Reverse Osmosis Purifier (RO), Ultraviolet Rays Purifier (UV), Ultrafiltration (UF) are the three most important methods of purification technologies that are widely used in India and all of them have Pros and Cons as well.
Once you know the difference between the Ro, UV, and UF Water Purification system, you can select the Best Water Purifier that is suitable for you.
In this post let us discuss in detail what are these different water purification methods and what is the difference among them.
UF Water Purifier
The UF Water Purifier is capable of killing all the Bacteria, Viruses, Cysts and other microorganisms from the water.
The Only problem with the UF Water Purifier is, It can’t remove the Dissolved salts from the water. Only the RO Water purifiers are capable of removing TDS from the water.
Unlike the other types of the Water Purifiers, the UF Water does not require electricity to function.
Advantages of the Ultra-filtration Water Purifier
UF water purifier has many advantages over other type of water purifiers. Let us explore each of them below.
1. No Electricity Required
The UF Water Purifiers doesn’t require any power to operate, and the UF Water Filters can work with Normal pipe water pressure.
As I mentioned above, the UF Water Purifier works without electricity, and you don’t have to worry when there is a Power Outage.
2. Kills and Removes pollutants from the Water
The Ultraviolet Water Purifiers Just kills all the germs, bacteria, and viruses But their Dead Bodies remain in the water.
Unlike the UV Water Purifier, the UF Water Purifier Kills all the Germs and Actually removes them from the water and the are rinsed out to the drain when the UF water purifier is Flush Cleaned online.
So, the UF Water Purifiers are obviously Better than the UV Water Purifiers.
3. Can Purify even the Dirty Muddy Water
The Ultra-filtration purifiers can even clean the Muddy or Turbid water and removes all the Germs, Cysts, Turbidity and Dirt from the water which is not possible in the UV water purifier.
The UV Water purifier can not purify the clay or turbid Water since the MUD and Dirt present in the water will guard the Germs against the UV Rays thereby making the process ineffective.
Ultra-filtration Membrane Water Purifiers Are As Good As The RO Water Purifiers When Used With The Public Provided Tap Or Pipe Water.
The Public or Municipal Supplied pipe water doesn’t contain Heavy Metals and Dissolved Salts like Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead.
You need a Reverse Osmosis Water Purifier only when the TDS levels in the water is Very High.
4. Purifiers Water to the Peaks
Some of the Water Purifying systems employ chlorine treatment to kill the germs in the water. But, the eggs (Cysts) have a very hard shielding shell that cannot be penetrated by the Chlorine chemicals. Even if they kill the Germs, their Dead Bodies, and the active eggs are not filtered out from the water.
The Ultrafiltration purifiers remove even the extremely chlorine resistant eggs (Cysts) of Amoebic disease and Gastroenteritis parasites like Giardiasis and Cryptosporidiosis.
5. Fail Safe
The Ultrafiltration Purifiers will never fail, and they do not give you impure water. Since the Membranes of the UF Water purifiers are very sturdy, they will not crack and let the contaminated water.
The Worst thing that can occur to the UF Water Purifier is the Flow can get Obstructed, but it can be easily cleaned to restore the flow of water.
6. More Efficient than UV Purifier
The UV Bulb in the UV Water Filters will get dimmer, and the Light inside can get barred when scales are formed on the Bulb. You don’t get any warning notification, and you have to replace the Bulb manually in the Water Filter.
- The UF WaterPurifiers doesn’t require much Maintenance and can remain in Ideal Working state for Many Years. The Unique Manual Flushing arrangement in the Purifier will drain out all the Blocked Germs and Mud thereby Keep the UF Water Purifiers in Top condition.
- Most of the UF Water Purifiers can work up to Ten Years when proper care is taken. You will not face many problems, and the UF Purifier don’t even require an electric connection to operate.
- The UF Water Purifiers gives water that is better than the Boiled water. In the Boiled water, the Dirt and Dead germs, eggs will remain in the water whereas in the UF purification, the UF Membrane washes out all the Dirt, Germs, and Cysts from the water.
Drawbacks of Ultra-filtration Water Purifier
The Only problem with the UF water purifier is, It cannot remove the Dissolved salts present in the water.
