[arvind71181]

Originally Posted by maverhick

In our place, the apartment complex only supplies tanker water and it tastes bloody awful. I wanted to check here if I need to look at any specific items/features in these filtration systems that kind of help bring back the original taste in the water.

Currently use an Aquaguard and it tastes pretty darn bad. Willing to spend upto 20K to get a good system that is reliable and relatively maintenance free.

Any suggestions?

I am currently using a unit called marvella RO. pretty satisfied till date. Using it for 6 months. Think it is a product of unilever. Check it out. Costed me around 15K IIRC

[huntrz]

Originally Posted by maverhick

Currently use an Aquaguard and it tastes pretty darn bad. Willing to spend upto 20K to get a good system that is reliable and relatively maintenance free.
Any suggestions?

Is it an RO filter from Aquaguard or Just an UV one? UV doesn't work for high TDS water. You can call Aquaguard, Kent and PureIt Mrvella guys for demo. They will filter the water in front of you from their portable RO filters and you can taste it there.
As far as I understand Kent's TDS controller allows you to change the taste of the water and is a pretty handy feature.
At about TDS 50-60 it tastes sweet like water from well back home, at 25 it would taste like most packaged water at 0 it will taste bitter.

[maverhick]

Originally Posted by huntrz

Is it an RO filter from Aquaguard or Just an UV one? UV doesn't work for high TDS water. You can call Aquaguard, Kent and PureIt Mrvella guys for demo. They will filter the water in front of you from their portable RO filters and you can taste it there.
As far as I understand Kent's TDS controller allows you to change the taste of the water and is a pretty handy feature.
At about TDS 50-60 it tastes sweet like water from well back home, at 25 it would taste like most packaged water at 0 it will taste bitter.

Didn't know that. I use this: http://www.eurekaforbes.com/products...ti-Leaflet.pdf

I checked , it says UV - so I guess its not an RO filter. But it does say input water TDS max of 500ppm.

This Kent TDS controller stuff sounds cool and nerdy. Any specific model it comes in?

[sgiitk]

There are two types in RO. The water is finally 'polished'. This is UV in Kent and Aqua Guard while it is Íodine' ions in Zero B. The biggest RO players are Zero B and Kent.

In high TDS areas the Kent controller is hardly effective, since the ratio is kept near 100% for RO.

I have lived in high TDS areas (500+) for over 30 years. We do not use a RO since we do not want to waste water which is 70-90% with an RO.

[maverhick]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

There are two types in RO. The water is finally 'polished'. This is UV in Kent and Aqua Guard while it is Íodine' ions in Zero B. The biggest RO players are Zero B and Kent.

In high TDS areas the Kent controller is hardly effective, since the ratio is kept near 100% for RO.

I have lived in high TDS areas (500+) for over 30 years. We do not use a RO since we do not want to waste water which is 70-90% with an RO.

Is there a way to determine the TDS content ? I know its tanker water throughout in our complex - but an informed choice would be better.

I went thru the last few pages but couldn't find anything on the water 'polishing' differences between Iodine/UV. Anything specific I should keep in mind?

[huntrz]

Originally Posted by maverhick

Didn't know that. I use this: http://www.eurekaforbes.com/products...ti-Leaflet.pdf

I checked , it says UV - so I guess its not an RO filter. But it does say input water TDS max of 500ppm.

This Kent TDS controller stuff sounds cool and nerdy. Any specific model it comes in?

Kent Grand Plus and Kent pearl have TDS controller. If you read this thread from beginning, it has been mentioned somewhere that it is nothing but mixing pure RO(TDS=0) water with some unfiltered(non RO) water from the system to get a desired TDS output and therefore desired taste. That too is guess isn't automated. Owners please confirm. Its not as nerdy as it sounds
If you are okay with aquaguard's service stick to it for your upgrade, they have quite a range in RO filters.
Best is to taste the water first hand from some one using the units. I was satisfied with the taste of water of my friends Aquaguard Enhance Total so bought one .

[maverhick]

Originally Posted by huntrz

Kent Grand Plus and Kent pearl have TDS controller. If you read this thread from beginning, it has been mentioned somewhere that it is nothing but mixing pure RO(TDS=0) water with some unfiltered(non RO) water from the system to get a desired TDS output and therefore desired taste. That too is guess isn't automated. Owners please confirm. Its not as nerdy as it sounds
If you are okay with aquaguard's service stick to it for your upgrade, they have quite a range in RO filters.
Best is to taste the water first hand from some one using the units. I was satisfied with the taste of water of my friends Aquaguard Enhance Total so bought one .

I've had reasonably bad experiences with Aquaguard. Fraudulent service contracts to pathetic response timings. But on reading this thread it doesn't seem like the others are better as well

[maverhick]

FYI: Just ordered a TDS meter off Ebay. Will wait for it, then decide how to proceed with the whole purifier thing

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by maverhick

Is there a way to determine the TDS content ? I know its tanker water throughout in our complex - but an informed choice would be better.

We are very close to the campus, and are almost certainly fed by the same aquifer as the campus. So I take the campus figure which is published every month as my guide. I think apart from Jamshedpur the IIT Kanpur campus is probably the only place in India where the tap water is safe to drink. A real sad state of affairs.

[maverhick]

Some updates: Had the Unilever guys come in a lil while ago. They found the TDS to be 79. I am now wondering if the complex does municipal water in the morning and tanker in the evenings.

I'll check the TDS in the evenings once I get the TDS meter I had ordered. Turns out it is the same machine the guys from Unilever were using.

But that said, the taste of the water still is awful. My current purifier is the AG Infinity, which is just UV. Are there other elements in a purifier that ensure the water tastes good?

[sgiitk]

@maverhick; by the looks of it it is dissolved stuff, so RO may be the only way available.

[Gansan]

I have been using an Aquaguard SE1000 UV unit from 1991 till date without a break! The AMC amount I have paid during these years would have exceeded the original price many times over! Apart from the usual candle / carbon replacements, may be the UV lamp was replaced a couple / three times and the body once. Had to pay and upgrade the PCB (compulsory) sometime in 2003. It has been trouble free otherwise all these years.

But for the past three years or so the service has been patchy. So I was thinking of upgrading to an RO system from a different brand, but after going through the posts I feel I will merely be choosing between the frying pan and the fire! Nowadays we are not getting running municipal water all the time, so I guess I will just install a pump for the unit and continue to use it.

[maverhick]

Was considering the Unilever PureIT Marvella RO. It was listed to have both RO + UVM. I thought the UVM was Ultra Violet something, but on reading http://www.pureitwater.com/IN/marvel...marvellaro.php

It states that it is Ultra Ventilated Membrane :| Seems like a way to take people to misunderstand that the product has both RO and UV, but the UVM is actually something else.

Have I read it wrong? or is it a case of PureIT trying to willfully mislead people to believe their products use both the technologies.

Any solid suggestions on RO + UV?

[coolabhi]

I have been using pureit autofill for about 10 months now.The experience has been quite good and trouble free.It doesnt need a power outlet and service in mumbai is quite ok.You just need to clean it at times.

[gupta_chd]

There are many non-branded or local branded RO's in market usually looking pretty much like same to Kent Grande Plus. Any experience with those? Are they good/recommended or not?

I know some people who have been using these. There are no complains but I want to know if anybody has idea about water quality? They usually cost 6000-7000 including installation.