Recommended water purifier?

shajufx · 11th July 2007, 23:52

I got a Kent Grand RO-UV water purifier installed in my house today. It was selected afer considering many brands and types with lot of reviews and opinion forums. The quality of services, customer satisfaction factors etc. were reviewed carefully before finalising the brand. Once the brand was decided, it took only 24 hours to get it installed. So quick !

After testing the water TDS with a HM Digital device and comparing the tap water and bottled water in the house with a precipitator, it was decided that we have 450+ TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) in the water which is way above the safer zones. Its not even good for cooking rice and vegetables. Kent has the regulator where user can select the TDS which makes this brand unique and superior to any other brands. Also the inner parts are clearly visible outside, atleast a satisfaction that nothing is a hidden and mysterious function inside. The installer brought down the TDS from 150 to 40 by using the regulator.

Difference was immediately felt as we made some filter coffee with the Kent water. The pure coffee aroma speaks louder than anything else. We never got any coffee smell in the house all these months with the tap water. I would happily recommend Kent to anyone who seriously value quality, standard, reliablity, service and satisfaction.

Ketan · 17th November 2007, 11:18

Hows your Kent RO doing these days!!
a short term reveiw on the product would be appreciated..
I'm in the process of finalizing either zero-B or Kent where you can adjust the TDS level...

also looking for some good deals on either of these two products, I will have to go for RO as this place we are shifted does not have cavury water supply and our age old Aquaguard is not helping us anymore...

caliper · 17th November 2007, 16:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by rahul_intlad

Kind of odd putting this up on team-bhp but water purifiers have become an essential part of out lives in India.

So far although I heard of some companies have only used eureka-forbes aquaguard. But the problem with aquaguard is you need to sign an annual maintainance contract and have their folks come home and clean the purifier twice a year or something like that.

We have an Eureka Forbes Aquaguard, and dont' have a maintenance contract. If you call up the Eureka office in your city, you should be able to get replacement filters. It's easy to fit them into your filter machine, just look in your instruction book.

filcord · 18th November 2007, 23:53

I too am looking forward to a long-term review of the Kent RO system. We use well-water, and I am concerned with possible contamination from pesticides, fertiliser run-off, etc.

pjbiju · 19th November 2007, 19:37

I have been using Ion Exchange's ZERO B RO water purifier for the past 2.5 years. So far no problems. The service is prompt. The water tastes good (at least we have got used to it). I have been paying AMC of around 3k per year, which I think is a bit expensive.

hrman · 19th November 2007, 19:56

Go For Philips range. Its really good although costs more than others. Its pretty advanced in features and uses some fuzzy logic thingy to start and stop filtering when you are away. It can be programmed depending on the time your water supply starts.

Thad E Ginathom · 20th November 2007, 02:00

Our Zero-B seems to be settling down. For a long time the water had a sort of machinery taste (err... sorry, but how to describe it?). That seems to be passing away now.

My regret is that we let them talk us into buying a much higher-capacity model than we needed (I think it is 25Ltrs per hour; I doubt that we use 5!) and therefore spent much more money on it than we should.

phamilyman · 20th November 2007, 10:13

We have had a Kent RO for about two years now - ultra satisfied with it. Only issue - we bought the one with ~12L per hour capacity. Now we would've loved to be in thad's shoes - this is not enough when our family gets cooking in da morning!

And now, problem is that I find ANYWHERE else water to be brackish, unless its from another RO! And yes, service is impeccable! just remember to get it serviced on time - else water taste will deteriorate!

ZeroB is also good. our dorm back in ahmedabad had it - reliable, and dealt well with the requirement of 20 odd people!

Thad E Ginathom · 20th November 2007, 13:45

Ours only has to deal with the requirements of two odd (very odd, sometimes!) people, and Mrs G is still reluctant to use it as drinking water, although she does cook with it.

My favourite water gadget, by the way, is our CRI water-level-monitor pump switch. At half full, the roof tank is automatically topped up and the pump switched off before it overflows. We never have to think about turning it on and off manually.

