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Vimal Mohan

Kent Pearl Water Purifier Review

Kent RO Water Purifier Review


Hello and Good Day!

Having used the Kent RO water purifier (Model Pearl)  for over 18 months, I have learnt a lot about the RO filtration system in general.  What to expect and what not to. How to avoid disappointment and frustration, and to save lot of money in spares and maintenance. So here I am writing this blog sharing things I have learnt the hard way. This could be an exhaustive write up and you have been warned!

Before we begin, let me take a moment to announce my facebook group.

Do you want to save yourself from being CHEATED by that service guy?

Do you want to SAVE a lot of MONEY in maintaining your RO water purifier?
Do you want to keep your RO water purifier in top working condition?
Do you want to talk to someone who has over 10 years experience in
maintaining and servicing RO water purifiers?

You are in luck today. JOIN my group and get your questions ANSWERED.

Join me on my facebook Water purifier Q&A group 





OK let's begin, go grab some chai/coffee, before you start.

Topics

5 Things to Consider Before You Buy a RO Water Purifier
Water purifier maintenance
Filtration Stages in RO water purifier
When to call service
Installation & Service gimmicks!
Service attitude
Important buying decision



3 FEB 2023: Looks like copper is all the craze and trending right now in the RO water purifier space. Copper is know to kill germs when water is kept in it overnight. Something our ancestors used to do for millennia; store water in a copper vessel as prescribed by Ayurveda.

Here is an excerpt "Copper holds promise as a point-of-use solution for microbial purification of drinking-water, especially in" read more on NLM

OK here we start

The Good News! if you have decided to go for Kent Pearl water purifier, congratulations you have made a credible decision! This is a quality product and it delivers what it promises; Pure Water* Kent Pearl is one of the top model, which I prefer over others in its price range for reason I will be sharing later in the blog.


Disclaimer: the intent of this article is to make you aware of what to expect in a water purifier, particularly a RO (Reverse Osmosis) type. By no means this is a recommendation of any sort.

Do your bit of research before making a choice.


First, I am starting with a quick look at the features of the Kent Pearl RO water purifier and its pros and cons. second, I talk about what to look for before buying a RO purifier, how RO purifier works, what is it made of, stages of filtration, service, maintenance and spares and finally a verdict.


Kent Water purifier Review model  Pearl


Features and Specification:


Purification by RO membrane and UV, with TDS control.

  • Image courtesy: Kent.co.in
    Automatic start up and stop.
  • Detachable storage tank for easy cleaning.
  • 8 Liters storage capacity.
  • Computer Controlled Operation with Filter Change Alarm & UV Fail Alarm.***
  • Purification Capacity - 15Ltrs/Hour (at room temperature and 750 PPM of water) ****

*** Other features claimed is a "Computer Controlled Operation with Filter Change Alarm & UV Fail Alarm." - well there is no computer or microprocessor used in the purifier control circuit board, probably just an ASIC is used. 

After about a year or so of use the alarms go "beep beep beep"!! it sounds for a minute or so when the purifier is powered ON and then everything is normal.  Another gimmick to fool consumers to believe that something is wrong  and to buying a new control board!

I had new filter spares installed at about 10 months of use (my water is very bad) that's 2 months prior to alarms turning ON! clearly the so called computer control (which actually isn't there) couldn't tell that i already have replaced new filters.

update : 24 Dec 2015. see the video on how to reset the alarm at the end of the blog.

****Purification Capacity - 15Ltrs/Hour (at room temperature and 750 PPM of water) - well this is just a manufacturer claimed specification just like the claims you have seen for a 2-wheeler mileage.

It takes 30-40 minutes to fill that cool looking 8 Liters storage tank.

For a detailed feature and specification see the manufacturer website
Link to Kent Perl Manufacturer site     Link to Amazon.in     Link to Flipkart.com

Please note: These links are  provided for convenience and I do not have any affiliate partnership with any of them (I dont make money from sharing these links) . Also I suggest you should compare this product (Kent pearl) with other brands, learn about what they offer and make your choice.

update 26 DEC 2021: The latest model has Zero waste water technology, where the reject water is pumped back to the overhead tank. If you have used this model, please share your experience.
Thanks.

Pros:
  • Delivers pure water as promised
  • The build quality is very good. food grade plastic been used.
  • Transparent & Detachable storage tank for easy cleaning.
  • Automatic start up when water level is low and automatic stop when full.
  • Can be placed on table or put on the wall.
  • Elegant look.
  • 1/4 inch quick fit connectors, which is simple to connect and disconnect, in case you want to do some maintenance yourself or clean the pre-filter.
This purifier will go on for more than a year without any service or filter spare replacement if TDS of your water is <500 PPM and or the usage is minimal.

Cons:

The only negative about Kent or any other manufacturer for that matter? you guessed it right "After sales service" This is where the trouble begins and dampens the reputation of a brand. and the common perception "Oh that brand is bad". and the sad thing is that manufacturers do nothing about it!

Any reputed brand of water purifier will do its job, its only a matter of choice, service and maintenance to look for.


5 Things to Consider Before You Buy a RO Water Purifier:

Choose your brand

why go for a brand? that's because its a matter of trust. A good brand will have quality parts and reliable performance.  

TDS Meter pen type

How many Purifier stages are needed?

you would have noticed manufacturers claiming stages of purification ranging from 5 to 10 and beyond. Make sure your choice of purifier must have a RO membrane, UV and TDS control. the rest of the other claimed stages will fall in place; no need to worry about how many stages.

Water purifiers with RO, UV and TDS control are usually the top end models and do cost more, you also have the option to choose a RO only model (without UV and TDS control)
while the RO only model removes all the germs and dissolved salts, it better to have UV which will further eliminate germs that can build up inside the membrane, because there always will be some water in the membrane standing still when the purifier is at rest.

Call for a demo

Check your water for the TDS measurement.  Most RO purifier will work fine up to a TDS of 1000 or more. (update 30 Nov 2015: this is just a manufacturer claim, i have seen the RO membrane fail in 3 months with a TDS of about 600)

Check pressure of inlet water

If you are living in the top floor pressure is likely to be a bit less. RO purifiers work under pressure, so some purifier may not even start when the inlet water pressure is below a minimum requirement.

Also when you are installing your purifier, insist the service engineer to open up the RO membrane housing and visually check the RO membrane side wall it should look white like new! 
  • PS; newer models may come with sealed membrane housing to prevent tampering.
    sides of the membrane white and new!
    image courtesy alibaba.com

Pre-filter housing

Install a pre-filter.

Although optional, its always wise to install a pre-filter. A pre-filter is an external attachment that filters suspended particles like sand, dirt & rust etc. present in the inlet water. This also increases the service life of the filters. The cartridge inside its housing collects the suspended particles. its cheaper to change the pre-filter cartridge and you need to change it every 2 to 3 months (depending on water quality)

pre-filter is installed close to water inlet. and the water purifier right next to it.

Water Purifier Maintenance

Like with any electrical or mechanical system, you water purifier needs regular maintenance. Sediment filter and Carbon filter needs to be changed every 12 months or so. sometimes you need to change them earlier depending on the daily usage and the quality of water.  Pre-filter  cartridge (or PP filter, called otherwise) need to be flushed every few weeks, over time (2-3 months) the PP filter clogs up and needs to be replaced.

       Should you notice that the water output of the purifier has slowed down, its more likely that one of the filters need replacement. changing the filter on time saves your "RO membrane", the hero of the purifier system. A RO membrane should last about 2 - 3 years, again this depends on the usage, the quality of inlet water and the quality of the RO membrane itself.

       Reject water; this is the waste water that is rejected during the purification process. Reject water has a high concentration of salts and is not suitable for drinking . you can drain it or use it for cleaning and washing. Reject water keeps flowing all the time when the purifier is working. if there is no reject water flow, the "flow restrictor tube" has failed. call the service engineer immediately and get it replaced otherwise this will result in premature failure of the RO membrane.

Note that for every liter of product water (purified water) there will be about 3-4 liters of reject water; this is normal with any RO purifier.
  • When there is a need to replace a filter consider replacing both the sediment and carbon filters at the same time because if one fails the other is likely fail as well.
  • Usually your purifier is covered by a 1 year warranty for the RO membrane and filters. some manufacturers provide only a 6 month warranty on filter spares. so its advised to service your purifier around 5th months of use, while its still under warranty and save your self money.

TDS Meter:

It's a good idea to keep a TDS meter handy. Keep a check on TDS of your drinking water at least once in a month. If the TDS of the inlet water has gone up (assuming you buy water from different sources) more likely the TDS of your purified water would have gone up as well.

Please read on to know more about how the quality of your water affects the life of the Purifier. This may also serve as a guide to choosing your water purifier.

You must know this!


You probably know water as either soft water ( municipal tap water) or hard water (well, bore well) but there is one more thing you need to know, TDS of water.

TDS is Total Dissolved Solids in the water and is measured in PPM (parts per million or ml/Liter) 

It is expressed as a number eg 750PPM. the higher the number the higher the hardness, meaning more dissolved salts and minerals that are undesirable and unhealthy. To name a few dissolved substances; calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphor, nitrates, chlorine.
There are also bacteria and viruses that can cause illness and must be removed.

The common UV filters you know, only removes suspended particles like sand and dust. they remove chlorine often found in treated municipal tap water. the UV kills bacteria and virus but not all. the rest of the dissolved substance still remain in the water and we drink them! to completely remove these contaminants you need a RO purifier.

A RO (reverse osmosis) water purifier uses a RO membrane that removes the dissolved salts and minerals and completely eliminates bacteria and viruses. the membrane is made of multiple layers of thin sheet with tiny pores in it, rolled and cased inside the membrane housing. (see video at the bottom of the page)

The pores are so small even viruses are blocked and removed. only water molecules pass through the membrane that is free of salts and germs.



legends
MF = micro filtration   UF = ultra filtration
NF = nano filtration   RO = reverse osmosis filtration


TDS control; remember the RO membrane will remove all the salts (up to 98%) present in the water. in the process some useful salts (minerals) are also removed, so it is necessary to add them back, TDS control will do just this. 

Along with the RO membrane, a good purifiers
 will also have a UF membrane (UF - Ultra Filtration membrane) that just like the RO membrane filters out germs but allows only useful minerals to pass through; this water is then mixed with RO membrane output water to add back minerals. 

The TDS control valve lets you adjust the required quantity of useful minerals. A TDS meter can tell how much useful minerals have been added back. Some purifiers are equipped with a mineral cartridge in the final stages to add more minerals and these will be marketed as mineral RO purifier just to make a few extra bucks!


Please note, the minerals in question are found in water only in trace (very less) amount. Pure RO water will be crisper with no taste. presence of minerals adds taste to water.

Here is a quick look at the TDS scale



The service engineer will usually set the TDS of your water purifier anywhere between 50 and 100ppm.
Bottled water usually have a TDS set at ~25ppm.
Bottled mineral water will have a TDS around 200ppm or more. This sound a lot but these are essential salts.

Fun test with a RO water purifier

requirements; RO water purifier, a cup, TDS meter and common salt.
1. take a cup of RO purified water, note the TDS.
2. add a pinch of common salt to the glass of water.
3. Measure the TDS!

