I want to know about benchtop drinking water purifies
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Hello Dave
I don’t know about water purifiers, so I can’t help.
Perhaps others would be more inclined to respond if you were more specific in your question; what is it you are actually wanting to know?
Benchtop drinking water purifiers, I want to know which is the best and where to get one.
Have you done a web search? I just did and Vevor came out on top.
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You need to work out what you want first. What do you want it to filter? just chlorine? fluoride if you live where the water is fluoridated (you will need a reverse osmosis filter for this)? Do you want to remove all the metals dissolved in the water then you will need Reverse osmosis so there are no dissolved solids? How bad is the quality of the water where you live? Do you know the % dissolved solids for your area, that information may be available online. Is it just the taste you want to improve and so on. How much of what you read or research is just marketing? I used to have a benchtop one that you got for free but the replacement filters is where they made their money. By the way if you just want to filter the chlorine, remember once water is heated, chlorine will off gas from water, which results in people frequently breathing significant amounts of it in while showering so a shower filter might be appropriate as well. Then there’s how much you’re prepared to pay and what micron the filter cartridge is, 1? 5? 10?, the smaller the micron, the more often you will need to replace the cartridge 1 will clog up faster than 10.
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Maybe investigate one of those tap systems that goes near the kitchen sink and the changeable filters are under the kitchen cupboard. You only want to filter the water you are drinking, not the water going through the dishwasher or the washing machine. Friends did a whole house filter and it was a nuisance and cost heaps to keep replacing the filters.
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@glenidol Interesting- I have used a jug, had a one-tap-only set up (both plumbed to tap and a more ’portable’ renter version) and now have a whole house and the whole house is by far the best for day to day use, cost and ease of maintenance…
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Go to Bunnings they have a good range . My parrot Bruce could not drink normal tap water so I brought a terra cota filter that did 4.5 litres a day .It was a drip feed unit that used ceramic and charcoal filters .
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Loving this just because you have a parrot called Bruce! Also the familiarity of pets with dietary issues…
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I have warned other aviaculturalists about filtering water for their birds . In Melbourne our tap water is best run through a filter before filling the birds drinking vessels . Regarding Bruce . He paased away some time ago . I have never purchased another parrot as he was a one off .
I miss his cheery " Good mornings " any time of the day and when he said " Stop swearing Bruce " it was time to block your ears . Great memories .
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I want to filter rain water and take out harmful bacteria before drinking.
The NSW Department of Health has some useful information on how to treat rainwater for drinking purposes (Note: the guide is a PDF document):
It outlines different treatment methods and their advantages/disadvantages. For filters, it recommends only reverse osmosis filters, as others filter types have varying rates of success and aren’t efficient in removing all microbial pathogens.
As you are after a bench top purifier, there are bench top osmosis filters. It might be worth doing some research on price, running costs, flow rates etc as I am unfamiliar with such filters.
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Noted you have asked a similar question over 3 posts in this topic.
An effective and long respected solution is to boil your rain water, allowing it to cool before drinking. It’s a frequent recommendation where safe tap water supplies have issues or are lost during emergency events. It’s also a solution available to all of us as minimal cost. It’s also relatively easy and effecient to top up fridge stored drinking water glass bottles with what is left in the kettle after making cups of tea etc.
Which ever approach one uses to make rainwater safe to drink, how it is handled and stored after treatment is also important. Treated tap water typically has a low level residual chlorine content. This ensures household plumbing does not acquire a build up of pathogens. It also provides some protection against pathogens developing when stored for a time after release from the tap. Home treatment of water that relies on a process such as RO filtration, UV sterilisation etc has no residual benefit. Hence any contamination evident in a container, captured from the air or handling increases the risks the longer the water is kept before consumption.
There are standards for assessing water treatment. These include bacterial and microbial contamination reduction as well as all other types of contamination. In looking at bench top or other products intended to treat water for human consumption look for the standards certifications (preferably Australian, if not recognised international) of the products performance. Most of the products on line appear to use vague references and open ended statements such as “reduces xyz” or “removes up to nn%”. Such statements should not be taken as an absolute assurance. Hence products without supporting standards that are appropriate and recognised may prove unreliable.
The quality of the source rainwater and how it is stored pre-treatment is also a factor. There are local laboratory services accessible in most areas of Australia which offer water testing services. Locally our utilities provider Unity Water has performed testing for our needs (at a cost). It’s highly recommended before considering which type/s of filter might be necessary to meet you needs one tests the source water. This will provide evidence and guidance and minimise the need to over spend or of buying an unsuitable product.
To note it’s recommended for untreated raw water even RO (Reverse Osmosis) filters which excel at removing even minute particles and contaminates have post treatment to ensure the water is safe to consume. UV or chemical treatment post filtration systems most common.
