RO vs UV vs UF- Difference between Water Purifiers

If you plan to buy a water purifier for your home and are confused about which type is an ideal choice for you, then this article (RO vs UV vs UF- Water Purifiers)  is for you.

A water purifier is a must for every home if you want to drink clean and safe water. You need to buy the best water purifier as per your water conditions, that can remove the contaminants present in your water and gives you clean drinking water.

RO Water Purifier, UV Water Purifier, and UF Water Purifier are the three types of water purifiers available in the market. In this article, we will explain the difference between RO vs UV vs UF water purifiers. We will also cover their advantages and disadvantages.

Difference between RO vs UV vs UF Water Purifiers

RO Water Purifier	UV Water Purifier	UF Water Purifier
Needs Electricity to operate	Needs Electricity to operate	Does not need Electricity
Kills and remove all harmful bacteria and viruses	Kill all bacteria and viruses but can not remove their bodies	Kills and remove all harmful bacteria and viruses
Removes dissolved solids and heavy metals	Cannot remove dissolved solids and heavy metals	Cannot remove dissolved solids and heavy metals
Needs high water pressure, Comes with a water pump	Needs normal tap water pressure	Works with normal tap water pressure
Works with turbid water	Not suitable for turbid water	Works with turbid water
Wastes water	No water wastage	No water wastage

RO Water Purifier

RO Water Purifier is a device designed to purify water using reverse osmosis technology. In this process, water flows through a semi-permeable membrane removing harmful microorganisms, dissolved solid, heavy metal from water and provides you clean and safe drinking water.

To understand the working of RO water purifiers, you need to understand the process of Osmosis first.

Osmosis is a process in which liquid flows through a semi-permeable membrane from a low concentration area to an area of high concentration to attain the equilibrium stage.

Reverse Osmosis is just the opposite process of Osmosis. In this process, liquid gets forced to move through a semi-permeable membrane from an area of high concentration (with contaminants) to a low concentration area. RO water purifier uses the same technology to give you pure water.

RO water purifier is the most efficient water purifier available in the market, thanks to its semi-permeable membrane that can filter out most impurities from your drinking water. The semi-permeable membrane has a pore size of 0.0001 microns. Only water molecules can pass through the membrane resulting in pure water.

RO water purifier comes with a TDS controller and Mineralizer that adds the essential minerals in your drinking water that makes your water pure and healthy.

Advantages of RO Water Purifier

• Ro water purifier removes most impurities like dissolved solids, heavy metals, harmful microorganisms, chemicals, and salts.
• Along with killing the harmful bacteria and viruses, it removes their dead bodies from water making it a better choice over UV water purifier that can not remove the dead bodies of harmful bacteria and viruses.
• This water purifier improves the taste of your water by removing the bad taste and odor.
• It comes with Mineralizer and TDS Controller that makes your water enriched with essential minerals.

Disadvantages of RO Water Purifier

• This water purifier wastes a lot of water; almost 50% of water gets wasted in the purification process.
• It requires electricity to operate.
• Compared with other water purifiers, maintenance cost is higher.

UV Water Purifier

A UV Water Purifier is a device designed to disinfect water using UV (Ultraviolet) rays. UV rays kill the disease-causing micro-organisms with 99.99% efficiency. Dead bodies of those micro-organisms remain in the water but, they are harmless. UV water purification technology is the most effective technology in killing disease-causing micro-organisms.

UV water purifier features a UV lamp enclosed inside a chamber. This UV lamp produces germicidal UV rays, which disinfect the water passing through this chamber and gives you 99.99% germs-free water. A glass quartz sleeve holds the UV lamp and separates water from power.

Advantages of UV Water Purifier

• This water purifier gives you 99.99% germ-free water.
• It does not use any chemical in the purification process.
• UV water purifier does not change the taste and odor of your water.
• Also, it does not waste any water in the purification process.
• Compared to other water purifiers, it is easy to maintain and energy-efficient.

Disadvantages of UV Water Purifier

• It requires electricity to operate.
• UV water purifier effectively kills the harmful micro-organisms but, their dead bodies remain in the water.
• It cannot remove heavy metals like arsenic, lead, etc., and dissolved solids from your water.

UF Water Purifier

Like RO water purifier, UF water purifier uses membrane filtration technology for the purification process. When water passes through the semi-permeable membrane, contaminants like harmful micro-organisms and dissolved solids get stuck on the membrane.

UF water purifier uses hydrostatic pressure to force water through the semi-permeable membrane. The pore size of the semi-permeable membrane is 0.01 micron. It allows only water molecules to pass through it and traps other impurities on the surface.

This water purifier comes with a sediment filter and an activated carbon filter. It removes the VOCs and cysts from your water and improves the taste and odor of your water.

Advantages of UF Water Purifier

• It does not require electricity for the purification process. It uses gravity and natural water pressure to give you purified water.
• Unlike UV water purifiers, UF water purifiers can purify muddy water. Also, it efficiently removes viruses and bacteria from your drinking water.
• UF water purifier does not waste water in the purification process, which is a big concern with RO water purifier because it wastes a lot of water in the purification process.
• RO and UV water purifiers come with many additional components. It makes the installation process quite complicated. This is not a problem with UF water purifier. You can start using it immediately.
• It keeps the essential minerals intact in drinking water.

Disadvantages of UF Water Purifier

• The biggest drawback of a UF water purifier is it does not remove dissolved solids and heavy metals from your water. If your water has a high quantity of dissolved solids and heavy metals, then you should choose an RO water purifier for your home.

RO vs UV vs UF- Which one is the Best Water Purifier for your Home?

Before choosing the best water purifier for your home, you must consider few things. By now, you must have a clear idea about the different types of Water Purifiers available in the market, their advantages and disadvantages, and the impurities present in your drinking water.

The first thing you need to do before finalizing your water purifier is checking the TSD level of your water. In the table below, we have mentioned a few factors to evaluate while choosing the right water purifier for your home.

TDS Level	Turbidity	Biological impurities	Ideal Water Purifier
Below 300 ppm	No	Yes	UV
Below 300 ppm	Yes	No	UF
Below 300 ppm	Yes	Yes	UV+UF
Above 300 ppm	No	Yes	RO+UV
Above 300 ppm	Yes	No	RO+UV+UF
Above 300 ppm	Yes	Yes	RO+UV+UF

Also, you need to check your water for the presence of heavy metals like lead and arsenic. Keeping in mind all these things will help you in choosing the best water purifier for your home.

Besides, if your water requires multiple water filtration, you can go for a modern RO+UV+UF water purifier.

Related Posts:

• 10 Best Water Purifier for your home in India, 2021- Reviews and Buyer’s Guide
• RO (Reverse Osmosis) Water Purifier- Advantages and Disadvantages
• UF (Ultra- Filtration) Water Purifier- Advantages and Disadvantages
• UV Water Purifier- Advantages and Disadvantages
• How to check TDS levels of water at home?