Filtration Stages in RO water purifier


I am listing the most basic and important stages required. though some manufacturers may introduce one of more stages here and there, giving them fancy names to grab your attention.
Stages are placed in the order water is treated. water goes to stage1 and then to stage2 an so on.
The Pearl model covers all these stages!
  1. Pre-Filter; this stage is optional, but good to have as discussed earlier.

  2. Sediment Filter; removes suspended particles that were left behind by pre-filter or does the same job as pre-filter when this is the first stage.

  3. Pre-Carbon filter; removes chlorine and organic compounds. germs pass through!

  4. RO membrane; removes dissolved salts and germs.

  5. UF membrane; removes germs but allows some useful salts. please note that some purifiers don't use this membrane, rather they divert water output of the pre-carbon filter (with germs, that will be killed in the UV stage) and mix it with RO water output.

  6. TDS controller; this is just a valve that controls how much water from the UF membrane or pre-carbon filter gets mixed up with water output of RO membrane to add back some useful salts.

  7. Ultra Violet chamber(UV); water from the RO and UF membrane (or pre-carbon) are further processed with UV light to kill (De-activate ) the left over germs.

  8. Post-Carbon filter; similar to pre-carbon, removes chlorine and odor and makes the water taste better.
Water finally passes on to storage tank for consumption.
Besides these various components there are others that make up you RO water purifier;

Booster pump; used to boost the inlet water pressure. RO membrane works under pressure because you have to force water through the tiny pores in the membrane that we talked about earlier.

Pressure Switch; used to turn on the booster pump only when there is minimum working inlet water pressure.

Solenoid valve; used between pre-carbon filter and RO membrane inlet, solenoid valve shuts off water inlet to the RO membrane when inlet water pressure is low and or the tank is full. this reduces pressure on the membrane when its at rest.

Flow restrictor tube; this is a small valve placed on the reject water outlet of the RO membrane housing. its job is to let out reject water at a fixed flow rate. this ensures optimal pressure inside the RO membrane housing. 

There is also a power supply unit powering the control circuit board which controls the functioning of the entire system; sensing the inlet pressure, turning on the booster pump and solenoid valve, powering the UV lamp chamber, sensing the storage tank for water level, and shutting off the pump when the storage tank is full.

Here is a schematic showing how the various stages are connected, please note this will vary with different manufacturers.



A typical RO purifier system
image courtesy: eco-waterfilter.com

When to call service

  • You better take advantage of the warranty period, most branded purifiers come with  a 1 year warranty. sufficiently long time to evaluate your purifier and fix faulty parts.
  • Make sure the service engineer reaches your place earlier in the day, so he is fresh and has all day to fix your purifier.
  • Call service around 5th month and 10th month just to do a routine check on the health of the purifier.
  • Call service if you feel the drinking water output has slowed down. you can do this by noting the time it takes to fill or by visual check, that's why go for a transparent and detachable storage tank.
  • Call service if you feel the reject water output has slowed down or stopped altogether.

Installation & Service gimmicks!


Installation and Service are two extremes and always opposite, here's how

Installation attitude ; Super fast, done same day, happy to serve, call me anytime - No problem. Here is your bill. Thank you!
Don't forget to get your warranty stamped. Always buy from a authorized dealer. The guy who installs will not show up again. his job is done. His target is to install the thing. He wouldn't care to suggest you things like a pre-filter or a water pressure booster when its most needed.

A pre-filter is optional, installation will go through even without it. why would he bother to save your money. perhaps the idea is to make more money out of spares. you only realize that your sediment and carbon filters have clogged up and prematurely failed because your water is so bad, only a pre-filter could have saved them.

Insist on a pre-filter installation, this might cost you a bit more but its worth it. you can also buy it on eBay (I miss eBay) amazon for much less than what the dealer charges. its a good idea to buy it upfront and ask the installation guy to fix it for you. or you can do it with the help of a plumber.

Water pressure

Pressure will be a bit less on the top floor of the house. with such low pressure the purifier may sometimes not even start. to avoid this the installation guy usually tries to disable the pressure switch. what happens is the booster pump keeps running even when there is low pressure or no water at the inlet. this will ruin the pump and also since pressure is less the water output will be slow and will take lot more time to fill the storage tank.

Make sure to check if the pressure switch feature works. how to check? An inlet valve will usually be installed on the inlet water pipe. simply turn off this valve while your purifier is working, purifier should stop in a few seconds! and should start back once the inlet valve is opened.

Make sure the TDS of your purifier is set in the range of 40ppm to 80ppm.

Service attitude ; super slow, usually not done in a day, happy to serve more spares, call me anytime (but i may not be available), I'm done for the day. here's the bill for spares. Good Bye!

Usually 9/10 times a lousy service engineer ends up at your door. He seems to know only as much required to get your water purifier working. Recall that i mentioned about having the service engineer reach your place early in the day? That's because you buy more time for him, just in case he finds that a spare is not available in his service kit right away and it has to be procured from a warehouse located else where. so you at least can hope the he gets the spare and your purifier will be fixed the same day.

Service engineers who attend your service request late in the day usually try to give excuses, they are human after all, tired after a long days work, they try to run away without fixing your purifier, promising to return the next day. They usually don't show up and you end up calling them again.

Beware!  Any faulty part needs to be replaced with a new one. A service engineer in a hurry might bypass faulty parts compromising the very purpose of your water purifier.
for eg a sediment filter can be bypassed by connecting its inlet and outlet together thus removing the sediment filter stage! the same can be done for any stage!.

Sometimes they replace faulty parts with used spares, they do this usually during the warranty period since they have to bear the cost of spares. you can visually inspect the spares by looking into the inlet and outlet and it should be clean like new. used spares will have muddy/dark deposits in the inlet and outlet.

A note on RO water purifier spares


This is where manufacturers and service provider make lot of money. Spares are usually sold at unreasonably high cost! Go for a purifier with 1/4" QC (1/4 inch Quick Connect) fittings, this is usually the standard for domestic RO purifiers. there are lot of suppliers who make filter spares for 1/4" QC fitting. You can buy then online for less price! These spares will just work as good as the so claimed genuine ones if not better.


video on "Quick Connect fitting"    





Reader's videos:



How to reset the timer alarm : Thanks Prakash. this is helpful. (24 Dec 2015)

Here's my verdict on the Kent Pearl Water purifier:

I rate the Kent Pearl Purifier a 3.8 

What I like 
  1. Build quality and look.
  2. Removable storage tank.
  3. Reliable operation.
What I don't 
  1. Original spares are costly.
  2. service is not good.
  3. Not suitable for TDS >500.
  4. Filter change alarm is not reliable.
  5. Sharp inner edges makes cleaning the tank a bit challenging.
  6. openings on the back, ants and cockroaches can get in!

If you are already familiar with the cockroach problem, you can make an organic bait to control them. Read my blog COCKROACHES.. why I like them! & the DIY recipe to kill them!


Please do your research and compare, see how your choice of RO water purifier fares and then make your decision. That's all I have to say.

Hope this was useful.
Please share and educate people you care for.
Cheer!


Post blog updates


30 JUN 2014
A request: please ask your questions in comment section at the bottom of this blog page so others benefit too. i may not answer questions sent to my inbox, sorry about that :)
Also, some of the common questions are already answered in reply to comments from other readers. please search this blog to find what you are looking for.
Don't find it yet? go ahead and ask in the comments, I will be glad to answer. 

11 Aug 2014

Here are some pictures of kent membrane housing and carbon filters pried open. Thanks Mukesh for sending these in


RO housing and membrane. DOW Filmtec membrane the best in business!

carbon filter

update: Nov 30 2015 10:15am

Important buying decision


1. if you are spending around 15000 INR or more, make sure to get a purifier with RO +UF+UV. there are some models without UV but been sold at the same price as models with UV!
2. Don't buy purifiers with fixed and opaque tanks.

update : 02 DEC 2018
After many years of using ebay/amazon bought UF membrane I figured out most of the UF membrane sold online are FAKE!! Those UF membranes are just sediment filters.
If you need to buy a genuine hollow fiber UF membrane 
buy this one ( the brand names could be different) so please check


 I bought one and its genuine. you could actually see the hollow fiber tubes on the side (image only for reference)
UF membrane small 4 inch for Kent Pearl

A few trusted sellers on amazon I have purchased spares from >  Pokar RO systems & Aqua Fine
25 Dec 2021 : updated UF membrane link and added seller info. I do not have any association with these seller. Please research before buying.

Thank you for all the appreciation and thank you for taking time to read this story, this only show you care about your health! Also for those of you trying to post a link, it will not work. The author has disabled the links for aesthetic reasons! Thank you for understanding.



Also checkout my blog on WordPress. I write about Food, Fat loss, Health, Wellness, Life and Experiences



We are spoilt for choice in this modern times,
if you chose health, you chose wisely.
.

Thanks
Vimal

Note on link in comments: only one short link will be permitted per user to keep spammers in check. Your link must be related to consumer water purifier products or consumer service and based in India. Thanks for understanding.

Comments

Unknown said…
Warm Greetings!




Today, I visit your website and after reading your blog i realize that it is very informative. I'm highly impressed to see the comprehensive resources being offered by your site.


Thanks and Regards








-RO filters manufacturers
Anonymous said…
Hey,

Very informative and I did exactly the same to my Aqua Guard Enhance RO by adding a Pre sediment filter sourced locally for 300 Rs. The very same spare costs 650 Rs with AG. Thus by adding this pre sediment filter, I hope to extend the life of the RO membrane. Thanks again for an excellent write up.
Vimal Mohan said…
I'm Glad this was helpful. Thanks for the comment
Anonymous said…
hi. ur details are very informative. can you please come up with others like chimney, tv,heaters :)
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks for commenting.
I have some blogs and reviews on mouthshut > http://www.mouthshut.com/vnboss/blog
http://www.mouthshut.com/vnboss/reviews
There is a review on Toshiba LCD TV if you are interested
I write these reviews only after using and experiencing them.
I can help with suggestions if you need any. Thanks.

Anonymous said…
Hi, first of all, your post was very informative, I am pleased to read it. there are some questions which I would like to know. could you please explain how we can set TDS level on our own without a service representative? what is the way to maintain proper pressure on membrane, or in other words, how do we control the exit (waste) water to help maintaining the proper pressure?

thanks

regards,

Yogesh Chhabra
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Yogesh. Thanks for taking time to read this.

How to control TDS?
only way to control TDS is to control the TDS valve; you will see a small shaft on this valve that you need to turn using a flat screw driver. clockwise for less TDS and anticlockwise for more TDS. you will need a TDS meter to check the level.
This is a tedious process and will take time.

Say your TDS is like 150 and you want to reduce it to about 80, you slowly turn the valve clockwise a bit, wait for a few seconds and check the TDS. this is kind of error and trail method.

