[sathya_j2084]

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

I have been having PureIT and been using it for close to 2 years now. Brought is when it came to the market and got it for 1600Rs. Have had 2 change of the "battery" (as they call it) so far.

The end product is taste free and is definitely safe.

And the service is also good, so far. A phone call and the service agent comes down the next day.

what process does pureIT follow compared to a Aquaguard UV purifier.The cost of Rs.2000 seems so low compared to other purifiers.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Guess what the TPM was? It was merely 7---yes, seven! I was pretty impressed. I took a swig of the Kent water and found it tastes as great as natural water one gets in the mountains! We got rid of the salesman and decided then and there that we were going in for Kent RO system---compared to the local system, it also has UV filtration.
After hard bargaining, we got an offer for Rs 13500, in place of Rs 15500. But the only hitch is that my wife is insisting that he give us Rs 2000 for the Aquaguard, which the local system guy had offered. GOK when it will get resolved, but one thing is sure, we are going in for Kent RO system. I don't believe all that hogwash about losing essential nutrients---I think it's a rumour spread by Eureka Forbes to safeguard their sales.
Well, that's my two cents.

Great decision.

I also upgraded to Kent RO after using aquaguard UV filter for close to 7 years. After shifting to new apartment,the family started falling sick once the apartment started using tanker lorry service. We checked the TDS and it was around 250. After fitting RO, the RO guy adjusted the TDS to 20 as some amount of minerals is required for the body - I had also read it as RO filteration would take away the necessary minerals from the water. Kent has TDS controller valve which is not present in aquaguard.

Now the water tastes like mineral water and I just love it.

Also, it is very convenient as it is like having drinking water on a tap.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Great decision.

I also upgraded to Kent RO after using aquaguard UV filter for close to 7 years. After shifting to new apartment,the family started falling sick once the apartment started using tanker lorry service. We checked the TDS and it was around 250. After fitting RO, the RO guy adjusted the TDS to 20 as some amount of minerals is required for the body - I had also read it as RO filteration would take away the necessary minerals from the water. Kent has TDS controller valve which is not present in aquaguard.

Now the water tastes like mineral water and I just love it.

Also, it is very convenient as it is like having drinking water on a tap.

Welcome to the club! We too have installed Kent RO for 13 K last month--that was the final price, in exchange for our 17.5 year old Aquaguard.
We are more than happy with it, and it fills up water bottles mighty fast, compared to the Aquaguard. End result: no more reluctance among kids to fill up water bottles from the filter.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

...it is like having drinking water on a tap.

It is having drinking water on tap! I cannot justify it economically, but for convenience, it is great.

It took my wife a while to come to trust the new machine. She went on drinking water from cans for a few weeks!

[sathya_j2084]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Welcome to the club! We too have installed Kent RO for 13 K last month--that was the final price, in exchange for our 17.5 year old Aquaguard.
We are more than happy with it, and it fills up water bottles mighty fast, compared to the Aquaguard. End result: no more reluctance among kids to fill up water bottles from the filter.

we have chennai corporation water supply.Is it still essential to go for a RO purifier? Can the sytem be directly connected to water tap?

[narayan]

please recheck whether RO is required for Chennai. RO is primarily when the water is "HARD". I dont think Chennai water is Hard. but still check it

before going for any purifier, do check the service and filter replacement schedule and COST. this is where the company makes a KILLING

so dont necessarily go by the initial outlay alone

[Sam Kapasi]

I actually have a new perspective to add to this thread. It may actually be common knowledge, so please forgive me if I am repeating something you know already.

When Jenny moved to India, she had a lot of problem adjusting to the drinking water. I know that we have very good soft water in Mumbai, but she could smell chlorine in it, something that she was not used to.

At this point we were using an Aquaguard.

When we moved to the new home, my first reflex was to buy an Aquaguard or a Philips or other such purifiers for drinking water. I was expecting to spend about 10,000 Rupees for this purchase.
The clear problem was that despite everything, Jenny could still taste/smell the chlorine in the water, something she could not in a bottle of Aquafina or Bisleri. That got me thinking.

After some quick deliberation, I called Bisleri. bisleri.com, mineral water, mountain water, natural spring water

I was happy to discover that they would deliver one can of 20litres to my residence. All I had to do was make a phonecall.
They even had an online order (though I have never tried it.)

I paid Rs. 150/- as a deposit for the bottle. I purchased a nozzle system (a wire stand and a nozzle cap that fits on top of the can)
Unfortunately the nozzle was leaking. The bisleri guy suggested I try the "matka" instead, a plastic dispenser with a rubber ring around it on which the bottle fits upside down. It worked beautifully.

Today we drink Bisleri at home. we pay Rs. 70/- for 20 litres of good drinking water that lasts us roughly a week. I call in the morning and the guy delivers on the same day. He turns over the bottle into the dispenser and takes away the empty can.

I never bought a water purifier. The way I see it, I'm spending Rs. 3500/- a year for safe drinking water. I don't have to rely on any service or sit back and hope that the filter is actually working. No hidden or added expense. Ever.
Given the fact the I would have spent 10K or more on my initial purchase and would have spent a couple of thousand on service, spares etc. It will take me about 5 years of drinking Bisleri to reach the original spending target.

