Drinking plenty of fresh, clean water is key to staying fit and healthy.
Regardless of the season, or what you’re doing each day, your daily dose of water will ensure that all of the internal systems in your body can continue working exactly as they should be. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t know for certain how safe their drinking water actually is.
Bottled water is generally quite safe, depending on the brand that you buy it from. However, the water you get from your faucets and other locations won’t always be as clean and pure as you think. That’s why many people find themselves looking into the benefits of RO vs UV vs UF drinking water solutions. They are also interested in knowing whether or not a water purifier without electricity is a viable solution to their needs.
If you’ve ever asked the question, “What is UF water purifier technology?” you’ve come to the right place.
What Is a UF Water Purifier?
UF is a type of water purification process that utilizes the standard water pressure in your faucets to push water through semipermeable membranes. This aims to remove any of the dangerous contaminants in your water, so you can drink clean water with confidence.
Ultrafiltration water purifier systems can push water through membranes as small as .02 microns. The suspended particles in the water that are too large to pass through the membrane stick to the outer surface. This ensures that only fresh water and minerals that have dissolved into the water can pass through. With UF water filtration, the minerals stay in the water while viruses, bacteria, and parasites are removed.
What Can Ultrafiltration Remove?
Before we consider comparing a gravity based water purifier vs RO devices, it might be worth examining the kind of contaminants that ultrafiltration can remove. If you choose a UF water purifier, then you’ll be looking for a certain level of purified water. You might want to maintain some of the minerals and vitamins in your water, while still achieving the right level of purification to remove dissolved substances, toxins, bacteria, and other disease-causing organisms.
UF water purifiers are excellent for filtering tap water. The superfine filters that they use work well with typical home water pressure, and the particles removed can be up to 5,000 times smaller than the average human hair. Through ultrafiltration, you get a massive reduction in potential contaminants. While this specific type of filtration system can’t remove everything from your water, you can add special filters that help to keep your water free from chlorine taste and odor, and various volatile organic compounds.
Additionally, ultrafiltration water purifier systems last for a while – usually around two years. If you’re searching for an eco-friendly way to get rid of unwanted bacteria in your tap water, then a UF purifier could be the tool you’re looking for. Since it works really well with regular tap water, it is useful in a range of settings. In addition, it’s good for the environment too. Ultrafiltration water purifier technology boasts a 95% recovery rate, so the water that’s wasted from your tap can be reused.
What Is RO in Water Purifier Technology?
If you’re wondering, “What is RO, UV, UF technology?” then once you know about UF, the next thing to do is learn about reverse osmosis, or RO. While many ultra-filtration systems use hollow fibre membranes to filter water from the inside out, RO as a water treatment process takes a very different approach.
Usually considered to give the most extensive form of filtration, a reverse osmosis system uses a membrane with the smallest possible pore size. Most gravity based water purifiers vs RO comparison guides state that an RO purifier can get rid of more substances than gravity-based ones. Unfortunately, this isn’t always a good thing. Some people have suggested that the excessive filtration of a reverse osmosis membrane means that you miss out on some of the crucial vitamins and minerals that you would usually get in your water.
Unlike what happens in RO water purifier systems, purifiers using UF technology retain more of the beneficial minerals that an RO system would remove. However, this also means that the water ultrafiltration system also doesn’t remove any of the fluoride, salts, and total dissolved solids or TDS in your water. Additionally, while a UF membrane works with low water pressure and tap water, RO requires a booster pump to work properly.
The Benefits of Using RO Filters
When it comes to choosing the best purifier for your needs, an RO filter is usually the choice for people who want a low-cost solution but want to achieve cleaner purified water. Your RO filter will be able to remove dissolved contaminants that other water filtration options simply couldn’t grab. This means that if you’re particularly sensitive to dissolved substances such as toxic metals in your water, then an RO filter might be a much better option for you.
Additionally, compared to a UV water purifier that requires the use of electricity, an RO water purifier and filter can give you better-tasting and cleaner water without forcing you to spend a fortune on your energy bills. Many consumers also aren’t willing to pay the high cost of drinking completely bacteria-free water with a UV filter. Furthermore, people generally prefer to use RO purification over the UF membrane filtration system because the purified drinking water significantly tastes better.