How to maintain pressure?

for a given system the parts are chosen such a way that they maintain the required working pressure. for a household RO purifier the working pressure will be around 50-80 PSI.

on the reject water; the ratio of product water to reject water is usually 1:4. meaning for every litre of drinking water produced, 4 litres of water will be rejected. this is so because of the nature of the RO membrane to maintain optimal pressure. you have to maintain 1:4 ratio to keep the RO membrane in good condition.

if the ratio is reduced (eg 1:3, to reduce the reject water) this will damage the RO membrane over time. because more and more impurities will accumulate in the membrane and clog it up. this is called membrane fouling. also pressure will increase with 1:3 ratio.

increasing the ratio (eg 1:5)will only increase the reject water and slows down the product water since the pressure is reduced with 1:5 ratio. low pressure means it will take a long time to fill up the storage tank.

so the only thing you can do is to monitor TDS level every week or so and maintain its level. also remember, if the TDS of the inlet water increases then the TDS of the product water will increase too!

cheers
Anonymous said…
Hi VN

Thanks for putting very detail information.
I have one question. I am shifting to Pune,Can we use Kent Pearl which I already have with municipal water ? or is it harmful to use Kent Pearl with Munnicipal water tap? I heard it may kill essential minerals?

Pl. advise.

rgds,
Suyog
Vimal Mohan said…
Hello Suyog. thanks for the comments.

You can safely use your Kent pearl purifier or any RO water purifier with municipal water. in fact RO purifiers will last longer with low TDS water (like municipal water) unlike borewell water with high TDS. which means your running cost will come down, no frequent replacements of filter parts.

the only problem with municipal water is chlorine content that is added to the water to eliminate contaminants. chlorine also affects the RO membrane, but this should not be a worry since chlorine content will be under limits.

on the chlorine may kill essential minerals; umm the mineral content in municipal water is less compared to borewell water. more the mineral more the TDS. but still there will be some minimum mineral content that will be retained by your purifier so dont worry.

Bottom line is "yes" you can use your kent pearl in Pune its safe.

Good Day.
VN
Very interesting and informative piece of information. Thanks. AS per the salesman, there is no difference between the grand+ model and the pearl model, except the clear visibility of water level in pearl model. Is it true?
Vimal Mohan said…
yes they pretty much are the same. I would suggest to go with Pearl. its easy to clean up the tank and its always good to keep a check on the water. as with other models you dont know whats in your water tank besides water! there is always possibility of cockroaches and ants getting inside the tank.

also book your purifier online, online price is usually less.
Thanks. I've got a price of 15.4K for Pearl model and the per-filter (For some unknown reason the salesman called it iron filter). I don't see an online deal cheaper than this.
Anonymous said…
thanks for your valuable blog of pros and cons of ro water purifier from kent..but i Minakshi Singh have used esselnaska ro water purifier that is also good for water purification.
Webinfovision said…
This is really very informative blog thanks for that.Most of purifier giving very bad response after certain time period and they dead but company blaming that long time of expiring date.
Earthquake Supplies

Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks Veer.
Yes, the problem is the quality of water; high TDS content.
manufacturers should consider testing their purifiers for inlet water with TDS of 1000 or more and them project the approximate life of the purifier before anything need to be changed.

My TDS is around 750 ppm! and i usually change my pre filter every month to prolong the life of other filter and membrane.
Anonymous said…
hi
i have read various negative reviews for kent ro water purifer on mouthshut.com..

that's y i am using Best Water Purifier Systems from esselnasaka.
Vimal Mohan said…
Is there any product without a negative comment? somebody always dont like something!
Anonymous said…
very good information and what should be the ideal TDS rate to be set in kent pearl RO water purifier??
thanks
Vimal Mohan said…
I prefer Kent over Aquaguard, because Kent uses standard filter parts that is easily available and also Kents service is better compared to Aquaguard (atleast in Bangalore)
Vimal Mohan said…
"very good information and what should be the ideal TDS rate to be set in kent pearl RO water purifier?? "

thanks for the comments

your TDS should be set anywhere between 50 to 100.
FYI bottled water have a TDS of 25 which is a standard practice.

I keep my TDS at around 100-150. because i like a bit more minerals in my water and also the water tastes good. at 25 TDS the water will be crisp and tasteless.
Anonymous said…
thanks for your information, very good keep it up.
Compare water purifiers
reverse osmosis water filter


I just wanted to add a comment here to mention thanks for you very nice ideas. Blogs are troublesome to run and time consuming thus I appreciate when I see well written material. Your time isn't going to waste with your posts. Thanks so much and stick with it No doubt you will definitely reach your goals! Have a great day!
Anonymous said…
which one is good kent grand plus or kent pearl?
Vimal Mohan said…
Both are top end models and have all the necessary purification stages for producing quality drinking water.
i prefer Kent Pearl over others because of the fact that i can detach the tank for easy cleaning and also i can keep an eye on the water.

the problem with other models is that the storage tank is screwed in place which require some effort to remove and clean. also since you cant see the water, how do you know for sure the stored water is clean and safe? cockroaches and ants can easily live inside the tank!

Anonymous said…
but how leakage is prevented in kent pearl?means how it is sealed?is there any chances of water leakage from detachable tank?
Vimal Mohan said…
all purifiers, including Pearl, are equipped with a float switch usually top-underside of the tank. so when water fills it pushes the float switch upwards and the purifier will automatically stop.
Anonymous said…
thank you
Anonymous said…
there are lots of local brand water purifier in the market.Prize of local brand is less as compaired kent,aquaguard purifiers.People from local brand saying that there is no difference in purifier(specification,operation etc.)also they are saying branded purifier's(kent,eureka forbes etc.)cost is more because they advertising their product.so my question is,can i buy local brand purifier?(cost difference about 5 to 6000Rs)
Vimal Mohan said…
You are right. branded purifiers cost about ~5000/- more. but there's a reason. you do pay more for the brand loayalty but not only that, branded purifiers are made for certain standard of quality and are reliable.
cheaper ones will fail sooner. if you are going for local brand make sure the RO membrane is a "DOW filmtec" make. thi is the best RO membrane in the market cost about 1300 to 1800. other RO membranes which sells for 1000 or less dont last long. so check with local dealer for DOW filmtec membrane.
thanks.
Anonymous said…
My water storage tank is situated 9ft above the ground level and its capacity is 300ltr(its only use to store drinking water).Is it possible to use online water purifier(RO purifier)in this condition?
Vimal Mohan said…
say you put the purifier at about 4 feet, that gives a overhead of 5 feet. i am not sure about the shape of your 300lts tank. a flat tank will have less pressure compared to a regular cylindrical one. if its cylindrical tank i think the pressure should be sufficient, since the booster pump inside the purifier will compensate. however i suggest its better to ask for a demo and see if it would work given your situation.
thanks.
Anonymous said…
thank you very much.
vikas said…
i heard problem related to kent pearl.cockroach and ants are come in purified water.bunch of cockroaches inside when you opened the upper lid of kent pearl RO.This is the problem regarding kent pearl.but i heard that kent grand plus has in built tank which is ant and cockroach proof.please advise.
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Vikas,
does Kent say grand plus tank is ant/cockroach proof? i dont think so. cockroaches can get inside almost anything.
i have been using pearl, i did see ant get in the water tank sometime, but i keep the water purifier surrounding clean so have no issue with them.

i suggest you take a look the each model carefully, you will see some gaps and holes on the back side unless the purifier is completely sealed.
its only a matter of keeping the surrounding clean.
vikas said…
which one you suggest?kent grand,pearl or aquaguard sensa?
Pratap K said…
Hi it's very informative, Just today morning my Kent pearl got installed, i noticed that service engineer disable the pressure switch, when i asked about it he said it's OK.
my water tank is about 12 to 15 feats height from Kent pearl, was that water pressure OK for my Kent without pressure switch control ?
at the same level of height my Samsung fully automatic washing machine is running good. Please suggest me that should i call service engineer or was that OK.
P.S: i never saw my water tank gets empty since last 1 and half years, my house owner always fills tank in-time.
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Pratap,Thanks for the comments.

service engineers usually disable the pressure switch because they dont want the consumers complaining about purifier turning off due to low inlet water pressure. the purifier will keep running even if the pressure is low, this is OK if the pressure will be normal within a few mins. in your case since there is lot of overhead your water pressure should be fine as long as your water tank is anywhere from half to full level.

if the water pressure is too low (one or more taps in your house are open or less water in your overhead tank and no power?), the purifier will take more time to fill. if you think pressure will be low for a while until your overhead water tank needs to fill, its better to turn your purifier off.

check your kitchen sink tap, just to make sure there is sufficient pressure before turning on the purifier.

Good day.
Very nicely written up article. few people go into details as you have. I intend to fit a Kent Grand Plus. Which will be a better choice, giving inlet from overhead tank or from municipal supply? I think better to put a connector having both options, you can select whichever you like. Whats your advise?
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks Capt.

water inlet for the purifier usually should be from a over head tank to make sure there is some minimum water pressure.
i dont fully understand how your tank setup looks like, how do you intend to use the municipal supply, do you have a seperate tank for it?
water purifiers said…
thanks buddy it is like an inspiration and learning zone.many things can be learnt from those blog list.hope someday my blog would also be in such list.
Aquamarine said…
Very good and Informative blog. Just what I was looking for when I had decided finally to Buy the Kent Pearl.
I called the service and he said two filters need to be changed and each around Rs 350. Thats all.
I still wonder if any thing else need to be changed like the UV light or other spares regularly?
Would like to ask if the TAP is of good quality and if you had any problems with it during this time.
I understand that the alarm you said which beeps after a year is time based for one year and does not monitor the filters and sound when the filters are bad?
Does the alarm stops after one time sounding after a year or does it sound daily after this till we change the filter?
The website also says that the purifier does not work after 60 hours after the alarm.
In your case then did the purifier stop after the 60 hours? You had chaged the filters after 8 months.
Hope you get some time to write on the above.
A very good job by you which will help a lot. I will try to share this blog with others to spread this useful blog.
Mr. Mathews, Kerala.

Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks Aquamarine.

it is adviced to change the UV lamp yearly or atleast every 2 years (since the strength of the UV light goes down with usage, just like a cfl lamp)
its also wise to change the post carbon filter every year.

the Tap is good quality and should last more than a year. you can get one online for about 200 or less, should it break.

like i mentioned the filter change alarm is just a gimmick.
it will keep sounding every time the purifier is turned on until you reset it ( there is a small push button switch on the circuit board). in my case the alarm went off one fine day even though i had the filters replaced earlier. i just used the reset switch to turn off the alarm.

yea i guess the purifier is programmed to shutdown after 60 hours from when the alarm starts, but i didnt wait to check, i had to push the reset to shut off the alarm.

good day.
Anonymous said…
Hi,
thanks a lot for the post. Could you please let me know where is the filter alarm reset switch located?. Also, please share the contact details / links for the spare parts. i will share my horrible experience with kent peral model shortly
Anonymous said…
Friends,

there is no way to find out whether RO is working or not?. NO alarm. I was told by the service manager of kent that taste will change if ro is not functioning!!!!. ( Still you may be getting water)this is one of the indication to change RO !!!!!!. If you are not checking the waste water quantity regulary it will be real chavos becuase, it may be wasting 60 to 80 liters of waste water for producing 8l of water. also, keep a tab on the time taken to produce 8l.
2. you have to change post carbon filter and FRT along with sediment and carbon filters.
Vimal Mohan said…
hi, this reset switch is usually a small push button and will be located on the control board on one of the sides. if you open up the casing thats covering the control board you should see a small hole about 5mm cut out on the casing on one side that hole is to access the switch.

see an image of what this switch looks like
http://www.skpang.co.uk/catalog/images/component/switches/00097-03-L.jpg

Vimal Mohan said…
i buy my spares from ebay.in
Anonymous said…
Thanks for your reply.
1 means, the switch is inside the micro controller box ?.
2 is it the same switch for UV lamp as well ?
Anonymous said…
Hi VN,

You are really doing a great job. Thanks for posting very useful information on RO.

