Water Purifiers: Understanding How They Work

In a world grappling with urbanisation and environmental shifts, water quality is compromised. Hence, ensuring our water is pure and safe becomes paramount.

Since clean and safe drinking water is not always a guarantee, water purifiers have emerged as life saving devices. They are crucial in ensuring drinking water is free from hidden contaminants that can harm our health.

Let’s dive into the fascinating world of water purifiers and understand why you need them, how they work, their technology, etc.

Reasons Why You Should Purify Water

Water purification is a necessity rather than a luxury. It is essential to human life, from safeguarding against waterborne diseases to promoting overall wellness.

Here are some important reasons why you should purify water are:

1. An extra layer of security

In developed nations, municipal water treatment systems are generally effective, yet not flawless. Instances of pollution, ageing pipes leaching lead, pesticide residues, and extreme weather can compromise tap water quality. Consequently, an added layer of security through household water purification is recommended. These systems remove diverse impurities, bolstering water safety and quality.

2. Removal of unwanted contaminants

Various contaminants, including lead, pesticides, bacteria, viruses, and more, infiltrate water supplies with physical, chemical, biological, and radiological substances. As fully eradicating these is nearly impossible, local water authorities establish permissible levels for specific substances. While water adhering to these standards is generally considered safe, personal preferences for contaminant levels vary. Private water purification empowers you to set your limits, ensuring safety and good health.

3. Health protection

Consuming water contaminated with bacteria and viruses can result in severe health problems, including diarrhoea, cholera, and dysentery. If you reside in an area prone to such diseases, the optimal safeguard is utilising reverse osmosis water purification. It successfully eliminates prevalent chemical contaminants, including pesticides, sodium, chloride, copper, and lead.

You can also use UV water purifiers to disinfect and make water safe by destroying harmful microorganisms. UV purification is effective against biological contaminants, making it ideal for treating clear water sources such as municipal water that's pre-filtered for sediment and larger particles.

4. Improves the taste and odour of water

Water purification not only eradicates harmful elements but enhances taste, odour, and appearance by reducing chlorine, soil residue, and organic/inorganic substances.

Eureka Forbes water purifiers remove residual organic impurities and enhance the original taste of water while adsorbing bad taste and odour from the water. Additionally, they infuse essential minerals in the water.

How Does the Water Purification System Work?

Through convenient and dependable filtration methods, water filters and purifiers significantly contribute to upholding public health and well-being.

These devices play a vital role in safeguarding against waterborne diseases, industrial pollutants, and insufficient sanitation, forming a crucial defence against these threats.

They ensure access to clean drinking water by eliminating contaminants, chemicals, and pathogens that endanger health.

Let's see how water purification works.

• Before water reaches you, it travels from natural sources through the Earth and treatment facilities. However, this journey exposes water to unwanted elements such as dirt, chemicals, and impurities. Consequently, water might develop a cloudy appearance, an unpleasant odour, and an off-putting taste.

• Water filtration and purification processes convert compromised water into a pristine state, devoid of undesirable flavours, sediment, and pollutants. This transformation occurs through two primary avenues: physical and chemical filtration.

  a. Physical Filtration: This involves straining water, often through a mesh-like membrane, to eliminate larger particles. Physical filtration effectively removes visible impurities, enhancing the water's appearance and clarity.

  b. Chemical Filtration: Chemical filtration employs patented intelligent technology to extract impurities selectively. This method targets contaminants that may not be effectively removed through physical filtration alone.

• Water filtration and purification systems from Eureka Forbes combine various filtration strategies like RO+UV and RO+UV+UF. While completely eradicating all particulates or problematic elements can't be guaranteed, this approach harmonises different methods to address a wide range of contaminants, resulting in cleaner and safer water.

Understanding Drinking Water Contaminants

Below are classifications of water contaminants, along with examples.

• Physical contaminants predominantly affect the visible attributes or other physical characteristics of water. Examples of physical contaminants include organic substances or suspended sediment within water bodies like rivers, streams, lakes and stemming from soil erosion.

• Chemical contaminants include elements and compounds that can arise from natural sources or human activities. Examples of chemical contaminants comprise nitrogen, chlorine bleach, salts, pesticides, metals, bacterial toxins, as well as pharmaceutical residues from human and animal sources.

• Biological contaminants are organisms present in water and are alternatively known as microbes or microbiological agents. Biological or microbial contaminants include parasitic organisms, bacteria, viruses, and protozoa.

• Radiological contaminants pertain to chemical elements characterised by an unequal proportion of protons and neutrons, leading to the instability of atoms and the emission of ionising radiation. Examples of radiological contaminants include elements such as caesium, plutonium, and uranium.

Different Water Purification Technologies

Various water purification technologies have emerged in the quest for cleaner, safer drinking water. These advanced methods harness cutting-edge science to address diverse contaminants, ensuring the delivery of high-quality water.

Let's explore the range of water purification technologies.

RO (Reverse Osmosis) Water Purifier

Osmosis is a naturally occurring phenomenon. This process entails the migration of a less concentrated saline solution towards a more potent saline solution.

