What are you actually drinking? How to properly purify water at home. How to purify water from impurities yourself at home? Ways to filter water at home

Clean and high-quality drinking water is the key to health and well-being. Therefore, today almost every home has a water filter. But you don't have to buy this important item. The filter can be made with your own hands.

Water is the basis of all living things. A person can survive without water for no more than three days (while he can survive without food for two weeks). Water is the beginning of life. But it can also bring health problems. We are talking about untreated (unfiltered) water containing harmful chemical elements, compounds, and impurities. The problem of clean drinking water is not new. And cleaning it is a serious household procedure.

How to purify drinking water at home

If we had the opportunity to examine a drop of water that we are about to drink, we would perhaps seriously think about the issue of filtering this product, which we cannot do without. In this case, household filters come to the rescue. There are a great many of them on sale now. But what if you don’t have a factory filter at hand? Do you need to purify water from harmful components? It turns out that it is quite possible to make an improvised and effective water filter using improvised means and certain materials. There are even simple folk methods that have been used for centuries, and which you may not have heard of at all.

Here is a list of the most common water purification filters or methods just for you.

1. Boiling

But all this can be achieved under the following conditions:

• Boil the water for at least 15 minutes.
• Do not cover the container in which the water is boiled.

This method has serious drawbacks:

• Fresh water contains oxygen, hydrogen sulfide, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium ions. The boiling process helps displace oxygen from the water. The ions react with each other under the influence of elevated temperatures, resulting in the formation of calcium salts and other elements that accumulate as scale on the inner walls of the boiling vessel. And what we end up with is not only “dead” water, but also one that is detrimental to health: for example, calcium salts over time can trigger the process of forming kidney stones and the development of diseases such as arthritis.
• It is impossible to remove salts of iron, lead, mercury and other heavy metals from water by boiling.
• Chlorine and its compounds, when heated, react with org. compounds form so-called trihalomethanes and dioxin - carcinogenic substances that in significant quantities can provoke the formation of malignant tumors in the body.

2. Water settling

The essence of the method is to settle the most ordinary tap water for 8 - 12 hours (exactly the same amount of time is required for the evaporation of chlorine and other volatile impurities).

To stimulate the evaporation of substances we do not need, it is advisable to stir the water from time to time.
However, heavy metal salts do not disappear from the settled water, calmly settling at the bottom, so there is no need to stir the water approximately an hour and a half before drinking.

To achieve the maximum purification of heavy metals in water, it is advisable to pour 2/3 of the volume of the resulting liquid into another container so that the harmful sediment remains at the bottom.

3. Freezing water

Freezing allows you not only to purify water from salts and other impurities, but also to saturate it with oxygen.
What are the benefits of melt water:

• Removing cholesterol and salts from the body.
• Strengthening the immune system.
• Reducing the likelihood of allergies.
• Rejuvenation.

How do you get melt water?

• Do not fill a plastic container (but do not use a bottle made of plastic material) or a special plastic freezer bag with water completely: when frozen, water expands in volume. That is why it is not recommended to take glass containers.
• Place the container of water in the freezer and leave it for exactly as long as 2/3 of it turns into a solid state.
• Drain the water that remains unfrozen because it contains salts that stop the freezing process.
• Defrost the existing ice - your melt water is ready.

It is advisable to consume up to 1.5 - 2 liters of melt water per day.

4. Water purification with activated carbon

Activated carbon is an affordable and at the same time effective remedy in this regard. It successfully absorbs unnecessary impurities and unpleasant “odors”.

Classic household filters for water purification “work” on carbon filters.

How to make such a filter yourself?

Take:

• Activated carbon (50 tablets).
• Gauze (a bandage of sufficient width will do).
• Vatu.
• 1 liter glass jar.
• A 1.5 liter water bottle (plastic).

The filter manufacturing technology consists of three layers:

1. Cut off the bottom of a plastic bottle and insert it with the neck into the jar.

2. Cut a piece of gauze (20x20 cm in size) in which to wrap the cotton wool (this is the first layer of our filter).

3. The second layer will consist of carefully crushed activated carbon tablets, which should be wrapped in cotton wool.

4. The third layer is prepared exactly like the first.

Make sure that the filter layers fit one another tightly enough.

A faster water purification method:

• Place activated carbon in a ratio of 1 tablet per 1 liter of water into a gauze bag.
• Tie the bag and place it in a bowl of water for 6 – 8 hours.

5. Silver cleaning

A long-known method of purifying water from microbes, viruses, bleach and other unnecessary substances. How can you purify water with silver? It is necessary to place any silver item in a bowl with water for approximately 8 – 10 hours.

Silver can disinfect drinking water. In addition, this metal has a healing effect on the immune system, has a beneficial effect on the appearance of skin and hair, and starts the gastrointestinal tract.

