Boiled Water Or Filtered Water – Purification Methods
Many have argued to find out what is purer boiled water or filtered water.
Today we are going to discuss this in detail presenting all the pros and cons of both boiled and filtered water.
Boiling water before drinking remains one of the most well-known conventional methods followed to purify water. This method has been used for ages and it is assumed that boiling water kills all its contaminants but is it better than filtered water?
Boiled Water Or Filtered Water – Purification Methods
What happens when you boil water?
It is well known that water boils at a hundred degrees Celsius, this temperature is quite high for all the microorganisms dwelling in the water. Hence boiling water gets rid of these toxic microbes and viruses. Most of the bacteria existing in water are killed through boiling it.
But heating water only kills these microorganisms and bacterias, the dirt or the chemicals present in the water cannot be distilled only by boiling. Mud and other solids that are dissolved in the water do not filter by boiling it.
Moreover, if the water isn’t consumed within 24 hours there are instances that it may get contaminated again and you will have to boil it again.
Is boiling water enough to purify it?
Even after the water is boiled it is still not completely pure as solid particles including mud or chemicals are not affected by heat. There is always a risk of recontamination of water if it is not consumed within 24 hours of boiling.
When the water starts boiling and bubbles appear on its surface that’s when disinfection through heat begins, by boiling the water the microbes, bacteria and the virus present in the water is killed but after the water is boiled it requires some time to cool down before you can safely utilize it and in that period of cooling down there is a great chance that the water can develop bacterias again (due to a variety of reasons, for example, unclean utensils).
It is advised that when the water starts boiling it should be left boiling for about 20 minutes to effectively kill all the bacterias to make sure there isn’t any virus remaining in the water. But even after boiling for 20 minutes, there is still a chance that the water isn’t truly purified.
How does boiled water taste?
Many people believe that there is no taste in water. However, when you drink boiled water it might not taste like normal water. This is because when you boil the water the oxygen present in the water is eliminated through small bubbles that appear during boiling this gives the water a “blank” taste. And boiled water hence does not taste the same as usual or purified water.
Another thing to keep in mind is the TDS level in water that simply means the level of total dissolved solids present in the water; if the TDS level is low there might be a variation in taste of water but if the TDS level is high then the taste of water might not be affected as much.
Does boiling water remove impurities like chlorine and lead?
– The answer to this question is no! Disinfecting water through the medium of heat might remove many bacterias and microorganisms living in the water but impurities like dirt, dust, mud particles, and other materially suspended bits are not removed from the water even if you boil it. Not just these physically suspended particles but also chemicals like chlorine and lead do not leave the water when it is boiled.
Many chemicals like arsenic calcium, magnesium, salts, and nitrates are dissolved in the water and do not leave it if you disinfect it through the medium of heat.
Does boiling water remove minerals?
No! Just as heat disinfection remains pointless for chemicals; it also is useless for minerals.
Even when heated in high temperatures heating the water does nothing for the minerals, they remain dissolved in the water.
Some minerals are useful for the body although if other harmful minerals enter the body in huge quantity it might lead to serious health issues.
Let’s know somethings about purified water now:
What exactly is purified water?
– Purified water refers to filtered water. There are various processes through which water can be purified. The most well known is a RO water purifier that stands for reverse osmosis process that uses a bunch of techniques to purify and filter the water, which includes the killing of all the pathogens and microorganisms along with filtering bodily dissolved shreds and chemicals.
What are the benefits of purified water?
– When compared to normal boiled water; purified water serves various benefits regarding fitness and well being. Drinking purified water drops the risk of water generated diseases. Purified water is also healthier than boiled water and is also easy to access and convenient. Drinking purified water cancels the risk of getting hurt or burnt while handling boiled water.
Not only does purified water kills all the bacteria and pathogens but it also gets rid of physically suspended particles and chemicals present in the water that overall keeps an individual healthier.
What are the different ways in which water is purified?
There are many methods used to purify drinking water. The most developed and famous methods to purify water are through RO and UV water purification.
RO stands for reverse osmosis and UV water purification includes using UV rays to kill the bacteria. Here is detailed information about the types of purifiers and the best options available in the market:
UV WATER PURIFIERS
UV water purifiers are fitting if the water in your house is supplied by your municipality.
This water being supplied acquires numerous impurities on its way and it is a safe choice to opt for a UV water purifier so that you can easily refine this water.
In a UV water purifier, the impure water is treated with UV rays, these UV rays kill the harmful bacteria in the water by ruffling the DNA of the bacteria present in it. It also uses a filtering mechanism to filter the suspended particles and is an efficient way of purifying water.
It is advisable to look for water purifiers that come with after-sales service for the maintenance of this purifier. The maintenance of any purifier is necessary if you want to assure that the filtration of this water is sufficient in killing all the bacterias and germs.
RO WATER PURIFIERS
RO water purifier works with a process called reverse osmosis. During this process water is forced to pass through the thin membrane that does not allow molecules other than water or the molecules that are larger than water to pass through it, purifying the water completely and getting rid of bacterias, germs, and particles.
RO water purifiers should be used when the water supplied to your residence is groundwater and comes through bore wells. When the water is supplied through tankers and bore Wells the TDS that is the total dissolved solids in the water are high and the RO water purifier gets rid of these solid impurities.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF WATER
Water can be classified in different types according to the TDS present in it. You must choose your water purifier based on your water type which depends on the water source.
While choosing a water purifier you should always recognize two things- first the water source and second the TDS of the water.
A UV water purifier is best if the water supply in your house is by the municipality and enters your house through various pipelines. On the other hand, a RO purifier is advisable if the water supplied to your house comes from borewells and tankers.
Doing a total dissolved solids test of water or TDS test of water is necessary before you purchase a water purifier, if the TDS exceeds 500 PPM then the RO water purifier will be suitable.
Boiled water vs water purifier-best option?
Being a conventionally followed method boiling water is not completely useless as it kills germs and bacteria but on a negative side boiling water does not get rid of the chemicals present in the water; and also does nothing for physically suspended fragments of mud and dust.
Hence water purifier remains unbeatable in protecting an individuals health and well being. A water purifier completely filters the water and provides many advantages that boiled water does not.
So if you want to choose between boiled water and water purifier then you should opt for a water purifier as it is a healthy and safer option that eliminates risks like burns while handling hot water and prevents recontamination of water.