The little bit we all know the importance of drinking purified water and thus usage of water purifiers become common in every house. But is your water purifier really refining the water? Is it really working in the way it should?
First, you need to know what does it mean by pure water? Pure water is the water that goes through the process of purifying from toxins, and micro bacteria, germs, chemicals that we can’t detect in normal sight.
So where can we find such water? Well, we can’t find any direct source for it but some renowned high-quality water purifiers make our work easy here.
Therefore, we must pick the best Water Purifier for our homes accordingly that comprise of one of the three following prime technologies for purification, namely:
- Reverse Osmosis (RO)
- Ultraviolet Rays (UV)
- Ultra- Filtration (UF)
These purifiers have their advantages and disadvantages. However, in this article, we will have a detailed discussion on the major difference between RO vs UV vs UF water purifiers. But at first, have a look at the significances of the three water purifying technologies.
What is Reverse Osmosis (RO)?
Why can’t we use seawater for drinking purposes? It’s because seawater has salt in it. Now the question comes, can we remove the salt from the water. The answer is, Yes. We can remove it. And the process of removing that salt from water is called reverse osmosis. Like salt, we can also remove a lot of other stuff from the water. So let’s talk about that in detail.
Before we know about Reverse Osmosis, we need to learn about what is Osmosis.
back to menu ↑Osmosis
Osmosis is a process through which a weaker concentrated saline solution converts itself into a stronger concentrated saline solution when it dissolves with solutes like sugar or salt. Osmosis is a natural phenomenon and that happens automatically.
Like our kidney absorbs water from blood and trees absorbs water from the soil. Like this, there are numerous examples of the osmosis process.
Reverse Osmosis
Reverse osmosis is the reverse process of osmosis. As simple as that. So in reverse osmosis, stronger concentrated water solutions migrate into weaker solution water. In other words, reverse osmosis is the process of removing all solutes from water.
The reverse osmosis process uses a semi-permeable membrane that allows water to pass through but stops the flow of harmful salt, bacteria, and other organics.
To push water through the membrane, we need more pressure, more pressure means more power. And to achieve more power we need an electrical power source.
It also provides pre-filtration so that the unrefined water can be cleansed and all the lethal metals can get removed. Thus, maintaining the natural mineral contempt in the water. It runs with electricity.
What is Ultraviolet Water Filtration(UV)?
Ultra Violet or UV purifier is also run by electricity, and kill infectious bacteria and viruses present in the water. The UV rays penetrate the germs and attack deep into their genetic core. Thereby disposal of the potential germ reproduction makes the water entirely fit for consumption. Presently, this filtration system has proven itself to be highly trustworthy and pocket-friendly.
Moreover, it is highly complementary to chemicals. Besides, it maintains the color and taste of the consumable water. Furthermore, the systems are quite compact and easy to use.
back to menu ↑What is Ultra Filtration (UF): UF Water Purifier?
Ultra Filtration or UF Water Purifier mainly uses the technology of ultrafiltration for the complete elimination of impurities in water. The process is a type of membrane filtration that works on the principle of hydrostatic pressure. It is similar to RO technology but uses membranes of larger pores.
The main advantage of this method is that it does not require electricity to operate, and can work effectively with the normal pressure of tap water. Also, this process is highly efficient and gets rid of about 99.99% of infectious microorganisms in the water.
The primary drawback of this method is that it is incapable of removing the TDS from water. In case the water has a low TDS ( Totally Dissolved Solids) level, the UF system can adjust the level of the solids dissolved in the water.
Now let us discuss the primary differences between these various types of water purifiers.
back to menu ↑Which one is better? RO vs UV
While talking about the difference between RO and UV water purifier, the crucial difference to mention is that RO can remove harmful dissolved salts, but a UV purifier can’t. The procedure of using RO technology is now considered the most efficient and standardized method of purification of water for domestic usage.
