[sgiitk]

@suvi; Look for an independent. The charges will be at least 30% lower. Also, they tend to me more regular and courteous. Many ex-Eureka Forbes chaps have pooled together to set up service centres.

[nasirkaka]

HELP!!!

After some research, i bought a Kent Grand+ water purifier (uv+ro+uf+tds). Ours is a typical large apartment complex in Bangalore suburb, surviving on the tanker water. The Purifier is about 4 months old.

Since its installation, we have been facing a peculiar problem. The kent grand+ attracts a lot of ants. I find 10-15 ants hanging around the kent outlet tap all the time. (24X7). When i drain the tank (about once in 4-5 days), a large number of ants come out along with the drained water. sometimes in hundreds. They are a mix of dead and live ants. The small red colored ants they are.

We got two infants at home and are really worried, as their food is prepared using the water from this purifier. We called the supplier and they asked to go for pest control. The pest control for the apartment has no effect on ants. (they do help with cockroaches).

Has anyone faced a similar issue? Any suggestions in this regard would be highly appreciated.

[deep_bang]

Hi all
Just got a zero b RO system. Considered Kent, zero b and another local make. Tough to compare but went in for zero b as the agent selling it has a strong presence in my area. I am hoping that will translate to better service - hopefully as i have heard bad feedback about service for almost all water purifiers.


Now to review the actual product:
1. Capacity of tank is 5 ltrs. It can do 10 liters per hour.
2. There is a 7 stage purifying cycle. However I have no idea how it exactly translates to good water.
3. RO removes the bad salts. There is a carbon based filter that removes odor.
4. Bacteria is taken care of by some agent being released into the water. I assume this is iodine based.
5. Tds was not measured by the installation guy. The Tds of the borewell water is about 800 here. Planning to buy a Tds meter.

If there is anything specific you want to know please ask.
Cost was 13500.

[anujmishra]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

Has anyone faced a similar issue? Any suggestions in this regard would be highly appreciated.

The problem with Kent, Aquaguart etc. is non sealed storage tanks of water. If some area is infested with ants or other small living beings, it cannot help much.

I have Eco Crystal RO Water Purifier and it has 8 litres of pressurized tank and there is no way anything can enter in this tank. Even AIR cannot enter in this pressurized tank. This is much secure and hygienic compared tanks provided by Kent or others. For more details you can check EcoCrystal website.

I am more than satisfied customer of this RO purifier for last 2.5 years with minimum maintenance.

[BlackPearl]

We installed a Nasaka Stage 11 Minjet+ about a week ago and are quite happy with it. Cost Rs. 13,500. Here are the specs from the website EsselNasaka - Products

Stage 11 Minjet Plus+

Dimensions mm (LxWxH):445 x 280 x 548
Weight:10 Kg (Approx.)
RO Membrane:75 GPD
Flow Rate:15** Liters/Hour
TDS Reduction:90% (approx.)
Purification Stages:11
Filters:Antiscalant, PP Filter, Magnetic Softener, Sediment, Activated Carbon, UF, Nano SilverMineral Cartridge:Yes
Auto Flushing:Yes
Storage Capacity:13.0 Liters
Max. Duty Cycle:75 Liters/day
Min. Inlet Water Pressure:0.3 Kg/cm2
Input Voltage:220V AC (50Hz)
Operating Voltage:24V DC

[BlackPearl]

Originally Posted by nasirkaka

HELP!!!

After some research, i bought a Kent Grand+ water purifier (uv+ro+uf+tds). Ours is a typical large apartment complex in Bangalore suburb, surviving on the tanker water. The Purifier is about 4 months old.

Since its installation, we have been facing a peculiar problem. The kent grand+ attracts a lot of ants. I find 10-15 ants hanging around the kent outlet tap all the time. (24X7). When i drain the tank (about once in 4-5 days), a large number of ants come out along with the drained water. sometimes in hundreds. They are a mix of dead and live ants. The small red colored ants they are.

We got two infants at home and are really worried, as their food is prepared using the water from this purifier. We called the supplier and they asked to go for pest control. The pest control for the apartment has no effect on ants. (they do help with cockroaches).

