What is better, UV, UF, or RO, when it comes to water purifiers?

Nowadays, there are different types of water purifiers available in the market. Often people get confused while choosing the suitable water purifiers for their home as many end up selecting a purifier that is not suitable according to their needs.

The problem lies in the fact that they are not completely aware of what RO, UV, or UF water purifiers do. Hence, they are not able to decide on which purifier is best for them.

In many Indian households, people are still not bothered about testing the quality of water before consumption. It puts them in a dilemma while choosing the water purifiers.

RO (Reverse Osmosis), UV (Ultraviolet), and UF (Ultrafiltration) water purification systems are designed for purifying specific impurities from the water. So, first, you need to get your water tested to know about the quality. Accordingly, you can choose to buy either RO, UV, UF, or a combination purifier that contains all these features such as RO+UV+UF water purifier.

Let us know more about what each of these purifiers does and how you can decide on the right one for your household.

RO (Reverse Osmosis) Purifier

Most of the time, the bore well water or groundwater contains a high percentage of TDS. Sometimes, even the water from other sources like rivers and lakes also has more solids because of the industrial pollutants or sewage leakage.

In such cases, it is advisable to choose an RO purifier because it can remove all the harmful metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury, and other particulate matter present in the water.

However, if your water is low in TDS levels then you may not require RO water purifiers. You can choose UV or UF filters to treat the water.

UV (Ultraviolet) Purifier

The purpose of UV lamps in the purifiers is to deactivate microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. So, when the water is screened through the lamp, it will kill the bacteria and viruses that may be the carriers of water-borne diseases. However, UV purification is not of much help in reducing TDS levels because it is designed to eliminate pathogens and microorganisms from the water.

UF (Ultrafiltration) Purifier

Ultrafiltration also works similarly to RO technology. UF filters also have a semi-permeable membrane through which the impure water is eliminated. This membrane acts as a barrier and collects the suspended solids and particulate matter. As a result, purified water is forced out of the membrane.

Ultrafiltration is the same as RO technology, but it doesn’t help reduce the TDS levels, and it is not capable of harmful metals or minerals from water.

However, each of these technologies has specific advantages and can help you provide clean and safe drinking water. If the water at your home has high TDS along with other impurities, then you can opt for a multi-stage purifier like RO+UV+UF water purifiers to treat the water.

While RO eliminates TDS, UV takes care of bacteria and viruses and UF adds an extra layer of filtration to the water. Additionally, combination water purifiers can often save more energy and water wastage.

Conclusion

You have to choose water purifiers depending on the water quality and its purpose. If your water has low TDS levels, then it means that your water can be filtered using UV or UF filters.

Advanced technologies like RO are suitable for water which has a higher percentage of impurities that can cause severe health benefits. So, it is advisable to determine the quality of water and then buy the best water purifier for your home.