I am looking to buy a RO purifier but not sure which one is best RO among Kent Grand plus, Kent Pearl and AquaGard Geneus, AquaGard Enhance Green RO.

Could you please help me to find out best RO purifier? I also want to know which of the above model provides feature to set TDS manually.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,
Deepak
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks for the comments Deepak.

there is no such thing as the best RO out there!
anything that has to deal with water has problems,so what ever RO you would buy will have its own problem over time. the only thing you can do is find a brand that has a good customer service.

based on my personal experience with Aquaguard, the customer service is almost "nil"! it would be weeks or months before some one shows up to fix your purifier.

grand and pearl models support TDS adjustments. i am not sure of Geneus and Enhance models.

good day
VN


Kesari said…
Hi VN,

Thanks a lot for sharing such a wonderful blog. The information is very very useful for any new Water Purifier Buyer!! Glad i found your blog.

I request your time to provide a clarifation ,

So I would like to know about the UF step. In the Kent water flow diagram, it shows that only some part of the water is given to UF and remaining is directed to TDS controller.

I understand that some water with minerals has to be mixed with the less TDS water , but why to bypass the UV step for that sake ?.

Regards
Kesari
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Kesari,
Thanks for the comment. good to know this blog is helping.

on your question; dont go by the flow diagram, its only a representation and doesnt actually show whats inside the purifier.

heres how it works; inlet water passes through filters and then is fed to UF and RO. output of UF and RO then feeds the UV filter. (actually output of UF is fed to TDS valve which then feeds to UV)the more you open the TDS valve the more you mix UF and RO hence more TDS.

output of the UV is fed to carbon filter and then to storage. the UV stage is not byassed, its just the misleading flow diagram. nothing to worry about you water is clean and safe.

Good day
VN
Kesari said…
Hi VN,

Thanks for your quick reply.

So you say water is fed to UF and RO. But in what proportions it is devided .

Dont we need all water to be first processed via UF is the question which is troubling me :( .

Inlet-->Filters --> UF --> Part of it to RO and Part of it to TDS --> UV -> ...would have been an ideal scenario , am i wrong ?

Regards
Kesari
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Again,

you need to understand the difference between UF and RO.
RO - removes all salts along with bacteria and virus
UF - removes only bacteria and virus.

if you need the purest possible water, only a RO filter is all you need. the TDS would then be <50 (assuming a good quality membrane). this water is void of essential salts or mineral. to add this back you control the TDS valve and only a tiny portion of UF filtered water is mixed with RO output to increase the TDS (50 - 100 TDS is usuall practice )

hope you get the idea that UF and TDS works in a combination and most of the inlet is actually going to the RO membrane.

the UF filter (along with TDS valve) is only an additional option to add back some salt (read mineral)to the water. so you are essentially getting mineral water!

bottled water usually have a TDS of about 25-40. thats almost no salt, and it will crisp and tasteless. when you add some salt and make the TDS about say 100, the water will taste good.

FYI bottled mineral water have a TDS of about 200! if you thought more TDS is harmful its really not, depending on what mineral that is.

so dont worry about how much is getting mixed, as long as TDS is maintained about 50 - 100 you are good to go. if you still are not satisfied with the UF water mixing with RO, you can opt for a RO+UV only model.

lot of words, but i hope you get the idea.
cheers
VN
Rohit said…
Hi VN ,

You have done really a good job by giving detail info on RO / Kent Pearl.This info is very useful.

Please can you explain how to do servicing by our own at home without calling service engineer for KENT pearl.

inlet water stop falling into tank , inlet water falls drop by drop in to tank. I called service center , service engineer said need to change RO bottle. Its only 15 month i bought the KENT pearl.

What you think , please let me know.

Thanks.
Rohit

Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Rohit, Thanks for the comments.

15 months is a very long time for a purifier. looks like your inlet water has less TDS and may be your usage is I assume 1 tank a day? thats why it has lasted for more than a year.

life of filters are stated in litres eg life of sediment filter is say 4000ltrs. what this means is the filter may work only up to 4000ltrs of water has passed throug it. after which it will start to clog or choke up. again this 4000 ltrs is assumed for certain quantity of impurity in the water. if your water has lot of impurities/sediments it will clog up faster.

if you have not replaced any filters its time to do so now.

if the water output has slowed down it most probably indicates a clogged filter or clogged RO membrane given the duration of usage you mention.

I'm afraid you cannot learn servicing in a day, that takes a lot of practice and understanding. every time i tried fixing my purifier the problem was so different! literally any part can fail and you need to check each and every stuff to point out the faulty part; starting from inlet to outlet of the purifier. its a tedious job!

The best practice to learn servicing is to first try opening up the purifier and take a look inside, at those numerous piping, try to identify various parts and how its connected. dont touch anything yet! just take a look. and put the purifier back together and it should work. see how long it takes to do this.

and do this a few times until you get familiar with all the parts. your user manual has a flow diagram which can help you identify parts and connections.

if you find that doing this still keeps you interested you are ready for the next stage.

for now i suggest you better call for service to save yourself time and effort.
Good day
VN

Rohit K. said…
Hi VN ,

Thank you very much for quick and informative reply .

In my case Changing only RO membrane will be fine ?or i need to change carbon and sediment filter also alongwith RO membrane ?

As you suggested , i open the KENT pearl and traced the all components and their connections with reference to flow diagram in manual . I found that service engineer has disabled pressure switch . Is there any relation between using pressure switch and life of filter component (Carbon / Sediment / RO membrane / Pump)?

Thanks once again for taking out time for relying to my query.

Regards,
Rohit
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi,
you need to change the RO, sediment and carbon filter. the FRT tube also needs to be changed along with RO.

heres a rough estimate, actual price may be more depending on your service provider

RO - 2000 Rs
FRT - 300
sediment filter - 300
carbon filter - 300
+ service charges

assuming your inlet water pressure is sufficient all the times, there is nothing to worry about the disabled pressure switch. just make sure you dont turn on the purifier when there is no water supply at all ( else the pump will keep running dry and may get damaged)

cheers
VN
vamshi said…
At my home TDS level is 1300, will you suggest Kent Pearl or any other prodcut?
Vimal Mohan said…
a 1300! are you sure? because thats too much. i guess Kent test their purifier with a TDS value of 750. Im afraid if Kent will work for you, please check with them anyway. i would suggest go for a RO which can take a TDS of around 2000.

regards
VN
Anonymous said…
hi.i am using kent pearl water purifier.There is one candle filter before purifier(outside the purifier).Service engineer told that you clean that filter at every 10 days.My question is how to clean that filter.If i opened it for cleaning,its colour changes from white to brownish.For cleaning i used high pressure water spray.if you apply this pressure from outside there is chances for dust and other impurities to go inside instead of removing from filter.And the filter is situated like water come from outside and escape from inside(to purifier).please tell me exact procedure to clean that filter.
Thank you.
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi, thanks for the question.

the best way to flush the PP filter is from inside out.
what i do is take out the Pp filter and put one end to the tap (i use a cloth to wrap around the tap for a tight fit) and cover the other end with my palm, and run the tap for a couple of minutes.

messy work, but yeah thats the simplest solution.

good day
VN

ramases said…
I have a kent under the counter RO water purifier with a three stage filter that includes a pre filter.After nine months, the filter clog alarm came on and went off as described in the booklet.A technician came three days later,I was afraid the machine would turn off by itself if unattended for 60 hours but that did not happen.The service technician diagnosed it as an electrical problem and replaced a module(I think it was one for I was not watching all the time)The filter worked normally and I signed off the job card.
while talking to the technician , he asked if the machine was turning itself off after the storage tank was full.I did not know that as it is installed under the counter and normally is out of view.He said the light should go OFF.But this morning, I noticed that the two green lights on the system were on.Is this normal? My other question is , should the main switch be left ON all the time or is it necessary to turn it OFF after a few hours or when the tank is full? So far, I have left the switch ON all the time. Thanks in advance.
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi ramases, Thanks for your question.

im not sure about the under sink model so i cant tell about the 2 green lights being ON.

on the main switch, no harm in leaving it always ON (but it will be drawing some power in standby mode, when the purifier is not running) you can choose to turn OFF mains during night though and switch it ON in the morning.

good day
VN
areB said…
The filter change alarm is a load of crap. It only ensures that the unit will require Service (hence service charge for Kent) after 700 hrs ie. unit running 2 hrs a day = 350 days or roughly 1 year. There's a timer that count number of hours that the unit has run. Don't mind that but the fact that the unit will shut down until and unless a serviced by kent. The unit otherwise is a pure screwdriver technology and anybody can service since all parts are available in market. If someone will post pictures of where the alarm reset switch is located since all owners need to know since they have bought the machine.
areB said…
Also kent in kolkata is trying to sell pre-filter as Iron guard @ 1500/- extra cost. They could not explain why iron guard is required to filter iron since people install ro to filter iron in the first place. the so called iron guard cost no more than 300/- + plumbing cost.
Anonymous said…
Hi,
For prefilter Kent sales person quoted me 1500 and he offered me 300 discount on this price. can you guid eme what is the normal price if I buy outside? and can that outside product be harmful on the main product?
Vimal Mohan said…
the pre-filter housing costs about 300 INR or so, and the pp filter (catridge) costs about 70-100 INR per piece. search for "pre filter" on eBay!
Anonymous said…
Like you folks out there, I am also the owner of a Kent Pearl. After sales service has been dismal and many of the problems that cropped up had to be set right by myself.
Problem - 1: Water was not flowing from the tube into the storage tank. The machine was working and a while later, water started flowing from the bottom portion of the system. I switched off the system and opened the case and found that the bottom portion of the purifier had accumulated water. Checked further and found that the outlet tube from the UV had come off. Since I couldn't get service from the Kent dealer and also since I didn't have a rubber washer readily with me, I used a rubber band and tightened the outlet tube head into the UV. Things were back to normal.

Problem - 2: Some days ago, the chaps from Kent came and changed the whole filter, etc. and a day or two later, the intermittent beep alert started coming when the machine was switched on, indicating that the filters had to be changed. Again I opened the case and tried to locate the reset switch. The Kent chaps don't want their customers to have access to this switch and so they had fixed the UV Ballast upside down, with the Reset button opening facing downwards. What you have to do is unscrew and remove the Ballast from the place and look for the opening that gives access to the reset switch. It's a 5 mm opening and taking care not to get electric shock and also not to get the water coming out fall on the parts below, switch on the system and wait for the beep. when you hear the beep, use a toothpick and insert it into the hole and press the reset switch (there will be a continuous beep) and hold it pressed till the continuous beep stops. Switch off the machine. Put back the cover and screw down everything in place and switch on the machine. Lo..the Beep sound is gone..
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks for sharing. This helps.
SR said…
Hi VN,

The information here is extremely helpful. Yesterday we had a Kent guy come to give a demo. I have been contemplating so far on whether to go for the Pearl model or Grand Plus. Pearl has detachable container which I like and from the info available here I am going ahead with the Pearl model. One very useful fact that I have come to know from the above discussion is the installation of pre filter. We have been using the Aquaflo model from Forbes and this has an external filter unit attached to the main uv unit. I would like to know if I can use this filter before the inlet water of Kent Pearl or a different one has to be bought. This filter has outlet pipe of half inch I guess where as Kent uses narrower pipes for inlet ( I am told). The TDS in our tap water is quite less compared to the figures I have read above - its only 58 as measured yesterday probably because we get BMC water. I would have normally thrown off my old water filter along with the candle unit but it will be great if I get to use with the new machine. The Kent guy should have mention this to me, though but he was more interested in telling me the the machine that I am using is quite useless.