Oh... I'm very fond of our water pressure booster too: proper showers!

Did I mention our solar water heater?

Or that I like gadgets?

vikram_d · 21st November 2007, 09:13

I have just one question for all the RO users here. What do you folks do with the amount of wasted water that comes of the RO system. Almost all RO systems watse 6 out every 10 litres of water processed. In effect only 4 liters is drinkable. What do you do with the rest?

esteem_lover · 21st November 2007, 09:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

My favourite water gadget, by the way, is our CRI water-level-monitor pump switch. At half full, the roof tank is automatically topped up and the pump switched off before it overflows. We never have to think about turning it on and off manually.

Oh... I'm very fond of our water pressure booster too: proper showers!

Did I mention our solar water heater?

Or that I like gadgets?

All these water gadgets in a place where there is water scarcity ??

come to think of it, this is the place that really needs it.

filcord · 21st November 2007, 11:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Oh... I'm very fond of our water pressure booster too: proper showers!

Did I mention our solar water heater?

Or that I like gadgets?

I like gadgets too. Tell me more about your pressure booster and solar heater, makes, prices, the choosing process, usage information, etc. I have long been thinking of these two gadgets.

dadu · 21st November 2007, 11:19

Do you have those compact shower systems which has inbuilt pressure booster and instant heater with burnout control.

It just needs cold water/electric supply and you can control the temp and pressure on the fly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

Oh... I'm very fond of our water pressure booster too: proper showers!

Did I mention our solar water heater?

Or that I like gadgets?

Thad E Ginathom · 21st November 2007, 15:35

RO waste water; yes it has to go to a drain. Our unit is in a cupboard underneath our kitchen sink, and there is a drain grill there. the RO waste pipe goes straight to that grill. We had some early problems with it coming out --- then, obviously, you get a small flood, but learnt our lesson to make sure it is secure.

I find that having a very bad memory for numbers is a great asset to the extravagant! I am capable of forgetting how much something cost me the instant after buying it. The more expensive an item, the more this happens! I have to check with my wife for prices.

The pressure pump pressurises the supply for most of the house, both hot and cold. It is Grundfoss pump and is sited in the 'room' which supports the water tank. Because of the madness of plumbers, it pressurises the hot water to the kitchen, but not the cold --- but pressurising that line to the kitchen would have meant high pressure to the garden tap, which could have been very wasteful. Yes, it is necessary to be more careful about waste. There is a valve under the sink; I keep it turned down on the hot to give more balance to the hot/cold mixer tap and minimise the running-water waste.

It's necessary to be even more careful to keep the valve on the toilet spray turned down: a full blast from that and the water will be coming from your eyes!!!!!

After you come down from the ceiling, that is.

The solar water heater is Venus, vacuum-tube heat-pipe (for pressurised systems) 200 Litre model. We looked at Tata, but my Indica put me off buying their water heater. Various other makes to be seen at the exhibitions.

A normal Chennai day gives scalding-hot water. A cloudy day gives hot water, and only a very cloudy/rainy day gives no hot water at all. There is an electric element, but we have not fitted it; I'm sure it would be very expensive. The vacuum tube technology is said to work much better on grey days than the flat-bed. Also, with the heat-pipe model (there is a piece of copper rod in the centre of each pipe that passes the heat into the tank) the water does not actually enter the tubes at all: the worst thing that can happen is breakage, and a single glass tube is only Rs300 to replace.

It is situated close to the bathrooms, so hot water comes quickly. It takes a little longer to reach the kitchen at the front of the house, and yes, this is another potential for water wasting.

I love the on-tap hot water, with no switching on, and no waiting, and no forgetting to switch off --- but suspect that it would take years to save the cost of the unit on the electricity bills.

Dadu, I haven't seen the instant heat/pressure showers here that are very, very common in UK. Having just been back to UK, I was interested to note that my friend's top-of-the-range power shower does not give as much pressure as our pressure pump.

