If you don’t know anything about Water purifiers, don’t worry, just leave it on us. In this guide, we have described pretty much everything that one needs to know while buying a Water Purifier.
Most first time buyers are confused and unsure of what to look for in a Water Purifier. So, let’s start with the basic and later we will dive deeper in the buying guide to let you figure out the right and best water purifier for your home.
So, without wasting any time, let’s get started:
Types of Water Purifiers – Buying Guide
Non-Electrical With Storage
KENT Gold 20-Litres UF technology based Gravity Water Purifier, White
Purification by hollow fiber ultra filtration membrane, Use of Nano-silver carbon for better disinfection of water. Long life membrane expected to last up to 4000 Littre
3.5
Buy now at Amazon
These water purifiers purify the water through sediment and activated carbon filters and have storage tanks to store the purified water. Highly reliable in the areas where electricity is a big concern.
Non-Electrical Without Storage – Water Purifier Buying Guide
WaterFirst WF_ST_RGC_HHC Gravity Hard Water Protection
India’s only Shower Filter with Real Time Cartridge Life Indicator – so you get Filtered Water 24/7
4.0
Buy now at Amazon
These water purifiers have a fixed water tap without a storage tank. They have a candle-shaped resin filter that needs to be replaced once a month. They also have UF and Activated Carbon filters, which run without electricity. These water purifiers are made up of food-grade plastic, and they are lightweight and small.
Electrical With Storage
Blue Star Eleanor 8-Liter,RO + UV + UF + IBT + Alkaline Water Purifier
Triple layered RO+UV+UF protection, High purification capacity, Copper impregnated activated carbon.
4.0
Buy now at Amazon
These water purifiers use sediment filters and activated water filters with UV or RO purification systems, which require electricity to run. They have a food-grade plastic storage tank to store the purified water.
Electrical Without Storage
AQUA D PURE UV Water Purifier 5 Stage Electrical Under sink and Wall Mounted
Pre-Filter It is effective in removing dirt, rust and sand particles. It is 5 Micron sediment filter.
3.8
Buy now at Amazon
Electrical units are also available without a storage tank, and the filtration quality is the same as those with storage.
Read also : Best Water Purifier in India – Reviews & Buying Guide
Types of Water Purifiers : Based On Purifying Technology – Water Purifier Buying Guide
There are mainly 3 types of water purifiers based on purifying technology.
- Gravity Based / UF Water purifier
- UV Water purifier
- RO Water purifier
Each of these water purifiers are used for different level of water impurities.
1. Gravity Based / UF Water Purifier
These types of water purifiers do not use any electricity to purify the water, instead they use gravity. These purifiers have two Separate Tanks one for Input water (Upper tank) and other to store purified water (Lower Tank). All you have to do is fill the Input water tank (Upper tank) and leave the rest of the work on Gravity.
The water automatically passes through a Sediment filter, resulting in removing large and undissolved impurities to give purified water. However, it does not remove viruses, heavy metals and chemicals. These types of water purifiers are suitable in the area where TDS level is below 500 ppm and water is not highly contaminated.
2. UV Water Purifiers
UV water purifier uses ultraviolet rays to purify the water by throwing high intensity UV rays on the water to kill or deactivate the disease causing bacteria, and viruses. However, the UV technology can not remove any impurities and chemicals, that’s why a UV water purifier also uses Pre-filter and UF filter to remove all those dead impurities.
When should I go for a UV water purifier?
You should always go for a UV water purifier if the TDS level is below 500 ppm. However most of the people don’t obey this and go for RO water purifiers because of the Trend or maybe they are not aware of the fact that using a RO water purifier for TDS level below 500 ppm makes water unnatural and harmful for our health.
NOTE: The latest RO water purifiers come with an Alkaline Mineral cartridge or TDS controller or both, with the help of these the purifier retains essential minerals to make the water natural and healthy.
3. RO Water Purifiers
RO Water Purifiers are the most popular water purifiers, which provide you water as pure as distilled water with the help of the Multi-Stage purification process.
These are recommended to use when the TDS level is above 500 ppm, so that the water purifier can maintain the natural character of water. Otherwise it can be harmful for our health as we have described earlier.
Is RO banned?
“Using RO purifier for water below 500 ppm makes the water demineralized and unnatural which is harmful for our health.”
By considering the above fact, in the year of 2019, National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the Govt. of India to restrict the use of RO water purifiers below TDS of 500 ppm. Also, it asked the Govt. to aware people about the ill-effect of drinking demineralized water. By the end of 31 December 2020 we can expect to see the implementation of the order given by NGT.
We may expect some changes in the order, as the RO Companies are working on this issue intensely, that’ why now the new RO water purifiers are coming with Alkaline Mineral Cartridge or TDS controller or both to control the TDS and retain essential minerals to maintain the natural character of water.
“NOTE: RO Water Purifier won’t be banned for TDS above 500 ppm.”
Read also : 7 Ways to Re-Use RO Waste Water
Did you know?
“The Universal water purifier is a term used for multistage RO+UV+UF water purifiers. They are called universal water purifiers because they can filter out all the commonly found impurities in drinking water.”
