Best Non-electric Water Purifier in India - Reviews and Comparison 2021

Water purifiers are broadly classified into two types, i.e. electric and non-electric. Further, they are divided into with and without storage.

• Non-electrical with storage water purifiers come with a storage tank to store water once it is purified. People who live in areas where water supply is not continuous and TDS is up to 350 PPM prefer this type of purifier.

• Non-electrical without storage water purifiers are directly fixed to the water tap. They are candle-shaped filter consisting of a resin filter and has one month life. Same as with storage purifiers, this one also has UF and activated carbon filters and run without electricity. They are preferred by people who live in an area where water supply is continuous, and TDS is up to 350 PPM. Travel enthusiast often carries them due to their compact size.

• Electric with storage water purifiers need electricity to run and always remain connected to the water supply. They use sediment filters, activated water filters with UV or RO technology to clean the water. They come with a storage tank for storing water. It is preferred in areas where the supply of electricity is continuous, or water has high TDS.

• Electric without storage water purifiers works in the same way as an electric water purifier with storage tank. If you want to save space, you can choose this type.

• RO (Reverse Osmosis) Technology

RO is the most convenient, easy and effective method of removing impurities from water. In RO technology, water is pushed through the RO membrane using a high-pressure pump and forces which it gets from electricity. RO water is capable of removing even invisible impurities from water which makes it challenging, salty such as arsenic, sodium. It is the only technology which is capable of making desalinating seawater drinkable. If you receive water with up to 2000 PPM TDS, go for RO.

• Gravity Based Technology

Gravity-base technology uses pressure filtration and is feasible for essential water purification. It consists of either sediment or both sediment and activated carbon filters. These filters are capable of removing large and un-dissolved impurities such as dirt, mud and sand and also some chemicals and microorganisms. This technology is an advanced version of tap/faucet filters which our grandmothers used to use.

• UF (Ultra Filtration) Technology

Ultrafiltration uses a semi-permeable membrane to purify water, just like RO. The only difference is UF uses a membrane with much larger pores (appx. 0.01 microns) whereas RO uses a membrane with tiny pores (appx. 0.0001 microns).

As compared to RO, there are two benefits of using UF. First, it can work without electricity because the membrane has larger pores and water doesn’t need the force of gravity to pass; it can pass through naturally. Second, since no water is held back, there is zero wastage of water.

• UV (Ultraviolet) Technology

In this technology, ultraviolet rays are used to purify the water. It is the quickest way to clean the water. When you buy a water purifier which uses this technology, there is no chemical alteration in water, i.e. it does not help to make soft water from hard water. It deactivates the microorganisms but doesn’t remove them or dissolved organics, inorganics or particles.

• Activated Carbon 

Water purifiers using activated carbon technology are made up of charcoal granules, absorbs pesticides and herbicides. Same as gravity-based, this technology also doesn’t need electricity. They remove foul odour and chlorine-like chemicals from water, improving the taste of water.

• EAT (Electro Adsorption Technology)

EAT purification technology consists of five advanced stages of purification. The technology is present in both electric and non-electric water purifiers. It is suitable for water less than 500 PPM TDS.

• First Stage - The external prefilter removes impurities like sand, silica, silt, dirt and dust.

• Second Stage - The mechanical filter removes dirt and suspended solids using sediment mesh.

• Third Stage - Negative charge carrying impurities is removed at this stage by electro adhesion filter.

• Fourth Stage - Ion exchange has activated carbon granules which removes heavy metals like lead and arsenic.

• Fifth Stage - Lastly, the electro adsorption removes chemicals like chlorine, pesticides and endotoxins.

TDS is Total Dissolved Solids in water. TDS is more in groundwater and varies from one place to another. They contain harmful chemicals and continue consumption of it can cause intestinal irritation. Also, it is capable of changing the taste of the water. It is measured in terms of PPM (parts per million) or Milligrams per Litre (mg/L).

1 ppm = 1 mg/L

Water source determines the water quality. You need to know where do you get the water from. The water source determines if the water you receive is hard or soft. For example, if the water comes from underground water or deep dug bore wells, then it is hard water. Hard water contains high percentages of dissolved solids, harmful chemical and impurities, which makes the water unfit for human drinking. While, water coming from rivers, rainwater harvesting systems, lakes, and municipality managed storage is generally soft water. Soft water may not be as dangerous as hard water, but yet it needs purification to be deemed safe for human consumption over the long run.

Usually, water with TDS up to 300 ppm is considered soft water, whereas if TDS value is higher than 500 ppm, that water is considered hard or contaminated water.

Storage tank capacity refers to the ability of the tank in which purified water will be collected. At one time, that is the amount of water available to you for drinking. It mainly depends on two things. First, the size of your family as more members means a larger tank. Second, the purification rate, if the rate is fast, you can go for a smaller tank.

