What is UV water Purifier? (Working, Advantages and Disadvantages)

There are many diseases caused due to bacteria and viruses like Pneumonia, Nausea and Diarrhea.

The sizes of bacteria and viruses is so small that we can’t even see it through our naked eyes.

So how can we remove or kill the contaminants like bacteria and viruses from the water that we can’t even see through our eyes.

Fortunately there is a simple solution for it.

The solution is UV water purification Technology.

What is UV water purifier?

UV water purifiers is the water purification system which is used to purify water by affecting the genetic core of harmful bacterias and viruses in the water with the help of UV light.

It is the most economical way to purify water contaminated by disease causing microbes.

Why UV water purifier is required?

Water contains many harmful bacterias and viruses which we are unable to see with our naked eyes and which can cause various diseases like Pneumonia, Typhoid, Flu, Cholera, Nausea, Diarrhoea, Cramps and headaches which are caused due to bacteria and viruses like Legionella,Cryptosporidium, Enteroviruses, Poly-viruses, Giardia, Eco-viruses, Fecal coliform, E.coli etc.

Chlorine is usually used to treat such kind of bacteria and viruses but they are not effective on Protozoa and Hepatitis virus which is chlorine resistant. Also chlorine and other disinfects produces toxic byproducts.   

Children and infants are more vulnerable to diseases caused by bacteria and viruses, so for the proper treatment of water containing harmful bacteria and viruses UV water purifier are required.

How UV water purifier works?

UV Water Purification Flow Diagram
UV Water Purification Flow Diagram

UV water purifier does not kill the bacteria or viruses completely but it has UV (Ultraviolet) bulb which emits UV light upto certain wavelength (254 nano-meter) which affects the genetic core like DNA and RNA of bacteria and viruses and stops them from functioning and reproducing, which makes water potable for humans.

UV light is mounted near the flow of water so the water gets exposed to the UV rays due to which the genetic core of the the harmful microbes gets affected.

UV water purifiers kills 99.99% of bacteria and viruses from water.

UV water purifiers can be used to treat water from lake, spring, well and Municipal water supplied water as well.

Is water purified by UV water purifier good for health?

In the UV water purification, the water is subjected to UV light which kills bacteria and viruses.

UV light is considered harmful for humans but this all process of subjecting water to UV light is takes place in a closed container so that human body doesn’t get in contact with UV light and does not cause any harm.

Now let’s have a look at the advantages and disadvantages of UV water purification system or UV water purifier

Advantages

  • It is the most economical way to purify water contaminated by disease causing microbes.
  • UV water purifiers are easy to install.
  • UV water purifiers kills 99.99% of disease-causing microbes like bacteria and viruses from water.
  • As UV water purifiers runs on electricity but it takes very less electricity comparing to other water purifiers because it requires electricity just for UV bulb which uses same electricity as household 60 Watt bulb.
  • UV water purifiers doesn’t require or uses any kind of chemicals like chlorine (which produces toxic by-products) to purify water so you will get chemical-free water.
  • UV water purifiers requires very low maintenance. You just have to change the UV bulb annually.
  • UV rays emitted by UV water purifier do not damage septic tank and plumbing systems of your house.

Disadvantages

  • UV water purifier cannot remove the dissolved solids in the water like Nitrate, Fluoride, Arsenic, VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) and other heavy metals and pesticides (Which is removed by RO System)
  • One thing to note here is that when the bacteria and viruses hides behind these heavy metals and dissolved solids then they don’t get exposed to UV light so such bacteria and viruses gets escaped from effect of UV light. That’s why UV purification technology is usually paired with RO water purification to ensure safest drinking water.
  • UV  light is invisible so it becomes very hard to determine if the UV bulb is working or not, so replacing UV bulb annually is recommended.
  • As UV water purifier requires consistent supply of electricity for function, it may not be a problem in urban areas but it could be a problem in rural areas.

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Conclusion

UV water purification is  a great technology to purify water from disease causing microbes. It have some limitations like it cannot remove visible impurities and dissolved solids from the water which RO and UF water purification does. So using RO+UV+UF Water purifiers is the best way to ensure that you are getting safest drinking water and peace of mind.

Get detailed information about RO water purifiers here.

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