There are multiple water purifiers that are available – allclaiming to be the best among the lot. They have their own USPs and different technical specifications. You, as a consumer, need to figure out the best choice depending on factors like water pressure, space required and most importantly the quality of water in your area.
Reasons for the Importance of Quality of Water You Get at Home
The quality of water is of utmost importance because of the following reasons.Water purifiers are designed to treat different types of contaminants and not all purifiers are equipped to handle all kinds of impurities. For instance, UV water purifiersare best suitedfor getting rid of biological contaminants,where as RO (Reverse Osmosis) systems are the best bet for purifying water with dissolved salts.
Water quality test is the best way to ascertain the types of contaminants present in water. This will help you in deciding which water purifier will meet your specific needs.
Source of Water
The water reaching your taps can be from borewells, lakes, rivers, harvested rainwater, municipal corporation supply or tanker supply. It can also be a mixture of two or more of these sources. Irrespective of the source, the water that you receive has some kind of impurity that is harmful to your health. Only the extent of contamination and the nature of contaminants differ. The water purifier that you need depends on the extent and nature of contaminants present in water.
Type of Contaminants or Impurities Present
There can be biological or chemical impurities present in water or it can be a mixture of both. The more the impurities present, the poorer is the quality of water. So, the need to buy the right water purifier increases so that you can get rid of all contaminants and drink pure water free from all impurities. Here’s a look at the different kinds of contaminants present in water:
- Water coming from bore wells or rivers can have undissolved solids like mud or sand in it, which makes the water turbid. If the pipes through which it is transported are damaged, there are chances of the biological contaminants seeping into the supply water. This can lead to many waterborne diseases.
- At times,inorganic salts like sodium dissolvein borewell water,making it salty or brackish.RO purifiers are ideal for treating this kind of water.
- The piped municipal water supply often has chlorine in it, which makes the water taste bitter.
- Excess of Calcium and Magnesium in river water makes it hard. Using hard water affects your hair, skin and also leads to scale formation on appliances.
- Lake water and pond water are often contaminated with organic compounds, which is the reason why there is a foul smell in water
- Tanker water is similar to that supplied through damaged pipelines and can be mixed with biological contaminants.
For water that has biological contaminants in it and has TDS of less than 500ppm, a UV purifier is good enough. In case, the TDS is more than 500ppm, you should definitely go for aRO purifier.
The points clearly prove that the quality of water you get at home is the key factor that should influence your choice of water purifier. So, check the contaminants present in water and opt for the right type of water purification system based on that so that you can get 100% purified drinking water.