If we are not satisfied with the taste of our tap water or we think it is not pure enough, water purifiers are an excellent solution for our needs.
Given that Italian water is always drinkable and controlled, we could still be dissatisfied with the too much presence of salts and minerals – when we pour it do we often find it whitish? If we are not sure about the cleanliness of our pipes or we simply don’t like the taste of our water we may choose to buy a purifier choosing among softeners, osmosis systems and activated carbon purifiers..
Softeners
The water softener does exactly what its name says: useful if our water is too “hard”, or if it has too much limestone. Such water has no negative effects on health, but it can be objectively unpleasant. Rather, the most serious consequences of a high presence of limestone will be in our pipes, appliances, kettles, coffee machines, boiler or taps: the risk is that incrustations cause damage in the long run. To avoid maintenance and replacements, choosing a softener can be the best solution.
But how does a water softener work? Inside an ion exchange softener, there are filters that lower the hardness of the water through a chemical process, eliminate limestone and add sodium. Instead, a magnetic softener does not use filters but – thanks to a magnetic field applied around the water pipe – transforms limestone into aragonite instead of calcite.
Some useful information on softeners: both types are bulky and must be installed upstream of the system – near the water meter; furthermore, they must be checked regularly and are quite expensive (from 300-400 euros + installation).
Reverse osmosis systems
A reverse osmosis system is used to remove all the impurities present in the water, the dissolved mineral salts and the excesses of nitrates and sodium. The result is therefore clean and pure water, but which risks being too sweet as it is free of calcium, sodium and magnesium; which is why it is good to make sure that in the system we are going to buy there is also a re-mineralizer capable of restoring a fair amount of salts.
These systems work thanks to a semi-waterproof membrane, which separates the solute from the solvent, and also includes an activated carbon filter (useful for blocking chlorine), thus retaining not only all the mineral salts but also bacteria and heavy metals.
The great advantage of this system (compared to softeners for example) is its compactness, its dimensions are in fact small enough to be placed under our sink. As for the price, this can vary a lot, especially based on the cost of the installation – a good model can be purchased for between 300 and 500 euros.
Activated carbon purifiers
These purifiers are valid for filtering a wide spectrum of pollutants (while not retaining nitrates or bacteria) and for improving the taste of the water, thanks also to their ability to make the water free from chlorine.
Activated carbon purifiers work thanks to granulate or carbon mesh filters: the first is a filter shield from coarser particles, while the second acts by blocking chlorine and its by-products.
As for the installation, activated carbon purifiers can easily be placed under the sink as well, bearing in mind that in the long run a bacterial flora can develop on these filters and for this it will be better to change them with a certain frequency or sterilize them with an ultraviolet lamp. The cost is particularly low, especially considering that they do not require the intervention of a specialized technician to be assembled.
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