Prices? Smt. Thad is asleep and I can't find the file. Later...

Apologies for that the fact that most of this is offtopic to water purifiers --- but I was asked

Next thing I'd like, BTW, is a Water Softener. Our water here is very hard and clogs everything with calcium deposit. The Zero-B ones are very expensive, and our local company is of the kind that promises to send someone round but never does.

filcord · 22nd November 2007, 15:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

RO waste water; yes it has to go to a drain.

It's necessary to be even more careful to keep the valve on the toilet spray turned down: a full blast from that and the water will be coming from your eyes!!!!!

After you come down from the ceiling, that is.

I laughed until I had water coming from my eyes

As for RO waste water, can it not be used for, say, washing the floor, or watering plants?

11th July 2007, 23:52	#31
shajufx Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Ottawa Posts: 1,808 Thanked: 832 Times View My Garage	I got a Kent Grand RO-UV water purifier installed in my house today. It was selected afer considering many brands and types with lot of reviews and opinion forums. The quality of services, customer satisfaction factors etc. were reviewed carefully before finalising the brand. Once the brand was decided, it took only 24 hours to get it installed. So quick ! After testing the water TDS with a HM Digital device and comparing the tap water and bottled water in the house with a precipitator, it was decided that we have 450+ TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) in the water which is way above the safer zones. Its not even good for cooking rice and vegetables. Kent has the regulator where user can select the TDS which makes this brand unique and superior to any other brands. Also the inner parts are clearly visible outside, atleast a satisfaction that nothing is a hidden and mysterious function inside. The installer brought down the TDS from 150 to 40 by using the regulator. Difference was immediately felt as we made some filter coffee with the Kent water. The pure coffee aroma speaks louder than anything else. We never got any coffee smell in the house all these months with the tap water. I would happily recommend Kent to anyone who seriously value quality, standard, reliablity, service and satisfaction.
	() Thanks

17th November 2007, 11:18	#32
Ketan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,023 Thanked: 505 Times View My Garage	Hows your Kent RO doing these days!! a short term reveiw on the product would be appreciated.. I'm in the process of finalizing either zero-B or Kent where you can adjust the TDS level... also looking for some good deals on either of these two products, I will have to go for RO as this place we are shifted does not have cavury water supply and our age old Aquaguard is not helping us anymore...
	() Thanks

18th November 2007, 23:53	#34
filcord BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: goa Posts: 997 Thanked: 68 Times	I too am looking forward to a long-term review of the Kent RO system. We use well-water, and I am concerned with possible contamination from pesticides, fertiliser run-off, etc.
	() Thanks

19th November 2007, 19:37	#35
pjbiju Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 1,380 Thanked: 1,133 Times	Zero B RO System I have been using Ion Exchange's ZERO B RO water purifier for the past 2.5 years. So far no problems. The service is prompt. The water tastes good (at least we have got used to it). I have been paying AMC of around 3k per year, which I think is a bit expensive.
	() Thanks

19th November 2007, 19:56	#36
hrman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,155 Thanked: 1,104 Times	Go For Philips range. Its really good although costs more than others. Its pretty advanced in features and uses some fuzzy logic thingy to start and stop filtering when you are away. It can be programmed depending on the time your water supply starts.
	() Thanks

20th November 2007, 02:00	#37
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,429 Thanked: 29,941 Times	Our Zero-B seems to be settling down. For a long time the water had a sort of machinery taste (err... sorry, but how to describe it?). That seems to be passing away now. My regret is that we let them talk us into buying a much higher-capacity model than we needed (I think it is 25Ltrs per hour; I doubt that we use 5!) and therefore spent much more money on it than we should.
	() Thanks

20th November 2007, 10:13	#38
phamilyman Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Gurgaon Posts: 5,975 Thanked: 4,673 Times	We have had a Kent RO for about two years now - ultra satisfied with it. Only issue - we bought the one with ~12L per hour capacity. Now we would've loved to be in thad's shoes - this is not enough when our family gets cooking in da morning! And now, problem is that I find ANYWHERE else water to be brackish, unless its from another RO! And yes, service is impeccable! just remember to get it serviced on time - else water taste will deteriorate! ZeroB is also good. our dorm back in ahmedabad had it - reliable, and dealt well with the requirement of 20 odd people!
	() Thanks