Attention! Colloidal (liquid) silver cannot be used for these purposes. The latter, accumulating in the body, causes poisoning and provokes the development of a disease such as argyrosis, the symptoms of which are darkening of the skin to a dark gray tone.

6. Silicon cleaning

To purify water with silicon, you need a stone weighing 5–10 g (you can buy one at a regular pharmacy).
Silicon water purification technology:

1. Rinse the silicon under running water.

2. Place it in a glass container with cold water (5 g of silicon is enough to purify 1 liter of water).

3. Cover the container with two layers of gauze.

4. Let the water stand for 3 days: make sure that the container with water is not exposed to direct sunlight, however, there is no need to place the water in a dark room.

5. After 3 days, pour the water into the prepared container, leaving 1/3 of the settled water with a sediment of traces of heavy metal salts at the bottom.

6. After each cleansing, the stone should be thoroughly rinsed and systematically brushed.
Water purified in this way has a good effect on the immune system and blood circulation, and has a rejuvenating effect.

Attention! Silicon water has no contraindications.

7. Shungite cleaning

Another stone that is suitable for water purification is called shungite (you can also actually buy it at the pharmacy).

This mineral can absorb compounds of chlorine, phenol and acetone that are unusually harmful to humans, and removes pathogenic bacteria and microorganisms from water.

To purify 1 liter of water, you need to take 100 g of shungite.

Shungite water purification technology:

1. Rinse this stone thoroughly.

2. Place the shungite in a bowl of water at room temperature and leave for 3 days: the bowl of water should not be covered (it is enough to cover it with gauze).

3. At the first stage of purification, the water will acquire a black tone, but after a while it will become transparent again, and the resulting dust from mineral particles will settle to the bottom.

4. After 1 hour of the process, the water will be cleared of bacteria and nitrates, and after 3 days it will have healing properties (according to healers).

5. Drain the water, leaving about 3 cm of water at the bottom.

After use, shungite must be washed thoroughly, cleaned with a brush approximately once every 30 days, and replaced with a new stone twice a year.

Attention! Water purified with shungite has a number of contraindications:

• Tendency to thrombus formation.
• Promotes the emergence and development of oncology.
• Increased acidity.
• Diseases during exacerbation.

Before using the stone to purify water, it is advisable to consult your family doctor.

8. Folk remedies

Apple vinegar. Dilute 1 teaspoon in 1 liter of water, then leave the mixture for 2 - 3 hours in order to destroy microbes.
Vinegar can be replaced with 5% iodine, which should be added to water in a ratio of 3 drops of iodine per 1 liter of water. Leave for 2 hours.
Disadvantage of the method: water purified with vinegar or iodine does not have a pleasant smell and a specific taste, to put it mildly.

Do not forget that an excessive amount of iodine can lead to the following manifestations in the body:

• Muscle weakness.
• Persistent low-grade fever in the absence of signs of a specific disease.
• Sweating.
• Diarrhea.

Cleansing with rowan bunches. This water is aromatic and has a very pleasant taste. In terms of results, a number of experts equate the use of rowan with water purification with silver or coal.

To purify drinking water, all you need to do is place a thoroughly washed bunch of ripe rowan berries in a bowl of water. This plant is extremely rich in natural antibiotics, so within 3 hours the pathogenic bacteria present in the water will be destroyed.

Rowan berry clusters can be replaced with onion peels, bird cherry leaves and juniper branches, but in this case, the water will have to infuse for up to 12 hours.

Remember! To strengthen the cleansing effect, it is advisable to always filter the water after infusion.
Folk remedies cannot completely purify water from chlorine compounds and microbes, so one should not attribute non-existent universal qualities to them.

Purifying water without a household filter

The drinking water we consume daily can be a healing agent, or it can be a source of acquired diseases. Therefore, you should not be careless with the water you drink. For example, tap water contains a lot of components harmful to humans. It is enough to imagine that mucus accumulates on the inner perimeter of water pipes from year to year, microorganisms multiply, which can easily penetrate our body. If the water pipes are old or made of metals that can corrode, then rust is added to the wide range of compounds and substances harmful to health.

Clean drinking water becomes a real treasure. Could people who lived 100 years ago imagine that drinking water would be sold for money? You may know that the shortage of drinking water is on the list of global problems for humanity. After all, despite all the achievements of science, people have not yet figured out what can replace water. published.

*Ekonet.ru articles are intended for informational and educational purposes only and do not replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your physician with any questions you may have about a medical condition.

P.S. And remember, just by changing your consumption, we are changing the world together! © econet

Water is an integral part of the human body. It is necessary to consume it, but the main thing is that it is clean. Therefore, mankind has invented various filtration systems. However, you can filter it in simple ways using available tools. Such methods can help save money that is usually spent on replacing and installing various cartridges and filtration systems.

