The most effective method purifying your Private Water Supply
If setting up a home water purification system to treat your private water supply seems daunting, don’t panic. Once you’ve had your water tested to see what contaminants need to be removed using pre-filters, the only decision you need to make is the purification method you prefer. There are just three options to consider: Ultraviolet (UV), Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Ultrafiltration (UF).
We’ve broken down the pros and cons to get you started:
|
Feature |
UV Water Purification |
RO Water Purification |
UF Water Purification |
|
How it works |
Uses ultraviolet light to kill bacteria, viruses and protozoa |
Forces water through a semi-permeable membrane |
Uses hollow fibre membrane to filter out suspended particles and microbes |
|
Removes bacteria & viruses |
Effective on perfectly clear water only |
Often includes a UF layer |
✅ Very effective |
|
Removes dissolved salts / TDS |
❌ No |
✅ Yes (excellent for high *TDS water) |
❌ No |
|
Removes chemicals / heavy metals |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
❌ No |
|
Works without electricity |
❌ No |
❌ No (usually needs pressure + power) |
✅ Yes |
|
Water wastage |
✅ No wastage |
❌ Produces reject water on a 3:1 ratio |
✅ No wastage |
|
Taste improvement |
❌ No change |
✅ Improves taste significantly if chemicals are present |
✅ Slight improvement |
|
Maintenance cost |
✅ Low |
❌ Higher (membrane replacement) |
✅ Low |
|
Suitable for muddy/turbid water |
❌ Needs pre-filtration |
❌ Needs pre-filtration |
✅ No pre-filtration required |
|
Valuable minerals retained |
✅ Yes |
❌ No |
✅ Yes |
|
Cost of system |
£ |
£££ |
££ |
|
Cost per litre |
££ |
£££ |
£ |
*TDS stands for Total Dissolved Solids, representing the total concentration of dissolved inorganic salts (calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, bicarbonates, chlorides, sulfates) and small amounts of organic matter in water.
The LifeSaver C1
The C1 Off-Grid Water Purifier is an economical, sustainable ultrafiltration purifier that requires very little maintenance and will last a family of four for years, even when used as part of a whole-house system. Cartridges are easy to replace and it doesn’t require power or chemicals to work, just minimal pressure provided by gravity using a raised header tank or a pump. If you want to know more, please get in touch.
