Water systems that utilize water purification methods like Reverse Osmosis (R.O.), distillation, Berkey purification, and so forth deliver pure water. There are other purification methods, yet these are the most widely recognized.
Water systems that utilize filtration methods such as adsorption, carbon, activated carbon, kinetic degradation fluxion (KDF), and particulate filtration deliver filtered drinking water.
Many people tend to utilize the terms water purification and water filtration reciprocally. Be that as it may, in the water business, they are not the same. The greater part of the distinctive water filters available utilize at least one water filtration as well as water purification methods.
There has always been an ongoing comparison between the Berkey Purification, Reverse Osmosis and Distillation water purification methods. As a matter of fact, these three purification process shares the same goal— which is to ensure every household that they have an easy access to safe and drinkable water.
However, as a consumer, you may ask yourself questions as to the differences that sets these three apart. It would be inconvenient at your part to have all three water purification processes done inside your home. Thus, the need to decide on which one would be perfect, convenient and reliable to you.
In this article, you will see the differences between Berkey Purification, Reverse Osmosis and Distillation. This article aims to help you have a clearer and better understanding of these three water purification methods. By the end of this article, you will be able to finally decide as to which water purification process you would prefer.
What Is Purified Water?
Filtered water is characterized by the levels (or scarcity thereof) of any contaminations found in the water. To meet the lawful meaning of “purified water,” water pollutants must be expelled or diminished to highly low levels. The pollution bundle of dissolved solids in purified water can’t surpass 10 sections for each million, and water that meets this edge is naturally of a higher purity than spring water, tap water, or filtered water.
Purified vs. Filtered Water
Purified water is frequently mistaken for filtered water. Many individuals trust the two terms to be synonymous, yet this isn’t the situation. While the two sorts of water are liable to some kind of filtration (as is practically every spring water), purified water is washed down and purified through extra purification forms, commonly reverse osmosis, distillation, or deionization. The product result, “purified” water, is of fundamentally higher purity than either spring water, tap water, or filtered water.
Purified water may begin from either a spring, surface or groundwater source or specifically from the tap. It just doesn’t make a difference. Since the purification procedure is intended to expel practically a wide range of contaminants, the nature of the source water has small bearing on the nature of the last item.
However, our source water meets the EPA minimum drinking water standards before any purification is even done. Read that once more—that is the thing that we begin with. We purify that water widely and truly expel over 99.5% of every approaching polluting influence. An appropriately composed and working purification system will deliver to highly pure water without fail, regardless of varieties in the source water’s quality. This isn’t valid for spring water, tap water, or filtered water. Thus, purified water is seen as the target benchmark against which the purity of different waters is judged.
Which Is Best: Distilled or Purified Water?
The most intriguing piece of this is the way that distilled water is purified water. That is right—the procedure of distillation is one of the advances used to purify water. Reverse Osmosis is another innovation that is utilized to purify water. The enormous contrast is that boiling water consumes a gigantic amount of energy. Consider it: all the water must be boiled until there’s no longer left (it’s altogether turned to steam). That is a ton of energy. On the other hand, Reverse Osmosis innovation consumes far less energy—commercial systems like our own used energy proficient pumps to play out their purification, and the final product is impressively sufficient.
The familiar hearsay about distilled water tasting level or just being utilized for steam irons are basically not genuine. The reason distilled water was suggested for irons is essentially in light of the fact that the minerals that can stop up the little steam holes have been expelled—which keeps your iron decent and clean. There’s nothing wrong with drinking it.
Importance of a Clean and Drinkable Water
Every household and person deserves the right to an easy access to safe and drinkable water. However, given the different advancements and modernization in this generation, it is hard to have such access. It is barely possible to be completely certain about the safety levels of drinking waters that surround us. Different kinds of water contaminants continue to grow in number, size and form.
It is only but important to make sure that you and your loved ones have the access to a purified drinking water. Because, as simple as a clean and safe water can significantly improve one’s lifestyle and health, in general.
Consider the significance of water. Did you realize that water represents more than 70% of your body? We are contained generally of water. Moreover, our blood mineral substance is strikingly like salt water.
Healthy water consumption can help us from numerous ways.