Filtering methods

First of all, you need to consider the methods by which you can filter the water. They are simple and accessible to everyone and are options for physical influence, in addition, they do not require the use of filters. However, they have not only advantages, but also disadvantages. So, these methods include:

1. boiling;
2. settling;
3. freezing.

During the boiling process, high temperature affects the tap liquid and sterilizes it. The main advantage of such an effect is that at this moment the death of all pathogenic microorganisms occurs. It is worth noting that boiling should take place for fifteen minutes with the lid open. In this case, the water will be truly clean, and harmful impurities will evaporate. However, with such exposure, the liquid becomes “dead” and no longer provides any benefit to the body. In addition, chlorine is still present in such water, changing and turning into another compound, which is even more dangerous.

In addition, you can use another simple method - settling. You should pour water into the container and let it sit for eight hours. This method allows you to purify water from chlorine. and some other harmful compounds. However, some heavy metals still remain, settling at the bottom. You can eliminate them by pouring the liquid into another container, but do not stir or shake it. About a quarter of the contents should be left at the bottom.

You can also use freezing. Currently, this method is considered the most effective among simple methods of physical influence on liquid. Pour the required amount of water into the container and place it in the freezer. Then you need to make sure that not all the liquid is frozen, but only half, and drain it - all harmful substances and salts remain in it. Next, you need to melt the frozen liquid - and you can drink it. It is considered healing.

If you choose how to purify water at home from these simple methods, then it is better to give preference to the latter, because only in this case can you control the quality of the product. The fact is that water, which contains a large amount of mineral salts, freezes quite slowly. That's why, if there is no quality filter, then it is better to choose a similar technique.

Chemical methods

If you are interested in how to filter water at home in other ways, then there are also some chemical methods , which can also be used. These include:

1. Activated carbon;
2. silver;
3. silicon;
4. table salt;
5. shungite

Table salt is used in the following way: take two liters of liquid from the tap. A heaping tablespoon of salt should be dissolved in it. The solution should be left for about twenty minutes, after which you can drink it. This method allows you to eliminate heavy metal salts and harmful microbes, but it should not be used often.

You can also purify the liquid using pharmaceutical silicon. It is best to purchase it at a pharmacy. First, this component should be rinsed under running water, which should be slightly warm. The ingredient is then placed into the liquid. It is calculated as follows: take 3 grams of silicon per 1 liter of water. Cover the container with gauze and place it in a bright place, but make sure it is not exposed to direct sunlight. The cleansing will be completed in 2-3 days. Before use, pour the liquid into another jar, leaving about 3 centimeters of sediment at the bottom.

In addition to silicon, there is another stone that allows for cleaning - this is shungite. The method is similar to the previous one, only for one liter they take a stone that weighs about 100 grams. Leave for three days, then drain, leaving a small residue at the bottom. After some time, such a filter needs to be cleaned or replaced with a new one.

Activated carbon cleans liquid well. It helps eliminate unpleasant odors and absorbs harmful substances that can come from the surface of pipes. To do this, wrap several charcoal tablets in gauze (take at the rate of 1 tablet per liter of liquid) and drop them in there overnight.

Another simple and effective way is to use silver. To cleanse, you need to put some silver item in water and leave it for ten hours.

Folk remedies

There are also folk remedies that can help clear the liquid. However, one point should be taken into account: the effectiveness of such methods will depend on how high-quality the components are used. So, you can use the following folk remedies:

Attention, TODAY only!

Tap water is considered safe, but many still prefer to “play it safe” by installing additional water filters or boiling it before drinking.

You can only find out how safe the liquid you drink is in a laboratory.

However, some signs of poor quality water can be determined by eye and thanks to the olfactory and taste receptors.

What's wrong with tap water?

Drinking tap water is undesirable and sometimes even dangerous. It contains too many chloride compounds. According to standards, chlorine should be up to 0.5 milligrams per liter of water. This amount is considered safe for humans and at the same time effective in the fight against bacteria and microbes.

Since 1904, humanity has been chlorinating water to protect against infections. Unfortunately, this is not an ideal solution - over 50 years of living with tap water, a person drinks 16 kilograms of chlorides, 2 kilograms of nitrates and 2 tablespoons of aluminum.

There is often rust in such water - water pipes in most cases are old and metal, iron oxide dissolves in water and is present in the form of small particles.
The direct result of drinking such water is kidney stones.

Tap water may be mixed with sewerage. According to the Russian Association of Water Supply and Sanitation, the wear and tear of water supply systems in Russia is approximately 58%. Sewer and water pipes are laid side by side, in the same boxes, and they can rot so much that when you open the tap, you will see brown water flowing.
You should absolutely not drink it.

In addition, the quality of tap water depends on its hardness - the amount of calcium and magnesium salts, as well as impurities of iron and other minerals.