As I mentioned previously, only the RO Water Purifiers are capable of removing the Heavy Metals and Dissolved salts from the water.
So, the UF and UV Water Filtres are suggested only when you receive water to form the Public or Community water supply. The UF Water purifiers also work with River, Well and Rain Harvested waters.
So, When you are using the UF Water Purification system, Make sure that the TDS levels in the water are Good, and the water is free from the Toxic elements like Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead and other toxic metals.
If you are Worried and not sure about the TDS Levels, then you should Opt for an RO Water Purifier.
UV Water Purifier
The Ultraviolet (UV) Purifier uses the UV Rays to kill the Bacteria, Cysts and other viruses present in the water.
But After Killing them, the Dead Bodies remain in the water. Most of the UV Water Purification systems comes with a Saftey Mechanism, and the power does not leak out when there is no water around the UV Bulb.
When the Water Flows around the UV Bulb, It kills all the Bacteria and Viruses present in the water, and you are ensured to drink the purified and safe water.
These Ultraviolet rays enter through the cells of the bacteria and viruses and destroy them thereby stopping them from reproducing in the water.
The UV Water Purifiers Have A Simplistic Yet Powerful Purification Process And The UV Rays Kill 99.99% Of The Germs Present In The Water.
The Bulb that is located in the Water Purifier produces the Ultra Violet Light, which kills the Bacteria. A Quartz Glass sleeve is placed around the Bulb, which blocks Direct contact with the water.
The UV Water Purifier requires electricity to operate, and it uses the same amount of power that is utilized by a 40 Watt Bulb.
You can also connect your UV Water purifier to a UPS or inverter if there is a power Outage.
Advantages of UV Water Purifier
- Cost effective, inexpensive. UV rays source bulb uses approximately 60 watts of power which quite equivalent to normally used a light bulb.
- Does not uses any chemicals. Therefore, water taste and colour unaltered.
- Gives instantly purified water. Just you have to switch on electricity supply and get purified water instantly, whereas other water purifiers take much more time to purify.
Drawbacks of UV Water Purifier
The Ultraviolet Light inside the purifier can get blocked when scales are formed on the UV Bulb. These scales can be developed due to the excess heating of the Bulb. The UV Bulb can get ineffective after prolonged use, and you have to replace it.
If you know the levels of TDS present in the water, you can choose the UV Water Filter.
RO Water Purifier
The Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System or RO Water Filter Requires electricity to operate, and it can remove the Total Dissolved Solids that are present in the Water.
The RO Water Purifier also offers prefiltration in case you want to purify the Dirty Water, and the purifier removes all the virus and Germs, but it requires electricity to boost the pressure of the Tap Water.
Reverse Osmosis Requires a lot of Water, If you input 3 Liters of Water into an RO Purifier, you will Get 1 Litre of Pure Water and 2 Liters of Dirty Water.
You can make use of the Dirty Water for mopping the floor and cleaning the house.
The Domestic RO Purifiers that are available online are not capable of desalination which means they can’t convert the saline water to fresh water. Also, unbranded RO water purifiers do not retain natural minerals.
Thre are a lot of RO Water Purifiers Available online, But a Good RO filter is capable of not only removing the bad salts and hard metals but also retain the natural minerals in the water.
Advantages of an RO Water Purifier
- A UV water purifier can kill bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. Still, it cannot get their dead bodies out of the water. An RO water purifier, on the other hand, kills all contaminants and removes their dead bodies from the water.
- RO is the only available technology that can remove dissolved toxins from water such as pesticides, lead, cadmium, iron and arsenic. UV or UF technology, on the other hand, fails in this case.
- Modern RO purifiers come with a TDS controller or mineralizer that enriches the water by adding healthy minerals. Other purifiers do not have such arrangements.
- RO purifiers come with a storage tank that stores pure water. So you don’t have to worry about pure drinking water in case of a power outage.
- The air pressure system automatically clears the funnel. It reduces the frequency of maintenance checks.
- RO purification is the most reliable and trusted method in the world that can provide 100% safe and purified water.
Drawbacks of an RO Water Purifier
- An RO purifier separates the purified water from the total water taken and rejects contaminated water, which is unfortunately wasted.
- About 50% of the total water used in this process is rejected. It is not an environmentally friendly option, given the growing water crisis all over the world.
