Water purifiers are not an IQ tax, but these are buying traps you must be aware of!

Recently, a friend of a friend talked to me about her new water purifier, said that after a month of use, the drink does feel sweeter than before, but also flirted with “this money is worth it, not the IQ tax”. But just last week, she suddenly asked me by private message: “Is it necessary to change the filter cartridge of the water purifier? Otherwise, will there be a problem if it is used for a long time?” I froze when I heard, just buy a month have not figured out the basic operation, this situation is afraid not to step on the pit?

In fact, in recent years, the controversy over the water purifier has been constant, some people think it is a family health essential talisman, some people spit it is to pay the “IQ tax” typical representative. In fact, the water purifier itself is not wrong, it really can solve a lot of drinking water problems, but if the purchase stepped in some of the “traps”, it is really their own to find trouble. So today, I want to talk to you about water purifier those seemingly simple but easy to be ignored small details, and how to avoid those who regret the pit.

Is a water purifier useful or not? The biggest question many people have about water purifiers is: is it necessary to buy in the end? After all, our home boiled tap water is not also drinkable, why spend thousands of dollars extra to install a machine? 
In fact, this issue can not be generalized, depending on the quality of your tap water. If you live in a big city, the tap water plant will usually undergo rigorous treatment, the factory indicators are directly drinkable. However, the problem is that tap water has to go through a long pipeline from the factory to our cups, and these old and dilapidated pipes may harbor rust, sediment and even bacteria. If it so happens that your neighborhood has high floors and unstable water pressure, the cisterns where the secondary water supply is stored can also be a source of contamination. Especially in some old neighborhoods or remote areas, the impurity content in the tap water is high, and floating objects can be seen with the naked eye. At this time, a reliable water purifier can really help. It can effectively remove sediment, rust, residual chlorine and heavy metals through filtration technology, allowing us to drink cleaner, safer and better tasting pure water.

Various types of dazzling, in the end, which one to choose? Into the e-commerce platform or home appliance stores, you will find that the type of water purifier on the market more than let a person's head: ultra-filtration machine, reverse osmosis (RO) machine, pre-filter ...... price from a few hundred to tens of thousands of all have. Listen to the shopper a variety of terminology a fierce boast, is not instantly confused? Don't worry, in fact, when shopping first understand two things on the line: what is your demand? What is the budget?
If you just want to remove large particles of impurities, such as sediment and rust, then the basic model of ultrafiltration machine is enough, it retains minerals, suitable for the pursuit of low-cost use of the crowd.
-If you are concerned about excessive heavy metals in the water, such as lead and mercury, then a reverse osmosis (RO) machine is recommended. This type of machine comes with RO membrane, which can do deep filtration and intercept these harmful substances completely. However, it also has drawbacks, such as higher wastewater rate (every 1 liter of pure water produced may be wasted about 2 liters), and the minerals are also filtered out together, so the taste of drinking is soft.
-Pre-filter is mainly installed at the entrance of the whole house water supply system, used to protect the other level of equipment involved in the home such as water heaters, washing machines, etc.. It is an auxiliary function product and is not suitable as a stand-alone drinking solution.

About filter cartridge replacement, these questions don't get it wrong! Many people only focus on the price when buying a water purifier, but ignore the later maintenance costs. The most central point of maintenance is the regular replacement of filter cartridges! Because no matter how advanced the machine, as long as the cartridge expires without using, it will become a new source of pollution - you think you are drinking healthy and good quality, in fact, it is a burden on the body. Different types of cartridges have different lifespans, roughly as follows:
-PP cotton generally 3~6 months need to be replaced once;
-Activated carbon 6~12 months;
-RO membrane 1~2 years;
Therefore, when considering the purchase, be sure to understand in advance the overall cost of the use of the machine in the next few years. If a brand advertises “lifelong free replacement”, please be vigilant, because this is a violation of the basic scientific principles of the big fool!
👉 Tip: You can choose the model with intelligent reminder function, when the device detects that the cartridge life is about to run out, it will light up or sound to remind, very convenient and worry-free.

Cheap may not necessarily take advantage of the small brand caution into many consumers figure cheap, online casually pick a small brand of three to five hundred dollars, but this blind consumption often buried hidden dangers. On the one hand, small brands may not have a perfect after-sales service system; on the other hand, they use low-quality materials production, in order to reduce the cost of cutting corners, it is difficult to guarantee the filtering effect.
Instead of taking the risk, it is better to choose those high-profile, formal qualification certification of the big brands. Although the unit price is a little more expensive, but at least the quality of the product is reliable, with peace of mind, but also to enjoy timely and professional after-sales service. Remember the saying: “Never joke with your health.”

After installing it is not everything is fine?
There is also a misunderstanding that the water purifier is installed, and no more worries. In fact, even with good equipment, we usually still need to pay attention to a few points:
1. Regularly clean the equipment shell and interface parts, to avoid the accumulation of dust leading to secondary pollution;
2. Maintain the correct use of habits, such as opening the faucet every day to release the first few seconds of static time accumulated in the dead storage residual liquid;
3. If you are traveling away from home for a long time remember to close the inlet and outlet valves and disconnect the power supply.

To sum up, if the tap water in your area is safe and stable, then you can hold off on considering the purchase; but if the odor/color anomaly/sedimentation often occurs, please act as soon as possible. In addition, at all times, do not be tempted to go for a quick bargain and neglect the health risks behind it! I hope this article will be helpful to the partners who are struggling to decide whether to buy or not ~ if there are any other questions, please feel free to leave a comment or contact me~!