You should not drink tap water if:

The water is cloudy;
- if the shade is greenish, rusty, yellowish or any other;
- if the filter with a replaceable cassette has turned yellow (this may be due to worn-out pipes and, as a result, rust and iron getting into the water);
- water has a specific smell;
- after the water has settled, you see abundant sediment;
- the water has an unpleasant taste.

How to purify water at home?

I think it is no longer a secret to anyone that the water that flows from our tap does not have the quality and purity that our body needs. If you have a filter, all you have to do is change the cartridges regularly to be sure that the water you drink is extremely healthy.

But, just so you know, we can purify water at home without spending a lot of money on filters and cartridges, but using fairly simple methods.

The quality of drinking water can be improved at home in several ways:

❧ Advocacy.
You need to pour tap water into a glass container and let it sit for six to seven hours. During this time, volatile chlorine, along with other volatile impurities, will evaporate (it’s good if you periodically stir the water - this will help the “volatilization” processes occur more intensely).

However, heavy metal salts will not go away from settled water; at best, they will settle to the bottom. Therefore, when you use this water, pour out 2/3 of its contents without shaking, so that the sediment at the bottom does not mix with more or less purified water.

❧ Filtration.
Pass the water through any filter. This can be a filter jug ​​with a replaceable cassette, a faucet attachment and a filter for the cold water riser.
There are many types of water filters on the market, and prices vary widely.
When filtering water at home with capacitive filters, the main thing is to change the filter on time. Be sure to pay attention to the characteristics of the filter: how many liters of water it can purify, and control this amount.

If you do not change the filter in time, then the harmful components accumulated in it will go into the water being purified, that is, the water will not only not be purified, but the harmful components accumulated by the filter will also be added to it.

It is best to filter water at home with multi-level filters, but they also have serious prices.
Using such a filter, water is first purified from mechanical impurities, sediments, chlorine, colloidal solutions and iron oxides. And then, thanks to the reverse osmosis membrane of the filter, bacteria and viruses are removed from the water.

Multi-level filter purifies water by 99%. This figure is much higher than that of chlorinated water, not to mention the disadvantages of chlorination given above.
Water purified by such a filter is close in composition to spring water.

❧ Boiling .
To boil water, use a regular kettle, not an electric one: the water will boil more slowly, but there will be much less scale. For cleansing, simple boiling is generally sufficient.
You need to boil water for at least 10-15 minutes. Only in this case a significant part of the microorganisms dies.

However, this method has its drawbacks. Our water often contains salts of heavy metals. When boiling, water evaporates and the concentration of salts in it increases. They are deposited on the walls of the kettle in the form of scale and lime and then enter the human body.

❧ Freezing.
This method will not purify large volumes of water, but it will be really clean. Pour tap water into plastic bottles (not glass bottles or jars!)
Fill it with water, not reaching 1-2 cm to the edge, in order to leave free volume, since water increases its volume when it freezes. Remember glass bottles of water that burst in the cold? And put the bottle in the freezer.
When about half of the water in the bottle has frozen, drain the rest, remove the bottle with ice from the freezer and let the ice melt naturally.

Freezing is used mainly to remove excess salts from water. This method is based on the principle that pure water freezes at a higher temperature faster than water containing salts.
When pure water freezes first, what remains between the ice crystals is a so-called brine, that is, a mixture of water and salts. Accordingly, the “brine” is drained without allowing it to freeze, and clean ice is melted, obtaining purified water.
True, if the freezing temperature was too low, it may happen that not only pure water, but also the “brine” freezes.

Make sure that the ice in the bottle is transparent. Cloudy ice should not be used as it may contain harmful substances.

❧ About silver cleaning
Silver ions, due to their bactericidal effect, perfectly purify water. You can use any silver item, preferably 999 fine: put it in a container of water and leave it overnight or for 8-10 hours.

Even an ordinary silver spoon dipped into a reservoir of water can improve its properties.

However, silver ions accumulate, as a result of which an excess of silver may occur in the body, and this will negatively affect metabolism.
So try to consume not only “silver” water.

❧ Cleansing with activated carbon.
Activated carbon is used in most filters used for water purification. After passing through it, the taste and smell of water improve, since it adsorbs most of the harmful impurities contained in the water.

You can make something like a filter yourself: just place activated carbon tablets (calculated at 1 tablet per 1 liter of water) in a bag made of cloth or gauze, put it in a container and pour tap water into it.
It is enough to keep the coal in water for 12 hours for the water to become purified.
This carbon filter needs to be changed 1-2 times a week.

❧ Cleansing with iodine.
Along with activated carbon, many purification systems also contain iodine. It has a detrimental effect on pathogens found in fresh water.

It works most effectively if the water is at room temperature or hot. If the collected tap water is clear, then 5 drops of iodine will need to be added per 1 liter; if it is cloudy, then 10 drops.
The water sits for half an hour, then you can drink it.

