The supply of electricity and water is not always steady. What if you happen to live in one of these areas where it is not steady? Do you have to forego pure water? Fortunately, that is not the case. We do have a solution for you in the form of a gravity-based water purifier.
As the name suggests, these purifiers work on the principle of gravity where water moves from a higher point to a lower point through an activated carbon filter/ Ultrafiltration filter instead of relying on water supply from a tap and electricity to function, as the case would be with an RO water purifier or a UV water purifier.
The gravity-based purifier has two chambers, the upper chamber into which water is filled and the lower chamber into which purified water is collected. They use an activated carbon filter and an ultrafiltration membrane to separate these chambers. An activated carbon filter absorbs impurities that are present in water. The UF filter is a membrane made of hollow fibers, so when the water passes through it, the impurities stick to these fibers.
Ultrafiltration (UF) is a variety of membrane filtration in which forces like pressure or concentration gradients lead to a separation through a semipermeable membrane. Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular weight are retained in the so-called retentate, while water and low molecular weight solutes pass through the membrane in the permeate (filtrate).
Understandably, gravity-based water purifiers are the most commonly used water purifiers in India. They filter out particulate matter, and even microbes up to a point. For those who don’t have a steady supply of water or electricity, this purifier is a life-saver.
Even if you live in an area where the supply of water and electricity is steady, if you are tight on budget or if you are looking for a temporary solution, a gravity-based purifier is not a bad idea. This is especially true if your TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) quotient is around 300 ppm, in which case going for a UV purifier might still be a valid choice but going for an RO purifier would be overkill. If your society already supplies you RO water, then you can just use a gravity-based purifier to doubly ensure that your water is safe.
The advantages of gravity-based water purifier are as follows:
- They don’t require a steady supply of water like an RO purifier would do. They can function just fine even if the water supply is erratic. In fact, they don’t even require plumbing in your home!
- They don’t require a steady supply of electricity as they don’t work on electricity. It is easy to see why these purifiers are still a great choice for the majority of customers.
- They are easy to install and highly portable. They can just sit on the top of a table and hence an extremely flexible option if you are someone who is on the move frequently. However, make sure that you check the TDS of water from time to time in the places you move to because you don’t want to miss out on the goodness of an RO or UV water purifier if the TDS is on the higher side.
- They are easy to maintain. All you need to do is keep replacing the filters as per the instructions in your user manual. They do need manual cleaning of the chambers from time to time, just to ensure good housekeeping.
- They are available in various sizes. It is very important to choose the right size beforehand to make the most out of this appliance. Since you are likely to purchase it because the supply of water and electricity in your area is erratic, we recommend that you go for the largest size for the filtered water to last you a while.
Make sure you opt for a water purifier from a good brand like Pureit whose non-electric purifier has four stages of purification which eliminate dirt, harmful pesticides, bacteria, and viruses, giving you clear, odorless, and natural tasting water.
A good brand will also ensure that the material used is of food-grade quality and non-toxic. The last thing you want is for toxicity to seep into your water from the water purifier itself!
Let’s look at some top features of the best gravity-based purifier from Pureit:
- Virus removal: Removes one crore of viruses from one liter of water.
- Auto shut off: Ensures that you don’t drink even one impure drop of water as it shuts off the filter if anything is amiss.
- Activated Carbon Trap: It removes pesticides and any undesirable odors.
- Break-resistance tap: Tested 50,000 times to see that you get the best quality product.
- Imported micro-charged membrane: Equipped with double protection that re-purifies the already filtered water.
- Germkill Kit Indicator: Alerts you when the Germkill Kit needs to be replaced as a part of maintenance.
- Up to 9-liter water storage capacity and 23-liter purifier volume
- Lightweight body: The 23-liter volume purifier weighs 3.7 kg
A Pureit non-electric water purifier price range starts from Rs 1500 and can go up to 3500.
