Do we need a Water Purifier, really ?
But before that, we need to address a much more pertinent question that would enable us having clean, quality, tasty drinking water on tap every day for ourselves and our families – how does one make the right decision on the best way to ensure clean drinking water ?
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How do we ensure clean drinking water for ourselves each day ?
Living in a country where less than 50 percent of the population has access to safely managed drinking water, the alternative is to identify the best device that gives you clean, safe, tasty drinking water on tap anytime. To put it simply, whatever be the condition of your drinking water source or supply, there has to be a effective intermediary device that would be (i) effective (ii) energy-efficient (iii) affordable & (iv) give you tasty water that retains all essential minerals for our body in every sip. Currently, the two popular devices in the market for this are water purifiers and water filters. Yes, a water purifier is different from a water filter, that they function in different ways which we will understand in detail below.
In short, what does a Water Purifier do ?
A Water Purifier is a specialised Water Filter which also intervenes in the properties of the filtered water using specialised means. It does this to decrease the amount of contaminants in the filtered water using specialised membranes or processes. What a water purifier further does to the filtered water is that it de-mineralises the already filtered water making it “empty” of all essential minerals needed for the human body. The most popular water purifier in the market is the RO Purifiers.
What does a Water Filter do to ensure clean drinking water ?
A water filtration system for home aims at either removing or significantly reducing ( to approved levels that is not harmful to the human body) of contaminants in the incoming water. It effectively does this using one of the 3 popular processes or a combination of them – by passing it through specialised barriers ( physical removal), adsorption via high-quality Carbon filters (chemical removal) and UV light treatment.
When do you really need a water filtration system for home?
If your municipal water connection gives you water that has a TDS Count less than 500 ppm, all you need is a Water Filter & NOT a Water Purifier. Most of the urban corporation/municipality connections in India supply water for its consumers with a TDS count that stays within this range. Hence, you donot need a Water Purifier in such cases. What the user should also be vigilant is that water with TDS less than 80mg/L is also harmful for the human body.
What is TDS ?
TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) is made up of inorganic salts as well as small amounts of organic matter. As per a WHO study, TDS levels below 300 mg per litre are considered to be excellent, while 900 mg per litre is said to be poor and above 1200 mg is unacceptable.
The best way to determine the TDS of your water is to take it to the local water testing laboratory to ensure its composition of dissolved salts and minerals. The best place to start would be your nearest NABL-accredited laboratory in India. There are also TDS meters available for online purchase that will do the job.
The Hidden Risk of Over-Purification of Water
De-mineralising of your regular Municipal Connection water through an RO Water Purifier has strong possibilities that will take its TDS less than 100 ppm, which then makes it as unpalatable and unacceptable to the human body, just like TDS above 500 ppm. What de-mineralisation does is, it actively strips off all the essential minerals that are useful for the human body, making it totally empty and with a higher pH value.
The harmful effects of drinking de-mineralised water, as per WHO
A WHO Study on the adverse consequences of consuming de-mineralised water clearly lists them out in the following aspects :
- Direct effects on the intestinal mucous membrane, metabolism and mineral homeostasis or other body functions.
- Little or no intake of calcium and magnesium from low-mineral water.
- Low intake of other essential elements and microelements.
- Loss of calcium, magnesium and other essential elements in prepared food.
- Possible increased dietary intake of toxic metals.
Demineralised water that has not been remineralized , or low-mineral content water – in the light of the absence or substantial lack of essential minerals in it – is not considered ideal drinking water, and therefore, its regular consumption may not be providing adequate levels of some beneficial nutrients
–WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality
Then, why have RO Purifiers been banned in certain areas of India ?
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to ban RO water purifiers where total dissolved solids (TDS) in water are below 500 milligrams per litre. The supreme court has upheld this order and now the NGT is pressing for the faster compliance to this order, as it is causing severe harm to public health and environment.
What are the common types of Water Purifiers & Water Filters available ?
| Types of Water Filtration Systems | Types of Water Purifiers |
| Activated carbon filters Activated carbon (AC) is used in water filtration as it is extremely porous and has large surface area to remove contaminants and impurities through the process of chemical adsorption. | Distillation Distillation is a process which involves the conversion of water into steam before turning it back into water. During these conversions, contaminants are separated from your water and the bacteria and viruses are destroyed. |
| Sediment water filters These act as a sieves, sieving outing large particles like sand, clay, silt, and other organic impurities that are present in the water. | Reverse Osmosis Reverse Osmosis (RO) is the most used water purification process. In RO purifiers, water is forced under pressure to pass through a semipermeable membrane which has extremely small pores. These pores in the membrane block contaminants but allow water molecules to pass through |
| Ultra-violet Water Filtration system Ultraviolet light is used to deactivate microbiological organisms present in water. However, it does not remove bad taste and odour. | |
| Ultra-Filtration system An Ultra-Filtration system enables the passage of water through a semi-permeable ultra-filter membrane, removing harmful bacteria and suspended particles. |
So, how to choose the best Water Filter ?
Choose a water filter that has been built to last, using eco-friendly material, saves electricity (being gravity-fed), durable and most importantly, saves water as it provides clean, tasty, quality water on tap everytime.
Choose a water filter like Doulton. The Water Filter candle is totally degradable and made in Britain, Doulton Water Filters offer a variety of systems that provide you with good quality drinking water that you can trust. With a pore structure designed to eliminate particles as tiny as 0.2 microns, our water filters can remove contaminants that might otherwise pass through unnoticed.
Plus, Doulton’s water filters are a great option to prevent de-mineralisation of your water – it is the best water filter out there for nothing. Our systems can distinguish between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ contaminants, meaning they can retain the ‘good’ minerals so that you get the healthiest, tastiest water possible from your water filter. Do you want your next sip of water to be tasty and healthy? Shop for your best water filter for home today !
If you get municipal water or water with TDS less than 500, Doulton might be the perfect water filter for you
FAQs on Water Filters & Water Purifiers for Home
With only 50 percent of the population has access to safely managed drinking water, regardless of whether living in urban or rural areas, the alternative is to identify the best device that gives you clean, safe, tasty drinking water on tap anytime.
Broadly, there are two types of water filtration systems available in the market – water filters and water purifiers. RO Water Purifiers are the most popular in the latter category.
If you have a water connection supplied by the corporation or municipality, it would be safer to have a water filter to filter out the contaminants that would have got added through the supply connections.
If you have a municipal water connection, it means that your TDS count ( Totally Dissolved Solids – the inorganic salts & compounds that are dissolved in your drinking water) is below 500 ppm, meaning you do not need a RO Water Purifier at home. You simply need a Water Filter.
A Water Filter for home aims at either removing or significantly reducing ( to approved levels that is not harmful to the human body) of contaminants in the incoming water. It effectively does this using one of the 3 popular processes or a combination of them – by passing it through specialised barriers ( physical removal), adsorption via high-quality Carbon filters (chemical removal) and UV light treatment.
What a Water Purifier does is that it de-mineralises the already filtered water making it “empty” of all essential minerals needed for the human body.
De-mineralising simply means removing the essential minerals that are beneficial to the human body along with the contaminants. The final water that flows out of the RO purifier tap is more or less “empty water”, bereft of these beneficial minerals.
Choose a water filter that doesnot waste water, does not use electricity, onstructed from 100% natural ceramic and a trusted brand across the world -so that you get the healthiest, tastiest water possible from your water filter. Do you want your next sip of water to be tasty and healthy? Shop for your best water filter for home today !