❧ Silicon purification.
Silicon, with its germicidal, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, is the best natural filter for tap water. Silicon has a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and metabolism, removes toxins, carcinogens and other substances harmful to health from our body.
You can purchase silicon in the pharmacy chain and in online stores/pharmacies.

The silicon is pre-washed well, placed in a container, and filled with water. Cover the jar with gauze and place it in the light, but away from direct sunlight, and leave for 2-3 days (at least a day).

Calculate the size of a silicon stone 3-10g per 1-5 liters of water. And do not drink the water to the bottom, carefully pour it into another vessel, leaving 3-5 centimeters of water with sediment.
Once a week it is necessary to clean the silicon crystals from plaque.

If there is no flint in the house, then water can be infused with Jerusalem artichoke. It has the highest percentage of silicon among vegetables - 8.1.
The second place in the amount of silicon is occupied by radishes. It contains slightly less silicon - 6.5%.

❧ Cleansing with shungite.
Recently, water purification with another stone called shungite has become popular. It is recommended to purchase large stones, then they will not need to be replaced with new ones, although, of course, once every six months they need to be thoroughly cleaned with a brush, a hard sponge or sandpaper.

Shungite water is prepared as follows: a 100 gram stone is placed in a liter of water (if you need more, then take more than one stone), the shungite water is infused for 3 days, no more, after which it is drained in the same way as when preparing silicon water.

Shungite water has contraindications: a tendency to cancer, blood clots, high acidity and diseases in the acute stage.

In which countries is it possible and in which countries is it not possible to drink tap water?

There are many states that monitor water quality throughout the entire water cycle. For example, in Holland they do not use chlorine at all, and in Austria or Switzerland about 90 percent of drinking water is chlorine-free.

In Finland you can also drink water straight from the tap. At treatment plants, it is treated with ferrous sulfate, then exposed only to ozone for disinfection.

In France, water is also treated with ozone, passed through sand filters, then ozonated again and purified using granular activated carbon filters. Authorities provide tax incentives to those who do the best job of cleaning water.

In Italy you can drink water not only from the tap, but even from a fountain on the street. The quality of water in the country is checked regularly.

The highest standards apply to tap water in Germany. Modern treatment facilities have been installed throughout the country.

The non-profit organization Water.org annually publishes a list of countries where drinking tap water is not recommended. The top three most dangerous countries are Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Chad. Things are not going well in Ghana, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, India and Haiti.
based on materials

Water purity is not only a global problem for our planet, but also an everyday problem that every person solves (or doesn’t solve) for himself every day. We drink water every day (in its pure form or with food).

Therefore, whether it is necessary to purify tap water is not an idle question. And although now in any hardware store you can see a huge assortment of different types of household filters from dozens of brands, which one is good is difficult to understand by appearance.

In fact, it is much easier to choose a smartphone or a car. First, both smartphones and cars have clearly measurable technical characteristics by which one model can be easily compared with another. With filters everything is more complicated - how to compare jugs? By what parameters besides volume? Secondly, the Internet is full of car reviews and selections of gadgets.

But there are practically no studies and tests that allow you to compare household types of filters or distinguish one brand from another. Either because we previously did not attach such importance to the purity of water, or for some other reason. But now, for the most part, when choosing water filters, people rely not on facts, figures and research, but on their own instinct (often deceiving), on advertising and brand promotion.

At the same time, they are often in captivity of the illusion: “Foreign means the best.” But practice, nevertheless, destroys harmonious advertising appeals and promises. Moreover, many of the advertised filters do not completely purify the water.

A little theory about clean water

The thing is that “municipal” water not only runs through old, worn-out pipes. There could be a long description of the technologies that are used to purify water in municipal water supplies, but it is quite boring. Therefore, briefly: the water utility removes large particles of dirt from the water, kills bacteria with chlorine or ozone (in Russia in 99% of cases it is chlorine).

Toxic organic matter passes through all these filters without problems and does not go anywhere. In addition, moving through municipal pipes, water picks up rust, heavy metals and other dirt from them - and often ends up in our sinks tough and tasteless. And, sometimes, not very useful, since, for example, in the process of passing through pipes, chlorine forms organochlorine substances. Remains of aluminum also do not make life better. But these are forced measures of municipal water purification, and it is impossible to do without them.

Therefore, many conscious people further purify their water. Some people buy bottled water, which is not bad, but there is still no absolute confidence in the purity of this water (who knows - is it actually collected from a well or from a tap in a garage?). And some people buy and install home filters based on their needs and budget.

Filters: what is on the market and what you need

There are three most common types of household water filters.

The first, most common type is jug filters: a regular jug ​​for 2-4 liters of water, which can be used at home or in the country, and the removable cartridge in it can be changed every 2-3 months. The simplest and most budget option: a jug costs 500-1,000 rubles.

