The importance of buying a water purifier for the home. The models on the market and their operation. Opinions, advantages and disadvantages, prices of the main purifiers on the market.

The water purifier for the home system has the task of eliminating harmful substances and impurities that can come down from the taps.

In this way it is ensured that the water coming from the public aqueduct, however subjected to regular checks and already drinkable, is filtered and purified from any bacteria that may lurk in the home system.

Having a water purifier at home is an important choice, which guarantees additional safety, preventing possible health problems for the whole family.

  • How the water purifier works
  • Water purifier models
  • Reverse osmosis water purifier
  • Activated carbon filter
  • Softener
  • Microfiltration
  • Filter jugs
  • Water purifier: opinions, advantages and disadvantages
  • Advantages of the water purifier
  • Disadvantages of the water purifier
  • Water purifier: prices
  • Water purifier: tips

How the water purifier works

First of all, let’s start by reassuring the consumer: drinking water comes out of the taps of homes , which is regularly checked .

Using a purifier is therefore an additional element that ensures that you can drink water from the tap, without having to go to a supermarket to stock up on bottles of water.

In this way you will get a quality product that is pleasant to the palate.

With the special carbonators , you can then obtain sparkling water, carbonating it in a personalized way.

Water purifier models

Let’s analyze in detail the different models of water purifiers on the market.

We emphasize that purifiers do not perform the function of making domestic water drinkable , but of depriving it of certain negative substances.

Reverse osmosis water purifier

These are filters whose main objective is to filter  excess nitrates and sodium from the water .

They have a semi-waterproof membrane through which the water is necessarily cleaned up.

In areas where the presence of nitrates is strong in the water , their use can be really important.

The forced passage determines an impoverishment in terms of mineral salts, which is why by always drinking only filtered water, our body could find itself devoid of important substances such as calcium and sodium.

Another negative factor is the high cost of these systems, with prices that can even reach thousands of euros.

Activated carbon filter

The activated carbon filter  is a special element that allows to eliminate chlorine and all those harmful substances , pesticides and solvents from the water, which make it non-potable.

Simple devices to assemble as they are connected directly to the home tap and once saturated with harmful substances, they must be replaced.

However, they are not able to act on the hardness of the water while their action is important in cleaning up the waters that appear unpleasant.

The peculiarity of activated carbons means that they can be a place for the formation of bacteria, which is why a specific standard provides that these plants are equipped with a system useful for disinfecting the water.

Softener

The softener , also called ion exchange filter , is equipped with special resins that carry out a chemical process with which the hardness of the water is lowered , retaining calcium and magnesium, and enriching it with sodium.

The control unit is activated when the tap is opened and, by means of a valve, it is possible to mix the upstream water with the treated one, in order to always have a minimum degree of hardness, as indicated by the law on the subject.

It is useful to prevent the formation of limescale and therefore is important for an appliance such as a dishwasher which, with the frequency of washing, can suffer from an excessive presence of limescale in the water.

Microfiltration

In this case it is not a purifier, but a filter that acts directly on the water , retaining any solid parts.

It consists of a simple nylon membrane , the small pores of which filter the water flowing from the tap. In this way the color of the water is lighter , but no purification is carried out.

Filter jugs

The filtering carafes , better known as jugs for water represent the most simple solution and rapid execution.

By filling the carafe with tap water, the filters act purifying it of impurities and chlorine .

Often their purchase can be combined with a small machine to make sparkling water.

The filter must be changed periodically, as, if consumed, it could release substances harmful to health such as ammonium and silver.

Water purifier: opinions, advantages and disadvantages

Let’s analyze in summary what are the pros and cons of choosing a water purifier to filter home water .

Advantages of the water purifier

  • Bacteria are eliminated
  • For a large family the cost of the system is soon amortized
  • You avoid going to the supermarket every time to buy crates of water
  • With the carbonator you get sparkling and sparkling water

Disadvantages of the water purifier

Water softeners involve excessive waste: according to the latest research, three liters are consumed to obtain a liter of softened water

Filters must be checked regularly, so maintenance must be thorough

Costs to be incurred for the purchase of a plant can be high

Water purifier: prices

  • Good quality reverse osmosis water purifier starting at 900 euros
  • Microfiltration equipment from € 15
  • Standard filter jug ​​starting from € 25
  • High-end filter jug ​​from € 50
  • Activated carbon filter from € 200
  • Mid-range water softener starting from € 500
  • High quality water softener starting from € 1200

The prices are VAT included, excluding the costs of assembly and periodic maintenance carried out by expert personnel, as well as any masonry and plumbing works that may be necessary.

Water purifier: tips

Buying a home water purifier does not mean that you have solved every hygiene problem.

In fact, some small precautions are important that will make the system always perfectly functional and able to avoid the proliferation of bacteria.

First of all, it is preferable to use glass bottles to store filtered water, taking care to disinfect them frequently.

Furthermore, the water itself, once bottled, must be kept in the refrigerator at the lowest possible temperature, consuming it within one day of its bottling.

When purchasing, make sure well in regard to maintenance mode to follow: the high expense for a plant may be useless in the face of poor hygienic care of filters and related replacement.

Some companies in the sector do stipulate proper assistance and maintenance contracts at the time of purchase: making sure of the total cost of the operation is essential to understand the convenience.