In the arena of water purification, Reverse Osmosis is a widely popular technology. Operating on the principle of pressurised movement through a semi-permeable Reverse Osmosis Membrane, this technique facilitates the demineralisation or deionisation of water.

The membrane allows water molecules to pass while inhibiting most dissolved salts, organics, bacteria, and pyrogens. To effectuate the desalination (demineralisation or deionisation) of water, the application of pressure surpassing the intrinsic osmotic pressure becomes indispensable, compelling water to traverse the reverse osmosis membrane, thereby providing pure water and inhibiting the passage of the majority of contaminants.

One great example of a top-grade RO water purifier is Aquaguard UTC RO. It always gives you access to healthy water. Moreover, it fits perfectly under your kitchen sink.

Ultraviolet (UV) Water Purifier

A UV water purification system functions by utilising ultraviolet (UV) light to eradicate harmful microorganisms present in water. The system comprises a UV lamp that emits UV-C radiation at a specific wavelength (usually around 254 nanometers). When water flows through the chamber containing the UV lamp, the UV-C rays penetrate the microorganisms' cells, disrupting their DNA structure.

This disruption prevents the microorganisms from reproducing and renders them unable to cause infections. Notably, the UV-C radiation, does not introduce any chemicals or alter the water's taste or odour.

These systems offer a reliable and environmentally friendly approach to water treatment, providing safe drinking water without introducing harmful by-products.

For example, Aquaguard Reviva UV is equipped with UV E-Boiling technology along with the goodness of copper and zinc. Our UV E-Boiling technology employs ultraviolet rays at 253.7 nm for killing viruses and bacteria in the water. This fast and easy UV disinfection process delivers water that is as pure as water boiled for over 20 minutes.

Multi-stage Purifiers

The concept of a multi-stage filtration system involves employing a series of different filtration processes to effectively eliminate a diverse array of impurities and contaminants from water.

Each stage within the system employs unique filtration techniques, specifically targeting various particles, chemicals, and microorganisms. This approach ensures comprehensive purification and elevates the calibre of treated water.

Multi-stage filtration systems find extensive application in both residential and industrial contexts, adeptly addressing a spectrum of water quality issues. Their modular configuration facilitates customisation to harmonise with specific water sources and contamination levels.

This technology is integral in attaining potable and uncontaminated drinking water, aligning with regulatory benchmarks, and augmenting the flavour and scent of water.

For example, Aquaguard Infinia RO + UV + UF + TA gives clean and pure drinking water with its triple purification of RO, UV and UF. Another one is Aquaguard Select Nrich RO+UV+MTDS. It follows an 8-stage purification process to infuse your water with copper, zinc, and other minerals.

UF (Ultrafiltration) Water Purifier

Ultrafiltration (UF) is a water purification method that employs a semi-permeable membrane to separate and remove suspended particles, larger molecules, and macromolecules from water.

The UF membrane has fine pores that allow water and smaller solutes to pass through while blocking larger particles like bacteria, viruses, colloids, and some proteins. This process operates under low pressure, making it energy-efficient.

UF is extensively used in water treatment and purification processes, catering to both drinking water and industrial applications. It effectively eliminates turbidity, suspended solids, and pathogens, enhancing water quality.

UF is a crucial step in producing safe and clear water, especially in situations where conventional treatment methods might fall short.

For example, Eureka Forbes Superio UV + UF + SS comes with the dual purification of UV and UF along with the goodness of copper. It is best suited for municipal water.

Choosing the Right Water Purifier

When it comes to water purifiers, everyone has different preferences. Considering this, Eureka Forbes offers a wide array of options for those looking for the best water purifiers to suit their needs.

You can choose any of them based on your and your family’s needs or take the help of our comprehensive buying guide before you make your decision. A few highlights of our top-grade water purifiers include –

• Superior RO Purification: Eliminates harmful elements such as lead and mercury while effectively eradicating viruses and bacteria responsible for causing diseases.

• UV E-boiling: Delivers water that is as safe and pure as water boiled for over 20 minutes.

• Advanced Taste Adjuster: Adjusts the taste of water according to the source – be it tanker water, borewell water or municipal water.

• Smart Purifier - Issues notifications for electronic errors, upcoming service requirements, and as the cartridge reaches the end of its lifespan.

• Health Protect Technology: Cartridges featuring electronic authentication guarantee proactive notifications upon reaching the end of their operational life. Additionally, this system ensures the installation of authentic Aquaguard filters in the water purifier.

• Active Copper Zinc Booster Technology: Introduces optimal levels of Copper and Zinc ions into the water, providing you with pure and healthy drinking water always.

We hope the above information has helped simplify the world of water purification for you.

As you have read, water purifiers are vital in ensuring access to safe and clean drinking water. These systems effectively remove contaminants and impurities by employing various technologies such as reverse osmosis, UV disinfection, and advanced filtration.

Understanding the mechanisms behind these processes helps make informed choices about their water purification needs, contributing to better health and well-being.

Easily buy or rent an Aquaguard from Eureka Forbes and avail our best-in-class water purifier services to protect your family from waterborne diseases.