Invite someone to install a water purifier, but relatives and friends complain that they spent money to buy an IQ tax, but in fact, it is not very useful? I believe that many friends have the same trouble.
In the past, the water flowing from the faucet could be drunk directly, but now every household has to consider installing a water purifier. Some netizens may say: Isn't it okay to drink mineral water directly? After disinfection and sterilization, it can also save a lot of costs for purchasing water purifiers.
So is the water in the water purifier really healthier than the mineral water? Is the water purifier an "IQ tax" or a "face project"?
Water purifiers
To put it simply, a water purifier is a device that removes impurities in water by physical, chemical or biological means. But the water purifier is not only emerging in the past two years, as early as the ancient civilization, people have begun to use their wisdom to think about how to filter the sediment from the water source and drink cleaner water.
A 400-year-old water purification facility
The ancient Romans used clay filters, using limestone and sugar as the filter medium, to effectively purify drinking water. Ancient India and China also had similar water purification techniques, such as filtration systems built using bamboo pipes, lime and sand.
With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, urbanization and industrialization led to increased water pollution. At the end of the 19th century, people began to focus on public health, and water purification technology was also an indispensable part of this, and gradually boiling, filtration, and chemical purification methods were gradually introduced to treat contaminated water.
The water supply network of our country's water supply pipelines was generally built in the 70-80s, and the quality of the urban water supply pipe network is generally poor, with 50.80% of the gray cast iron pipes that do not meet the national standard, 13% of ordinary cement pipes, and 6% of galvanized pipes.
The old pipe network has serious water leakage and frequent pipe bursts, which is prone to secondary pollution from the perspective of water quality. Especially in some large and medium-sized cities, the phenomenon of fracture and rust is serious. Therefore, after long-distance water transportation, it is conceivable that even the water that meets the drinking standards will be polluted twice.
Therefore, with the rapid development of science and technology, household water purifiers have begun to become rapidly popular in recent decades, whether it is in their own housing or schools, hospitals, and offices, they can be found. It is also more convenient for everyone to drink water, and they can drink hot water and clean water at any time.
Various types of water purifiers such as desktop filters, hollow fiber membrane water purifiers, etc., have emerged in an endless stream, and membrane separation technology has also become one of the core technologies in water purifiers, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and other methods, which separate particles and dissolved substances in water through tiny pores, especially in removing microorganisms, heavy metals and salts.
For the cost problem that consumers are most concerned about, in fact, the price of the water purifier is also relatively reasonable, one or two thousand yuan can buy a very good quality drinking fountain, which is a one-time investment, and long-term use is also more cost-effective, which can effectively filter impurities and microorganisms in tap water, and the installation is also very simple.
For most families, it is safe to meet the conditions and can be drunk immediately, saving the process and trouble of buying bottled water or mineral water.
But in fact, water purifiers also have many drawbacks in daily life, the most important of which is the problem of maintenance costs. Although the cost of a water purifier is not high, it needs to be replaced and maintained regularly during the use of the filter element. The cost of filter consumables generated every year is also an indispensable expense.
The water purifier market is uneven
As more and more water purifiers appear in our daily life, many netizens complain that the quality of the water purifier market is too uneven.
According to statistics, the failure rate of 60 water purifiers randomly inspected in a quality inspection center (75% of which are well-known hot-selling brands) is as high as 48.3%. The main reasons for the non-standard label and instruction items, the water purification flow rate and the total water purification water are not up to standard.
Although the water purifier industry chain is developing rapidly, there are also quality problems along with huge business opportunities and profits. On the list of unqualified water purifiers exposed by CCTV, well-known domestic brands and international brands are impressively listed.
Whether it is online e-commerce, physical stores, or stall promotions, the sales strategies of water purifiers are also varied, and there are many routines. For example, water purifiers are free of charge but have high fees for filter cartridges, and some businesses exaggerate the effectiveness of water purifiers, claiming that they can filter viruses, and even call purified water "beauty water".