Often, when purchasing, the first cartridge comes with a jug. And then about once every 1.5 -2 months you need to buy a new cartridge - that’s another 200-300 rubles.

But a filter jug, for the most part, cannot “change” the hardness of the water and certainly does not remove viruses and bacteria - it is still recommended to boil the water. However, it certainly must purify the water from dirt, rust, heavy metal ions, pesticides and toxins.

The second type is stationary flow filters: these are systems that are installed under the sink and connected to the water supply. Clean water is discharged through a separate tap. A flow-through sorption filter will not filter water from viruses, but will do a good job of removing rust and most organic pollutants.

Some flow filters (but not all!) soften the water. But there are also disadvantages: if you have very hard water, the softening module of such filters will have to be changed quite often. The specific frequency depends on the hardness of the water, and can range from 3 months to 1 year or 200-300 liters of water spilled through them.

The third type - reverse osmosis filters - are the most advanced because they purify the water 100% of rust, toxins, bacteria, heavy metals, pesticides and even viruses! It is clear that this is the most expensive, but also the most effective type of filter. The system is also installed under the sink, but has decent dimensions because it works difficult. Water flows into the system under pressure: it is taken from the water supply, where there must be a pressure of at least 3 atmospheres.

When entering pre-treatment, the water is first “cleaned” from the largest fractions of dirt, such as rust. Then - filtration in the following modules, each of which cleans at an increasingly fine level. The decisive module is a reverse osmosis membrane rolled into a roll. Passing through it under pressure, the water is purified of any contaminants (even small viruses) and drained into a storage tank.

As is clear from the process, water purification here is quite lengthy, which is why you need a storage tank for clean water (and this is extra space in your kitchen).

Comparison of dimensions of reverse osmosis systems

And there is one more important technical “trick” that is worth remembering when choosing a specific filter. That same special membrane is cleaned of any dirt remaining on it - also with water from the water supply, which is called drainage. This drainage water then goes into the sewer, and its consumption for the production of 1 liter of clean water is the money that you will pay according to the tariff.

Therefore, if you choose a reverse osmosis filter, be sure to look at the drainage water flow rate. In a good filter, 1 liter of clean water requires up to 4 liters of drainage water. In not very good conditions - up to 8-10 liters.

Let's move on to testing

If in appearance all the devices look almost the same, then how can you understand which is really good and purifies water in the best way? How do you understand that you spent 500-1,000 rubles on a jug (and every 1-2 months you spend another 200-300 rubles on replacement filter cartridges) that will not actually pour incompletely purified water into your kettle?

You can order a water examination. You can use special devices to measure water quality. You can read a review on the Internet - but there are practically none there. What to do then?

There are several simple and absolutely “homemade” methods that allow you to clearly see the capabilities of the same filter jugs. We will describe a couple of such tests that you can quickly do at home. The experiment involves filter jugs from three of the most popular brands in our country.

Test for filtering water from methylene blue, which is similar in structure to pesticides and toxins

The first test is the simplest. It will require a Methylene Blue solution, which costs a maximum of 50 rubles and is sold at any pet store. Typically, fish lovers use it to disinfect aquariums. Methylene blue is very similar in structure to some pesticides and toxins - only it has a distinct blue color.

And if the water that passes through the filter is blue or cyan, it is clear that such a jug does not completely remove those same pesticides and toxins from the water, or removes them only weakly.

Such a simple “blue” test of water in jugs shows: only “Aquaphor”, ONE OF THREE jugs, fully copes with the task of purifying water from pesticides and toxins - in its case the water is colorless. The other two show a radical blue color. It is not difficult to draw conclusions: in fact, water from two “blue” filters may not be healthy at all.

The second test is a little more complicated, because it will require making a solution with 300 times the maximum permissible concentration of iron in water. Purpose of the test: to see how jugs can pass or not pass rusty water. Accordingly, the more yellow the water we get at the output, the less faith in the effectiveness of a particular jug. And no amount of cheerful advertising will save you.

Rust water filtration test

The results, again, are obvious: the cleaning of the same Aquaphor jug, which showed better results with methylene blue, is also obvious here in comparison with its competitor. Of course, ordinary tap water still does not contain 300 times the iron content norm. But it is difficult to dispute the fact that Aquaphor cleanses better.

By the way, these and other simple and uncomplicated experiments that allow you to evaluate the quality of home filters can be read in great detail at this link.
Thanks to the enthusiastic chemist who decided to test all the filters for their real capabilities, and posted his experiments and methods for carrying them out online. In principle, this is the first full-fledged review of water filters on the RuNet - certainly no worse than any detailed review of a smartphone.

So, why is Aquaphor more effective?

To be completely honest, the technology of most manufacturers of household water filtration systems has not progressed much over the past 30 years. Jug filters, as a rule, use the same classic sorbent: activated carbon and ion exchange resin.