Has anyone faced a similar issue? Any suggestions in this regard would be highly appreciated.

@nasirkaka - will it be possible for you to stop using the purifier for a few days, drain the tank and keep it in the sun for one hour everyday for 2 to 3 days? In the meantime use some pesticides to kill te anta at your home and seek professional help to stop them from re-entering your house. Also please check the overhead tank if the ants are coming from there. If possible, use a filter at the inlet pipe of the water purifier.

[vikram_d]

Something to think about for people who prefer RO systems.

Household reverse osmosis units use a lot of water because they have low back pressure. As a result, they recover only 5 to 15 percent of the water entering the system. The remainder is discharged as waste water. Because waste water carries with it the rejected contaminants, methods to recover this water are not practical for household systems. Wastewater is typically connected to the house drains and will add to the load on the household septic system. An RO unit delivering 5 gallons of treated water per day may discharge anywhere between 20 upwards of 90 gallons of waste water per day

Due to its fine membrane construction, reverse osmosis not only removes harmful contaminants that may be present in the water, it also strips many of the good, healthy minerals from the water as well, thereby making the water quite acidic. Reverse Osmosis water is, in fact, so chemically unstable and acidic that in many countries national plumbing codes restrict water that has been filtered via reverse osmosis from being reintroduced into copper pipes due to its corrosive nature, due to its corrosiveness on the copper. This also has implications for reverse osmosis filtration systems that use steel storage tanks, as the acidity of the water can lead to the steel rusting over time and contaminating the post-filter water.

Source: Wikipedia

Here's a WHO report on the effects of long term usage of de-mineralised water.

http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_...ineralized.pdf

A gist of the WHO report.

The possible health consequences of low mineral content water consumptionare discussed in the following categories:

• Direct effects on the intestinal mucous membrane, metabolism and mineral
• Practically zero calcium and magnesium intake.

• Low intake of other essential elements and microelements.
• Loss of calcium, magnesium and other essential elements in prepared food.
• Possible increased dietary intake of toxic metals leached from water pipe.
• Possible bacterial re-growth.

RO systems are best for industrial applications and not for drinking puposes.

Disclaimer: The aim of this post is not to dissuade people from RO, but to educate them on the effects of RO.

[sgiitk]

About a year ago when my old Aquaguard gave up the ghost, we refused all the cajoling and pressure to switch to an RO even though we are in a hard water area. Got another filter_UV unit. We have lived in IITK campus (hard water again) for 24 years so are quite used to it. We are very wary of over protection, and the water being wasted by RO.

I think there was a very long thread here about the various RO units available.

[cool_dube]

On RO usage - a safe thumb-rule to go by is to use RO purification in areas when input water has TDS of over 500 mg/lit so as to be able to get it to around the 100 mg/lit range. While it is known that low TDS content leads to mineral deficiency, it is also a fact that excess TDS content leads to mineral deposits inside the body, leading to kidney stones. That said, for areas where TDS is around 300-400 mg/lit, there is also an option to use NF (nano-filtration) membrane which reduces the TDS by 40% or so, getting it in the safe range.

Coming back to the latest purifiers available in the market - I was doing some research (as I am planning to switch my 4 yr old RO unit for something which has UV as well):

a) Aquaguard Total Sensa - this is supposed to switch b/w RO and UV purification based on real-time assessment of input water.

b) Kent Grand+ - this is supposed to purify the input water using RO and UV as well as ensure that required minerals are retained in the output water.

The reason I am considering these options is (and I am sure many of us living in apartment complexes face the same situation) that the quality/nature of input water varies drastically given that the source keep changing frequently - corporation supply, tankers, borewell, etc. Hence, I need a unit that can take care of these variations and still give me good quality/pure/mineral-rich water.

Anyone else done a similar analysis/comparison? Any other pointers/feedback on either of these units would be welcome. Also, any comments on my reasoning above are welcome.

Thanks in advance...

[rkg]

UV purification of water is a marketing gimmick

None of the UV water filters present in the market indicate the duration of exposure of water to UV light.