Regards
SR
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi SR,
it will be problem converting the half inch inlet/outlet to 1/4 inch for Kent. i suggest you buy a new "10 inch pre filter housing" with 1/4 connectors. you should get one on ebay for around Rs 400/- search for "pre filter bowel"
this will come with one pp filter (catridge or candle). you can buy spare candle and replace it yourself every 2months or so.

good day
VN
SR said…
I will try that. Thanks so much!

Good day!
Himanshu Patel said…
Hello VN,

Excellent review, just right at the time when I was planning to buy a purifier and was getting confused between grand plus and pearl. I am getting the grand plus for a price on 13900 and pearl for a prize of 14500 on a leading shopping site and did not want to miss this offer.

The information on pre filter is also very helpful.

I will have to read the review again to completely filter the water (information) that you have purified (provided).

I may throw some TDS (questions) at you later if I buy it.

Once again, Great Job buddy.

Himanshu
Vimal Mohan said…
you are welcome and thanks for the comments.
Good day
VN
Arul said…
Which brand of TDS Meter to buy and pre filter to buy. Do you know any place in Bangalore. Himanshu can you share the shopping site where you are getting pearl for 14500. I also want buy one.
Vimal Mohan said…
for TDS meter, go for HM digital. you get it for less on ebay.

no brand for pre filter, but for prefilter candle, go for kemflo

regards.
Arul said…
Thanks VN

Regards.
Anonymous said…
Hi VN,

Many thanks for sharing so much information, its evry very useful. Thanka again.

I am planning to buy a water purifier and was interested in Kent Grand Plus however after seeing the new model Xpert by Aquasure (Aquaguard) i am confused now.

Grand Plus has a TDS control where one has to adjust the TDS level as per the need whereas the Xpert model from Aquasure has TDS Regulator which constantly senses the TDS of water and its TDS Regulator selects the best purification method from the multi stage RO+UV+UF purification processes based on the input water.
This really sounds interesting. What do you suggest?
Xpert From AquaSure is going to cost 19000/-
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi, Thanks for the comment.

from the way you describe the Xpert purifier, i guess Xpert would check the TDS of input water constantly and if the TDS is above some limit, it might activate RO purification. but if the TDS is very less (say <100), it might simply use only UF+UV (bypassing RO) this is still safe but there is no reason to bypass RO.
i am just speculating this, let me suggest you need to check with Aquasure. ask them "what happens if inlet water TDS is less than 100 and more than 100, does RO work all time?"
(if the answer is "yes RO works all time" then the "selection of best purification method" is only a marketing gimmick)

the best purification method by far is using RO. what ever is your TDS (less or more) you want to drink the water purified by the RO membrane, this is because besides removing germs RO also removes chemical compounds.

if you are sure the inlet water TDS is <200 always, you dont even need a RO. only UF membrane + UV is sufficient. this is assuming the water is coming from a municipal source.

nevertheless, if you are investing in RO purifier, the RO membrane has to work all the time!

hope this helps
regards
VN
Anonymous said…
Hi VN
I want to buy Kent Supreme as water wastage is less (50 %).

But after reading ur review I m confused between Pearl & Supreme.

Thankx
Vimal Mohan said…
hi,

i checked the supreme model on their website, Kent claims less water wastage (ie 1 litre wastage for every 1 litre purified water) this is too good to believe. the usual ratio is 1:3or4. meaning 3-4 litres wastage for 1 litre purified water and this is with the best RO membrane.

kent claims they achieve this 1:1 (50% wastage) by flushing the RO membrane! with my little knowledge about RO, i doubt if thats possible. also i checked the manual for flow diagram and it doesnt have anything special as compared to pearl or grand (except for the auto flush valve and double compartment tank)

check this launch video, where i dont see any special parts/component in the purifier that achieves the 50% wastage. the parts in the purifier look very standard as in any other RO purifier.

launch video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6da3T7aAFG0

to really acheive a 1:1 ratio you need to increase the pressure of the reject water and send it back in to the RO membrane, this will need special priming pump (a second pump, which is missing in the video)

so i guess a dirty trick is to divert some portion of the reject water back in to RO just like that, since reject water as high TDS and will kill (scale formation)the membrane sooner, so you will need to flush the membrane often and hence the autoflush valve!

the autoflush feature isnt something new, i have seen this in some less know models and always wondered why kent didnt use this for any of their RO purifiers. perhaps the want us to buy new RO membrane often ;) *- autoflushing enhances the life of RO membrane and should be a must for any RO purifier. -*

and one more thing, the reject water gets stored in a separate tank, what if you didnt use it? say the reject water tank is full and the pure water tank is empty, now what? you switch on the purifier, where will the reject water go now? will the purifier even start?

i wouldnt pay an extra 3000/- for just a tank and autoflush valve. rather collect the reject water in a bucket and use it for washing.

i suggest you call for a demo and check both the models and see which satisfies you.

good day
i am wondering where is the tap for the reject tank?

Anonymous said…
Thanx buddy 4 ur useful advice.

I had call them 4 home demo but they only give me info on my phone. No home demo.

Jamku said…
This information will increase more and more people to know about all this .Very Nice Post.it's very nice blog and this is very useful for me thanks. I use to do online kent water purifiers as its time saving.
John said…
Hi VN
This blog helped me a lot and thanQ for that.
I have a question, Is there a way to know which filter is at fault when there is no proper filtration ??
We have a Perl model at our house and we recently changed the RO filter but its still giving salted water and I'm not abel to know which filter is actually spoiled.
Thank You again for all your help
Vimal Mohan said…
thanks John.

if you replaced the RO membrane with a new one and if you still are getting salty water, the issue could be with the TDS valve; too much of UF output is being mixed with RO output and hence too much TDS in the purified water.

suggest you get it fixed.
Good day
VN
sharika said…
hi VN,
your blog is extremely informative.

I have a kent grand that gives me problems every 4months.After the technician leaves numerous other problems crop up .Is this a coincidence? Am i reading too much into it ? Do you think the tech has something to do with this ?



I have had two service agencies repair the machine.There is a price difference in the spare part costs between them. How can I know the exact cost of all the spare parts?

Also each technician tells gives different warranty on the parts .
one tech says that there is only a months warranty on the filters and ro membrane while another says there is 6 months warranty.I am confused.I am unable to get the truth.

HELP!!!!

And what is the normal rate at which water fills in the storage tank ? Is half tank in half an hour normal?
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Sharika, (nice and unique name!)
thanks for the comments.

RO maintainance is very complicated. just like you mentioned, if one problem is solved the other one crops up. its all to do with the TDS of your water. a TDS of 500 or more is painful in the sense of maintainance. you have to replace filter more often.

Scale formation affects all the components of the purifier with water more than 500 TDS. RO membrane is the most affected.

in my case TDS is 700! and my usage (drinking and cooking) is 2-3 tanks a day (16-24 litres) thats a lot. and i end up changing the RO membrane 3 times a year. and all the other filters 2 times a year with the exception of PP filter which i change every 2 months. - all together thats lot of maintainance charge. about Rs 7000/- in maintainance for a year. i save 50% here when compared to buying 25 lts bottles every day (40 Rs x 365 days!)

you can work out your maintainance estimates based on this.

i would suggest, when its time for replacing your RO membrane, replace all the filters along with it. this makes your purifiers as good as new. and the changes of consistent filter failures is avoided.

let me give you a quick estimate for replacement of all components

1. RO membrane - 2000/- ( if your purifier has the membrane in a removeable casing - then you only spend about 1500/-kents new model come with tamper proof RO membrane with the casing fixed to avoid technicians using sub standard RO membranes)
2. sediment filter - 200/-
3. pre carbon filter - 200/-
4. FRT - 200/-
5. TDS valve - 150/-

you save a lot by replacing these 5 items one time along with RO
imagine paying 200/- service charge every time you replace items 2 to 5. they will usually fail one by one!

all these prices i am quoting is based on ebay prices. your service provider will usually charge more, and thats how they make their money. they wont tell you what other component is going to fail next even if they knew!

you can check the prices of any RO parts on ebay (other components are RO pump, solenoid valve, uv lamp and uv chamber)

on the last question, the normal time it takes to fill 8 litres is about 45 min - 1 hour. anything above this is very slow.

good day
VN
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks for reading
Cheers
Vn
sharika said…
Hi VN,

thanks for your prompt reply.Thanks to you I know a lot more about my ro machine and its working.

I would like to give you some background info .

I have a TDS of 800-900 according to the technician.I consume 3-4 tanks a day.
Filters were last changed in may 2012.The membrane was replaced in april 2013 . FRT was not changed along with the memrane.
Are you telling me that every time membrane is replaced i should insist on replacement of FRT as well ?

Its august 2013 now and the reject water rate is nil. The purified water also tastes bad.
I proceeded to call the mechanic .He discovers that the frt is faulty. He then changes it.He bangs on the filters a couple of times .Says filters are fine(I dont know how that is even possible)..... makes me taste the water.It tastes fine.

He replaces the frt but the tank still doesnt fill up.He then discovers that the solenoid valve has become faulty.That too is replaced.The tank now fills up but definitely not at the normal speed..
Should i have got the membrane changed anyway ?

Oh I forgot to mention that in april 2013 the pump too was changed . What could have been the reason for this ?

Thank you for your patience,
sharika
Vimal Mohan said…
hello again,

thanks for the details, that helps a lot in understanding the situation.

Yes you need to replace the FRT along with RO membrane.