- You can think better. A completely hydrated mind really works better.
- Your strength boosts. Did you realize that your muscles work better when your body is completely hydrated?
- Immunity – even your resistance or immune system can work better.
- It flushes junks out of your system. A completely hydrated body is better at disposing of the things it doesn’t require.
- You’d be surprised at the manner that you can have more energy when you drink sufficient amounts of water.
There are quite a large number of good motivations to take in a decent and enough supply of water. Obviously, you can likely observe why it is essential to have clean water.
Now, you know the importance of your drinking water, how you may be able to keep it safe? There are three well-recognized water purification methods that are circling the globe these days. This article will be discussing each type of water purifying method— explaining their unique features, characteristics, methods and advantages.
BERKEY PURIFICATION
First up, we have the Berkey Purification method. There are numerous of purification methods that makes up the Berkey Purification process. In that light, it is by far a great guarantee that your water would indeed be turned safe and drinkable. For the very reason that, Berkey Purification offers a number of options for water purification methods. Each designed to match your lifestyle and to bring about convenience to each household.
Furthermore, all these purification methods are combined to produce one powerful purification unit. What is outstanding about the Berkey Purification is that it is composed of 6 different media types. Because of that innovation, Microfiltration happens.
What is MICROFILTRATION?
Basically, Microfiltration is the process of eliminating microscopic organisms from the water. But, for the case of the Berkey purification this is how it is processed. The six different media types, altogether, create millions of small, tiny, micro pores on the filters. Because of that, a Torturous Path is developed. A Torturous Path makes it impossible for any microscopic contaminant to escape the filter. In that manner, pathogenic bacteria, protozoans, parasites, sediments and other unwanted elements are trapped in the filter. Which disables them to carry along contaminating the water.
Adsorption
Microfiltration is not the only unique advantage of the Berkey Purification. What makes it more astounding is the ability of it to “adsorp” and “absorb”. In short, adsorption is the secondary barrier that prevents the unwanted elements to contaminate the drinking water. The way it works is that Adsorption blocks the microscopic pores of the filter, to prevent contaminants smaller than the pores itself to pass through.
Ion Exchange Process and Flow Rate
Water contains heavy metal contaminants too. These various types of heavy metals are removed from the water through the process of an Ion Exchange. To which it attracts the heavy metals and are immediately transformed because of the electrical bonding to the media. Lastly, if you will observe, the flow rate for the water molecules to pass through the filter is extremely slow. Records prove that it takes minutes for the water molecules to literally pass through the filters. As oppose to other competing processes which takes seconds to do so. Given that comparison, the longer duration for the water molecules to pass through the filters just shows the great removal rate of the filters when it comes to eliminating unwanted contaminants.
Because of these three methods combined, it gives the Berkey Purification a huge advantage among other competing brands. Because, as a matter of fact, only Berkey Purification has the ability to do so without having to use harmful chemicals.
Advantages:
- Microscopic organisms are filtered to a 99.99999% and viruses to a 99.9999% level.
- Filters chlorine to indistinguishable levels.
- Lead and other heavy metals are separated up to 95%.
- At the point when the black Berkey filter is utilized as a part of conjunction with the available PF-2 channel, basically all unwanted contaminants are expelled especially fluoride. Truth be told, they filter water so well that they are graded by the EPA NSF/ANSI as water purifiers—purifiers incredibly surpass water filtration measures.
- Low support systems—no costly hardware or additional pipes is needed.
- Minerals are not expelled from the water.
- It is certainly reasonable. Black Berkey filters will refine 3,000 gallons! Relying upon your families water use, one filter should last you for a couple of years.
- Berkey filtration systems can be utilized as a part of emergency circumstances. They can be utilized with water including lake or stream water.
Disadvantages:
- You should manually refill the chamber, however normally once a day is enough for your family and it’s a simple errand for a 9-year-old.
- In the event that you need to expel fluoride from the water you should buy a different filter.
- You need to discover some place on your counter to put it.
- Unless you are making ice cubes the way our forefathers would have done it, your ice cubes won’t be made out of filtered water.
