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Friday, March 29 2024
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What is a UV Water Purifier, and How Does It Work?

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In a time when our reservoirs, rivers, seas, as well as lakes, are loaded with chemicals, getting access to pure water is almost impossible. However, with the advent of technology, homeowners can now make use of UV water purifiers and have access to water that is pure to the core.

While most Americans do have proper access to pollutant-free drinking water, an infected tap can add in contaminants such as copper or arsenic, which is equally harmful to our wellbeing. As per research, water pollution killed about 1.8 million people in the year 2015. So, it is only obvious that we should make use of the best possible technologies to bring home only freshwater minus the contaminants.

Among the trending technologies for water filtration is a UV or Ultraviolet-Ray based water purifier. From cholera to typhoid, you can avoid it all with drinking water purified with the UV filter. So, what exactly is it, and how does it work?

UV Water Purifier Explained: What is it?
UV water purifiers make use of a regulated variant of ultraviolet radiation that gets rid of the harmful pathogens and contaminants present in water. This filter helps treat microbiologically unsafe water. With the germicidal ultraviolet radiation, the filter’s wavelength helps scramble the DNA or RNA of any living organism that might be contaminating your water.

This technique refrains them from reproducing and hence doesn’t make you sick. Now, if you happen to drink this bacteria-infested water, these organisms might get lodged deep within your body’s digestive tract and replicate to make you sick in the worst way possible.

With the ultraviolet radiation, your water is free from bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi with a damaged nucleic acid within the contaminant’s DNA.

Now that we know what exactly a UV purifier is; let us know more about how it works.

How does your UV Purifier function?
Your UV purifier is designed to expose living organisms like viruses, bacteria, or cysts to the germ-killing ultraviolet wave. With the right amount of energy, the UV radiation kept at 254-nm wavelength can travel and disrupt the reproductive DNA and hence break the infection cycle.

Now, the first thing you need to understand about a UV purifier is the UV dosage it can discharge for each cleaning session. The higher the dosage, the better is the decontamination process for your drinking water. When kept at a recommended threshold, this energy is optimum to inactivate a good chunk of the water-based microorganisms.

While researchers are regularly coming up with new and better variants of UV filters, the latest in the market is the one with RO+UV+UF+TDS water purifier features.

What exactly does the UV filter remove?
UV light or radiation is used for the deactivation of living organisms. However, it might not be able to remove any inorganic particles from water.

Here are some contaminants that can be treated with UV filters:

  • Giardia
  • Cryptosporidium
  • Salmonella
  • E.Coli
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis
  • Dysentry bacilli
  • Hepatitis B
  • Algae
  • Cholera
  • Fungi
  • Streptococcus
  • Virus (Only some variants)

What is inside your UV water filter?
A traditional UV water filter is comprised of a chamber that encloses or safeguards an entire system. The UV radiation lamp is held within a sleeve created from glass quartz material. This sleeve emits the germicidal wavelength or the UV-C for deactivation of the living organisms.

The quartz material is completely transparent to any UV radiation and allows the light to enter into the water particles. On the other hand, the quartz sleeve helps protect this UV light/lamp from any water penetration as water and electricity do not gel well and might lead to electrocution.

The o-rings added to the quartz glass help seal the complete system for better performance. Your UV lamp is designed to function with the help of mercury vapors. It simultaneously gets loaded into this UV lamp as little beads. On several occasions, you might see multiple beads rolling close to the lamp. These are the same mercury beads that vaporize to fuel up the UV lamp.

Are UV filters actually safe for use?
As per research, UV light treatment for water is completely safe. There is no use of harmful chemicals, and it doesn’t even alter the water’s composition. Most UV treatment filters make use of UV-C radiation for the disinfection purpose. Now, this light or radiation variant isn’t harmful to us. However, in case you happen to look or touch this UV bulb when it is working, it might lead to exposure-related issues.

Several water-filtration companies make use of chlorine for treatment, which is a good alternative. However, UV treatment is way effective and safer. UV light can also treat your drinking water for protozoa-based infection, which is impossible to clean off with chlorine-based disinfectants.

Plus, the UV filter is way easier to keep up with. In simple terms, it is fairly easy to maintain backed with a safe disinfection option. Chlorine-based water treatment requires the use of a big retention tank along with the right solutions and injections. However, the UV purification process is much simpler, with no harmful by-products that come from the filtration process.

What are the advantages of using UV water filters?

  • Helps disinfect your drinking water without the unnecessary addition of chemicals
  • Doesn’t add any unwanted odor or taste to your water
  • Is fairly easy when it comes to maintenance
  • No wastage of water
  • Doesn’t wear out in case of natural disasters when the city water tends to be compromised

Conclusion
Regardless of the water cleaning method you use, the key is to make it as safe and eco-friendly as possible. With reliable, modern-day UV filters, you can let go of all your contaminant-related worries and consume water that uplifts both your mood as well as health. Make sure you look for a feature-packed filter that also houses the RO facility for in-depth cleaning of drinking water.
So, start drinking that fresh glass of water and watch as your health improves rapidly!

 

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