RO vs UV vs UF vs MF: Confused? Here's Your Ultimate Guide!

Water purifiers protect your family from waterborne diseases, and it is vital that you choose the right one for your family.

There are several water purification technologies available in the market. Understanding their functions and technical terms can be quite confusing. This water purifier buying guide gives you detailed comparisons between multiple water purification technologies for your convenience. 

Use this as a guiding tool to select a purifier that best suits your needs.

1)    RO vs UV

The RO (Reverse Osmosis) process ranks high in all major aspects of water purification. However, traces of harmful contaminants like germs, microorganisms and bacteria can sneak through its filter and remain inside. While the UV (ultraviolet) purification system may not be able to remove visible dirt and harmful metals, its strength lies in eliminating bacteria and microorganisms from the water. An RO purifier that comes with a mineral cartridge can also add key minerals to the water.

2) RO vs UV/UF/MF

Ordinary RO water purifiers waste up to 80% of water during the purification process, depending on the intensity and level of impurities. Technologies like UV (Ultra Violet), UF (Ultra Filtration), and MF (Micro Filtration) systems balance that out by eliminating water wastage, and do not require as much maintenance as RO filters. However, the UV, UF and MF systems are not capable of eliminating Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), or heavy metal impurities like lead and arsenic from the water.

3) A Combination Works Well

If you’re looking for a purification system that gives safe and clean drinking water, we advise using an advanced multi-technology purification system. This system features a combination of RO+UV or RO+MF for best water purity.

This table offers a side-by-side analysis of key features of various purifier technologies.

Sr. No.

Capacity

RO (Reverse Osmosis)

UV (Ultra Violet)

UF (Ultra Filtration)

MF (Micro Filtration)

Requires Electricity

Yes

Yes

No

No

Removes Bacteria and Virus

Yes

Yes

Yes

Only removes bacteria

Removes Dissolved Salts and Harmful Metals (Lead, Arsenic, etc.)

Yes

No

No

No

Filters Visible Impurities (Mud, Dirt, etc.)

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Removes TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)

90%

0%

0%

0%

Water Wastage

Yes

No

No

No

When it comes to choosing a water purifier, we advise you make an informed decision.