- Electricity is a compulsion. An RO purifier cannot work without power.
- Compared to other technology purifiers, the maintenance cost is higher for RO purifier.
Difference: RO vs UV vs UF
| RO Water Purifier | UV Water Purifier | UF Water Purifier |
|---|---|---|
| Requires Electricity to operate | Requires Electricity to operate | No Electricity required |
| Kills and Removes all the Bacteria and Viruses from the Water. | Kills all Bacteria and Viruses but their Dead Bodies remain in the Water. | Kills and Removes all the Bacteria and Viruses from the Water. |
| Requires Electricity to Boost the Tap Water Pressure | UV Water Purifiers can work with Normal Tap Water Pressure. | UF Water Purifiers can work with Normal Tap Water Pressure. |
| Removes the Dissolved Salts | Cannot remove Dissolved Salts | Cannot remove Dissolved Salts |
| RO Purifiers has Prefiltration system to work with the Dirty Water. | Water should be clear for UV to work. | Works with Dirty Turbid Water. |
Ultra filtration – How is it different from RO and UV?
Ultrafiltration process does not require any electricity to operate. The UF membranes have slightly larger pores as compared to the RO membrane filters. They can take care of bacteria, viruses, and germs, but are ineffective in eliminating TDS.
The advantage of UF is that it does not require much maintenance and the filters have the capacity to last long. These filters are not efficient in handling heavy metals and water with high TDS levels.
UF differs from UV in the sense that it does not make use of ultraviolet radiation to remove impurities.
Water Purifier Difference: RO vs UV
How UV mechanism differs from RO purification?
1. Traces of germs
The RO process takes care of the major aspects of purification. However, traces of contaminants like certain germs, bacteria, and microorganisms sneak through the RO filters.
These germs can cause dangerous diseases like typhoid, dysentery, and diarrhea. The UV purification system comes to the rescue by elimination such dangerous bacteria from the RO purified water.
2. Waste of water
The biggest disadvantage of the RO water purifying system is that it wastes a lot of water depending on the concentration of the impurities.
On an average, you have 1 part of pure water to every 2-3 parts of reject water. This can be a criminal waste considering the fact that there is an extreme shortage of water resources.
Ultraviolet filters do not waste any water. They do not use chemicals to purify water thereby ensuring they maintain the taste of water.
3. Maintenance
The UV filters do not require as much maintenance as the RO filters do. However, the UV filters are not capable of removing salts, nitrates, fluorides, and heavy metal impurities like arsenic and lead.
What Type of Water Purifier You Will Need?
Before buying the best water purifier, you should consider a few essential factors such as your drinking water source, type of contamination, TDS value, etc. In addition, you should have an idea about safe drinking water guideline.
We hope that at this stage, you have a clear idea of the different types of water purification technologies, the basic differences between them and the different types of impurities in drinking water.
Now the question is, what kind of filter is suitable for your home?
Step-1: TDS Level verification
First of all, you should get a TDS test of the water in your home. Let’s have a look at the table below to understand the impurities and the ideal water purifier for that situation.
| TDS Value | Turbid water | Bacteria | Ideal purifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 300 PPM | Yes | Present | UV water purifier |
| Below 300 PPM | No | Present | UV+UF water purifier |
| Over 300 ppm | Yes | Absent | RO water Purifier + TDS controller |
| Over 300 ppm | No | Present | RO+UV+UF purifier + TDS controller |
One thing to note here is that individual dissolved toxins are more important than the total value of TDS. For example, suppose you examine your drinking water and find that the total TDS value is below 300, which is generally considered safe to drink. However, that water may contain high amounts of arsenic, lead or mercury.
Step-2: Chemical test
If there is any industry in your area, you should have a chemical test of your water to know the level of chemical impurities.
Step-3: RO vs UF vs UV
Choose the best water purifier with RO + UV + UF technology. These types of modern filters are able to provide you with safe drinking water by removing all kinds of impurities.
Over to You
As you have seen in this post, all different types of water purifies have some advantages and have some drawbacks.
A combination of RO, UV, and UF along with TDS controllers is sometime the best solution for every Indian home. So make sure you understand which one fits well to your home based on the source of water and TDS level of the water.