Do not consider just purified water storage capacity of the tank. Consider the total capacity of the tank as well. The non-electric water purifier has two compartments. The top compartment holds the raw water, that after purification goes down to the lower compartment as purified water for further consumption. If the capacity of the upper compartment is also huge, that means you might have to fill the water just once in 24 hours. The total ability of purifier depends on the number of members you have in your family.

The material used in making the non-electric water purifier matters. Most of the gravity-based water purifiers are made up of food-grade plastic or ABS material. However, lately, stainless steel and copper water purifiers have been making their way in the market. If you store only cold water, you can choose any of the material. However, for storing hot water, stainless steel is the best. Similarly, our ancestors believed that it is healthy to drink water from a copper vessel. It helps in boosting immune system, strengthening the bones, increasing metabolism if you also think that, pick a water purifier with a copper tank.

Purification rate means how much clean water does the purifier provides in one hour. Most of the gravity-based non-electric water purifiers have 5 litres/hr to 120 litres/hr purification rate. Pick a water purifier that has at least 5 to 10 litres per hour purification rate.

A gravity water purifier comes with more than one purification stage most of the time. Different purification technique is used at each stage. The more number of steps, the more purified water you have. Some of the standard purification stages are as follows:

• Pre-filter or Sediment pre-filter: Pre-sediment filter removes large particles like dust, mud, and sand. At the same time, it improves the life of the UF membrane resulting in a lower cost of maintenance. If your purifier does not have this, you can add it separately.

• Activated Carbon Filter – It removes chlorine, invisible impurities, harmful pesticides, and chemical contaminants from water. It is capable of eliminating foul odour, colours of water, and also, absorbs taste-causing organic compounds.

• UF membranes: The UF membrane works just like RO membrane, but it does not remove the dissolved impurities. Therefore, UF membrane helps you get rid of salts, pesticides and heavy metals like lead & mercury, microbial contaminants like a virus, bacteria, protozoa, and cysts as long as they are not dissolved.

• Carbon post-filter: Also know as a polisher, it re-filters the already purified water by enhancing the taste and removing any foul smell from water.

Filter life refers to the amount of water a purifier can filter in its lifetime, and it varies from filter to filter. Some call for replacement every three months, whereas some work for even a year, depending on usage.

Replacement is required due to clogging of sediment filters and meshes. We suggest, get a water purifier that can filter at least 1500 litres of water.

It is an essential and beneficial feature of the non-electric water purifiers. This feature notifies you when the filter has stopped working, and the leakage of water starts from the purifier. In this manner, it reminds you that it is the filter time.

Microporous Candles are also knowns as ceramic candles, and you will find them in stainless steel water purifiers. Usually, three candles are used at a time to clean water. Together they are capable of filtering 1 to 2 litres of water per hour.

If you are using these for the first time, place them in hot water for at least 6 to 8 hours to open their pores. For the first week, the water flow may be slow, but it will gradually increase.

Non-electric water purifier needs to clean often. Proper cleaning ensures the supply of safe and purified drinking water. Choose a purifier that is easy to clean. You can use liquid soap and water without second thoughts.

Not just the water purifier, but the filter placed within it also needs cleaning and maintenance from time to time. However, their cleaning is not possible at home. In fact, they need to be replaced when their time is over. The lifespan of a filter could be between three months to a year or more. However, experts suggest that filters before completing their lifespan.

The dimension of a non-electric water purifier matters. People usually leave a space in their kitchen for wall-mounted RO. However, gravity-based purifiers are table-mounted, and you can give only limited space in your kitchen to that.

Installing a non-electric water purifier is easy. In fact, most of the gravity water purifiers come pre-assembled, and all you have to do is place them. The one who needs installation, you will hardly need professional guidance. You can always rely on the instructional manual provided by the manufacturer.

It is crucial to consider the warranty of a water purifier as it represents the durability of the product. Most of the manufacturers of non-electric water purifier provide a minimum of 6 months to 1-year warranty on their product.

• Disassemble the parts of the purifier.

• Wash them using the liquid soap and normal running water.

• Due to iron content, the pre-filter/mesh would have turned to red colour. If so, soak the mesh in vinegar for a few hours or overnight.

• Wash it thoroughly from clean water.

• Assemble the parts again and use.

• Discard the first two batch of water to get rid of the remaining impurities and smell.

• Repeat the procedure at least twice a month.

Our comparison winner, Eureka Forbes Aquasure from Aquaguard Amrit, has not all the features but the best of them.

It has a total of 20 litres capacity and 11 litres purified water capacity. The brand uses 100% chemical-free purification technology to clean water, and the purifier runs without electricity. An advanced and high-tech filter cartridge called “Kitanu Magnet” has been used in it. It is a 3-stage purification system consisting of the particulate filter, sediment filter and positive charge technology.

The particulate filter removes all visible dust and impurities. At the second stage, the sediment filter removes invisible & dissolved impurities. At the third and last stage, Positive Charge Technology comes into the picture, and it kills all bacteria, viruses, and microbial contaminants keeping the water free from any foul, odour, taste or colour.

