Buying a water purification system: A guide on how to estimate cost
If you are like me, then the first question that pops into your mind when you consider buying a water purification system for your home is this: How much is it going to cost? The issue of cost needs diligent research, as you should consider not only what you pay to get it, but also what you pay in the long run to maintain it.
To help you become better informed about the different cost elements you should take into consideration, I give you my list below. To be more practical, please note that in my analysis I compare the four most popular residential water purifiers that are now in operation: Filters, Reverse Osmosis (RO), distillers and ultraviolet units.
Initial Cost
There is a wide variation of initial cost. As a general rule, it is directly related with the number of contaminants you want the water purification system to remove from your tap water. Therefore, it is imperative that before you start your selection process you should get a hold of your water utility's annual report (if your utility is public), or get your water tested though a private lab (if your water supply is from a private source).
As a rule of thumb, the complexity of your installation will rise as the range of contaminants you want to remove widens. Since none of the available water purifier technologies is able to remove all pollutants on its own, then most probably you will need a combination of technologies, each introducing an additional stage of water processing. As you realize, price goes up with increasing complexity.
To help you better estimate your required budget, let me give you some indicative prices: One single stage system with carbon filter is around $25, while a multi stage combination technology water purifier ranges from $400 up to $800.
How much to install it
More often than not, the initial price quoted does not include installation cost. This is because within a given type of water purification system different models may or may not require installation; many of them just sit on a counter top or snap onto a faucet and are ready to use.
If the installation of your system is a bit more involved, more often than not you can seek help from a person with minimum technical know how. In the case, however, that more technical skills are required, then a hired professional might cost anywhere from $100 up to around $200. The final cost depends on the modifications you need to make in your existing set up in your house as well as on the complexity of the water purification system itself.
At any rate, always clarify with the company whether purchase price includes installation as well.
Cost per gallon
The last element in the cost equation is the ongoing cost of ownership of the purifier, measured by how much (typically between 6 to 25 cents) it costs to produce one gallon of pure water. It includes the cost of replacing and installing whatever replaceable components each technology uses, as well as the cost of electricity needed to operate and the water bill.
As far as replacing components, typically it is assumed that filters are replaced every six months, RO membranes every two years and UV lamps once a year. As for distillers, since they don't have any replaceable parts, the cost is totally dependent on the cost of electricity. Also, take into account that RO units waste a lot of water, so you should expect that your water bill will be a big part of cost per gallon for this type of water purifier.
Among the filters, the least expensive (purchase price wise) pour through pitcher filters have the highest cost per gallon because the small canister filters need to be replaced frequently, typically every six to eight weeks. In general, the larger the filter, the greater the initial expense, but the lower the cost per gallon after purchase.
Having said the above, what's very important to be clear about before you start considering the cost implications, is the level of effectiveness and efficiency that you want from your water purification system, based on your own set of circumstances. In other words, you want the system to be effective at removing the contaminants your water has and to do that efficiently, i.e. remove them as much as possible.
Therefore, I will repeat what I mentioned earlier: It is very crucial that you obtain a report about the composition of your tap water in terms of contaminants, before you start your water purifier selection process.
Once you come up with the final list of systems that are qualified to pass the criterion of pollutants removal, then you should start your selection process based on cost. - 17269
To help you become better informed about the different cost elements you should take into consideration, I give you my list below. To be more practical, please note that in my analysis I compare the four most popular residential water purifiers that are now in operation: Filters, Reverse Osmosis (RO), distillers and ultraviolet units.
Initial Cost
There is a wide variation of initial cost. As a general rule, it is directly related with the number of contaminants you want the water purification system to remove from your tap water. Therefore, it is imperative that before you start your selection process you should get a hold of your water utility's annual report (if your utility is public), or get your water tested though a private lab (if your water supply is from a private source).
As a rule of thumb, the complexity of your installation will rise as the range of contaminants you want to remove widens. Since none of the available water purifier technologies is able to remove all pollutants on its own, then most probably you will need a combination of technologies, each introducing an additional stage of water processing. As you realize, price goes up with increasing complexity.
To help you better estimate your required budget, let me give you some indicative prices: One single stage system with carbon filter is around $25, while a multi stage combination technology water purifier ranges from $400 up to $800.
How much to install it
More often than not, the initial price quoted does not include installation cost. This is because within a given type of water purification system different models may or may not require installation; many of them just sit on a counter top or snap onto a faucet and are ready to use.
If the installation of your system is a bit more involved, more often than not you can seek help from a person with minimum technical know how. In the case, however, that more technical skills are required, then a hired professional might cost anywhere from $100 up to around $200. The final cost depends on the modifications you need to make in your existing set up in your house as well as on the complexity of the water purification system itself.
At any rate, always clarify with the company whether purchase price includes installation as well.
Cost per gallon
The last element in the cost equation is the ongoing cost of ownership of the purifier, measured by how much (typically between 6 to 25 cents) it costs to produce one gallon of pure water. It includes the cost of replacing and installing whatever replaceable components each technology uses, as well as the cost of electricity needed to operate and the water bill.
As far as replacing components, typically it is assumed that filters are replaced every six months, RO membranes every two years and UV lamps once a year. As for distillers, since they don't have any replaceable parts, the cost is totally dependent on the cost of electricity. Also, take into account that RO units waste a lot of water, so you should expect that your water bill will be a big part of cost per gallon for this type of water purifier.
Among the filters, the least expensive (purchase price wise) pour through pitcher filters have the highest cost per gallon because the small canister filters need to be replaced frequently, typically every six to eight weeks. In general, the larger the filter, the greater the initial expense, but the lower the cost per gallon after purchase.
Having said the above, what's very important to be clear about before you start considering the cost implications, is the level of effectiveness and efficiency that you want from your water purification system, based on your own set of circumstances. In other words, you want the system to be effective at removing the contaminants your water has and to do that efficiently, i.e. remove them as much as possible.
Therefore, I will repeat what I mentioned earlier: It is very crucial that you obtain a report about the composition of your tap water in terms of contaminants, before you start your water purifier selection process.
Once you come up with the final list of systems that are qualified to pass the criterion of pollutants removal, then you should start your selection process based on cost. - 17269
About the Author:
Nicos Stylianou is a firm believer that drinking purified water is crucial to better health. Visit his nutrition guide website now to become better informed and find out what he recommends.
posted by X - Men at
12:24 AM
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