A TDS of 800+ and 3-4 tanks of usage a day is a kill for the purifier!

filters usually last a while, as the filter ages it slows down the flow because of blockages. this means reduced pressure and the RO membrane output reduces. less RO output and more UF output will increase the TDS. once the RO has ceased to work, you will be getting only UF output.
this water has all the minerals and will taste bad. ( this is still safe to drink coz its free from impurities and germs just that it tastes salty and dont worry the body knows how to eliminate the excess salt)

this slowness of output water has more to do with the pump
you need a bigger pump to increase the pressure. Kent was using a 1.0 LPM pump which is kind of less for a 75GPD membrane. the newer batch of purifiers have 1.6 LPM pumps.
which is ideal, water fills faster.

check your pump, if the lable show anything like 1.0 LPM or less. this is the reason for slowness. you need a 1.6 LPM (litres per minute) pump for optimal working of the purifier.

i have this same issue of slowness, even though all my filters and RO is new the small pump is casuing slowness.
unfortunately i am not able to find a 1.6LPM pump online.

see if you can get a 1.6LPM pump from kent service

good day
Vn






Unknown said…
Hi VN, My house water tested thru government LAB & they had given a report it shows TDS level 1250 PPM whereas TDM meter shown 750 PPM.TDS only above 1000 & other(calcium,mg,etc) are within desirable/accepted range. They suggested to use water after boiling.
Can you advise if any RO which is suitable for my water.
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Nikhilesh,
im not sure why the discrepancy in TDS from the lab report and the TDS meter. assuming you are using a good TDS meter, and if the TDS is 750, you can go for a branded RO purifier of your choice. i suggest you double check the TDS with a different TDS meter (call for a demo and have it checked if you plan to buy a RO purifier)

look for a branded RO purifier which supports a TDS of 1000.

regards
VN
Anonymous said…
Sir Thank you this useful Info. Sir I would like to know the location for TDS control valve for Kent Pearl filter
Anonymous said…
Hello VN,
Good Day, I am getting more of rejected water flow than purified water. Like for 8liter of purified water rejected water is 15liter is my Kent pearl machine working normal.
Vimal Mohan said…
hi,

for every 1 litre of pure water you should get 3-4 litres of reject water.
for a full tank of 8 litres, you should get somewhere between
24-32 litres. thats about 2 small buckets of water.

looks like your FRT is getting blocked, that needs to be replaced sooner else the membrane will foul (pores will choke and it will fail.)

thanks.
VN
Anonymous said…
Hi VN,
Kudos for this exciting post. Really helpful. I have few queries. Iam living in a rented house in Devsandra Bangalore. We get municipal water which first goes to a sump located in ground flooe and then pumped into an overhead storage tank which is made of cement. Both sump and overhead tank have not been cleaned for many years. My question is if I call for a demo how would I know that purifier is working well or cleaning the water and making it safe for drinking. Is TDS the only parameter to check for quality of water?
The other question was if purifier can be switched off when storage is full?
Anonymous said…
Hi VN

We bought a kent pearl yesterday. We installed it , but the green light is not yet on. 2 times the water is fully filled , but still the green light is not on. I dont have the manual right now with me.. Can you please help

Berlin




Vimal Mohan said…
Hi, Thanks for your question.

1. TDS is the best way to tell if the water is purified.
only a good RO membrane can remove salts and organic matter.
1a. RO purified water will look clear, just like the bottled water and taste similar.

2. yes you can switch it off one the tank is full. it doesnt need to be on always. that saves power also.

cheers
VN
Vimal Mohan said…
hi, the green light should go on once the purifier starts working. may be a case of faulty light or loose contact.

if your purifier starts up and shuts off after the storage tank fills, nothing to worry. you should however call the service and get it fixed.

thanks.
VN
SV Marketing said…
This site contains rich information about Water Storage Tanks
Say Sans said…
Hi Sir

I am to install a water purifier, i not only read your super informative blog but the comments also. All my doubts are gone.. But could you enlighten me how TDS works, i mean how does it let essential minerals and salts go through and refuses harmful to go through.

Someone told me TDS is just a gimmick that they let some water go through and in the water that is allowed along with essential minerals and salts unwanted salts and minerals too are allowed to get through. it would be greta if you could describe how tds works

And i am going to buy kent pearl , so also tell if its TDS is good or just gimmick.

Regards

Sheshansh
Say Sans said…
Hi Sir

I am to install a water purifier, i not only read your super informative blog but the comments also. All my doubts are gone.. But could you enlighten me how TDS works, i mean how does it let essential minerals and salts go through and refuses harmful to go through.

Someone told me TDS is just a gimmick that they let some water go through and in the water that is allowed along with essential minerals and salts unwanted salts and minerals too are allowed to get through. it would be greta if you could describe how tds works

And i am going to buy kent pearl , so also tell if its TDS is good or just gimmick.

Regards

Sheshansh
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Sheshansh, thanks for taking time to read this.

so is the TDS a gimmick? not at all!
actually the device is just a valve (TDS valve) that controls how much of the UF output water gets mixed with RO output water.
RO removes most of the salts(minerals) and its important to add back some minerals to the purified water. the body needs minerals and the TDS is a low cost way to get those essential minerals back.

dont worry about the unwanted salts getting added to the purified water. the human body knows how to reject them. important thing is all the organic impurities (germs) are removed by RO and UF.

info: [[say if your supply water is having a low TDS (<200 or so) you dont even need a RO! only a UF membrane is enough to purify water!
oh so what happens if i drink this water with a TDS of 200? you might ask.. well it doesnt harm! the body knows how to reject excess salts.]]

keep your TDS reading about 50 to 100. dont go below 50.

cheers
VN
Vimal Mohan said…
also "UF membrane together with the TDS valve form the TDS control system" some cheap water purifiers will claim TDS control and they will totally ignore the UF membrane, instead simply bypass the raw water (read with germs) to mix with RO. this is of concern and one should not buy such purifiers.
findlocales said…
very nice blog. More informative. Thanks for sharingRO System Sales and Service in Hesaraghatta
Saji said…
Hi VN, Its a great blog about purifier. Thank you very much for educating us. I am planning to buy Kent Pearl. Will the Kent service person will install the pre-filter kit, how much it will cost, what is the overall installation cost?
Mathew said…
Hi thanks for the information about the purifiers. Im planning to buy it and im concerned if some water bypassed through the tds valve after UF alone it will not remove pesticides as its size is about 0.001 micron and UF size is bigger about .01 micron.It will be of great help if you can clarify on this aspect about the purity of final water quality(mixture of ro and uf).
Vimal Mohan said…
standard installation is always free. you should buy the prefilter kit online and ask the service guy to fix it for you. you can pay him some fitting charge.
thanks for taking time to read the blog.
good day
VN
Vimal Mohan said…
say you manage to keep your water 100% safe. is your surrounding, work space, the food that you eat outside, the currency notes you handle everyday, people you shake hand with etc etc etc will be 100%? No. just having a 100% safe water makes no sense!

snap out of the perception that " UF and RO mixing is bad". the output of UF is very safe to drink and that of RO is very very safe to drink.

so get yourself a RO purifier and leave the rest to the body's immunity which si a great defence mechanism that takes care of things.

cheers
VN
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks and spread the word.
shekhar said…
Hi VN,
Its a really nice blog and thanks for the informations. I have purchased kent grand+ yesterday. When technician checked the tds value in the input water, it was 1025. He has not installed the pre-filter and suggested us to install it. My concern is with the amoumt of water getting wasted. It is about 50 litre of water getting wasted in filling a tank (i.e. 8litre). according to your blog it should be between 24 to 32 litre. Is this excess amount of wastage happening due to high tds or low input pressure or something is wrong in the system. The tds of output water was set to 60.With this high tds I should go for pre filter, right? Otherwise what will be the life of the ro and other filters.
Anonymous said…
regarding pressure valve , i checked by closing the three way inlet valve while
the purifier is running ,observed tat the pump sound increases and the water collection stops in the tank and when i open the valve the sound of pump decrease and water collection in the tank start
so definitely the case of pressure switch turned off , how to switch it on , reply would be greatly appreciated
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks for taking time to read this.

1025 is very high, the excess water i guess is because of high TDS. Kent test their products with a TDS of 700 and all the specification is assuming 700 TDS.
if the TDS is about 700-800 it should take not more than 40-60 mins.

How long does it take for the tank to be full?
Vimal Mohan said…
yes. the pressure switch has been shorted out (bypassed)

the pressure switch will have one water input and 2 electrcial contact terminal or pins.
make sure the two terminals are not shorted. sometimes the 2 wires that would connect to the pressure switch terminal would be removed out and joined together, if so, connect it back to the pressure switch terminal. you can connect any wire to any terminal on the switch, there is no polarity for this like + or -.
hope this helps.




Unknown said…
after i published my ploblem i opened the purifier

i found exactly what u said ....the pressure switch is having two terminals and a pipe connected and after some examination i found two wires under the pump which r connected thru clips .....i thought of connecting them to pressure switch but was worried abt polarity ..and thought of wirting u .....but thanx for ur advanced information .....ok is tat company ppl bipassed ps so tat the motor waresout so we call them and they replace wit new one and charge for it and keep tr service business running .....or is tr any reason for bypassing it .... iam using kent pearl with a pre filter of my old aqua guard classic and water supply to my unit is two storied high should i go connecting power switch or not .

Wheni opened my purifier i found all the filters are sealed or welded ones no chance of checking the color of the filter ....as of now my purifier is working fine no beeps etc 13 months old ... its taking in 36 to 38 ltrs to give me 8 liters and rest is reject water an it takes 50 to 60 mins .......i prefer to service my purifier instead of shelling out 350rs per visit or 2000 rs for AMC to the company .....so as u said i went thru ebay and found many membranes filters carbon filters etc .....in future if i need iam not sure which one suits my purifier ....as the website is not giving any dimentions regarding the product they r selling little help on choosing the spares would be helpful ......and i will check purifier again after connecting ps ..and let u know.....THANKS A LOT FOR U RUNNING THIS BLOG AND SMALL REQUEST AS UR SERVICING UR PURIFIER BY UR SELF U CAN PREPARE A MANUAL KIND OF THING OR A PROCEDURE LIKE DOS AND DONTS TO FOLLOW WHILE SERVICING ...THANKYOU
shekhar said…
It is taking 2 hours to full the tank.
Vimal Mohan said…
looks like a problem, i think low pressure. please check with service while its still under warranty. it shouldnt take more than an hour.
Vimal Mohan said…
no issue with a bypassed pressure switch as long there is always some inlet water and some pressure. just dont leave the purifier always ON. a dry run may damage the pump.

from what you say your purifier looks good. since its a year now, i suggest change the post carbon filter. would cost you about 400 INR and you can get it online. if you are not sure about a particular spare check with the seller before buying.

servicing a purifier is a very tedious and time consuming task and you simply cannot learn things from a manual, training and practice is is absolutely needed for such things.

*- if you are still interested, you can try to open up the purifier, take a good look at the parts inside. use the manual that came with your purifier and try to understand the flow diagram and when done close the purifier and secure the screws back.

opening up and closing back the purifier is the first step in servicing. do it a few times until you are comfortable. note down the time taken the first time and compare with the time you take say the 4th time.

if you love doing this, you are ready for the next step.

happy servicing.
Anonymous said…
Hello
You have very nice informative blog on RO. I am using kent grand plus for the last 2 years. I have issue wherein i hear continuous beep beep sound like "chik chik chik...". This beep goes off when i switch off RO and does not work either. The service guy just replaced smps (rs935/- charged) and it worked fine for 1 month then again RO stopped with chik chik chik sound. This time he opened the kent and put my old smps which was fine and replaced 11w ballast board and said the board is having issue and not smps. Now i am sure he is playing with and can't believe this guy. When i inspected the 11w ballast board i see a small hole and reset button inside. I am sure the board cannot go dead and there should be something to do with this reset button. Also i need to know the cost of this 11w ballast board for kent grand plus where in the service guy says this is also for rs935/-. As mentioned by you these guys play marketing gimmicks with "computer/microprocessor controlled "
and "alarm gimmicks". I feel there is something to do with this reset button.
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi, Thanks for reading.

try to press and hold the reset button and see if the beep stops.
press and hold it once the purifier is ON, if that didnt work, turn off the purifier,
press and hold the reset button and then turn ON the purifier while still holding the button, release it after a few seconds.

im not sure which method worked for me coz i was trying a few times and finally the beep stopped.

the beep sound is a timed feature and nothing to do with UV ballast or circuit board or filter life, just a gimmick!
you can check the prices of UV lamp on ebay.in. i dont know the price of the circuit board, RS 935/- sounds reasonable though. keep the extra board in a safe place, might come handy should your current board go dead or something.

