This summer I felt a deep urge to get a water filter for home. At home we drink ground water through a borewell, boiled and passed through a ‘candle’ based filter. Now the irritating thing was that for one, we were too lazy to put water to the boil, plus water consumption was varied depending on when we were at home and when we weren’t. So ultimately it ended up that only when the water in the filter got exhausted (or neared exhaustion), did we boil the water and then pour it down the filter.
The problem with that was, there was a wait while the water boiled and an even longer wait for it to trickle down to the storage compartment. Secondly if there was some water already in the filter, then it too would become too hot to drink immediately. So when we were thristy and there was no water in the filter we had to resort to buying some mineral water.
Firstly and importantly there was the frustration of the wait without water. Secondly it was irritating that the water would take so long to cool down. Then again, there was so much wastage of LPG to boil the water. So I decided that I want a water filter. Now which one to go for. Typically the ones that promise heaven cost heaven too. Random jargon like e-boiling+, RO, UV, blah blah blah… Each one coining their own different terms for what is essentially the same process. Some of the popular brands are Aqua Forbes, Philips and Kent. Aqua forbes is the more common one, but expensive. Philips is similar to the former. Kent is way too bulky and looks like something that one straps on the back of an astronaut’s spacesuit. Plus the water trickles down from these UV filters and they involve plumbing and wall mounting to use. And definitely there is a wait before drinking water out of these unless a mechanism of storing the purified water is put in place. So I was looking for something different.
Thats when I remembered that Unilever India had brought out a water filter which was inexpensive (the others start at about 4 times the price of this), doesnt need any plumbling, and can just replace my existing candle based filter. It is called Pureit Water Purifier. So after some research, I got on the toll free number and called for a home demo. The guy came and delivered the product the very next morning. The demo was just a technical explanation on how to use it. I mean, seriously, how else can one demo a water filter? :P
This filter has two compartments. One that stores water before purifying and another containing the purified water. The water goes through a 4 stage purifier, each removing dust, dirt, parasites, germs, bacteria, viruses in turn. The final stage is a polisher that removes the excess chlorine from the purified water. The equipment looked sleek and good and came in a nice Burgundy color that I liked. The water filters down really quick and a glass of water is available to drink within 2-3 minutes. Plus it has a transparent bottom that doubles as a water indicator and when we see the levels dropping, we can just pour more water down the filter immediately, as there is no need for the boiling.
I like this filter and I hope I don’t run in to problems and get some really purified water, now that we will not be boiling the water anymore before drinking. They say that they give a guarantee that the water coming out of the filter is ‘as safe as boiled water’. I do hope they are right for that’s what I am drinking now.