Ultrafiltration vs Reverse Osmosis Membranes
All this talk about UF membrane options and water pressure might leave you wondering about the different kinds of membranes that can be used to deliver the best bacteria-free water for your home. There are different levels of membrane filters used in reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration.
Generally, UF water purifiers are used when people prefer to keep minerals in their water. Some people believe that they get the best quality water when important minerals are retained, and only microscopic contaminants are removed through filtration. In some cases, customers will choose a UF system over an RO system because they also find that less water is wasted too. If you’re living in an environment where the use of water is regulated, then you may need a filter that doesn’t remove dissolved particles as much as UV or RO water purifiers do.
Alternatively, reverse osmosis water purifiers are often used in situations when people want to remove as much as possible from their water. If you’re living in an area where there is a high number of contaminants in your water, then you’ll need a higher quality membrane for purification. In this case, you will choose RO water purifiers to strip every dissolved substance from the water. Some people will prefer RO purified water from their tap or refrigerator, particularly when they’re relying on well-water supplies.
RO isn’t just great for tap water either; it can also be excellent for saltwater aquariums. RO water is preferred over regular water because it is free from chlorine and other elements not ordinarily found in natural saltwater.
The Difference Between UV and UF Water Filters
Another term that you might come across when looking into safe water filtration systems, is UV or ultraviolet purifiers. These purifiers contain a special UV lamp that allows raw water to pass through. Because the intensity of the UV light is so significant, it can eliminate disease-causing bacteria, pathogens, and viruses, before you drink the water.
While a UF water purifier uses semi-permeable membranes to filter out bacteria, viruses, and other impurities, a UV lamp can kill more of the unseen bacteria and smaller substances that would pass through a UF filter, or even an RO purifier. However, the UV system runs on electricity so if you’re looking for a water purifier without electricity requirements, then the UV lamp option might not be the right one for you.
On the other hand, on questions concerning needed water pressure in order for RO UV UF systems to work, the RO and UF options only require low water pressure. A UV purifier, on the other hand, requires running water with the best possible pressure.
Now that you know what is UF water purifier technology all about, then you’ve already realized that it is more economical than other filtration systems. Although a UV water purifier might give you more protection to filter away unwanted elements and bacteria, you will need to spend more money on this kind of filtration product. Not only will you spend more on the UV water purifier than you would with a UF purifier, but you’ll also pay for high electricity bills in the long-term.
When Would You Use a UV Water Purifier?
So, when would you choose a UV purifier powered by electricity for your purified water? Usually, people will choose a UV water purifier when they don’t want to take any risks when it comes to drinking water. Although these tools are more expensive, they ensure that the water you are drinking is completely free from all disease-causing bacteria and other harmful contaminants. The UV light can eliminate contaminants in your water that other membrane-based filters won’t be able to capture on their own.
If you have a higher sensitivity to contaminants than most people, and you need to ensure that your purified water is free from anything that could cause a bad taste or stomach pain, then a UV purifier is best for your needs. However, it’s worth noting that UV is still incapable of removing dissolved solids. If you want to remove dissolved solids from your liquids and save money on electricity at the same time, opt for an RO system instead. RO is the only filtration product that works to ensure that your water is free of harmful bacteria and dissolved substances.
Which Is the Best Water Purifier for You?
Now that we’ve answered the question, ‘What is UF water purifier technology?” it is time to determine which water purifier suits you best.
The right water purifier technology can give you peace of mind and better-tasting water too. In addition, choosing the best water purifier or water treatment technology is bound to be a personal choice. Some people prefer the taste of clean water from an RO purifier while others value the extra bacterial protection offered by a UV water purifying system.
However, if you’re looking for a water purifier without electricity that works well at removing a high number of contaminants while keeping beneficial minerals, then a UF water purifier is likely the best option for you.
The best way to decide which purifier you like best is to taste the water passed through each purifier option. That way, you can make a decision based on the unique experience that each purifier can give.