But, certain impurities like bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms are still capable of passing through the RO filters. These remaining microorganisms have the potentiality of triggering serious water-borne diseases like dysentery, diarrhea, typhoid, etc. It is here that the UV method comes into use.
This purification system starts after passing the water through the RO filters. The process eliminates all the harmful organisms that are present in the water as the residue.
Unlike RO, UV filters do not remove fluoride or nitrate salts, arsenic, and other chemical impurities from the water.
Although the RO water purifiers waste a lot of water, UV purifiers don’t. This is a significant difference when the increasing decrease in water resources is kept in mind. Further, UV purifiers do not need the maintenance that RO filters do.
back to menu ↑A fair insight into UV vs UF
As already mentioned, the ultrafiltration process operates without electricity. Whereas, UV filters do not. Moreover, UF membranes have a larger pore size and usually tend to last for a longer period.
Reportedly, UF filters cannot deal properly with heavy metal resides in water or water having a high TDS level. Also, unlike UF water purifiers, UV filters use the technology of ultraviolet filtration to eliminate harmful impurities from water.
The UV technology can kill harmful water-borne diseases causing microorganisms but the disadvantage is that the dead remains of these pathogens continue to exist in the purified water. Thus, the water cannot be considered fully pure and fit for consumption.
UF purifiers eliminate these harmful pathogens, and the bodies of the dead microorganisms often get stuck in the filter. So you have to clean regularly and manually.
You also have to take care of the cleaning of the UV water filter regularly. But, it is sufficient to clean the UF purifier once a week only.
Hence, you certainly got some understanding of the distinction between RO, UV, and UF water purifiers. Yet, let us revise the summed points discussed below:
- Primarily, RO and UV water purifiers require a large amount of electricity to function and implement their technologies whereas, the UF water filtration system does not need any power to operate themselves.
- RO water purifiers need some extra electricity to increase and adjust the pressure of the tap water for further purification, although both UV and UF water filters can function effectively under the regular pressure of tap water.
- Ro water filters and UF water filters kill and eliminate all harmful pathogens- bacteria, viruses, etc. from the water. On the other hand, UF purifiers only kill the pathogens but are incapable of removing their dead remains from the water completely, thereby leaving traces of impurities in the water.
- Removal of saltwater and other dissolved salts in the water is a very easy process when it comes to RO water purifiers. But UF and UV water filters are incapable of eliminating the excessive dissolves salts or TDS, as they are known.
- The RO water purifier has an enhanced advantage as it is already equipped with an advanced pre-filtration system which allows the technology to work even with dirty water.
Difference Between RO vs UV vs UF
| RO | UV | UF |
|---|---|---|
| Requires Electricity | Require Electricity | Does not need any power source |
| Clean all germs and microorganism | Can kill germs but can not filter out those | Cleans most of the germs and microorganism |
| Removes dissolved salt | Can not remove dissolved salt | Can not remove dissolved salt |
| Has prefiltration | No prefiltration | No prefiltration |
| Can clean dirty water | Can not clean dirty water | Can not clean dirty water |
| Use permeable membrane | Does not use permeable membrane | Use permeable membrane of larger pores |
| Can reduce the TDS level up to 90% | Does not reduce the TDS level | Does reduce the TDS level |
Conclusion: RO vs UV vs UF
So from the above discussion and comparison, it is very clear that RO technology is the best water filtration technology. But like any other process, RO also has its own disadvantages. We can not simply rely on RO.
The best bet is to have all three technologies in the water purifier so that you have the purest water for your consumption. Although having all three technologies in a single water purifier may cost a little more but nothing is important than your health. Right?
We believe that this in-depth discussion on the prime difference between RO, UV, and UF water purifiers have helped you with a better understanding of making the right choice about owning a water purifier for your family.
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Rajib
A 2004 batch Mechanical Engineering graduate From NIT, Agartala. Close to 16 years of experience in the field of consumer electronics and appliances domain as a Sr. Design Engineer and Team Leader in India and the United States. A gadget freak by passion and profession and in his free time love to go for riding.