20th November 2007, 13:45	#39
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,429 Thanked: 29,941 Times	Ours only has to deal with the requirements of two odd (very odd, sometimes!) people, and Mrs G is still reluctant to use it as drinking water, although she does cook with it. My favourite water gadget, by the way, is our CRI water-level-monitor pump switch. At half full, the roof tank is automatically topped up and the pump switched off before it overflows. We never have to think about turning it on and off manually. Oh... I'm very fond of our water pressure booster too: proper showers! Did I mention our solar water heater? Or that I like gadgets?
	() Thanks

21st November 2007, 09:13	#40
vikram_d Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,422 Thanked: 1,188 Times	I have just one question for all the RO users here. What do you folks do with the amount of wasted water that comes of the RO system. Almost all RO systems watse 6 out every 10 litres of water processed. In effect only 4 liters is drinkable. What do you do with the rest?
	() Thanks

21st November 2007, 15:35	#44
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 11,429 Thanked: 29,941 Times	RO waste water; yes it has to go to a drain. Our unit is in a cupboard underneath our kitchen sink, and there is a drain grill there. the RO waste pipe goes straight to that grill. We had some early problems with it coming out --- then, obviously, you get a small flood, but learnt our lesson to make sure it is secure. I find that having a very bad memory for numbers is a great asset to the extravagant! I am capable of forgetting how much something cost me the instant after buying it. The more expensive an item, the more this happens! I have to check with my wife for prices. The pressure pump pressurises the supply for most of the house, both hot and cold. It is Grundfoss pump and is sited in the 'room' which supports the water tank. Because of the madness of plumbers, it pressurises the hot water to the kitchen, but not the cold --- but pressurising that line to the kitchen would have meant high pressure to the garden tap, which could have been very wasteful. Yes, it is necessary to be more careful about waste. There is a valve under the sink; I keep it turned down on the hot to give more balance to the hot/cold mixer tap and minimise the running-water waste. It's necessary to be even more careful to keep the valve on the toilet spray turned down: a full blast from that and the water will be coming from your eyes!!!!! After you come down from the ceiling, that is. The solar water heater is Venus, vacuum-tube heat-pipe (for pressurised systems) 200 Litre model. We looked at Tata, but my Indica put me off buying their water heater. Various other makes to be seen at the exhibitions. A normal Chennai day gives scalding-hot water. A cloudy day gives hot water, and only a very cloudy/rainy day gives no hot water at all. There is an electric element, but we have not fitted it; I'm sure it would be very expensive. The vacuum tube technology is said to work much better on grey days than the flat-bed. Also, with the heat-pipe model (there is a piece of copper rod in the centre of each pipe that passes the heat into the tank) the water does not actually enter the tubes at all: the worst thing that can happen is breakage, and a single glass tube is only Rs300 to replace. It is situated close to the bathrooms, so hot water comes quickly. It takes a little longer to reach the kitchen at the front of the house, and yes, this is another potential for water wasting. I love the on-tap hot water, with no switching on, and no waiting, and no forgetting to switch off --- but suspect that it would take years to save the cost of the unit on the electricity bills. Dadu, I haven't seen the instant heat/pressure showers here that are very, very common in UK. Having just been back to UK, I was interested to note that my friend's top-of-the-range power shower does not give as much pressure as our pressure pump. Prices? Smt. Thad is asleep and I can't find the file. Later... Apologies for that the fact that most of this is offtopic to water purifiers --- but I was asked Next thing I'd like, BTW, is a Water Softener. Our water here is very hard and clogs everything with calcium deposit. The Zero-B ones are very expensive, and our local company is of the kind that promises to send someone round but never does.
	() Thanks