Saturday, March 12, 2011

Portable Water Purifier vs Portable Water Filter

Portable Water Purifier are self-contained units that can be used by recreational enthusiasts, military personnel, survivalists, and others who must obtain drinking water from untreated sources (e.g., rivers, lakes, etc.). The objective of these personal devices is to render unchlorinated water potable (that is, safe for drinking purposes). Portable water purifiers and filters come in many variations. It can be overwhelming to have to look through all the options and alternatives. I wanted to put this guide together to provide a quick overview on your options when choosing the right portable water purifier and/or filter for your needs.

What is the difference between a portable water purifier and a portable water filter?

They both operate on the same basic premise and mechanical-based process. Purifiers typically remove bacteria (such as campylobacter jejuni), protozoan cysts (such as giardia lamlia) and viruses (such as hepatitis A) from contaminated water. Portable water filters remove bacteria and protozoan cysts only and do not remove viruses. Viruses are too tiny to be trapped by only a filter; water purifiers cause water to interact with iodine which can render viruses inactive. Viruses are less prevalent in North American water and are a greater threat in developing countries. Basically, purifiers just add an additional layer of protection over portable water filters. It is also important to look at the filter pore size of purifiers and filters. Pore size is an industry standard measurement. Typically bacteria cannot get through anything .2 microns or smaller although .3 and .4 microns may be adequate in many circumstances.


What are the different types of filters available?
  • Ceramic: the longest lasting type of medium that can be cleaned many times before replacement
  • Ceramic with carbon: same as above but can filter out the taste of halogens and some organic chemicals and pesticides/herbicides
  • Fiberglass: similar to ceramic in effectiveness but does not last as long
  • Structured matrix: A honeycombed material that is good at capturing pathogens
  • Iodine resin: A chemical layer that is integrated with filtering to deactivate (not remove) viruses
These are several water purifiers and several water filters on the market:
    


      













































Differences between water purifiers and water filters

There are several factors built into the price when it comes to portable water purifiers and filters. Water purifiers offer more protection but may cost more. How cleanable the device is in the field, the longevity of the device and filter, and the pore size of the filter are extremely important. Take a close look at specifications. Pump force is another factor to consider. Some have a higher (harder to pump) rating than others. However, often the trade-off is a longer lasting filter. The type of filter also is reflected in its price.

Hopefully this introduction will help you gain some insight to portable purifiers and filters and how they function.

UV Water Purifier for Home Appliance

UV water purifier produce UV-C or "germicidal UV," radiation of much greater intensity than sunlight. Most of a UV lamp's output is concentrated in the 254 nanometers (nm) region in order to take full advantage of the germicidal properties of this wavelength. Most ultraviolet purification systems are combined with various types of filtration, as UV light is simply capable of killing microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, molds, algae, yeast, and oocysts like cryptosporidium and giardia. UV light generally has no impact on chlorine, VOCs, heavy metals, and other chemical contaminants. Nevertheless, it is probably the most affordable and efficient technology available to homeowners to get rid of a wide range of biological contaminants from their water supply. Recent testing has also shown that UV can be effective at destroying certain VOC's, although we would not specifically recommend the technology for VOC reduction.

UV water treatment offers many advantages over other forms of water treatment for micobiological pollutants. Most prominently, it does not bring in any chemicals to the water, it produces no bi-products, and it doesn't alter the taste, pH, or other properties of the water. Accordingly, in addition to producing safe drinking water, it is not harmful to your plumbing and septic system. Further, it is easy and cost-effective to install and hold without having special training.

How it Works
UV water purifier uses a UV light source (lamp) which is encased in a protective transparent sleeve (usually quartz). The lamp is mounted such that water passing through a flow chamber is exposed to the UV-C light rays. When harmful microbes are exposed to the UV rays, their nucleic acid absorbs the UV energy, which then scrambles the DNA structure of the organism. The cell is rendered sterile and can no longer reproduce. The cell is now considered dead and is no longer a threat.

UV treatment is a superb choice to eliminate biological contaminants from most home drinking water, whether your home is on a municipal water system or untreated private system (well, lake water, etc.). Its sole purpose is to kill harmful biological contaminants, and therefore should always be combined with other forms of filtration (GAC / carbon block, KDF, or reverse osmosis) for reduction of pollutants, chlorine, VOC's, and other chemical contaminants.

UV is known to be highly effective against bacteria, viruses, algae, molds and yeasts, and disease causing oocysts like cryptosporidium and giardia. In practice, bacteria and viruses are the cause of most major waterborne pathogenic diseases. Of these enteric viruses, hepatitis virus and Legionella pneumophila have been shown to survive for considerable periods in the presence of chlorine, but are readily eliminated by UV treatment. For most microorganisms, the removal efficiency of UV for microbiological contaminants such as bacteria and virus generally exceeds 99.99%. Specifically, the following are moved to an efficiency of greater than 99.99%: E-coli, Salmonella typhl (Typhoid fever), Salmonella enteritidis (Gastroenteritis), Vibrio cholerae (Cholera), Mycobacetrium Tuberculosis (Tuberculosis), Legionella pneumophila (Legionnaires' Disease), Influenza Virus, Polio virus, and Hepatitus A Virus (better than 90%). Countertop UV systems are generally not recommended for removing oocysts such as giardia and cryptosporidium unless equipped with a 0.5 micron carbon block pre-filter since the exposure time the contaminant has to the UV ray is not always long enough to provide an adequate UV dose for disinfection of these more complex organisms. Whole house UV systems like the Trojan UV Max on the other hand, are capable or killing waterborne oocysts at household flow rates when a properly sized model is selected for the application.

