A water purifier treats the water coming from your tap, tank or borehole so it is cleaner and better tasting to drink. Some units only remove sediment and chlorine, while others add reverse osmosis or ultraviolet light for water of uncertain quality. The right choice depends on where your water comes from and what is in it. Tell us about your home, office or site, and independent suppliers and installers in your area send you a quote for the purifier and its installation. It is free, with no obligation.
Purifier, filter or both?
The words are used loosely, so ask suppliers exactly what a unit does. In general:
- Filters catch particles such as sand and rust and reduce chlorine taste. See water filtration systems.
- Reverse osmosis pushes water through a very fine membrane that reduces dissolved salts and many metals. See reverse osmosis systems.
- Ultraviolet (UV) light is used to inactivate germs, but only works on clear water. See UV water purification.
Many purifiers combine two or three of these stages in one housing.
Start with your water, not the machine
A purifier is chosen to solve a problem, so find out what the problem is. Municipal water in much of South Africa is treated and tested, but pipes, old tanks and building plumbing can change the taste on the way to your tap. Borehole and tank water can vary a great deal, and a laboratory test against SANS 241 is the only reliable way to know what is in it. Ask suppliers to recommend a unit based on your test result rather than guessing. Do not rely on a purifier alone if the source is unsafe.
Running costs and upkeep
The price of the unit is only part of the story. Every purifier has parts that wear out: sediment and carbon cartridges, an RO membrane or a UV lamp. Ask how often each is replaced, what a replacement costs and whether the supplier offers a service plan. A purifier that is never maintained can pass on a bad taste, or worse, grow a film inside the housing. Check that the unit needs only a standard 230 V plug, or no power at all, and that there is room for it under the sink or on the counter.
Comparing quotes properly
Give each supplier the same details: the water source, the number of people, whether you want drinking water only or the whole house, and a test result if you have one. Then compare what is included: the unit, installation, a first set of cartridges, a warranty and after-sales support. A bargain unit with expensive cartridges costs more over three years. For a business, ask whether the unit can serve a commercial load or whether you need something larger.
What to include in your request
- Where your water comes from: tap, tank or borehole
- A lab test result, if you have one
- How many people use the water
- Drinking water only, or the whole building
- Your suburb or town, and the room it will go in
Water Purifiers for different sites
- Households: a kitchen unit for drinking and cooking water, fitted under the sink or on the counter
- Offices and business parks: a purifier on the kitchenette tap so staff drink clean water without bottles
- Schools, crèches and colleges: a purifier in the staffroom or tuck shop, with cartridges changed in the school holidays
- Clinics, practices and care homes: a purifier for drinking and for rooms where a tidy, tested supply matters
- Lodges, hotels, restaurants and events: a purifier on the kitchen supply or guest lounge tap in a guesthouse or lodge
- Factories, mines and building sites: a purifier for the canteen and change house, sized for shift changes
- Shops, gyms and refill stations: a purifier behind a coffee counter, salon basin or shop kitchen
- Farms, smallholdings and villages: a purifier on tank or borehole water at a farmhouse or homestead, after a lab test
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a water purifier and a water filter?
Do I need a water purifier if I have municipal water?
How often must the cartridges be changed?
Do you install water purifiers?
Water Purifiers by province and city
- Johannesburg
- Pretoria
- Centurion
- Midrand
- Sandton
- Randburg
- Roodepoort
- Krugersdorp
- Randfontein
- Germiston
- Boksburg
- Benoni
- Kempton Park
- Alberton
- Vanderbijlpark
- Vereeniging
- Durban
- Pinetown
- Pietermaritzburg
- Richards Bay
- Newcastle
- Ladysmith
- Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth)
- East London
- Kariega (Uitenhage)
- Mthatha
- Cape Town
- Bellville
- Paarl
- Stellenbosch
- George
- Worcester
- eMalahleni (Witbank)
- Middelburg
- Secunda
- Mbombela (Nelspruit)
- Rustenburg
- Brits
- Klerksdorp
- Potchefstroom
- Mahikeng
- Polokwane
- Tzaneen
- Kimberley
- Upington
- Bloemfontein
- Welkom
- Sasolburg