Cheers
Vn
Anonymous said…
Thank you for replying
I will definitely try your options on the reset button and get back with details. Detail study of the circuit board will give more clarity. UV lamp Philips brand cost around 150 to 200 rupees. Will keep the circuit board if he happens to replace with new one. Your article is inspiring might be in near future may build my water purifier like DIY projects.
Cheers
Sudhee
pankaj rai said…
Hello Sir,

thanks for this great and informative article.

My Kent super + is 3 months old. From today no in water is going in the tank.

Out water is running fine. What can be the problem? I hope not to get cheated by the service guy who will come after 3 days

thanks,
Pankaj
pankaj rai said…
Hello Sir,

thanks for this great and informative article.

My Kent super + is 3 months old. From today no incoming water is going in the tank.

What can be the problem? I hope not to get cheated by the service guy who will come after 3 days

thanks,
Pankaj
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks Pankaj for taking time read this.

since the purifier is only 3 month old, i assume there cant be any chance of blockage
is it like totally no "in water" going to tank?
may be some component failure im not sure.

but dont worry, you are still covered under warranty so call service i guess they shouldnt charge you anything. let us know what was the issue.

cheers
VN
Aquafreshro said…
Five stage award winning Dolphin RO from Aquafresh developed with latest technology and made after vast research is a perfect choice for steps to healthier life.
Unknown said…
Hi, fully information enrich post regarding water treatment. We should use Water Purifier System for bacteria free water. Thanks for sharing.
Unknown said…
Thanks for explaining the ro water purifier pros and cons with technical specification. I am using water purifier from last many years and i enjoyed great health benefits.
Unknown said…
Thanks for sharing this post..i am using this Best Water purifier
,it consume less power and save your money.. :)
sonny said…
Hello Sir,
I purchased a complete set of filters for my Kent Grand RO purifier from ebay. The seller sent me a Mineral cartridge instead of activated carbon filter(small blue). He says it is the same. Can you let me know if its true?.
Vimal Mohan said…
hello sonny,

mineral cartridge and carbon filter are entirely different stuff. mineral catridge is made up of grains of rocks and crystals that are rich in minerals , "just like the rock and soil of a river bed or stream" as water flows through these it is enriched with minerals and it tastes sweet.

you need to add the activated carbon as the last stage, i suggest you buy one seperately. you can still use the mineral cartridge just before the carbon filter (last stage). you need to find some space in the purifier to fit the mineral catridge.

hope this helps
VN
pankaj rai said…
ok so the issue was not in the purifier. there was dirt and sand accumulated near the duct where the input pipe to the tap in attcahed. this resulted in low pressure. resolved now.
Vimal Mohan said…
i see. i have run into this issue once. so i always check the inlet pressure while i am replacing the pre filter cartridge once every 2 months.
thanks for sharing.
VN
Unknown said…
Thanks for sharing this post.This is nice ro purifier having good quality and gives you a pure water to make your health good.According to me it is a good product having efficient output.
varudaraj said…
The product is no doubt good, but what about the service backup. i found it is so worst. If company wants to prove that they are really responding for repairs & to solve my poblem they can contact me on this phone 9550944820
Premji said…
When there is less water in the storage tank, automatically the water in starts, but it makes a noise like 'put,put,put' as long as the water in supply to the storage tank of the unit contiues. This sound stops when the water in supply stops.
Second 12 months are over and there is no beep, beep warning sounds. Should we change filter candles and UV filter even though there is no warning sound.
Anonymous said…
Hi VN,
Very great information ! I read full article with all comments.
I am using mixed water(bore well and manciple water from over tank).
I planed to by Kent Pearl or Aquagard Nano RO,please suggest me which is the best?
But i am thinking every year approximate 4000 rs maintenance charge is very high to me.Also please suggest me any other Purifier with low maintenance charge with good water.
Thanks
Shiva,Bangalore
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks for the comments Shiva.

kent service is good compared to aqua-guard. and when dealing with water based systems there is always maintenance required. if your inlet water TDS is <200 then any branded purifier will need low maintainance. you wont even need a RO purifier when TDS is around 100 to 200.

4000 rs will be very less compared to the medical expenses you may incur should your health get affected!

VN.
if TDS is more then maintenance also increases.
Anonymous said…
Dear VN,
Could you please comment on the utility of Anti scalant balls for protecting the RO membrane. I am thinking of installing one casing with the Anti scalant balls at the inlet of RO purifier.
Vimal Mohan said…
Anti scalant will help reduce scale formation. you can install a anti scalant casing seperately. however if you have prefilter installed already you could simply drop the anti scalant balls in the prefilter itself!
Anonymous said…
Hi VN,

Thanks a lot for sharing such a wonderful, useful and detailed information.

I need your help in choosing an RO. I have shortlisted Kent Pearl and Aquaguard Total Duo. I have a confusion about after sales service, bcoz RO is a product which will required continuous maintenance. As such, after sales service becomes an important aspect to connsider.

1. From after sales service view point, can you pls suggest which one would be better.
2. Can regular maintenance like flushing filters, changing filters (which, you said, will be required every 3-4 months) etc be done ourselves without takeing help of the service engineers.
3. What should be the frequency of regular / routine check up of the equipment.

Thanks in Advance. Regards.
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks for commenting.

on your questions

1. after sales i guess is location dependant, you have to check who does better after sales in your area. i have had bad experience with aquaguard.
2. anything that requires to open up the purifier takes some learining and lot of effort, if you are a "tinker" type person you can learn and service it yourself. other wise its not worth the time.
3. every 3 months should be good enough. thought you wont have any issue during the first 6months. call for free service during 5th month and 9th month, while your warranty is still valid depending on the brand.

kent provides 6month warranty for RO membrane, so its best to check the RO during 4th or 5th month. if there is some issue they should relace it for free.

cheers
VN
Anonymous said…
Hi VN,

Thanks for such prompt response.

1. One thing i missed to mention that I have a tranferable job. Will it be easy (rather possible) to adjust the RO based on inlet water quality.
2. If we go with Kent Pearl, should we also get one external pre filter?
3. Should we buy directly from Kent, or buying it from a online shopping sites like ebay / hopshop18 / snapdeal / flipkart (based on price) is also safe, in terms of getting it installed and after sales service.

Thanks once again for the help.

Regards.
Vimal Mohan said…
1. its possible to adjust TDS, you will need a TDS meter to do this. see details in the blog on how to adjust TDS.
2. a pre-filter is a must for any water purifier, it prolongs the life of other filters. changing a prefilter is simpler and costs less.
3. online prices are usually less. a nearest service provider will contact you for installation, once your product has been delivered.
VN
Unknown said…
Yo !! I succesfully reseted the continuous alarm and my filter started working again... !!
- Jus put pin in hole seen after opening cover when alarm is buzzing and press for few seconds.
- Before that, I removed all the filters and individually passed water with pressure in reverse and then forward direction flow couple of times intent to clean them.
- Used the water filter tubes only to pass the water
- So much dirty water came out initially then the passed water started coming clear.
- then connected all tubes as before.
I believe this can be repeated 2-3 times whenever alarm starts in a year. A bit 1% compromise on purity... :)
- Can go using same filters after cleaning them for 3-4 years ... !! :)
Hare Krishna !!!
Mahesh S Sonarr
maheshssonarr@gmail.com
Vimal Mohan said…
this is concerning! these filters are designed for a life time of about 4000 litres. meaning it works as intended till 4000 litres of water has passed through. by the time it reaches its end of life, these filters would have clogged up depending on suspended impurity in inlet water.
a reverse flush is a very bad idea! this will disintegrate the filtering fibres and may cause internal gaps or voids. what does this mean? water is not getting filtered but just flowing out through this gaps or voids!

unfiltered water will clog up and damage the RO membrane sooner.
be cautious of reverse flushing its the wrong thing to do.

the filter set would cost <1000 bucks, i think 1000rs/year for filter change is 0.01% of what you would spend on food and apparels in a year?

cheers
VN
Raushan Singh said…
I am having kent peal, sudden its stop filtering and tik-tik sound is coming red light is getting deep and low but green light is not coming ,,,,plz help me out how to resolve it
I am having kent pearl for more than 2 years suddenly water get stopped. after calling person from shop (where kent pearl was bought) he told Rs 3000/- will be required for changing some items but not detailed more things. he only told that TDS is not working properly please suggest what to do.
Vimal Mohan said…
if you havent replaced any filters in these 2 years, go ahead and get all the filters replaced, am not sure if the membrane needs to be replaced.. your service provider can tell. membrane itselft costs 2000 i guess
Saumitra said…
thanks for your reply bu check this link

http://www.kentwaterpurifiersbd.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24&Itemid=42

and then think again
Vimal Mohan said…
if you are talking about the price of the membrane, a quality membrane like the DOW-Filmtec cost about 1500 or so online. original kent membrane costs about 2000, you pay extra for the brand! i hope kent uses DOW membranes but may be not. you can get a vontron membrane for around 700! these wont last like the DOW.

dont go by the info on this site, they havent listed everything, and these service providers can choose not to use kent original parts.

if you are talking about this > UF Membrane Tk.800 - this is a UF membrane and RO membrane is different and costs more.
sonny said…
Thanks to your blog I have changed the filters in my kent grand plus and it worked fine for 5 months. The machine started making beep sounds for a few minutes and stopped after some time. The water output was also slow. I changed the sediment and carbon filters and reset the machine. But the beep sound has not stopped, it comes on when the machine starts and switches off after a few minutes. Please help
Vimal Mohan said…
thanks for reading. i had the same issue. the reset button would not work even after trying a few times. i just ignored the beep (stuck some tape on the buzzer to reduce the sound). try to do a reset when the purifier stops working (green light wont light up) altogether and it might work the beep may go on for a few days.
good luck
VN
Unknown said…
Kent pearl RO water purifier is new in market. I think zapping device will better than that device.
Cause it can provide fresh water within some minutes.
Zapper
nemesis said…
Hi VN,
I am planning to buy kent purfier for my new flat. I am having woodwork done for my flat, want to make a wooden cabinet to put the purifier in. What dimensions i should tell to my carpentar? I will also be buying a prefilter, and keeping in the cabinet.
Vimal Mohan said…
Hello,
you can check the dimensions online, you didnt mention which model so i assume its pearl.
this link has the dimensions (you can check other models too)
http://www.kent.co.in/RO-Water-Purifiers/Kent-Pearl#___Specificaions-tab

add atleast 50mm (or 5cm) for all sides so you will have some free play space.
add about 150mm for the pre-filter width.

best thing to do is have the carpenter measure your purifier and prefilter.

also the purifier will be heavy (with full tank) you have to mount the purifier on the wall and then build a cabinet around it. go for 9mm MDF with laminaton. this will be light weight and should take some splashes of water.

no matter what, you will need access to the tap, so you will need some cut out in the cabinet for this and i am wondering how good will this look? unless you are planning to put a tap outside the cabinet for drawing the drinking water?!

also the cabinet should be removeable, in the sense it should pop out with less effort so you can do maintenance and service without any issue.
hard fixing the cabinet to the wall and placing the heavy purifier inside it? im thinking how well would water and wood go in the long run!

you know better, of your plan. just putting some thoughts if it would help
cheers
VN
sonny said…
UV lamp switching on and off frequently, can i replace the original controller with a choke available on ebay?
Vimal Mohan said…
it could be the UV lamp, im not sure how old is your purifier. if its been close to a year the UV lamp may need to be replaced. mine lasted about 2years and it failed.
also check the connectors fit on the uv tube assembly.
im not sure if grand plus has a seperate choke, if it does you can try to replace it. first check the uv lamp for broken/fused filament.

for kent pearl the choke circuit is on the main ckt board so one cannot not use a seperate choke assembly (you will have to modify the main circuit board which is painful)
sonny said…
UV lamp is fine, replaced it along with all filters 4 months back. was thinking of using with a separate choke.If i dont change the main ckt board i will not have automatic on off, but i think we can use the filter. Need your expert advice before i go ahead
Vimal Mohan said…
OK. you can still add a choke outside and connect it to uv lamp. when you turn on the purifier the uv lamp will turn on instantly and glow as long as the purifier is ON (mains ON) (UV lamp will be ON even though the purifier shuts off on reaching full tank. so you will have to switch the purifier OFF)
Unknown said…
I read this blog it's very informative about Water purification systems Canada. Please share more details, Thanks...