Their combination is capable of removing organic matter, petroleum products, chlorine, and heavy metals. But there is a nuance. Water tends to form channels. Passing through the sorbent, it quite quickly forms “loopholes”, channels between the coal and resin granules. And it flies through such channels, practically unrefined, whistling straight into our mug.

And so Russian chemists from Aquaphor really became concerned about this problem - and finally solved it! They developed and patented a special fiber, Aqualen-2. Firstly, it removes heavy metal ions from water well and prevents active silver ions, which kill many (but not all) bacteria, from being washed out of the sorbent.

Secondly, and even more importantly, Aqualen-2 binds granules with coconut charcoal and ion-exchange resin into a single composite - so that the sorbent itself maintains its structure and shape. And water cannot break through channels in it. It is simply forced to be cleaned thanks to the “Aqualene coupling” of sorbent granules. Which, by the way, are 1.5-2 times smaller than those of competitors. Which is also good, because the finer and more uniform the composition of the sorbent, the higher its cleaning properties.

So that all this does not look unfounded, you can simply look at the results of a real opening of cleaning cartridges made of the same material on Habr. The insides of filters that did not perform well in the methylene blue and rust tests literally look like piles. And the Aquaphor sorbent looks like a nice Easter cake (it holds its shape), and the Aqualen-2 fibers are clearly visible in the photo.

And it’s also clearly visible where Aquaphor retained the “blue” - at the very top of the filter (this is the top part of the filter cartridge), i.e. at the farthest approaches to cleanliness. And therefore, we can almost boldly (with a slight fear that one of the mentioned manufacturers will want to hit us on the head) declare: in experiments, filters with the letter “B” have shown their inability to make absolutely clean and harmless water out of dirty and actually toxic water.

This means that buying such a filter for your home means only one thing: before the filter, you drank chlorinated, untreated water, and with such filters you will continue to drink it. Although with a lower concentration of rubbish. Just spend money on an advertised brand.

Replaceable modules after opening

"Aquaphor" and other types of filters

If Aquaphor uses revolutionary cleaning solutions in a simple filter jug, then what about the capabilities of more expensive and complex filters?

In the case of the Russian manufacturer Aquaphor, there are unique developments, of course, and more complex water filtration systems. Thanks to its own research institute (by the way, the largest of its kind in Europe!), the company has been one of the world leaders in innovation and development of water purification systems for 26 years.

This domestic research institute employs more than 100 chemists, engineers, technologists and developers. Over the entire period of the company’s operation, tens of millions of dollars have been invested in research and development, and Aquaphor supplies its filters to 44 countries around the world. Aquaphor also supplies filters to bottled water producers and produces filters for sale in retail under other brands: for example, the METRO Cash&Carry chain sells Aro filters (the chain’s own brand) produced by Aquaphor.

There is, for example, the Aquaphor Morion reverse osmosis filter, which not only 100% purifies water from all pollutants, including viruses. In the story with reverse osmosis, it is not so much the coolness of the filter that is important - reverse osmosis filters of almost all brands are really very good. Consumer properties are also extremely important, as discussed above.

• Dimensions. Aquaphor Morion has significantly less than its competitors. Because the developers figured out how to place a 5-liter tank inside the system itself (and not outside, like other brands), thereby making the filter almost twice as compact.
• Economical. The drainage water consumption of Aquaphor is 1.5-2 times lower than that of its competitors: 2-3 liters versus 4-5.
• Performance. Aquaphor Morion cleans approximately 8 liters per hour, while its competitors purify 5-7. At the same time, for normal operation, Aquaphor needs a pressure of 2 atmospheres. Analogs require 3 atmospheres, which is not always achievable in typical old houses.

All this became possible thanks to another unique development of Aquaphor - a water-water storage tank. The fact is that usually in a reverse osmosis filter, when the tank is completely filled with water, 1/3 of its capacity remains empty (there is air there). Therefore, a regular tank is quite large.

The choice of purification method depends on the composition of the water itself and the available capabilities.

Tap water supplied to apartments has different levels of harmful components.

That's why there is a need to select the optimal method of post-treatment, with which you can effectively reduce the amount of harmful substances.

In some cases, a person has to use water from natural sources. In this case, the task of disinfection comes to the fore.

In order to objectively make a choice in favor of one or another cleaning method, it is necessary to have an idea of ​​its advantages, disadvantages and application algorithm.

Main methods home water purification without filter are:

• Advocacy;
• Boiling;
• Freezing;
• Distillation method;
• Carbon adsorption;
• Cleansing with silver;
• Iodization;
• Shung grafting;
• Silicon processing;
• Use of tourmaline;
• Herbal cleansing.

Advocacy

This the most easily accessible and cost-effective way tertiary treatment.

The result of this process is the volatilization of chlorine gas and the precipitation of heavy metal salts.