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Main Component of Water Purifiers – Water Purifier Buying Guide
The sediment filter
This filter is optional and fitted outside the machine, and it can enhance the RO membrane’s life as this filter removes the visible suspended particles and larger impurities. Thus, larger impurities do not enter the machine. In the case of clear water or the water supplied by the municipalities, you don’t need this filter.
Pre-activated carbon filters
The pre-activated carbon filter removes organic and the other volatile compounds from the water, which are responsible for the bad odor of water.
RO (Reverse Osmosis) membrane
The RO membrane removes all kinds of impurities in the water, such as TDS, pesticide residue, heavy metal impurities like mercury, lead, arsenic, and biological impurities like bacteria, viruses, and micro-organisms.
After the RO process, the water is separated into two parts, pure and impure. The impure part goes down the drain and the pure and filtered water that passes through the UV chamber for the next stage of filtration.
UV (Ultraviolet) protection
The pure water obtained through RO filtration still contains many bacteria and viruses as the RO membrane cannot filter out impurities with a molecular weight of less than 20. It cannot eliminate monovalent ions like sodium, etc. The UV purification does not use chemicals like chlorine and also does not add any chemical taste and odor. Also, the ultraviolet radiation kills all micro-organisms and bacteria, resulting in making the water 100% safe to drink.
Ultrafiltration
This filter removes the volatile organic compounds, which cause bad odor in pure water. This process improves the taste of water.
The TDS Controller
The water that comes out of the RO water purifier is pure and healthy. But, the RO mechanism eliminates almost 90% of the TDS from the water, including good and healthy salts like calcium and magnesium, etc. These salts and minerals are necessary for the overall growth of the body. Therefore, the TDS controller plays a significant role by separating the input water into two parts, A and B.
Part A goes through the RO membrane, while Part B passes through the UV / UF membrane that does not remove the TDS but kills the microorganisms. The TDS controller then selectively mixes this water with the RO purified water, resulting in increasing the TDS levels and increasing the water’s pH value.
The TDS level is measured in PPM (Parts Per Million) or mg/L.
The acceptable TDS levels are as follows:
- TDS level below 300 – Considered to be excellent
- In the range 300 to 600 – Good for human consumption
- Above 600 but below 900 – Fair and acceptable
- Between 900 and 1200 – Poor levels of TDS
- Above 1200 – Unacceptable and harmful for drinking purposes
Finding the TDS level is easy using a digital TDS meter; it takes only a few seconds. You can get it easily at a very affordable price online.
Ideal Water Purification Technology
| TDS Level | Is Water Muddy? | Presence of Biological Impurities? | Ideal Choice |
| Below 500 ppm | No | No | Gravity-Based Purifiers |
| Below 500 ppm | No | Yes | UV Purifiers |
| Below 500 ppm | Yes | No | UF Purifiers |
| Below 500 ppm | Yes | Yes | UV+UF Purifiers |
| Over 500 ppm | No | No | RO Purifiers |
| Over 500 ppm | No | Yes | RO+UV Purifiers |
| Over 500 ppm | Yes | No | RO+UF or RO+UV+UF Purifiers |
| Over 500 ppm | Yes | Yes | RO+UV+UF Purifiers |
Factors to keep in mind while buying a water purifier:
Purification Capacity
Purification capacity is the capacity of a water purifier to purify the water per hour. Most of the RO water purifiers have purification capacity about 12-15 liters/hour. Some high-end models also offer a purification capacity of up to 20 liters/hour or even higher.
The purification capacity of about 12-15 liters/hour is ideal for most Indian households. But still knowing your family’s drinking requirement will help you to choose the ideal capacity that you need.
Storage Capacity
Water purifiers come with the storage capacity varying from 7 liters to 12 liters. In case you have a bigger family or long power cuts in your area, then you should go for a water purifier with a bigger storage tank. A storage tank allows you to access purified water at any time. A water purifier with a storage capacity of 7-liters or higher is suitable for most Indian households.
Tank Type
Almost all water purifier brands provide ABS food-grade plastic or stainless steel tanks to ensure purity and durability. Tank plays a major role as it stores the purified water. The tank must be properly sealed to avoid external contamination.
Indicators & Alerts
Indicators & alerts also play a major role in any water purifier. They are must-have, as they alert you to change filter and UV fail, and with the help of these alerts, we can get them repaired on time. If the water purifier doesn’t have any Alerts & Indicators then, it would be very difficult to know what’s happening with the purifier, like whether it is purifying or not, and the tank is full or empty, etc.
Type of Installation
Most RO water purifiers offer you dual installation, i.e., both countertop and wall-mounted installation. Depending on your choice, you can go for either one. If you don’t have any space in your kitchen for the above two options, you can also go for Under Sink installation. The water purifiers can be easily installed below the sink of your kitchen.
