Many labs or their parent organizations maintain dedicated plants to transform municipal water into a product labs can trust for routine jobs. To take water to the next level requires a separate, additional process. Successful water system designs begin with clear, precise definitions of user needs.
Top 4 Questions You Should Ask When Buying a Lab Water Purification System
- What do you need the water for? What is your application & what type of water is needed? What is the source of your current water? How much water is required per batch/day? Are there special requirements for delivery?
- What is your budget? (This will determine the technology). What is the cost of ownership over five years?
- Where do you need the system in the lab(s)? Consider: top of counter, under counter or wall mounting the unit. What is the overall footprint/real estate of the system(s) and components?
- What kind of warranty and service is provided? Is the system manufactured to quality standards and which ones? Is this a pharmaceutical application that needs to be validated?
The ASTM Standards Lab Water purity level required by survey respondents:
| ASTM Type I | 51% |
| ASTM Type II | 29% |
| ASTM Type III | 12% |
| Other | 8% |
The ASTM Standards Lab Water purity level required by survey respondents:
| Dissolved inorganics (solids and gases) | 59% |
| Particulates | 50% |
| Dissolved organics | 45% |
| Microorganisms | 37% |
| Pyrogens | 11% |
| Other | 7% |
Respondents are using the following purification techniques to remove relevant contaminants:
| Deionization | 27% |
| Reverse osmosis | 21% |
| Ultrafiltration | 17% |
| Activated carbon filtration | 8% |
| Distillation | 7% |
| Microporous filtration | 5% |
| Ultraviolet oxidation | 4% |
| Other | 10% |
Top ten features/factors survey respondents look for when buying a water purification system:
| Low maintenance / easy to clean | 97% |
| Ease of use | 95% |
| Availability of supplies and accessories | 94% |
| Durability of product | 94% |
| Performance of product | 94% |
| Value for price paid | 89% |
| Low operating costs | 88% |
| Warranties | 85% |
| Total cost of ownership | 82% |
| Service and support | 80% |
Survey respondents are using the following water purification system components:
| Storage tank | 55% |
| Dispensing points | 53% |
| Water quality monitor | 46% |
| UV sterilizer | 43% |
| Polisher | 36% |
| Distiller | 22% |
| Water softener | 14% |
| Other | 4% |
Labs track & record the purity of output from their water purification system in the following ways:
| Manual record keeping | 40% |
| Visual check of display | 28% |
| No tracking or recording | 24% |
| Software within the water purification system | 7% |
Completed Surveys: 204
For more information on water purification systems, including useful articles and a list of manufacturers, visit www.labmanager.com/water-purification
See the latest survey results here