REVERSE OSMOSIS
As commonly defined, Reverse Osmosis is the process to which minerals and ions are removed from the water. This is done through applying a huge force as your push it through a specific membrane. You may question still, what happens if the contaminants fail to pass through this single membrane? Good question! As a matter of fact, Reverse Osmosis is also equipped with Sediment and Carbon Filters.
It is as simple as that, not at all complicated. However, as simple as it may sound, do not be fooled. Because, Reverse Osmosis is capable of bring much more than just simplicity to the table. As a matter of fact, there are a number of advantages for this particular water purification method.
The benefits of considering Reverse Osmosis:
- Improves Taste – Reverse Osmosis has the ability to remove specific contaminants that causes the water to have an unwanted odor, taste and even appearance.
- Easy Maintenance – Reverse Osmosis has no complicated set-ups nor designs. It easy to assemble and remove. Also, cleaning and replacing it is not difficult because it is only composed of few replaceable parts.
- Eliminates Impurities – Reverse Osmosis is a water purification method that can remove various contaminants. Such as, pesticides, sulfates, bacteria, arsenic, pharmaceutical and more. It also contains a carbon filter which eliminates chlorine and chloramines that are found in the water.
- Reverse Osmosis filtration is fully automated, reasonably practical and ensures efficiency and safety.
The disadvantages of Reverse Osmosis:
- It is costly -In-home set-ups can be a costly alternative. They can cost a lot to set up and to keep up as filters should be taken over much of the time and are not reasonable.
- Expels minerals from the water— such as salt, lead, manganese, iron and calcium, as well as certain chemicals.
- Waste of Water– This system wastes a considerable measure of water. You wind up with a considerable measure of water waste contrasted with separated water— about three gallons of water for each gallon it filters.
DISTILLATION
It is safe to say that a passing rate of the readers would have an idea of what Distillation is all about. This particular water purification process has been around for quite some time now. It has also been used widely and popularly across many places. If you are looking for something that is cheap, quick and still effective, distillation might be the right choice for you.
However, the off side of distillation is the certainty of removing contaminants surely and safely. Why? because of distillation being comparatively easy than the other two, the chances of it being completely effective is low.
Distillation, scientifically, is the process of separating one type of mixture from another type of mixture. All depending on the condition that changes the phases or levels of the components involved.
How Does it Work?
There are two primary components that are used to fulfill this process. These are having a source of heat and a condenser.
Water has a lower boiling point compared to contaminants that are commonly found in tap or untreated water. So, what will happen is that, upon boiling the untreated water, the water will turn into vapor. As it happens, everything else (the contaminants) is left behind. Then, the water vapor would go directly to the condensing coil as it returns to its liquid form again.
The tricky part about distillation is that you have to make sure that the heat you are using to boil the water should not go beyond the minimum temperature that is required to normally boil water. Because, that may cause other unwanted elements to vaporize too.
Advantages:
- It decreases the heavy metals and fluoride in your drinking water.
- It kills any microscopic organisms or bacteria hiding the water.
Disadvantages:
- There are numerous hazardous contaminants that are not expelled from water since they vaporize at the same or lower temperature as water.
- Expels minerals from the water.
- It is large and costly to set up.
- It is highly efficient, wasting nearly five gallons for each gallon of water that is filtered.
Conclusion
Not all filters and purification methods are created equal. Some take out lead and heavy metals, some simply filter for taste. So you truly need to do a little research and ensure you are getting a filter and method that is appropriate for you, one that will satisfy your needs.
The response to the query, “What is the best innovation to purify water” will differ relying upon many components; these incorporate feed water quality, temperature, end-product specification, pH and different parameters.
If you may notice, Berkey Purification has the longest description among the three. But, guarantee you, all details needed to explain each method has been provided. It is just Berkey Purification is a bit more complex compared to the other two. Because, of its multi-stages of filtering the water. Which on the brighter side, could guarantee a much more safe and drinkable water. The great feature and efficiency of the gravity filtration process used in the Berkey water purification system has been proven to stand the test of time.
EcoBlueLife.com is a replacement water and air filter company located in the United States. The views and opinions contained herein are solely those of the original author and do not represent Eco Blue Life or its affiliates. This article was originally published on TheBerkey.com
