Often we talk about RO water purifiers as if like RO is the only way to purify water. But that is not true always. Think about a situation in villages where electricity is a privilege. Can’t they deserve pure water?
Yes, they do. The solution is to use Gravity Water Filters. There is no electricity required, nor any advanced technologies. Yes, Gravity water filters are the simplest form of water filters that we can use to get clean water.
Though we don’t use these filters much nowadays due to the high level of contamination in the water in villages where we mostly get better water still use gravity water filters.
Gravity Water Filters are also called Non Electric Water Filters as these can be run without any electricity.
So, let’s learn more about Gravity Water Filters here in this article and learn how they work and are these filters beneficial for you or not.
What Is Gravity Water Filter?
We call these machines filters and not a purifier. The reason is that Gravity Water Filters can only filter the water but can not purify the water completely.
If the water TDS level is less than 500, then only Gravity Water Filters should be used. If not, you need to use RO water purifiers.
A TDS level of less than 500 is suitable for human consumption but it’s not the best. A gravity water filter can filter out harmful particles and other elements that are more than 1 micron in size.
Anything less than 1 micron in size can still pass through the filter. So Gravity water filters do not essentially give you the purest form of water. But at least it gives better water than normal tap water.
How Does Gravity Water Filters Work?
Most Gravity water filters use two different types of filters. One is an activated carbon filter and the other one is a UF filter. Both serve a different purpose in purifying the water.
Activated carbon filters are effective in removing chemicals and bad odors whereas UF filters use hollow fiber threaded membranes to remove bacteria, cysts, and other microorganisms that cause waterborne diseases.
Ceramic filters are also very popular as these filters are very cheap to own. Similar to activated carbon filters, ceramic filters also use tiny pores on a ceramic surface to filter bacteria and sediment out of drinking water. It is an affordable and versatile water filtration method that can be installed in households or used as a portable filtration device.
Ideally, there are two chambers in a gravity water filter. The top chamber is where you will pour water and the bottom chamber collects the clean water after it gets filtered between the two chambers.
The water flows down to the bottom chamber due to gravitational force and that is why these are called Gravity water filters.
Types Of Gravity Water Filters?
Gravity water filters are categorized based on how you install the water filter. Here are the two types of gravity water filters commonly used.
- Ceramic Water Filter
- Counter Top Water Filter
Ceramic Water Filter
Ceramic water filters use ceramic candles as the purification medium. These water filters are heavy and usually placed on the ground. These water filters are very cheap to own.
Counter Top Water Filter
The Counter-Top water filter comes with most of the advanced features and can be placed on the kitchen counter. Made of plastic and relatively costly than ceramic water filters.
Things To Consider While Choosing A Gravity Water Filter
A gravity water filter is not the best solution when the tap water is very dirty, which means the TDS level is more than 500. But apart from that, you need to consider a few other aspects before you choose a gravity water purifier.
Types Of Contamination
Gravity water filters can not remove any impurities that are less than 1 micron in size. Sometimes these filters can remove essential metals and minerals which are a must for our body. You don’t have any TDS controller or Mineraliser in gravity water filters like how you get it RO water purifiers.
Flow Rate
Gravity water filters do not use any tap or pump to force water through the filter. It all works on the gravitational force. Therefore, these gravity-fed water filters have a velocity slower than other water filter types.
When filtering water with a gravity water filter, the system takes more time. Depending on the number of filters present in the filtration system, the water filter needs about 7 hours to filter between 4 and 7 gallons of water.
Advantages Of Gravity Water Filters
The first advantage of a gravity water filter is that it does not require electricity. So you can use it anytime and anywhere you want.
You can also place it anywhere you want. No special installation of a water line connection is required. All you need to do is to pour water.
These water filters work best when the TDS level is low. Instead of wasting money on RO water purifiers, these water filters are a more value-for-money option as the TDS level is already under the safe limit.
Gravity water filters come in various sizes. They do not need constant water supply. These are very cheap to own and maintain. You may need to change the filter once a year compared to RO water purifiers where you need to change the cartridge every six months.
Disadvantages Of Gravity Water Filters
The main issue with Gravity Water Filters is the filtration capacity. They are still called filters as these filters can not eliminate all the impurities from the water.
If the incoming water TDS level is more than 500, these water filters are of no use. These filters may remove a few impurities but still, that water won’t be safe for consumption.
One more issue with gravity water filters is the time to filter water. Since these water filters completely depend on gravitational force to clean water, the filtration process takes too much time.
Conclusion: Do We Need Gravity Water Filters?
Yes, of course. If the TDS level is less than 500, there is no point in wasting money on RO water purifiers. Instead, use a gravity water filter that will give clean water and also save on your power bills.
If you don’t have any problem with the slow filtration rate and not getting 100% purified water, Gravity water filters are the best bet.
