How Do Water Filters Work? Here are 3 Types of Filters

Water filters are a mandatory requirement given the number of contaminants present in water by the time it reaches the taps. In this article, we have discussed about the 3 types of filters that make the water fit for consumption.

No one can deny the importance of clean and safe drinking water and the role of water filters in making it accessible. With this increasing significance, the demand for water purifiers is also increasing at an incredible pace. There are many water purifiers available in the market today, which vary a lot when it comes to features, technologies used and prices.

Water is a very good solvent, which is the reason why pollutants and contaminants dissolve it in easily. However, consuming contaminated water is detrimental to health and hence requires proper purification before consumption. Today, we will focus on the types of filters that used in water purifiers. These are:

UF Filter

If the water contains industrial solvents, chlorine-based chemicals that are generally added during the waste water purification, then using a water filter that uses activated carbon granules is recommended. These activated carbon granules are a porous form of carbon having a huge internal surface area. This area contains nooks and crannies where the impurities from water are trapped and the treated water becomes safe for consumption. This filter is not good if water is hard, contains heavy metals, nitrates, fluorine and biological contaminants.

UV Filter

UF filter is ideal for purifying water that has high levels of microbial contaminants. Ultraviolet radiation destroys all the biological contaminants present in water that are harmful to health. However, avoid storing the UV-treated water for long before consumption. The reason is the contaminants from the surrounding air can find their way in water. It is also a very environment-friendly way of purifying water as this filter doesn’t require any added chemicals or additional heat to be effective.

Reverse Osmosis Filter

These filters are extremely popular these days as they have an incredible potential of removing all types of contaminants. This is the reason why RO purifiers are ideal for treating any kind of water. In an RO water purifier, water passes a semipermeable membrane by applying pressure. This membrane has very minute pores through which only the molecules of water can pass, whereas the contaminants stay behind. The resultant water is 100% safe for consumption.

These three filters are commonly found in the water purifiers available in the market. Though all these filters are very effective on different contaminants, a combination of two or more of these filters is used to make sure that all are removed from the water. This helps in making the water reasonably safe and pure for consumption.