might still need it to purify to remove any harmful bacteria and viruses. Tap water, which is supplied by many municipalities usually, has TDS below 200 ppm. Groundwater has TDS levels of anywhere between 200 ppm and 3,000 ppm. In this case, you would need a purifier to purify such water.

What are the various types of water purifiers?

There are a number of water purifiers available in the market, like RO (Reverse Osmosis), UF (Ultrafiltration), and UV (Ultraviolet). Some purifiers have a combination of various technologies, including RO and UV. Based on the TDS level, you also need to choose the type of water purifier which suits your needs. You might need a UF or a UV water purifier or sometimes even a combination of both for low TDS water.

Types of most used water purifier for home and their advantages & disadvantages:

a) Reverse Osmosis Water purifying system (advantages & disadvantages):

In an RO water purifier, a pump pushes the water at high pressure into the RO chamber which then has a semipermeable membrane and pores with a size of approximately 0.0001 microns. When the molecule passes through the other side, it leaves dissolved solids and impurities behind. Some input water and impurities are discharged through a separate outlet, which is known as a reject line.

RO is considered the most effective water purification method, but it requires electricity and leads to water wastage. So if the water in your area has a TDS of 200 ppm or below, you might not need an RO water purifier as it costs more, wastes a lot of water, needs electricity, and even has separate maintenance costs. Remember to shop for products with mineral water purifiers to get all the needed nutrition and check for RO water purifier price before settling for any filter.

Advantages of RO

Disadvantages of RO

It can help to remove most of the bacteria.

It needs electricity.

It can help to remove salts and other kinds of impurities as well as contaminants.

It wastes a lot of water.

It can help to reduce the TDS level of water.

It eliminates essential minerals along with impurities.

b) Gravity Based Water Purifier

A gravity-based water purifier works without any electricity as it uses the gravitational force to push the water down through a membrane or media of filtration. There are various types of gravity filters such as UF, Carbon block, Ceramic Block, and Non-Woven Media. These purifiers can help to remove chlorine, cysts, dust, large solids, and undissolved solids. However, they are unable to remove dissolved solids and some viruses. So these purifiers are not recommended if the TDS of the water is higher than 500 ppm.

Advantages of Gravity based Water Purifier

Disadvantages of Gravity based Water Purifier

It doesn’t need electricity.

It is unable to remove dissolved salts.

It can help to remove bacteria, cysts, and viruses.

It does not remove viruses.

It is low maintenance.

It is also not effective in removing pesticides and heavy metals.