Difference Between RO, UV and UF Water Purifiers. Which one is the Best???

As many diseases are spreading through water, water purifier becomes basic necessity nowadays.

But when someone plans to buy water purifier and when he/she do some research, they mainly finds three types of water purifier (RO, UV and UF). Which creates confusion and they thinks which type of purification technology or purifiers would be ideal for me? Probably that’s why you are stumble here.

No worries, I am going to share some information about all these three types of water purifiers and how they are different from one another.

At the at the end of this article you will know which water purifier would be ideal for you.

Now let’s first see how RO, UV and UF water purifiers works.

RO Water Purifier (Working)

RO Water Purification System Flow Diagram
RO Water Purification System Flow Diagram

RO (Reverse Osmosis) is a multistage purification Technology which usually have three stages.

1st Stage

The first stage usually contains sediments and activated carbon filter. The first stage is mainly works to protect the semipermeable RO membrane (which is the heart of RO purifier).

2nd stage

This is the main stage of RO purification. The water which comes out from the first stage of purification is now passed with a great force through the semipermeable RO membrane. The semipermeable membrane has tiny pores of 0.0001 micron, which allows water molecules only to pass through it and blocks harmful molecules of sodium, chlorine and heavy metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium etc.

3rd stage

At the third stage, there is usually carbon filter which ensures that no harmful particle is remained in the water and then it serves the pure water for drinking.

See more information about RO water purifiers here.

Now let’s talk about UV water purifiers.

UV water purifier (Working)

UV Water Purification Flow Diagram
UV Water Purification Flow Diagram

In UV water purifiers UV light (which emits light of 254 wavelength) is used to purifier water by affecting the genetic code that is DNA and RNA of harmful bacteria and viruses.

Unlike RO water purifier, the UV water purifier only consists of a single stage. Basically the water is exposed to the UV bulb present in the UV water purifier due to which, the UV rays of the UV bulb affects the DNA and RNA (the genetic code) of bacteria and viruses and stopped them from functioning and reproducing, which makes water pure for drinking.

UF water purifier (Working)

UF Water Purification Flow Diagram
UF Water Purification Flow Diagram

The UF water purification technology is pretty straight forward. The UF water purifier is consist of two compartments i.e. the upper compartment and lower compartment. We have to fill water in the upper compartment then in between the upper compartment and the lower compartment there are some filters, which filters the water from upper compartment and the purified water gets stored in the lower compartment.

There are various filters (Activated Carbon Filter, Sediment Filter) available in between the upper compartment and the lower compartment such as carbon filter and UV filter.

The carbon filter consists of activated carbon which is made from coal and possess positively charged ions, due to which it can attract harmful particles from the water ensuring the water is safe for drinking.

The Sediment Filter removes the sediments from the water (Yeah they call me Super Obvious Man). Hence makes water pure for drinking.

Difference between RO and UV and UF Water Purifiers

So as you can see the main difference between RO and UV water purifier is that the RO water purifier cannot do the job of UV water purifier which is affecting and deactivating bacteria and viruses whereas UV water purifier cannot do the job of RO water purifier which is to purify water by separating dissolved solid from the water.

And UF water purifiers have a pretty basic water purification Technology, which can remove dust particles, sand, microorganisms, bacteria, sediments, chlorine and some other contaminants with the help of it’s activated carbon filter and it cannot affect bacteria and viruses. Also it cannot remove dissolved solids from the water.

The main difference between RO and UV and UF water purifier is that RO and UV water purifiers requires electricity on the other hand UF water purifier does not require electricity.

Also UF water purifier is very portable or should I say the only portable water purifier and it is easy to install comparing to RO and UV water purifiers.

Also the UF water purifier is most economical than RO and UV water purifier.

Which type of water purifier would be ideal for Me?

Which type of water purifier would be ideal for you is depend on what kind of water you use for drinking now.

If you are getting water from Municipal water supply then it is a good idea to go for UF water purifier. Because the water is already filtered and it usually only contains chlorine or chlorine-by-products and dust particles which can be easily removed by UF water purifier.

If you are using water from borewell or traditional well then it may be high TDS (total dissolved solids) water.

The total dissolved solids upto 500 mg/l is acceptable according to Bureau of Indian standard (BIS) but if the TDS of water exceeds 500 mg/ l then it contain higher amount of dissolved solid so at such condition you should go for RO water purifier as it has capability to separate dissolved solid from water.

Water can get easily infected by bacteria and viruses so to protect yourself and your family from such bacterias and viruses UV water purifier is very effective.

            So you can see a single water purification Technology cannot ensure the safest water for drinking.

            So combination of RO and UV Technology in a water purifier or combination of UV and UF is recommended to ensure safest water for drinking.

             I hope now you have understand understood the difference between RO, UV and UF water purifiers.

Recommended Articles:

The Best RO Water Purifiers in India

Best Water Purifiers in India

The Best UV Water Purifiers in India
The Best Non-electric Water Purifiers in India
Best Water Purifiers Under 10000 in India 2018 (Review, Pros and Cons)
Water Purifier Buying Guide (Must Read Before Buying)

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