RO water purifiers are the scam of the century!
The National Green Tribunal called for a ban on RO water purifiers.
According to the UN, water with a TDS up to 500 ppm is potable!
I am pretty sure you would have heard most of these arguments against RO water purifiers. But, before you make up your mind, let us take a look at an experiment we did.
We took 2 glasses of RO purified water. Both from the same source and both would pass a basic TDS test. To the first glass, I add a pinch of salt and increase the TDS. To the second, just a tiny bit of detergent. Now, both have increased TDS levels – but the glass with detergent actually shows lower TDS of 106 compared to the one with salt which has a TDS of 276.
Which would you prefer to drink?
This is exactly why judging water quality by TDS alone doesn’t make sense. You need to go a bit deeper.
But first, let us look at what’s really happening with our water.
Groundwater In India
A recent article from The Hindu reports that states like Rajasthan, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have a very high level of nitrates in the groundwater .Then you’ve got Andhra Pradesh and Telangana struggling with high fluoride levels. But, it is not limited to just these states, it is reported that more than half of India’s 779 districts have excessive nitrates.So this means even if water in these areas have a TDS of less than 500, you still need an RO water purifier to get rid of those nitrates and fluorides. Because RO is the only feasible option in a domestic setting using which you can remove TDS, total dissolved solids from water. And TDS includes not just useful components like calcium, magnesium and potassium but also harmful components like nitrates, sulphates, fluorides and so on.
So, this brings us to the next question, “ If RO is such a game changer, then why did the National Green Tribunal ban RO in places where TDS is less than 500?”.
Ban On RO Water Purifiers
Well, first of all, the NGT is not a body that deals with health, but with the environment. And they have a concern, a rightful concern because the quantity of water wasted by RO water purifiers is huge. In a country where more than 163 million people don’t have access to clean water, such wastage is a crime. So when you use an RO, reuse the waste water completely to minimize its negative impacts.
Next, if you read the notification calling for the ban RO, you will clearly see that this is not applicable in places where nitrate levels are higher than 45 or fluoride levels are higher than 1 mg/litre. So, as you can see, the details are what truly makes the difference.
Now, you might be wondering, so how can I be sure if I really need an RO water purifier or not.
You may also like our article on HUL Purest Eco-saver RO Water Purifier Review
Do You Need An RO Water Purifier?
Well, broadly speaking, if you live in an area where the TDS levels are typically above 300-400 and your water supply comes from borewells or tankers, then it would be a good idea to get an RO.You never know from where these tankers get the water from! But, if you get treated municipal water or water from a regular well, then most often you won’t need an RO. But, that being said, the best way to ascertain whether you need an RO is by testing the tap water to check whether the parameters are within limits. It usually costs about 1000 to 1500 rupees, but then you’ll know for sure.
Now that you have understood the significance of RO, you might be wondering why many people call RO water purifiers a scam. A part of it is ignorance. But, then these RO water purifier manufacturers aren’t exactly saints either.
Why People Call RO Water Purifiers A Scam?
The biggest problem that has caused this upheaval against RO purifiers is the marketing trick by manufacturers. Each try to outdo the other with 7,8, 10 and sometimes even 13 stages of water purification. While some filters are must-haves, many are just gimmicks.
So, let’s try to figure out which are the necessary ones.
Necessary RO Water Filters
First of all, UV or UltraViolet Chamber is a must-have as it kills bacteria, viruses, fungi and other harmful living organisms present in the water.
Next comes Activated Carbon Filter which gets rid of any odour in water.
It is also good to have a sediment filter which is usually kept outside the purifier. It will filter out sand and larger debris which can clog your RO membrane and reduce its lifespan.
Then comes UF or ultra filtration. And a misconception that many people have is you don’t need UF in an RO water purifier. To understand why you need both, we need to first know what is the difference between RO and UF.
RO Vs UF
RO membranes have pore size of 0.1-1 nanometer, while UF membranes have 10-100 nanometer pores. RO removes dissolved and suspended solids, whereas UF targets suspended solids like heavy metals, bacteria, viruses, and colloids only. So, it is actually a logical question why do you need a UF filter when an RO with a smaller pore size can remove all impurities. The reasons vary.
Some water purifiers use a UF membrane before RO to extend the life of the more expensive RO membrane. UF filters eliminate suspended particles, leaving only dissolved solids for the RO to handle, reducing its workload, minimizing water waste, and enhancing its lifespan.
In some cases, UF is used in the system which adjusts the TDS level of purified water. And this is how it works: When Water passes through the RO membrane, it strips off all dissolved solids. But water without any minerals can harm your health. So minerals are added back to the water using any of these 2 methods.
First method is using a manual TDS controller also known as MTDS. Here, raw water is added to the RO purified water in a specific quantity to increase the overall TDS of the purified water. But you can’t add raw water just like that and contaminate the water. Right? That is why, this unfiltered water is passed through a UF membrane to get rid of suspended solids and then mixed with the RO purified water. So, in this type of system, yes, UF filters are absolutely unavoidable.
The second method uses a mineralizer cartridge which diffuses calcium and magnesium to increase TDS. In such a system, a UF filter is not exactly a necessity, unless it is for reducing the workload of the RO membrane.
Yet another reason why RO water purifiers have UF is to physically remove the virus and bacteria killed by the UV. So, overall, it is definitely good to have UF in your RO purifier.
So, that makes having 5 to 6 stage purification a necessity. They are RO filter, sediment filter, UF filter, mineralizer cartridge or MTDS, UV chamber and activated carbon filter. Others like alkalizer, copper cartridge, post carbon filters and such things are not really a necessity, but a gimmick to make you feel water is purer and thus fleece more money from your pocket!
What Else To Look At When Buying A Water Purifer?
So,if you are looking to buy an RO water purifier, then, in addition to looking at the core function of the filtration system, it would also be a good idea to look at the storage capacity, quantity of water the RO wastes, how much water can be purified in an hour and more importantly the cost of filter replacement.