Inspirations/Services
Services · 7 min read
Water: hardness, storage and the purifier you probably do not need
Test the supply before buying the machine. Most people do it the other way round.
RO systems are sold as a universal answer, and for genuinely hard or high-TDS supply they are the right one. But RO strips minerals and wastes a significant proportion of the water it treats, and if your supply is soft municipal water at low TDS, you are paying to remove things that were not there and discarding water in a city that may not have much to spare.
So test first. A laboratory test costs very little and tells you TDS, hardness, iron and bacteriological load. Below roughly 200 TDS, UV treatment alone is often sufficient. Above 500, RO earns its place. Between the two it depends on what specifically is in the water.
Whole-house softening is a separate question from drinking water and is worth considering if hardness is damaging fittings and geysers. It is a plumbing decision that belongs at first fix, not an appliance you add later.
Size the storage for a genuine outage, not a comfortable day. Two days of household consumption is the usual planning figure, and remember the overhead tank has to be structurally supported for the weight when full.
Whole-house softening is a separate question from drinking water and is worth considering if hardness is damaging fittings and geysers.