We don't cook with this water, simply because there's no need to. Also saves a lot of space in the kitchen, because earlier we would fill up bottles of water from the Aquaguard and stack them on the kitchen counter. Now we only use bottles for the fridge.

Recently we found out that Parle "Bailley" charges Rs. 65/- for a similar can of 20Litres, but find no reason to change something we're happy with.

I hope this information has been interesting for you.

[tsk1979]

We also get can(though its 30rs here). Non Bisleri etc., but ISI mark.
For cooking we use RO water which building supplies.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by Sam Kapasi

Given the fact the I would have spent 10K or more on my initial purchase and would have spent a couple of thousand on service, spares etc. It will take me about 5 years of drinking Bisleri to reach the original spending target.

For me, the calculation was slightly different.

A Basic Aquaguard comes for Rs. 5000.
I have a Aquaguard Crystal which cost me around Rs. 6000.

I have one guy here who has quoted me Rs. 800 for AMC - 2nd year on -
he said that will cover regular servicing & any repairs/parts etc.

So assuming Rs. 3500 per year on water bottles - for me the breakeven happens in 2 years.

Plus, I think 20L per week, wouldn't be sufficient for me.

[nishant kar]

guys i had bought a Pentair RO system (US Corp.) 4 or 5 yrs ago for Rs11000 till date has'nt given me any problem. i need to change all three candles/or purifying rods once in 6 to 8 months i do it myself and its very easy cost 600 to 650.

Details of the unit are
One wall mounting unit
one 12 lts pressurized tank
one dispenser unit/fancy tap mounted on top of my kitchen sinks

benefit is that even during power cut there is supply from the pressure tank.
the RO unit automatically fills the tank and switches off after refilling.

i feel its more economical for a family of 3 and above and also one is safe against counterfeit bottles.

now that the rates have come down it also requires less initial investment.

[sgiitk]

Two points. I have been using Aquaguard for the past eight years. After the authorised dealer/service centre issued a 'fake' service receipt, which the company was least bothered about; I went independent, and am happy I did so. The chaps are all ex-Eureka Forbes, know their jobs, call up and come every three months on their own, and are cheaper to boot.

Recently a friend who is moving to Kanpur from Jamshedpur was here. I had a chat with the service fellow about RO. The sum total is

1.RO and UV are in parallel and not cascaded, in that some UV treated non-RO water is mixed into the RO water to providewater which is more 'normal'. Useless for places with very had water.

2. Most RO tanks have a problem in that Crickets and ants can get in from the vent. So watch out. You should prefer a system where the liquid is visible. The only exception to this is the Zero-B which has a sealed tank. Kent & Eureka Forbes units can be sealed with tape to avoid this problem.

3. membranes last much longer in RO systems with automatuc flushing of the membrane.

I agree is hard water is not an issue than a plain UV should be good enough. I am in a very ahrd water area, and some day will switch over to an RO system. Remember any RO system wastes netween 5 and 10 litres of water for every litre it purifies.

[tsk1979]

I think RO and UV etc., are for different purposes, though some units come with both.
Water can be contaminated with bacteria etc.,(which UV etc., will fix), or heavy metals and salts.
When we bought flat in Bangalore, I got water tested from the national laboritory(I forgot the exact name)
The water had much higher than permitted levels of calcium, metals and some other salts. So we had to get RO. I served well for 4 years(I got it to Ludhiana from blr). Now its almost gone, and we got a new RO back home.
In noida I use the can system.

As for water wastage, RO will waste water. Even Bisleri etc., have large RO units where water is wasted.

So if your water supply does not have salts etc., and only problem is bacteria, simple aquaguard will do. However if you have metals like copper and calcium etc., salts above the recommended levels, you need can or RO.

How to find that out? Most big cities have labs which will test it for you for 100-200rs.

[narayan]

Sam - good perspective - that makes sense especially when the consumption at home is very low.

sgiitk - are you suggesting that there are non-Eureka ppl who can service the Eureka RO system ? because, my RO system has completed 1 year and the Eureka guys are after my life to change all filters which they say costs nearly Rs4k - this is 33% OF THE TOTAL COST OF THE UNIT ! and that too in just 1 year

the normal external filter cleaning is something I have learnt to do myself because that saves me the AMC cost which I think is a total waste

now i would like to know whether there are cheaper options other than the A.S.S. who can replace all the filters at much less than Eureka ( now this is so similar to the car A.S.S ! )

[Technocrat]

@Sam: Before getting our RO unit we too were using similar for arounda year or so.

In Pune it costs Rs60 for the 20 ltr can it wasnt Bisleri but some other ISI mark water can.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Sam as quite right, and I think I said before that we could probably buy enough cans of water just for the annual maintenance of our machine.

sathya_j2084, I would not use Chennai Metro water as drinking water. More to the point, neither would my wife, who has lived here all her life.

As I understand it, the metro authorities guarantee that water leaves their plant clean and fit to drink, but it flows, under low pressure, through old pipes which are sometimes even empty --- anything can get in. The equally old sewage pipe may not be far from the water pipe. Therefore they do not guarantee that it is safe when it reaches your home.

When we lived in the metro area, my wife used metro water for cooking and washing, canned water for drinking. Now we have panchayat water, which we use for washing only.