Defending is considered a simple but ineffective technique. Only the upper third of the water volume is freed from chlorine. The lower layers contain increased amounts of pollutants.

According to the rules, water must be kept in an open container for at least 24 hours. After this, it is carefully drained to less than half the volume.

The settled water, without any further treatment, can be used to water plants or fill an aquarium.

Boiling

A simple, convenient, cheap and relatively effective method. The main purpose of boiling is to destroy pathogenic microorganisms, chlorine and low-temperature gases (radon, ammonia).

However, the method also has its disadvantages:

To neutralize the negative consequences, It is recommended to use already settled liquid for boiling and limit the boiling time to 15 minutes. In this case, the water container must be open.

Attention! Not all microorganisms die when briefly heated to 100 degrees!

Most pathogenic bacteria (staphylococcus, typhoid bacillus, Shigella, Koch's bacillus and others) They die when boiled within a few seconds. However, there are also more resistant microorganisms.

An example would be the hepatitis A virus, which dies in boiling water only after 5 minutes. Anthrax spores, which can withstand boiling, show even greater endurance.

Freezing

The method is based on a physical and chemical phenomenon, according to which crystal clear water first turns into ice.

The substance with impurities freezes last. The instructions for using freezing are simple.

Water is poured into an open container and placed in the freezer. When half of the liquid freezes, take out the ice and drain the rest. Thawed ice is ready for use without any additional processing.

Distillation method

Obtaining pure, salt-free water is based on distillation. The technological process in everyday life requires special equipment - a distiller. It is a system consisting of a container in which water is heated, a tube through which steam moves, and a container in which the purified liquid is collected.

The method has two undeniable advantages:

1. There is almost complete liberation from salts.
2. When heated, microorganisms die.

However, there are also disadvantages:

1. Light organochlorines are carried along with the steam.
2. Water loses biologically essential microelements.

Important! Long-term consumption of distilled water leads to the leaching of potassium, iron, manganese and other physiologically important elements from the body.

Carbon adsorption

Thanks to the porous structure the substance actively absorbs mineral and organic impurities.

The cleaning option is simple and convenient, but it also has disadvantages. The sorption capacity of coal is limited.

Home instructions for use are simple. Several tablets are placed in a gauze bag and placed in a vessel with water.

The sorbent dosage is 1 tablet per 1 liter of liquid. Functional analogues of coal are crushed coconut shells or ground fruit tree seeds.

Silver

Silver is a metal with pronounced bactericidal properties. This is the basis for its use in biological treatment of liquids.

In terms of its level of action, silver is equivalent to bleach. This metal is even used in swimming pools for disinfection. It is known that water supplied to international space stations is preserved with silver.

For bio-purification at home, it is enough to place a silver object in a container of water.

But with this method, the proportion of metal passing into water will be low.

To get a more pronounced effect, it is necessary to use a solution where silver is in ionic form.

Carefully! It has been scientifically proven that in high concentrations silver has a negative effect on living cells. Therefore, it is undesirable to abuse this method.

Iodization

Iodine is widely used in medicine as a disinfectant. This property is also used for domestic purposes. The advantage of iodine is its high bactericidal ability.

However, along with this advantage, the method has significant disadvantages.

1. Firstly, only biological treatment occurs.
2. Secondly, the water acquires a characteristic iodine odor.

This greatly limits the use of iodization. An analogue of this method can be bromination. But the use of bromine is expensive, so it is not widely used at home.

Shunging

Shungite is a fossil mineral with unique physical and chemical properties.

This is an excellent sorbent that absorbs:

• chlorine,
• nitrates,
• heavy metals,
• organics.

Shungite has bactericidal properties. The mineral contains a large number of trace elements, thanks to this, the water is mineralized when infused.

Important to remember that the mineral has limited sorption capacity. Microbes, accumulating inside the stone, are able to live there. Therefore, the shungite filter should be periodically replaced with a new one.

Silicon processing

To find a suitable water purification method, you need to know which pollutants are present in the greatest quantities.

Before you begin household post-treatment of tap or natural water, it is worth collecting information about its composition.

The ideal option is laboratory analysis or household tests. Such data will help you navigate in choosing the right water purification method.

Important! If the same container is used for cleaning and disinfection, it must be washed periodically. In the light, water “blooms”, that is, green algae appear in it, which remain on the walls of the vessel and deteriorate the quality of each subsequent portion of water.

Conclusion

The quality of water supplied to apartments and houses is regulated by sanitary and hygienic standards. Despite state control, water supplied to consumers does not always meet standards. Household methods of post-purification help to cope with the emerging problem.

The presented review makes it possible to objectively evaluate the entire range of methods and choose the most suitable one in specific conditions. Cleaning at home allows you to save on expensive modern ones.

With proper implementation and combination of methods, the output can be water with good organoleptic and chemical characteristics.