India is facing severe water crisis today as most of its cities are running out of pure and clean drinking water. Continuous corporate privatization, irresponsible public attitude, lack of government planning and improper disposal of human and industrial waste has led to water scarcity in our country. According to the government, it is striving hard towards supplying clean, piped water to all homes. However, its quality is questionable.
Consequently, many urban households have switched to the usage of water purifiers so that they can consume pure and healthy water. Water purifiers are a new rage in the county and use different kinds of technologies such as Reverse Osmosis (RO), Ultra Filtration (UF), Ultraviolet Filtration (UV), etc. So many options are useful yet confusing as buyers need to choose the most suitable one for their homes.
Buyers must first determine whether they need an RO water purifier or not as water TDS levels might be within the acceptable range in their houses. There might be a requirement for little filtration only for obtaining clean water. Following factors can help buyers in choosing the best water filter for their households:-
Presence of Bacteria, TDS and health risks in water
World Health Organization (WHO) has set specific guidelines for determining the drinking quality of water. As per the findings of WHO, TDS in water consists of Magnesium, Sodium, Calcium, Chlorides, Potassium, Sulfates, Bicarbonates and organic matter. Both sewage and natural sources are responsible for creating the TDS. Seeing all this, standards of drinking water in India has been set at 500 MG/L, which can be extended up to 2000 MG/L, if no other source of drinking water is available.
Water tankers and bore wells are found in abundance in India where TDS levels are on the higher side. This, in turn, causes health risks due to the presence of bleach, chlorine, viruses, bacteria, cysts, microplastics, antibiotic residue, pharmaceutical compounds, protozoa, etc. Chemicals such as nitrates, arsenic, iron and lead are also found in drinking water at some places of India, depending upon their geographic and demographic properties. However, the common consensus among water experts is to altogether remove the TDS from water by using purifiers.
Many of them believe that RO water purifiers must be necessarily installed in all those households where TDS, heavy metals and other contaminants are present in water in high quantities. Nevertheless, first, it must be ensured that water at home needs to purify. Otherwise, it will lead to wastage.
Buyers can check levels of TDS and other contaminants at home.
Buyers can easily find out the levels of TDS in their water, that too, at home. Basic kits for TDS testing, such as Chlorine and lead, can be easily found on the internet. It would also be useful to buy a TDS Meter so that overall quality of water can be examined. Since new-age impurities are the main concern here, an RO water purifier is essential for removing them.
Before purchasing a water purifier, it is necessary to check the TDS range and specifications assigned to it as this will determine the purifier’s suitability. Many popular water purifier brands have listed TDS levels and correspondingly suited purifiers on their websites so that buyers find it easy to choose one for themselves.
For example, Municipal water does not require RO water purifier at all. On the other hand, mixed water sources like bore wells need an RO purifier that has all the three leading inbuilt technologies, i.e., UF, RO and UV. Brackish water with the range of 1-200 MG/L will require a water purifier with UF+UV technology.
Choosing an RO purifier that prevents water wastage
Today, many households need RO water purifiers as their water is salty, smelly and has TDS content. This also leads to water wastage as there is a lot of rejected water after purification. Hence, we should choose an RO water purifier which provides options for storing and using that rejected water. Choose an RO that provides two tanks, one for rejected water and another for pure water.
The rejected water can be used for floor mopping and cleaning utensils. Like this, there is jo wastage of water and both types of water adequately used. Buyers should also look for Green RO purifiers as they are known for reducing water wastage. They work their best when the TDS levels in water are in the range of 200-500 ppm.
- Water Storage in RO purifier
In RO purifiers, water storage tanks are available in two options- plastic and stainless steel. The latter is a bit costly as compared to the former, so buyers must choose the purifier accordingly. Both of the materials have the same job, i.e., to store the purified water.
Electrical and non-electrical RO purifiers
Both electrical and non-electrical RO water purifiers are available in the market. Non-electrical RO water purifiers do the same job as the electric ones, i.e., remove the impurities from water. They also use the same technologies, such as UF and new technologies include carbon and sediment filtration.
Also, an electric RO will be useless in a place where there is no electricity. Therefore, it all depends upon the requirement of buyers to purchase a good RO water purifier.