How to choose a water purifier
At present, the most common types of water purifiers on the market mainly include ultrafiltration water purifiers and RO reverse osmosis water purifiers.
Ultrafiltration water purifiers offer a range of advantages, such as no electricity, no waste water, no alteration of minerals in the water, easy maintenance and affordability.
However, its filtration effect is relatively limited and cannot meet the standard of direct drinking water, so it needs to be boiled and drunk or added with a post-activated carbon filter to improve the taste.
In contrast, the RO reverse osmosis water purifier uses the RO reverse osmosis membrane as the core filter element, and its micropore diameter is usually less than 0.0001 microns, which can efficiently filter out more than 99% of impurities, including heavy metals, organic pollutants, bacteria, viruses, etc., to achieve excellent pure water effect.
When choosing a water purifier, you should weigh it according to your actual needs. If you are only solving the problem of drinking water, and the tap water quality is good, ultrafiltration water purifier is a good choice, and if you are looking for a more thorough purification effect, especially if the tap water quality is poor, RO reverse osmosis water purifier is a more suitable option.
In addition, when purchasing a water purifier, it is important to carefully check the information of the sanitation license approval document of the wading product with the information of the water purifier actually purchased to ensure that the purchased water purifier meets the health standards, so as to ensure the health and safety of drinking water.
mineral water
In fact, one of the more controversial points of people's water purifier is that since there is already bottled mineral water, why do we need water purifiers?
Of course, although mineral water is a mineral-rich natural water source originating from the aquifer, absorbing minerals from underground rocks, and relatively pure, in the production process, in order to ensure the hygiene and safety of drinking water, mineral water businesses also need to carry out a series of purification processes.
After a long period of comprehensive investigation and water source test evaluation, mineral water merchants will select an appropriate water source and carry out groundwater collection. Once harvested, the water is piped to the mineral water plant, where it is ready for subsequent purification.
Once at the plant, the mineral water is temporarily stored and subjected to a sedimentation process that allows the sediment in the water to settle to the bottom so that it can be easily disposed of later. Subsequently, the water passes through a filter to remove large particles, sediment and other impurities to ensure the clarity of the water.
The water then passes through the activated carbon layer, which is a highly effective adsorption material. Activated carbon can absorb odors, organic matter and some trace pollutants in the water, making the water fresher, and this step also helps to improve the taste of the water.
In order to ensure the safety of mineral water, it is often necessary to sterilize and disinfect it, and businesses use methods such as ultraviolet light or ozone to effectively inactivate microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses, in the water, and ensure that the mineral water is not contaminated during the filling process.
Due to the abundance of minerals in groundwater, in order to maintain the unique taste and benefits of mineral water, it is sometimes necessary to adjust the mineral balance, increase or decrease the content of some minerals, in order to meet the product standard.
Finally, the purified mineral water is filled into bottles or other containers and sealed in a sealed package. This step ensures that the mineral water is not contaminated by secondary contamination during transportation and sales, keeping the product pure and hygienic, and the packaging is convenient and suitable for carrying.
But when we buy mineral water, we should not ignore the high cost.
Most of the mineral water on the market has a capacity of 500-550 ml, and the large bottle of mineral water is about 1.5 liters, and the price of a box of mineral water is about 20-40 yuan.
According to the calculation of 30 yuan for a box of mineral water, a person drinks 1.5 liters of water a day, the water consumption of a family of four is 6L, and a box of mineral water can be drunk within about 6 days, and the drinking water of that year is about (365÷6) * 30 = 1825 yuan. In five years, it will cost 9,125 yuan.
And although mineral water is rich in calcium, magnesium and other minerals, at the same time, there may be large differences in the composition of minerals and trace elements contained in different brands of mineral water, and different groups of people have different needs for minerals and trace elements.
Another point we have to consider is environmental protection, the plastic bottles used in mineral water are one of the culprits of "white garbage", and there are obvious environmental pollution problems.
In short, whether it is a mineral spring book or a water purifier, it is the most important thing to ensure the health of our water! Do you use a water purifier or mineral water, or bottled water at home?