How Home Water Purification Works

by Trent Barrett

You are probably drinking and bathing in contaminated water. Why? Because most raw water supplies are contaminated with micro-organisms, and in order to kill these bugs, city water suppliers must add poisons like chlorine to the water. Unfortunately, the same chemicals that kill bacteria can sicken you or cause other problems, like dry skin. A home water purifier may be the answer to this problem.

All water purification systems are different, but there are commonalities to three types of water purifiers: the ultraviolet purifier, the filtration system purifier, and the reverse osmosis water purifier. In some systems, all three of these filter types work together, but they can easily be installed as separate systems as well.

The most basic water purifier is the activated charcoal water filter or ceramic water filter. In each of these filters, water is forced through a granulated chemical (activated carbon or diatomaceous earth, depending on the type of filter). The chemical in the filter grabs onto impurities in the water, allowing purified water to pass through. The result: much cleaner and better tasting water. You can get shower filters that do much the same thing, but with metallic filters instead that work well in hot water conditions. All these water purification systems are the least expensive water purifiers and are adequate in most cases.

Ultraviolet home water purifiers work on a completely different concept. They don’t use a physical filter; instead, concentrated ultraviolet light is radiated through your water system, killing any bacteria and amoeba in it to sterilize your water. It won’t remove sediments or heavy metals, but a UV home water purifier will keep all biological contaminants out of your water supply. These purifiers are often included as part of a more complex purification system, and are also used heavily by hospitals.

The most advanced home water purifier is the reverse osmosis system. These complex devices use passive osmotic filtration, allowing pure water to pass through while holding almost all chemicals and impurities on the other side to be flushed out later. Almost any chemical or biological contaminant is removed by these water purifier systems, including minerals that are good for humans like fluoride and calcium. The water resulting is of equal or superior quality to most bottled water at your grocery store.

In the most complex systems, an activated carbon or ceramic filter are at the water intake, leading to a reverse osmosis water filter, with a UV home water purifier shining through the water in the reservoir at the end. This eliminates virtually anything in your water besides water, giving you the purest water possible and potentially saving you hundreds of dollars a year in bottled water.

About the Author:

Trent Barrett is a consultant who writes for Home water purifiers. You can visit their homepage to learn more about home water purification systems