Advantages
Mostly of the affordable technologies for the home that effectively kills the majority of bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms.

There is a several products that provide portable UV water purifier system,  one of the well-known is Crystal Quest 1 GPM Ultraviolet Water Sterilizer System. A compact design with affordable price.

Reason to buy water purification products

Are you aware of that experts claim half of the world's stay in hospital are due to water related diseases? It is but a heart weakening fact that over 1.4 million deaths of children occur every year due to consumption of unpurified water; in nearly every 20 seconds a child dies! One of the dreaded diseases that cause death among children under the age of five globally is diarrhea. Records substantiate the fact that one in five child deaths are due to diarrhea, killing more children than malaria, measles, and AIDS combined. Why take risks or cause danger to your child's as well as your other family members' health when water purifier solutions can be found in the market. If you are still water to drink directly from the tap or any other water source, get a water purification system installed instantly. A series of the modern water purifier can be obtained at organized stores and also right at the comfort and ease of your home. Choose a reliable product and buy it.

It is a worrisome affair too if you use an old-fashioned water purification system. This is because such a system cannot effectively remove new age contaminants, micro organisms, and other dissolved particles. It is never far too late. Switch your system now.

Utilizing the right purifier in sync with the water type also matters. It is after getting the water tested that you will know which mechanism you may need. If you are preferred to use a reverse osmosis water  purification system, there are numerous factors that require to be considered. Reverse osmosis systems that produce totally mineral deficient water have side effects on human health, leading them to be an non-viable investment. If you must have an reverse osmosis purifier, select one that is capable of retaining essential minerals. One of the best Reverse osmosis systems is Tap Master® Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System or you can have a Watts WP5-50 Premier Five-Stage Manifold Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment System.
First is selecting a reliable brand, one which has preserved a rapport for delivering superlative hi-tech systems for years together. Another is taking into account the RO membrane incorporated in the reverse osmosis water purification system. Generally, there are two common types of household RO membranes used - Cellulose Triacetate (CTA) membrane and Thin Film Composite (TFC or TFM) membrane.

The water you get out of your tap may be stuffed with micro organisms, chlorine, as well as other contaminants. Though both the reverse osmosis membranes effectively purify the water, there is yet a distinction between them. This difference is related to chlorine tolerance and filtration ability. The CTA membrane though chlorine tolerant, is more vulnerable to fouling from micro organisms. TFC/TFM membrane is less susceptible to organic fouling and rejects 98% of standard contaminants on an average.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Water Purifiers for Healthy Life

Physicians often suggest us to drink plenty of water. The frequent advice is to drink 8-9 glasses of water per day. Our bodies needs water to keep moisturized and work better. Water flushes the toxins out of our systems and helps prevent oxidation. But what if the water we drink is so polluted that instead of cleansing our insides, it makes us sick? Well, we can’t stop consuming water; what we can do is find a method to make certain that the water that enters your body is safe and clean.

This is where home water purifiers part of. Improvements in water purification technology make it likely for us to drink pure and crystal clear water and stay healthy. Most cutting edge water purifiers not just purify water almost completely but also use technology that eliminates the negative effects that earlier purifiers came with.
The health benefits of using drinking water filters or purifiers are significant. 

Comprehensive home water purifiers:

  1. Control water borne intestinal disorders and bacterial contamination - purifiers terminate bacteria, viruses and pathogens as well as giardia and cryptosporidium, which can cause persistent gastrointestinal upsets. Safe water to drink protects against diarrhoea, amoebic dysentery, cholera, typhoid, jaundice and other ailments.
  2. Might lessen the risk of developing certain varieties of cancer by eliminating chlorine, that is known to be very dangerous. Chlorine frees certain by products which can be thought to be cancer causing.
  3. Avoid oxidation by eliminating chemical toxins and chemical toxins such as copper, cadmium, lead, magnesium, silica and chromium. Lead in particular is very harmful and should not be ingested.
  4. Retain essential natural minerals, which are required for good health. They restore the PH balance of water. Water that is acidic in nature harms the body. The water that we drink should be alkaline.
  5. Remove pesticides that can prove to be toxic if allowed to remain in water.
  6. Eliminate excessive iron and fluoride. Water with high iron content is known to cause constipation and other problems. While fluoride in small quantities aids dental health, a high concentration may damage teeth and bones.
  7. Eliminate excessive salt deposits.
  8. Effectively assist in cleansing the system by providing pure and clear water.
  9. A suitable residential water purifier thus has an important part playing in keeping human health. Not every water purifiers are completely positive, though. Many chemical like based purification systems leave harmful chemicals in the water. These should be avoided.
  10. Reverse osmosis systems that produce totally mineral deficient water have side effects on human health, leading them to be an non-viable investment. If you must have an reverse osmosis purifier, select one that is capable of retaining essential minerals. One of the best Reverse osmosis systems is Watts WP5-50 Premier Five-Stage Manifold Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment System
  11. Also, select a purifier that uses technology that removes all biological and other contaminants. There are purification systems today that claim to destroy or deactivate 100 percent of micro organisms and remove more than 90 percent of dissolved solids.
The health benefits that result from utilizing an efficient and thorough family water purifier are worth considering. The ideal water purifier can safeguard you and your loved ones from dangerous problems and hospital expenses