Different bacteria require different UV spectrum and duration to kill them

Doubting guys check for food irradiation in google

In present filters water just passes through UV light. so it may be exposed for split second, which is not sufficient to kill bacteria.

Applications of UV on food preservation (Wikipedia)

Low dose applications (up to 1 kGy)

Sprout inhibition in bulbs and tubers 0.03-0.15 kGy
Delay in fruit ripening 0.25-0.75 kGy
Insect disinfestation including quarantine treatment and elimination of food borne parasites 0.07-1.00 kGy

Medium dose applications (1 kGy to 10 kGy)

Reduction of spoilage microbes to prolong shelf-life of meat, poultry and seafoods under refrigeration 1.50–3.00 kGy
Reduction of pathogenic microbes in fresh and frozen meat, poultry and seafoods 3.00–7.00 kGy
Reducing the number of microorganisms in spices to improve hygienic quality 10.00 kGy

High dose applications (above 10 kGy)

Sterilization of packaged meat, poultry, and their products that are shelf stable without refrigeration 25.00-70.00 kGy
Sterilization of Hospital diets 25.00-70.00 kGy
Product improvement as increased juice yield or improved re-hydration

These doses are above those currently permitted for these food items by the FDA and other regulators around the world. The Codex Alimentarius Standard on Irradiated Food does not specify any upper dose limit. NASA is authorized to sterilize frozen meat for astronauts at doses of 44 kGy as a notable exception.

So there is no universal UV spectrum to kill all pathogens in water. it is useless and creates false sense of security.

Different bacteria have different heat tolerance
Ex: to kill mycobacterium in milk it has to to be exposed to 72 degree centigrade for 15 seconds (HTST standard)

Where as botulinum toxin is destroyed only by exposure at 120 degree centigrade for 30 minutes.

Most of the virus are highly heat labile.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by rkg

UV purification of water is a marketing gimmick

Useful info indeed - thanks! Does it mean that RO/UF purification is good enough?

[rkg]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Useful info indeed - thanks! Does it mean that RO/UF purification is good enough?

Yes. RO is ok if water TDS is above 500. less than that UF is enough. check one company "Permionics" . they make good UF models. but if the cost is similar to RO then go for RO. buy the model with more prefilters ( filters before RO membrane, this will enahance the life of RO membrane) like sediment, pre corbon, charcoal etc

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by rkg

RO is ok if water TDS is above 500. less than that UF is enough.

I understand - the challenge is that in my case, the TDS of input water varies a lot, given that the source keeps changing frequently (corporation water, tankers, borewell, etc) and hence I cannot do with RO or UV - makes sense to have both options at my disposal so that either can be used as needed. Hence, I am considering the options listed in my post above.

[rkg]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

I understand - the challenge is that in my case, the TDS of input water varies a lot, given that the source keeps changing frequently (corporation water, tankers, borewell, etc) and hence I cannot do with RO or UV - makes sense to have both options at my disposal so that either can be used as needed. Hence, I am considering the options listed in my post above.

if the source of water is corporation , dont take kent RO or any other with Filmtech membrane. ( it is a TFC membrane and is prone to damage if water is chlorinated)

Go for cellulose acetate membrane RO systems. but it difficult to find them here

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

Coming back to the latest purifiers available in the market - I was doing some research (as I am planning to switch my 4 yr old RO unit for something which has UV as well):

a) Aquaguard Total Sensa - this is supposed to switch b/w RO and UV purification based on real-time assessment of input water.

b) Kent Grand+ - this is supposed to purify the input water using RO and UV as well as ensure that required minerals are retained in the output water.

Anyone else done a similar analysis/comparison? Any other pointers/feedback on either of these units would be welcome. Also, any comments on my reasoning above are welcome.

I was in a similar dilemma sometime last year. I ended up buying Kent Pearl (RO+UV+UF) system.

No complaints till date, but the downside is that there is a lot of unnecessary wastage of water in RO systems.

Now I feel that I should have purchased Aquaguard Total Sensa, which selects the RO or UV branch depending upon the TDS content of the inlet water stream. This would reduce wastage of water and also prolong the life of the RO membrane.

From what I have heard, Aquaguard service is better then Kent.

Rohan