Don't be fooled by water purifier ads! Is it worth it or not, talk through it today!

Recently, I found an interesting phenomenon when chatting with friends: people's attitudes towards home water purifiers are polarized. Some people firmly believe that it is a “modern household necessity”, while others feel that it is a complete “IQ tax”. This made me want to dig deeper, is it worth installing a water purifier? Is it really as magical as advertised?

Let's start with a true story. A while ago, my friend just finished renovating his new home, the neighbor was a so-called “international brand” of water purifier. Salesman in the demonstration, with tap water as an experiment, pour a cup of clear and transparent water into the device, the results filtered out is a cup of obviously turbid, with black impurities in the liquid. This thrilling little test so that my friend instantly ordered, not only spend a lot of money to buy the host, but also purchased a bunch of additional cartridges. However, half a year has passed, he found himself drinking and no special feeling, and cartridge replacement costs are ridiculously high.

This makes me start to wonder: do we really need a water purifier? Or is it just a consumer anxiety created by businesses?

Is your tap water safe or not?
To figure this out, we have to start at the source - the quality of tap water. In fact, according to national standards, urban tap water plants produce drinking water is directly drinkable (of course, this is limited to those who meet the “drinking water health standards” in the region). But why do many people still think that tap water is “not safe enough”? There are two reasons. On the one hand, tap water is transported through long pipes, which may be old, rusty, or have deposits of impurities. Despite disinfection, some trace contaminants will remain, such as heavy metals, sediment and even bacteria. On the other hand, there is the psychological factor. After seeing the reports on the internet about “excessive microbial contamination in tap water”, most people are afraid, even if they can't see the dirt, they still feel that there must be hidden dangers.

Insert Tip: Simple way to test the quality of your tap water to take a cup of clear, clean tap water in the sunlight to observe, if over time there are sediments or floating objects, it shows that your pipeline may be a problem, you can consider further processing. But if it remains stable and clear, then there is no need to worry too much.

Can a water purifier really solve all your problems?
Next, let's talk about the “99% removal of impurities” that water purifiers advertise. Some brands in order to sell goods, will exaggerate its function, so that consumers mistakenly think that the installation of a water purifier will be able to drink “more affordable than mineral water,” the health of good taste. However, how is the truth? First of all, it must be recognized that a good quality water purifier can effectively remove certain pollutants, such as residual chlorine, rust, sediment and some heavy metals. But not all models are suitable for your situation. If you choose the wrong one, it is likely that not only will it not work as expected, but you will also be wasting your money. For example, some low-end products can only simply filter particulate matter, but cannot handle bacteria and viruses. And you have to realize that not all areas need this kind of advanced filtration - for example, some northern areas are rich in underground reserves and have good water quality themselves, so it would be a waste of resources to put in a device that is too powerful.

How to choose the right water purification equipment for you? 
 1. If your area has smooth water supply and drainage, you can choose the basic cartridge (the most cost-effective). 
 2. For the old neighborhood users, you can consider RO reverse osmosis type products, which can effectively isolate disease-causing microorganisms and heavy metal residues.  
3. It is not recommended to blindly pursue imported brands, because the foreign design may not be fully compatible with the domestic environment. Maintenance cost is the real big pit!

Let's talk about one more point that many people overlook - maintenance costs.
If you have ever studied the water purifier, you will find a variety of cartridges on the market, from charcoal fiber to nano-film, all kinds of technical terms to see people dazzled. But the point is, these cartridges usually have a life limit, usually a few months to a year, need to be replaced regularly. And the price of the cartridge is not cheap at all, sometimes change once on top of an ordinary rice cooker money! Moreover, if you neglect or forget to change the cartridge, it will be a big trouble. Not only can not achieve the filtering effect, but also because of the long-term accumulation of impurities in the liner caused by secondary pollution. So before installing the maintenance costs must be clearly calculated, otherwise, you are likely to fall into the long-term business ATM.

That in the end should be installed?
The answer actually varies from person to person. If your family is located in the old city, the pipeline network is old, then the installation of a basic model of purification equipment can indeed improve the quality of life; but if you are in the community supply and drainage system is perfect, stable water quality, there is no need to spend more money. Of course, for the pursuit of the ultimate taste, you can consider those who specialize in enhancing the mineral content or soften the hardness of the small drinking machine, but do not blindly follow the trend to buy a complete system.
Insert tip: determine whether the need for purification equipment methods  
1. Ask the property owner to check the local supply and discharge situation to see if the drinking standard has been reached.  
2. Check whether there is any corrosion or other problems with the pipes at home.  
3. Reasonable planning according to the budget, do not gullibly believe that “big brand + high price = absolutely excellent”.
The last sentence sums up: rather than being led by the nose by the advertisement, it is better to make a scientific decision according to your actual needs, so as to save money and peace of mind!