Today’s water purifiers remove water impurities on the basis of size. Every filter has a pore size, which blocks certain substances/molecules and allows certain substances/molecules to pass.
Now you might get another question, then why don’t we just fix a single filter with smallest pores possible in the water pipes to get purified water.
There is a very direct and straight forward answer to this.
We all know that our drains clog. Why? If we put something that is bigger in size than that our drains can engulf, for sure the drain is going to block.
The same is the fact with water purifier filters. The filters in water purifier remove all sizes of impurities step wise, leading to better performance by each filter. This not only gives us the required purity of water but also enhances the life of each filter.
The important filters every purifier should have are as follows:
- Pre-Filter (Spun filter 5 micron).
- Inline Sediment Filter (1 micron).
- Inline Carbon filter.
- RO Membrane / NF (Nano Filtration) Membrane.
- Post Carbon.
- TDS control using UF (0.01 micron)
- UV.
Every water purifier that you purchase needs to have at least these stages.
All stages explained:
(Stage 1) Pre-Filter (Sediment Spun):
It is a 5-micron filter capable of removing dirt, rust and sand particles (Majorly all suspended particles in water).
(Stage 2) Inline Sediment Filter:
With 1 micron rating this filter removes superfine dirt, rust and sand particles, making water crystal clear.
(Stage 3) Inline Carbon Filter:
It takes out 99% of the chlorine and organic chemicals. It provides enhanced reduction of taste, odour, and colour. Chlorine removal is necessary as it is harmful for the RO Membrane, which is one of the most expensive parts of your water purifier.
(Bypass stage) UF:
UF is used for adjusting TDS. It is a bypass stage which can be used by adjusting the knob of TDS controller. UF pore size is 0.01 micron, capable of removing bacteria. This water from UF filter which contains more TDS is mixed with pure RO water to adjust the TDS accordingly to maintain all the necessary minerals essential for the body.
#NOTE: The water coming out of UF filter is not impure. The pore size of UF is 0.01 micron which allows more TDS to pass through it. Here majorly all heavy metal ions are removed from water and many essential metal ions like sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium are allowed to pass. Majorly all bacteria and few viruses are also removed by UF filter. The once that have very small size and pass through the pores are killed by the UV lamp which is a later stage in purification.
(Stage 4) RO Membrane:
This is the heart of your water purifier. A thin film composite (TFC) high quality membrane that processes few gallons of water per day (GPD). RO membrane is capable of removing up to 98 % of TDS from water. TDS majorly comprises of inorganic salts which are made up of cations like sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), etc. and anions like sulphates (SO42-), carbonates (CO32-), bicarbonates (HCO3–), nitrates (NO3–), chlorides (Cl–), etc.
TDS also comprises of inorganic salts of heavy metals like Arsenic, molybdenum, mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, iron, etc. and various organic chemicals as well.
(Stage 5) Philips UV:
Ultra Violet Lamp provides additional protection against bacteria and viruses. Kills up to 99% of Bacteria and viruses.
(Stage 6) Post Carbon Filter:
With time the pure water coming out of RO membrane might have a fishy unpleasant smell. To remove this smell, we need activated carbon. Post carbon removes this smell from pure water giving you odourless sweet tasting water.
We AquaPhoenix have a very sophisticated range of water purifiers and our basic model has all the above-mentioned filters.
Be an intelligent customer:
The first think to do before purchasing water purifier is to know the quality of your source water. This blog explains all the necessary parameters needed to check to make an informed decision on what to buy.
- Know what you want/need.
- Don’t fall prey to marketing gimmicks.
- Ask questions. If they are not able to answer your questions you have your ANSWER.
We Phoenix Agencies are working in this industry for past 15 years. We master in water purification systems and are trying to pass on this knowledge to the customer for them to make informed decision on which water purifier technology to buy.
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