What’s wrong with the tap water? With so many old pipes in older buildings in Hong Kong, and the high rate of broken pipes coupled with the poor hygiene in many water storage tanks, your water may not be as clean as would like. It may even contain metals and microorganisms. In recent years, it has been revealed that water sources in some housing estates are polluted or even contain lead. Installing a good quality water purifier eliminates worries about water quality.

There are many kinds of water purifiers available on the market. So how to pick the right one? Simply refer below and choose the water purifier that matches your needs, so you can drink pure clean water with peace of mind.

1. Pitcher
Pour tap water into the pitcher. Clean water flows slowly through the purifying cartridge and into the pitcher.
The key lies in the purifying cartridge. Generally, purifying cartridges eliminate chlorine, impurities, bacteria, microorganisms and odours.
Advantage：very affordable and easy to use
Disadvantage：long filtration time, need to change the purifier cartridge often.
Purifying cartridge life：around 3 months

2. Faucet
Easy to install: just connect it to the faucet to purify the water.
Advantage：easy to install, affordable, lets you enjoy purified water instantly
Disadvantage：frequent replacement of purifying cartridge, short cartridge life, only eliminate basic impurities so product specifications are low.
Purifying cartridge life：3 to 6 months  

3. Counter top
Generally, they have a relatively large purifying cartridge. After installation, the water goes through the purifying cartridge from the faucet and flows out from preinstalled water pipes.
Advantage：large filtration capacity, longer purifier cartridge replacement period　
Disadvantage：takes up a lot of counter space, need to consider where the water pipes go and installation steps are complicated.
Purifier cartridge life：9 to 12 months

4. Under the sink
As the name suggests, these are installed under the sink. The result is superior as most of these water purifiers are installed with different purifying functions including chlorine and heavy metal removal.
Sometimes during installation, it is necessary to change the faucet at the same time so you need a professional or a technician to install it.
Advantage：comprehensive purifying function, longer purifying cartridge replacement period
Disadvantage：Price is higher and professional installation is required.　
Purifier cartridge life：9 to 12 months

5. Ioniser
Drinking water is electrolysed into alkaline ionised water and acidic ionised water. Alkaline water is rich in minerals and suitable for drinking while acidic water has sterilisation, disinfection and cleansing properties. Select according to need. The quality of the purified water varies so the price of this type of water purifier is much higher.
Advantage：offers different levels of water quality and higher filtration capacity according to consumption.
Disadvantage：Higher price, not suitable for people with kidney disease and babies

6. Kitchen/bath/bathroom showerhead
You’ve probably heard a lot about this type of water purifier. Do not neglect the water you use to take a shower or bath. A lot of bacteria, mud, sand, and dirt are invisible to the naked eye so a pure vitamin showerhead can help you eliminate residual chlorine and impurities in the water. Saves water, remove rusts and even moisturizes your skin.
Advantage：removes chlorine from water, increases water pressure, saves water and delivers Vitamin C for healthy skin.
Disadvantage：Not suitable for people who are allergic to certain aromas.　

What kind of purifying cartridges are there?
Let’s check out the different types below.

1. Regularly replace the piping tubes and clean the water storage tank
2. Select a water purifier according to space, installation specifications, usage habits and suitable price range
3. Check the condition of the purifying cartridge and replace it regularly