Anonymous said…
hi.if u dnt mind,wil u pls change d font colour of comments?so its easy to read.thank u.
GARRY SANDHU said…
Hi VN ,
the dealer give me offer to buy pre filter of kent brand at 950 and kent pearl at 15100 .... Is it a good deal ??
Vimal Mohan said…
15100 is a good deal, online price for Kent is 16900 (kent online store)
i suggest you get the pre filter on ebay for about 400 or less!
Unknown said…
For getting the purify water Water purification systems is the best automatic machinery system...
Thanks for sharing...!!!

Anil Kumar said…
I appreciate your efforts to share all the knowledge you have in maintaining the water purifier.

The newer Kent Pearl mentions the RO housing to be welded. Is it fine if I buy the RO housing & Filmtec membrane to replace it ? Does this work ?
Vimal Mohan said…
Yes. It will work great.
Some service techs resort to luring consumers to go for cheap membranes and sometimes they would replace a faulty one with used membranes. i appreciate Kents move on the welded housing so you dont get cheated.

Thanks for commenting.
Thank you very much for running a wonderful blog.

I want add mineral cartridge to the water circuit. Feasibility exist?
Vimal Mohan said…
Thanks Naveen for taking time to read this.
provided there is space to fit one, yes you can add a mineral catridge, add it before the post carbon filter.

good day
VN
Yes Sir, I will check for space inside.
Thanks again
VG said…
Good Evening VN,

I have Kent Pearl. I plan to buy the replacement filters online. Could you please help me which brand you recommend to buy from ebay, as most of the filters in ebay say they are compatible with Kent. I'm not sure they are Kent branded.

Thanks
Vimal Mohan said…
hello VG,
no specific brand as such, all filter items sold on ebay are about the same quality.
buy from a good seller.
thanks for asking
nite
VN
Anonymous said…
hi , i m from chennai and planning to but Kent pearl . the demo person has told that he will use bore well water instead of corportion water as TDS of munciple water is high.
Is it right to use borewell water which is not treated for Kent pearl?
Vimal Mohan said…
hi there.
i would prefer borewell water over municipal water. borewell water will not have chlorine unlike municipal water. also borewell water has a great source or minerals. less TDS in the inlet water means the RO membrane is stressed less, meaning life of RO will increase comparatively.

so yes, you should use borewell water for your RO inlet supply.
good day
VN
Anonymous said…
Thanks VN for the clarification. Now i m planning to buy Kent pearl.

rupa
S. B. Chunarkar said…
I have bought kent ro pearl and pre filter too. But service engineer is not coming to my remote area for installation. So I have to install it. Pls guide me for installation process in detail. where is dts controler in pearl model. please help. -sant
Sir i have installed mineral cartridge in kent pearl. Bought a good quality cartridge from ebay and connected between uv chamber and post carbon filter. Purifier working fine, pump capable of taking additional load. But taste i am not getting like bottled mineral water like bislery. TDS value also not changed after that. How to enhance the taste like bottled mineral water. Please help
Unknown said…
I bought Kent Pearl model 10 days ago. It was working fine. for routine cleaning of storage tank, I removed storage and cleaned first time. when I put back the storage and switched ON purifier then only power indication is coming (red) and purifier indication (green) is only blinking but not purifying.I checked water flow in tap is ok but dont know why purifier is not working.I have doubt about whether it is wrongly detecting that storage is full ant switching off & on purifier indication. I am trying for sales service but not picking up the phone, may be because today is Sunday. Whether anyone has faced such problem with Kent pearl model? Please help me to sort out the problem
Vimal Mohan said…
do you see any difference in the taste after installing the mineral catridge?
and what is the TDS value after adding the mineral catridge?

branded mineral water may use some additives to enhance taste something we cannot achieve in an RO. i myself use a branded mineral water for my kid's drinking. not because its mineral water but because it is much cleaner and better sealed than non mineral water. in my personal experience i cant tell much difference between normal water and mineral water! in my opinion the bottled mineral water is just a gimmick. all it contains is some sodium salt.

there is something called himalayan salt or pink salt which is sodium rich salt. try adding this salt to your water (how much to add? google it) and see if you get the taste you are looking for. its worth a try, i cant guarantee your satisfaction though.

good day
VN
Vimal Mohan said…
this takes lot of patience and time. you can go over the blog comments, i know for sure i have explained setting the tds somewhere here.
Vimal Mohan said…
you should call for a service tech while its still under warranty.
just be careful with the float switch (that little white plastic cylinder that hangs over the water) its very delicate, it activates a small switch when it raises up as water fills. may be you damaged it while replacing the tank.
VN
Anonymous said…
My kent pearl will complete one year on may 25th. It stopped working suddenly on may 9th). red light is on but green light off and no water coming into the tank. Over phone, Technician asked to switch off and take out plug for 10 min and start again. but it didn't start working. Is there anything I can do on my own as technician told he will come after two days!
S. B. Chunarkar said…
By reading your blog, I am motivated and purchased kent pearl as well as pre filter too, again as you recommended but when i attached pre filter, it was not functioning.Green light was turning on with some sound and again it was off. this was repeatedly happened. i think pressure was not enough. then i tried without pre filter and it was working ok. so please suggest me what to do.
Anonymous said…
Thanks for this useful review. I have a Kent Grand+ which completed 4 years of service where have replaced sediment and carbon filters 3 times and RO membrane two times. In between had replace the booster pump as well due to leakage. Now my problem is that recently two weeks back carbon+sediment+ro filters has been changed and the alarm is still beeping and the system never works. Finding it very difficult to get a service guy as they are promising to come and never turn up. Really tired...Do you have any idea how to reset this alarm? However I had tried pressing the reset button, but still the issue is there. Not sure doing a wrong procedure. One way it is good that I am well versed with self servicing the machine but this alarm is really a nuisance. You are welcome with any procedures that you are aware of...
Vimal Mohan said…
i had this issue too, the reset button never worked initially. looks like the alarm would go on for couple of weeks.
i suggest you use a tape to close the buzzer hole. this will cut down the sound. and wait till the alarm stop by itself.
try the reset button a couple of days later.
Thanks for asking.
VN
Vimal Mohan said…
some time if there is mis alignment while inserting the PP catridge in to the prefilter housing, it may block the outlet.
connect the prefilter and check the water pressure in the prefilter outlet. compare this with the pressure at the inlet valve
if you dont see any pressure difference then you have installed the prefilter properly. if you see pressure drop try to remove the PP catridge and properly align it.

assuming prefilte is properly installed you still see low pressure, then try bypassing the pressure switch and check.
search in the comments section for explanation on how disable the pressure switch.

good day
VN
Anonymous said…
Thanks VN for the suggestion. However my issue is that the system is completely stopped and not working anymore. If the reset button is pressed, it will start working turning on the green light, but within a minute it will be stopped. From the manual I could understood that this alarm is of RO membrane, however the same has been replaced on last Saturday. Let me have a try opening up the choke as a last chance...no other go for me now. Service personals are never turning back...
raj said…
Hi I am Rajan ,I would like to purchase RO purifier,I am using boarwell water,which can we very usable for me.kindly suggest me.
raj said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
S. B. Chunarkar said…
Dear VN,
thanks a lot for reply. I searched in the comments section and read that disconnecting the cable/wire from pressure switch and short the circuit. ok, is it correct? There is no push type switch there as i opened and saw. Am i right if i remove the wire and joined them together. Will it work? (You are online Teacher to a lot of people. Great job.)
Vimal Mohan said…
Hi Rajan,
there a lot of good purifiers available these days. do some research and pick 3 or 4 models and check these in retail stores to see which one suits you.
after sales service is a must. you may have to check who provides better service in your locality.
thanks
VN
Vimal Mohan said…
keep trying the reset button. hold the reset button down and power on the purifier while still holding it, and release after a few seconds. if it still doesnt turn on try a few times. it worked for me.
wish u luck
VN
Unknown said…
I purchased kent supreme.for first few days the taste was good. after a week the taste changed. when i asked the service person he said your tds level of raw water is about 1300. but the output is 170. if you want tasteness you have to install a micro carbon filter.... is it necessary?. cant i adjust the tds level as they say the kent supreme is tds adjustable. plz help me to alter the tds level. where is the tds controller
Vimal Mohan said…
your purifier is still new. the post carbon filter is already there and there is no need for an additional carbon filter. i dont think installing one more carbon filter will improve taste.
a TDS of 1300 is very high. in fact Kent test their purifiers for water upto 750 TDS (going by their specification in the manual). with such a high TDS, you wont be able to bring down the TDS of the purified water.

i wonder how long your RO membrane will last with that TDS level!

All you can do is shut off the TDS valve altogether then check the TDS of purified water. how to set the TDS? please read the blog.

what was the TDS when the water was tasting good?

"water taste" is kind of subjective. if you like the taste of bottled water (TDS of 25) you may not like the water with 170 TDS. for me a TDS of 25 is very crisp i like some salt in my water so i set it around 200!

thanks for asking
VN
Anonymous said…
Hi ,thanx for putting up such exhaustive information about the RO System...I happen to use Kent RO water purifier and had the filters replaced last month... Today it started beeping.. just as u mentioned happend in your case... I have been wondering should I call the service people again or just ignore the beep????
Vimal Mohan said…
hi thanks for reading.
if you are still in the warranty period ask for service to fix the beep issue
VN
Anonymous said…
Hi, am planning to purchase a water purifier. can you plz suggest good one of below (1) HUL pureit Ultima RO+UV (2) Kent Pearl (3) Aquaguard Enhnace RO+UV. Plz provide ur comments on HUL Pureit ULtima RO+UV and con/des on same... thx for providing good info..
Unknown said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
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