The gravity-based water purifier has a sleek and compact body made from food-grade plastic. It has 1500 litres filter life, and it is suitable for municipal water with TDS up to 350PPM.

Our first runner up, KENT Gold Optima, is also a gravity-based non-electric water purifier with three-step purification step. The first two steps consist of sediment and activated carbon filter, respectively. It uses a hollow fibre UF membrane at the last stage, which doesn’t let any cyst or bacteria to pass through. Moreover, it gives you completely chemical-free water.

The total storage capacity is of 10 litres with 50% is for purified water. The transparent tank is made of unbreakable ABS food-grade plastic and has an elegant tabletop design. As compared to our winner, the storage capacity is not just less but half of it. However, it has almost 2.5 times more filter life than Amrit. Also, it has less weight than the rank one and six months extra warranty.

It is the only water purifier on our list which meets quality standards of the world’s renowned labs - WQA (USA & India) and NSF (USA). We are also impressed by the purification rate, which is 0.31 litres per minute.

Prestige Copper Tattva 2.0 is a unique non-electric water purifier. It combines the best of advanced technology with Indian traditional health science, ultimately giving you both clean and healthy water. Besides no electricity, you do not need a running water supply to use this.

We have heard from our ancestors the health benefits of drinking water from a copper vessel. The brand has used that tip in this gravity-based water purifier. It is the only copper vessel water purifier in India.

The purifier has a total storage capacity of 16 litres out of which 50% is the storage capacity of copper vessel used for storing purified water. The upper part is made of food-grade plastic and has an all-natural FACT (Fibrillated Absorbent Cellulose Technology) filter. It is capable of removing harmful bacteria, protozoa and cysts from nine litres water in an hour. The total filtration capacity is of 1500 litres.

Eureka Forbes has added another model of non-electric water purifier to their long list of water purifiers with Aquasure Xtra Tuff. It is a well-tested and dependable model available at a very reasonable price, and that’s why it is our ‘best value’ product.

Xtra Tuff is a gravity-based water purifier with all the usual features and quality purification. It has a total of 15 litres storage capacity out of which only 5 litres are the purified water capacity. It has a purification capacity of 1500 litres and uses four-stage purification. Its purification technology includes particulate filter, sediment filter, carbon block, USEPA registered active disinfectant. Moreover, the build is not just sturdy, making the product highly durable but also qualitative as food-grade non-toxic engineering plastic has been used.

The brand does not stop at the basic features but also give something extra, i.e. auto shut off feature. Therefore, you are saved from the trouble of water overflow.

If you are looking for primary features at the throwaway price, then Tata Swach has heard you. At just a nominal cost, you get 15 litres of total storage capacity filter. Out of this 50% is reserved for purified water and the filter life is of 1500 litres. This is not it. You also get auto-shutoff capabilities at this price! This model from Tata Swach is internationally renowned with an easy to assemble design that’s also pretty easy to clean. This is the only purifier on our list which has colour options available. It comes in two more colours- Sapphire Blue and Fresh Green. So, yes, you get plenty of good things at a great price.

Areas, where the brand has cut corners, are warranty and stage of purification. Only one step of purification is there in it. Besides gravity-based, nanotechnology has used to purify water in this filter. The nanotechnology kills bacteria and viruses effectively and as per USEPA guidelines.

As the name suggests, Tata Swach Stainless Steel non-electric water purifier is made of highly durable stainless steel. The stainless steel construction makes water purifier safe when compared to water purifiers made from plastic.

This purifier has maximum purification life on our list, i.e. 6000 litres. It uses UHF cartridge to clean the water, and if you back-flush the UHF cartridge once a week, then the cartridge can last for up to 1.5 years. Despite that, we have ranked it sixth because of three reasons. First, the brand doesn’t mention the purification stages. Second, it has lower purification rate ( 4-5 litres per hour) as compared to other filters. Third, the number of ratings are less.

Speaking of the essential features- the total storage capacity is 20 litres which equally distributed in two compartments. So, you get 10 litres of purified water at a time. Again, this is a gravity-based purification filter using ultra hollow fibre membrane. It uses pre-filter mesh to remove the tiniest particles and all microbial contaminants from water. In addition to it, it is 100% chemical-free.

This non-electric 100% chemical-free water purifier from NEXQUA might not be that famous amongst the audience, but this is certainly worth the purchase. With a total of 14 litres storage capacity and 6.8 litres purified water storage capacity and 4000 litres life, it can quickly meet the demands of 2-3 people for almost a year.

It has two purification stages. There is the use of Gravity + Ultra spun Technology and ultrafiltration(UF) membrane to removes dust, colour, odour, bacteria, virus and cysts from the water. It is a lightweight purifier which is suitable for cleaning tap water or municipal water that has low TDS. Checkout buying guide, reviews and comparison of best egg boilers, best exhaust fan, best kitchen chimneys, best dishwashers, best thermos flask, best water purifiers in India.