Water Recovery / Water Wastage
Most of the water purifiers waste about 75-80% of the input water, while few of them recover over more than 50% of the input water. When we look at the shortage of water globally, it is important for you to buy an RO water purifier only when it is required. Suppose your water doesn’t contain any heavy metals or harmful chemicals. In that case, you should go for a Non-RO water purifier, such as gravity-based, UV, or UV+UF. They don’t waste any water at all.
Features like child lock on tap also prevent accidental wastage of water.
Warranty & After-Sales Service
You must go for a brand that offers excellent customer support, as the water purifiers require regular maintenance and after-sales support. Also, one should go for a minimum warranty of 1-year. Almost every reputed brand with well-established customers offers you a 1-year warranty.
Price
Price plays an important role when you are buying a new water purifier. But, price shouldn’t be the first thing to think of while buying a water purifier as your entire family’s safety is always more important than saving a few hundred or a few thousand rupees.
Time is changing, and the competition is rising, just like mobile phones and TVs, water purifiers are becoming cheaper and cheaper over the years. Therefore, you have a lot of options to choose from at a very low price.
Advantageous of using a Water Purifier – Buying Guide
- Annually in India, over one lakh people die due to water-borne diseases, 65 million people are suffering from Fluorosis, and 5 million are suffering from Arsenicosis. Overall the water is not safe for drinking without its purification. Therefore, using a water purifier for purification can prevent us from water related disorders by effectively removing all the contaminates.
- Water Purifier removes bacterial contaminants from water resulting in better taste and smell of drinking water.
- Nowadays, RO water purifiers provide very clean and healthy water, which is very cost effective as well. Also, it discourages us from the use of plastic water bottles. Surely, a purifier will save your money in the long run.
- Water Purifiers encourages us towards drinking clean and healthy water, which makes our day to day life healthier. Also, drinking pure and healthy water provides us health benefits, including weight loss, improves the immune system, and makes us mentally and physically strong, which results in overall health improvement.
- Cooking with pure water gives inner peace and pleasure, as purified water maintains the natural flavors of fruits and vegetables, which overall results in healthy and tasty food.
Best Water Purifier – Frequently Asked Questions
We can say for every 1-liter of pure water the purifier wastes 2-liters of water. The wastage also depends on the quality of the input water, higher the TDS of water, higher will be the wastage.
In the era of the global water crisis, it is important for you to buy the RO water purifier only when you need it. Otherwise, you can go for a Non-RO water purifier that doesn’t waste any water at all. You should go for a RO water purifier that offers a higher rate of water recovery.
Your health must be the first priority, not the money, so we will never advise our readers to go for a non-branded water purifier as the Water purifiers are meant to provide you with pure and clean drinking water and keep you safe from harmful water-borne diseases.
Non-branded water purifiers are very cheap and have a very low-quality filter and membrane, which will result in low purification of water. It is always a good decision to invest in a quality water purifier.
Read also : Best Air Purifier for Kitchen Smells
These days almost every brand offers good after-sales services. Still, it is good to do your own research in your city, like the availability of service centers in your city, so that getting new parts of the Water purifier will be easy. Also, you can do a local search on Google or check customer reviews in your city. “We can say the better its availability to extra parts, the better its after-sales service.”
On an average, the AMC is around 4,000₹ per annum, as it includes the cost of replacement of the various filters like RO membrane, UV and UF filters, activated carbon filters, and sediment filters. However, it is better to ask the water purifier AMC provider.
You should get these filters changes on a yearly basis to extract the maximum performance from your water purifier.
Nowadays, it can be a good decision to buy from trusted online stores like Amazon or Flipkart. You can expect several benefits like:
1. 100% Original product
2. Free installation by the brand
3. Discounts: or Free extended warranty at a very low price
4. True Customer feedback with images to make the right decisiondf7
Read also : Best Refrigerator In India : Review & Buying Guide
UV purifiers do not change the nature of water and do not take out any contamination. It only kills germs and leaves their bodies in the water. It also does not soften the water but remember, hard water is healthier than soft water. Activated carbon filters are added with these purifiers to remove sediment and odors, also it increases the lifetime of the UV filters.
On the other hand, RO purifiers make water much more pure than UV by removing all germs, chemicals, and minerals, which is not good for health in the long-term. That’s why new RO purifiers are featuring TDS controllers and Mineral technology to maintain the right amount of TDS and retain essential minerals making the water healthier for our health.
It depends on your need:
1. If you are getting water with TDS above 500 ppm and contain harmful bacteria and chemicals then RO water purifiers are healthier.
2. If the water has lower TDS than 500 ppm then UV purifiers with UF+carbon filters are healthier for you.
You can also choose the RO water purifier for TDS below 500 ppm but then you need a bypassing technique with the help of a professional technician to increase the low TDS of water after RO filtration.
Final Thoughts – Water Purifier Buying Guide
Your entire family’s health depends upon the water they consume; therefore, water must be pure and healthy to drink. Think carefully before buying one. The list of the best water purifiers, is pretty much the best for every Indian family. We hope you enjoyed reading the buying guide and find the list helpful to make a decision, still if you have any doubt or thought, please share them in the comment section below. We will try our best to answer. Also, new recommendations for Water purifiers are always welcome.